Oh, Honestly!

Real Life for Real Moms

Week 28: Bring it on- Fight to the finish

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First time joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge? Click here to find out what it’s all about.

Let’s talk character flaws. Mine, not yours (although I’d love for you to list some of yours in the comments so I don’t feel like such a loser).

Actually, I just want to talk about one of my character flaws today:

INCONSISTENCY

I’m good at making plans. I like to come up with ideas. I dream big dreams. Sometimes I even form a plan of attack on how I’ll accomplish those plans, ideas, and dreams. But when it comes to implementing that plan of attack, I don’t last very long. I lack stick-to-it-iveness and it bugs the crap out of me.

week 28

It’s not just in one area of my life; it’s in a bunch. Here are a few examples:

  • Chore charts for the kids. I made the charts, but enforcing their use lasted about 3 days.
  • Craft/DIY/Miscellaneous projects. Oh my, I have a list a mile long: I’ve made one curtain, but not it’s mate. I need to make last year’s photo book and Annelise’s First Year photo book. I have several knitting projects I want to do. I have the materials for a few projects in Annelise’s bedroom, but haven’t started the projects. And on and on and on.
  • The Great Purge. It’s been a year since I decided to do that. I started out with a bang and did the entire downstairs. Then I stalled out. I’ve cleaned out our master bedroom closet, but it needs to be done again, and I’ve done the linen closet (which I can actually say has stayed looking pretty nice), but it’s been months and I still haven’t added a blog update about it.

Those are only a few examples.

I hate that I’m like this. I feel like I’m constantly letting myself down, my kids down, my husband down, and in some cases, other people down. It doesn’t set a good example for my kids and it’ll probably lead to trust issues for them since what I say is going to happen doesn’t always (or even often) end up happening.

I want to be a person of my word. I want my kids to know that when I say something, it will happen. I want to complete all these projects and meet all these goals.

Yet here I am, stuck in limbo, not knowing how to proceed. In order to ‘improve’ I need to follow through on what I say and complete what I begin. But I already know that I’m good at making lists of what needs to be done, but I’m not good at actually completing those tasks. So if I just write down everything I intend to do, I’ll soon fall back into my old patterns.

SO… who out there is a good finisher? Who can give me some practical steps to see things through to completion? And who wants to tell me some of your annoying flaws? I know I’m not the only imperfect one 😉

 

And now the part of the post where I share pictures of our real, everyday life.

People like to complain about living here, but I totally agree with Maine’s motto. This is ‘The Way Life Should Be’.

Coastal Maine

 

Brotherly Love Coastal Maine

Exploring at low tide is fun. And also messy.

Accident at low tide

Have a great week and remember to keep it real!

 

About Lauren

If you enjoy picture-perfect home decor, perfectly prepared recipes, and perfectly behaved children, you've come to the wrong place. Meet Lauren. She isn't perfect, but she's perfectly real.

Comments

  1. Maggie Draper says

    You’re not a loser. And if someone calls you one, show them how well your kids have turned out, and then show them your blog and how successful it is! 🙂

    • Lauren says

      Aww thanks! You’re right; my kids are pretty awesome 😉 I don’t really consider myself a loser, but I do want to improve this area of myself. Any ideas?

  2. Kristen says

    So….do you have a calendar? Write it down…make a list and hold yourself accountable. I bought a plain old paper calendar at Target that has a column for each family member…it works! Oh, and get up way before your kids to get things done! Good luck!

  3. Heather {Woods of Bell Trees} says

    Here is one of my flaws: the house is a mess and I want it clean, but it overwhelms me and I just stare at it…I always wind up picking it up, but I waste about two hours fighting with myself over it! I think the first thing you should do, is make sure you aren’t too hard on yourself – give yourself a break and then just tackle one small thing until you know it works for you and then add another one. Once you see some success with your challenges it will be easier to keep at it.

    • Lauren says

      Yup. Yup. And yup. I do the same thing. I see all the things that need to get done and I’m overwhelmed before I even begin. And I think you’re right; if I start noticing the things I do get done, maybe I wouldn’t feel so bad about all the things I don’t get done. I probably accomplish more than I think.