There's a lot of common threads running through the comments. Lisa Lack, I think you're my twin. Your last year sounds exactly how my last year went.
The Flylady is awesome!!! I highly recommend www.flylady.com to anybody who is trying to get their life balanced. There are timed cleaning sprints, but the thing I liked most were the control journals. Everything I need in case a fire breaks out, insurance, phone numbers. I even made one--okay, am in the process of making one, for my writing life. Toss it in my bag before I leave for a conference and I have everything I need. LOVE HER!
I think that's one of my problems, Clare, I want my kids to do as good of a job as I would do. That's just not realistic. I love the pocket change idea.
Sleep is soooo important. I love 8 hours. I think I might have to put a lock on our bedroom door. My dog has learned to let himself in and pant over me long before I'm ready to get up:)
My now husband stranded me on the Arctic tundra. It was a five hour walk back to civilization. I'd dressed in jeans, boots, a cute shearling coat, and a ski headband, cuz I was on a first date, not an Arctic explorer. By the time we got home I was hypothermic, but I never once complained, trying to be a good date. He'll often reference that experience and asks if I could do that "not complaining" thing again.I tell him to bite me.