I need a vote!

So only a few days after I swore off New Year's resolutions, I'm re-thinking my strategy.

I think I will make two resolutions after all:

1) To have a more organized home. Over the holidays we bought all these little plastic bins for the kids' toys, and I'm amazed at the difference it has made. I want to take some time over the next few weekends to see what else I can apply toe plastic bin method to, and to think about how else I can organize the house. Suggestions are welcome. My main concerns are the kitchen (I have the world's smallest counters for a medium-size house) and laundry (clean and dirty).

In keeping with this resolution, I need a vote. I've wanted to hire a cleaning lady for a while, and 2008 will be the year I do something about it. But then, a few weeks ago, we had the teenage girl next door come in the play with the kids while we did stuff around the house, and that rocked too! For $40 she spent 5 hours with the girls, played with them (and cleaned up after them) while hubby and I got to spy on them occasionally, and still got loads done in the house. So, which should I do? The difference being that the cleaning lady would be more expensive (probably $60 every two weeks vs $40 for the sitter) but the cleaning lady would come during the weekday, while the sitter thing would have to happen on a weekend. The cleaning lady would only do the main floor and upstairs bathrooms (our request/comfort level), and only clean, whereas we can use the sitter time to clean anything, organize or renovate. So? WWYD?

2) I want to travel. I expect I may be doing some more travelling with the new job, but I also want us to do more as a family. Our trip to PEI last summer was great. And it was more than worth the money. So far we always used the excuse that money was tight not to travel. But when I think back to my own family growing up, money must have been tight, too, to a certain extent. Both my parents were teachers and taking into account cost of living and inflation, probably made no more back then than hubby and I do now. Yet we travelled to Ireland and the Caribbean on an annual basis. And still today, I have to agree that was an incredible investment in my future, and a wonderful gift. I want to do the same for my children.

I'll keep up with my project, too. Lately I'm back to working at the yelling thing. My two weak points are first thing in the morning (hubby and I are mostly agreeing that it's just not a good idea for me to be up first thing with the kids when they're up before 6 am. He's even let me sleep in until 7 and 8 recently and I felt soooooooo good!). I'm also not great at their bedtime. I hear there are some kids who just get into their pj's, kiss their parents goodnight, and talk themselves to sleep. I'd like to trade my kids for those from time to time.

My kids fight bed time the same way they fight sleeping in. My three year old isn't bad, until the toothbrush gets out. Then it's like a game of hog wrestling, and I question how clean we actually get her teeth. Her jaw seems to be of equal strength than that of a pitbull. Seriously. My two year old, by contrast, loves to have her teeth brushed. You can't have a princess with stinky breath, obviously. But once the lights are out, she's in and out of bed, throws her covers off only to cry she's cold, wants to be rocked, then wants her bed, then wants back to the rocking chair... Then they both need water... It's a 30-40 minute process from the time they get into PJs to the time they start to drift off (or at least to the point where they are somewhat quiet). It's exhausting and frustrating. And all I would like is to be able to kiss my kids, tell them I love them and end our day on a positive note. Instead I let the whole situation rub me the wrongway, and inevitably, I raise my voice. I hate it. So this is my urgent challenge of the moment.