Yesterday was our first day of school here. What a change! I’d read in magazines how moms are supposed to help kids ease back into the school routine by spending a few days going to bed earlier and getting up earlier.

We didn’t do that. Oops.

So Monday morning came as a shock to us. But last night — WHEW! At 9 pm, we had lights out in our entire house. Everybody was exhausted. That’s what happens when you get up at 6:30 a.m. and go non-stop all day. (Actually, I was up much earlier than that. )

I love it. I love order and routine. In contrast, our kids had plenty of free time this summer to relax, sleep in, and do whatever they wanted. They each attended a couple of short day camps and Vacation Bible School — and that was it. I didn’t overschedule them this summer — so I don’t feel one iota of guilt now that they’re back on a routine. This is life. This is discipline. Our God created order — our universe is organized and orderly. So our lives should be as well.

I read FlyLady all summer — and she’s finally got me wrapped around her little pinkie finger. OK, OK! We’re doing it. We’re doing the evening and morning routines. No more excuses. No more whining. Our clothes are laid out the night before. We’re working on the hot spots — we have a lot of those.

My new rule this year is that all the kids have to be dressed — in uniform, including socks and shoes — at the breakfast table by 7 am. We’ve done it two days now — can we keep it up the rest of the year? This is why I’m blogging about it — if I write about it, you people mysteriously hold me accountable. We WILL be up and dressed and to the breakfast table by 7 am.

This morning, I made buckwheat pancakes with whipped cream and blueberries — and bacon. That got everyone up and at ’em. I can’t eat the pancakes. Have y’all been reading about my major diet change? I’m blogging about it over at Lively Women. The South Beach Diet is working for me. I lost another pound over the weekend — and I had so much energy last night, I swept the entire garage and played baseball and football in the yard. After cooking a huge supper with lots of vegetables and cleaning the kitchen.

Me … yeah me. Y’all just do not KNOW how different I’ve felt the past several years compared to now. I’m getting my life back. I’ll spare you the tears. My life requires a huge push of energy to get anything done around here — and I just haven’t had it because I’ve been too busy stuffing my face with the wrong kinds of food.

It started with me … now this is flowing to my family. Has anyone else noticed that getting in shape physically has a major effect on your emotional, spiritual, and mental health as well? More on this later.

Oh, and I have a new blogging schedule. My schedule is — no schedule! If I have something rambling around in my mind that’s worth writing here, I’ll spill it. But if not, I’ll be out throwing a football in the yard or walking my dog down to the creek. So I may blog often, or I may not. I think this article got to me: Why Blog Post Frequency Does Not Matter Anymore. Read it — you’ll be surprised. It’s by Eric Kintz.