Making time for a busy day!

I just tallied up all the things I did today:
Got up at 5:30am
Headed to my (day!) job from 7am-3pm
Stopped by North Star on the way home to pick up fresh peaches and tomotoes
Ran an errand (with the kids in tow) to the vision center
Took the kids to the bookstore
Picked up some local sausage and pasta sauce
Added above ingredients to some pasta, local chicken, and fresh summer squash from Old Path Farms for dinner
Started the process for cucumber salad (has to sit overnight!) with local whole-milk yogurt and homegrown cukes!
Worked a little in the back garden checking out the damage from the heavy rain of last week
Picked, washed, blanched and packed a gallon of bush beans for the freezer
Gave both girls a full bath
And now...working on my blog.
It's amazing to me how much I am actually getting done in the few hours I have each night after work.  In comparison to a few weeks ago, when it was all I could do to stumble in the door and get dinner on the table, I think I'm figuring out my new schedule.  One other thing has drastically changed, too.
A couple weekends ago, I spent an entire Saturday cleaning.  I started when I woke up, and I didn't quit until I went to bed.  I sorted, I straightened, and mostly, I purged.  Out with the old, hardly used, and should never have bought.  In with...well, not much besides a tote or two to corral what was left.  Due to the unusual heat of this summer, we moved both girls into one bedroom to make better use of the one window unit we have in our house.  Thus, the playroom was reborn.  This left me with the perfect opportunity to clean out the toys.
And clean out, I did.  I packed up all the non-age appropriate toys, the toys no one really played with anyway, and the toys with all those little pieces that seemed to get dumped in the middle of the floor.  And, with the new organization came a new rule: anything left out when playtime was done was going to be packed away for a week.  I have to admit that happily, I have not yet had to pack up anything.  How did I work this magic?  Simply put, I simplified the clutter.  There just isn't as much "stuff" to get out, so there isn't as much "stuff" to put away. Was I heartbroken to pack up some of those toys?  Yes!  Was I filled with regret for some of the purchases I had made in the past?  Yes!  Do my kids miss any of those toys?  NO!
They still have dolls, dolls, and more dolls.  They still have all sorts of puzzles, games, and coloring books.  They still have books and magazines to read.  And, they still have the backyard, their imaginations, and each other.
So, with less time spent on cleaning up the mess, I have more time to...well, you saw the list!  Never a dull moment for me!  And, at the end of my day, I feel satisfied!