Even with passing the baton and lowering the bar, in our situation we simply could not get everything done to which I had become accustomed growing up. I had to make some tough decisions.
I took a look at every single thing I did. Which tasks could I eliminate without any harm? Could they be assigned to someone else? Could they be made easier or quicker? I concluded that some things could be eliminated altogether:
*Giving baths every night
Once a week is sufficient unless they've gone swimming or found a mud puddle, etc. Cutting out nightly baths probably saves me at least six hours a week. 
* Folding underwear and matching socks
No one but the wearer will know that his underwear and socks weren't folded. Sometimes entire baskets full of clean laundry are worn and find themselves back in the dirty laundry all without ever being folded. This works for us because we are home most of the time. Your brother or sister doesn't care if your shirt is a little wrinkled.
* Not changing the littlies' clothes every time they got a little dirty.
Sure, I change them if they get wet or soiled or dirty enough to make something else dirty. But most days they wear the same outfit all day long. If it's not too dirty they'll wear it the next day, too. Since they stay home most days this works fine for us.
* Sorting the silverware 
The kids do this job now. But when I used to do it I would just dump the whole basketful into the silverware drawer without sorting. No, it's not nearly as neat and organized. But everything is contained. And it's still relatively easy to find a fork when you need one.
I keep looking for more things that I can just let go. If you can't do it all either, are you willing to let some things go for your sanity?
Thanks for stopping' by! Come visit again soon!
Momoften
