Taking a step back?

I'm sure I've said this once before, but I am spending hours on the computer.  Literally.  Everyday.
NOT GOOD.
I really do have quite a bit to do with what I'm doing though.  I mean giveaways on other people's blogs are awesome...but then I get a little disappointed when I don't win.  I mean, I'm a competitive person, so it sucks for me when I don't win.
I'm not one of those super lucky people either.  But sometimes I get a little lucky.  A few years ago, my husband and I went to Cripple Creek (its a casino near Colorado Springs), and I won $200, I was too afraid to spend it though, and immediately wanted to leave, so my fun was over.  And I won it within an hour of us being there.  So I'm not much of a gambler, lol.  Oh and this was on the quarter slots.
About a year and a half ago, I won a Sony E-reader for my husband.  I was SHOCKED.  I can't explain just how shocked I was, I almost didn't even check the blog that I had entered because I figured the likelihood of me winning was slim to none.  Luckily, I checked, and she said on her vlog that I won.  I was soooo excited...and I had just gotten a Kindle for Christmas, so it wasn't one that I was going to use.  It was for my husband.  He loves it btw.  That same week, I won a beautiful key chain.  It seemed to be our lucky week.
Since then, I haven't really won much of anything.  I entered giveaways galore.  Probably hundreds upon hundreds of giveaways and the like since.
A few months ago, I won the cute little dress for my daughter on another blog, I love those dresses that I won.  It was exciting, and invigorating.  Then I won some sugar free margarita mix from another blog that I'm apart of.  Again, awesome I won it (p.s. haven't tried it yet, but its on my list, lol), and I'm so excited.  From there, I kind of spiraled.  I feel like I'm addicted to these things.  And then I feel bad when I don't win.  Its not like gambling, I'm not losing anything except my time.  But my time is valuable to me.  The giveaways aren't the only things that are keeping me on the computer for hours at a time, but they do take time to enter, and I would say a LOT of my time goes to them.
Then I scour the internet, and all of the freebie/coupon/cheapy blogs that I'm apart of, trying to find the absolute best deals.  Then I have to go through all of my coupons, match them to deals, throw out the expired, find rebates, print things off.  This also takes up a LOT of time.  I don't have a job that I work outside of the house, so this has become a job for me in a sense, and its saved us quite a bit of money, but I'm getting overwhelmed a little.
I am also checking my FB to see what my friends are up to, checking my emails for anything of importance, doing laundry, and keeping the house clean, cooking, taxi driving kids (lol), making sure everyone is taken care of, paying bills, keeping animals fed and clean, trying to watch the tv shows that I enjoy, and organizing my house.  All of these things don't take up a ton of time, but they do take up enough that it gets in my way of doing other things.  These are the things I need to do though.  The others...not so much.  I've found that the others are taking priority lately.  So I feel the need to take a step back.  I have to incorporate some working out into my routine, but I also have to make sure to take care of the things I need to take care of.  Last week, I didn't clean anything.  Nothing at all.  My house was a disaster, but I had all of the latest deals in hand, and I entered every giveaway that I came across.  Even if I didn't really want it.  I need to be more choosy, but then again, its more fun to win something than to not win anything at all.
I also need time to read, I read every night before bed.  I need time to play on my cricut that I just got.  I'm trying to re-organize the house to figure out a good place to put a small desk for me to be able to play a little more on it.  I need time to spend with my kids.  They are old enough to bathe themselves, but they need to be reminded consistently, and I've been falling down on the job.  So I feel like I'm failing.
My solution, the only thing I can come up with, is that I should take a step back.  From my giveaways, blogs, etc.  Couponing even.  Its going to be hard, I have an addictive personality (hence the weight gain, lol), so these things aren't hurting me, but these things are hurting my life.  The other day, I didn't want to leave the house because I had some giveaways going on online that I wanted to be home for.  Ummm...that's a problem.  I love going outside of the house.  So when the chance comes up, I usually jump.  But I wanted to see if I won any of those giveaways.....and guess what, I didn't.  I was given one, so I did get some dry eraser paint for next to nothing, but still.  I also won a 25.00 home depot gift card over the holidays, so that was cool.
Some people might say that I'm lucky for the things I have won, and I agree.  I'm not the luckiest person out there, and I definitely appreciate the things I do win, but I'm just your average Jane in the luck department.  My luckiest moments were meeting my husband, having my kids be healthy and happy, and having met some of my wonderful friends.  That is where I consider myself lucky.  Extremely lucky.

On that note.  I'm going to leave you with a sweet little tea party that my daughter set up.  She is always wanting to serve tea to everyone in the house.  I love my husband, my kids, my animals, my cheapness, my competitive nature, my need to always want better for everyone in my life, and my ability to realize when I sometimes just need to take a step back.

 

Even Lexi is joining in the party!

Would you like some tea?