Multiply by Ten

Life is really great at a few things - one of which is pulling me in a million directions, all at the same time.  It's completely reasonable that I be in three different places at the same time, wearing four different hats.  Right?  Wrong.  I can't do it all.  I try most days, but then on some days, I want to give up and just focus on a few of my responsibilities.  I need to have ten of myself. 

Mom Me needs to play with my children all day, teach them new skills, and mold them in to great people.  Real Me is able to get them dressed and fed, and is able to read a book or two throughout the day.

Career Me needs to work 40+ hours a week, make outstanding goals for myself (and meet them), and make everyone happy here.  Real Me gets my work done, but doesn't have much time for new projects.

Chef Me should cook great, nutritious breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for my girls and husband.  Real Me is lucky to get the girls to eat fruit once a day (veggies do not go well), and we end up eating out 1-2 times a week, mostly because of showings and laziness.

Homemaker Me is getting the most attention these days.  Have you ever been in a house with a 5 and 2 year old?  Chaos.  It's up to me to keep it clean, picked up and tidy, because you never know when you'll get a showing request.  We have a cleaning lady once a month, but recently needed to step it up to every other week because I couldn't keep up.

Wife Me should take more care of my husband.  He's lucky if I ask how his day was, and this makes me sad.  He works hard for us and deserves more attention!  He also gets the brunt of my stress, and that's not fair.

Friend Me should be texting, emailing, visiting my girlfriends, just keeping in touch better.  I definitely feel like I haven't seen them as much, and that's partly on me.  They are the best friends, and understand my craziness lately, but I miss them!

Daughter Me needs to go home and visit my parents.  I haven't been there since Christmas!  That is unacceptable.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful family who understands everything that is going on right now.

Dog Mom Me (of course I couldn't leave out my buddy Charlie!).  He needs me too!  He gets so anxious in the car, and he has been having to leave a lot due to showings.  He needs me to cuddle more, walk him and play fetch more.  Real Me feeds him, lets him out and only cuddles while I sleep.

And, of course, let's not forget about Me.  I would love to take a bath, relax, read, craft, maybe go shopping.  Right now, all of these things feel selfish to me - it's hard to tell myself that "me time" is important.

I know I am not the first person to be busy, or stressed out by the million directions I feel I'm being pulled in.  How do you handle all of the hats you wear? Are there any really good tips for getting the most out of the few 24 hours we have each day?  I'm all ears - all 20 of them!