When you finally accept you’re not superwoman I suggest a family meeting to put your non-superwoman plan into action. The event should be scheduled in advance with every family member invited and expected. This is not in conjunction with dinner time, game time, t.v. time, or any other event. It is an important, set-aside time to do business with your family. I suggest no phones allowed and paper and pencil required. What?! Yes, I believe focus is better in this setting. It’s hard to do Facebook using paper and pencil. Notes can be transferred to phones later.

The list is endless for the purpose of family meetings, but for this blog we’re going to focus on family life maintenance. When our kids were at home we would usually hold meetings when “something had to give”. For me, that meant I was at a breaking point and needed help/support from my family to keep everything together without me falling apart.

Here’s how it worked in our home: I would bring a list of items needing accomplished which were making me feel overwhelmed. I just laid it all out there and said I could no longer do it all and needed some willing participation to keep our family clean, fed, and in motion. I was amazed at my family’s willingness to pitch-in! Usually someone offered to do something that I wouldn’t even have considered asking.

The positive in approaching needs this way is that family members can volunteer as they feel led, willing, and available. During one successful family meeting my (wonderful, amazing) husband offered to buy the groceries. He said he didn’t mind at all. Seriously! I had no idea and would never have thought to ask him. He proceeded to create a grocery list based on the aisles in the store we frequented. I simply had to keep the list printed and mark the items needed as we ran out. That was a priceless gift to me and he didn’t even mind doing it!

At another, or maybe the same, meeting this same wonderful husband offered to vacuum the house and he has done it ever since. He’s bigger and stronger and faster and makes much quicker work of it than me. I never have to think about this job because he owns it and makes it happen. Years ago a friend was visiting when we lived in California and she observed this phenomenon. She looked at me and said, “I can’t believe he just gets the vacuum out and vacuums!”

When you approach tasks in this manner it allows others to help you by serving willingly. This is a great model for your kids to live while in your home. Future roommates and spouses will be glad you practiced this simple life concept. Try it – you’ll like it!