That's me!  I am probably one of the messiest people I know.  It's not like I was brought up this way, my father is a neat freak and my mother has always been a fairly organized lady.  So why is it that I find it so difficult to clean up after myself and my ten year-old daughter?  You would think that after nine years of being on my own I would've figure it out, but alas, I am a total slob.  My apartment looks like a college dormitory with books scattered all over the place, clothes hanging from my painting easel, shoes in every door way, it's not a pretty sight.  But I do try once a week to get it together, only to see it all unravel again by Tuesday.  When I lived with my child's father I was expected to run a tight ship, he was very much like my father, a neat freak to the T.

I've wondered many times if this isn't my way of rebelling against both him and my father.  My father used to tell me when I was growing up that I lacked discipline.  Honestly, I think I just found chores to be boring.  I was a normal child who wanted to play outside, not have to wash the dishes and clean my room.

But this whole concept of discipline really bummed me out.  As an adult I find myself feeling guilt-ridden by my lack of it.  I lay awake at night thinking about how I could improve in this department.  I told my therapist about this recently and she gave my some advice: she said forget the word discipline, and do what you need to do because it will make your life better.

Could it be that easy?  Could I undo thirty years of bad habits with this new mantra?  That's doubtful.  So I went online looking for advice from other moms.  I found this great article with some pointers.

Make your meals for the week on the weekend...

Lay out their clothes ahead of time—I would plan out what they were going to wear for the week....

Prioritize or re-prioritize—What's more important to your children—putting all the toys away in their proper place or having a tea party with them?

I know, seems real simple right?  But my favorite piece of advice:

Cut yourself a break—guilt doesn't help anyone. You can't do everything perfectly and remember that no one can no matter what her circumstances.