Calm down already!

I don't know why I do it.

I put too much on my plate...a habit I inherited from my mother. I can never leave well enough alone. I insist on doing more and more, confident I can do it perfectly, and I can, at the expense of my time, energy, and sanity. I became a teacher for a few reasons: to teach art to kids (two things I LOVE), to feel more fulfilled at the end of the day, and to have more time to dedicate to my family. So I still love art and kids, have never felt like I was in a more rewarding place in life, but have seem to neglected the last part - family and friends. Now, I spend time with both, more so than some other friends, but I have really allowed teaching to engulf my life. I have a stack of projects ready top be graded, numerous grades to enter, a room to decorate by Friday (I'm getting observed), competition pieces that need to be matted and mailed ASAP, alternative certification assignments to complete, and hardly an ounce of energy left after planning lessons, teaching, and dealing with students. I love my job, I do, and my kids mean the world to me, but I've mistakenly made them MY WORLD - and I need to slow down. During the week my husband is neglected - I come home late, bring some awful-for-you fast food and spend the majority of my night online and trying to make some order out of this mayhem we call a home. My ulcer is killing me and my period is rejecting my body because even it knows I hardly have the time for extra bathroom breaks!

I know I can get through this, not a problem, but I need some kind of "start saying no" therapy.

I don't want to disappoint my kids, but I also don't want to be a zombie when I come home to a pretty exceptional husband. Where do I lay down my terms and never look back? It's got to be in me somewhere.