Libras need some semblance of balance in their lives but can be knocked off balance by the burdens of emotional or physical attachments either of themselves or others. Now, the need for routine? I'm not so sure but I do know that this Libra does!

I have been trying for 3 years now to find some sort of routine when it comes to the mundane aspect of my life. I feel scattered most of the time and have trouble focusing on the task at hand - I get distracted easily.

Over the last week I conducted an experiment and the outcome was just as I expected:

I made sure to get up at least 30 minutes before anyone else. I have noticed that I need that time to wake up and get my thoughts ready for the day. I need peace and quiet - I cannot stand chaos as soon as I awaken and that is exactly what I get when I wake up at the same time the kids do.

So, I began getting up earlier than anyone else and giving myself that alone time. I made coffee, watched the Sun come up, took time for personal reflection. As I enjoyed my cup of coffee in the quiet, I tinkered around online, just surfing the internet. I avoided doing anything that had to do with work. I checked out the latest celebrity news, did some checking on auto insurance quotes (since we're always talking about getting a better deal) and I even found a site with excellent prices on these cute Playmobil Toys - Dante's birthday is next month so I've begun shopping for him.

Since I got 30 - 40 minutes of peace and quiet, by the time the kids woke up I was in a good mood. Just giving myself that relax time made such a difference. I'd make breakfast and then hang with them for a bit and the mornings went so smoothly. After breakfast I made sure to give myself more 'me' time and that consisted of exercise. For 30 - 50 minutes I used the treadmill and then did some floor exercises and used free weights. The kids put on a music channel and would dance while I exercised so it was good for them too!

As for cleaning the house and doing all those 'mommy chores' - I made sure to start some laundry before exercising. Laundry is not a huge deal, I can do that throughout the day. I have delegated cleaning the house to 2 days. Saturday I clean the downstairs, Sunday the upstairs. During the week I wash floors and vacuum as needed but I don't go out of my way. I have found that keeping up with things during the week makes weekend cleaning easier.

By the time I was done with exercising it was usually around 9 -9:30 am. I took a shower and got dressed for the day. By 10 am I would sit down at the computer to work and that began another part of my day but I was ready for it because I had a structured morning.

Today did not work out like that. I overslept and was actually woken up by Dante. Immediately the whining 'I'm hungry' began - the 3 kids running around, fighting, arguing, doing what they do - but when I just wake up that is so much harder to deal with. So here I sit, at 9:30 am - still trying to finish a cup of coffee, still in my sweat pants and t-shirt. No motivation to get on the treadmill. Seems my patience is thin too because I just feel bitchy.

So in answer to the question, 'do Libras need routine?' I say HELL YES