On the Flip Side

Despite trying to say "YES" to my kids more, I am also trying to say "NO" more to the things that aren't important or that don't work for me.  I read a post a few years ago that I can't find anywhere (help me out with the link, Linn?) by my wise cousin (also featured in the last post) where she talked about some great advice her dad had given to her.  He told her something to the effect that she didn't need to make excuses or give explanations, she could just say "no" if something wasn't going to work for her.  She could simply say, "No, that just doesn't work for me." No apologies or lengthy explanations needed.

I heard another wise tidbit--if you say yes to something, you are saying no to another. For example, saying yes"to watching 10 hours of TV in a day means that you probably won't get a lot of housekeeping, mothering, studying, cooking, etc. done. If you say yes to volunteering for an organization, you are saying no to using that time for your family. If you say yes to eating a whole chocolate cake, you are saying no to feeling good, being healthy, etc.

My friend Jill and I were chatting about this the other day--I think that oftentimes we feel obligated to say yes or somehow make things work.  Do men have this problem, or is it mainly an issue with women? We don't want to let people down or we don't want them to think less of us.  Many times, we simply want to help out, but it may come at the expense of other things that are more meaningful in our lives. Her husband recommended that she practice saying "No!"--quickly and loudly.  Jill and I laughed about it, but it made me think more about the whole idea of committing myself to things that I really can't (or shouldn't) do.

So, while I will continue to make the effort to say YES when I can, I will also try to say NO, without the guilt.

 **Thoughts?

Just Say Yes!

I feel like I say no a lot. Especially to the little ones that mean the most to me. I don't want them to grow up remembering a mama who always said "not now" or "maybe later" or just flat out "no."  My amazing cousin Linn has a great blog on organization . It is full of "everyday ideas to simplify and organize your life."  We all know that I have  LONG way to go before I'd call myself organized (or simplified for that matter...) but I love her thoughts.  Recently she shared a link to another mom's fabulous post about saying that word that is magic to all of our ears:

Read it here, you'll be glad you did!