The storm before the calm

There must be something in the air. I have two close friends who are moving this weekend, both have almost 3 year olds, one has twins. Good luck to both of you, I can't wait to see after pictures once you guys are all settled in. I have another friend who is rearranging her craft room and kitchen nook with an almost 3 year old and a newborn, and I decided to rearrange my playroom. I have to say that other than the pile of stuff that needs to find a home elsewhere in my house, I LOVE the new playroom. I have a reading/quiet corner, an art center, a newborn area and a play house/imagination station. Toys are organized into bins with a play house bin, a train bin and a small toy bin. My bookshelf is organized and the toy box is clean. This makes it easier to clean up, which means it's easier to clean the rest of the house.

But the process can be so discouraging. In order to do a really thorough job, you have to basically make a huge mess by pulling everything out. So as moms, with toddlers who are experts at distracting you and pulling you away from what you're doing, it's nearly impossible to finish in one sitting. Meaning that in order to actually finish the job, you have to put the mess away, or whatever of it you can, only to pull it out again when you *think* you have enough time to finish. I say *think* because with toddlers (and those of us who also have newborns) you NEVER have enough time.

So to anyone who is thinking about rearranging a room, and to my good friends who are in the middle of moving, and probably in the middle of a pile of boxes, don't get discouraged. It's all a part of the process. And the end result is MORE than worth it. And when you're done with the boxes, I'm sure your kids will LOVE making forts and playhouses!

The Ever-Elusive To Do List

On top of my weekly and daily items that I try to get done regularly, I have a monthly to-do list. Things like organize baby K's clothes, organize the cupboards in the master bath, arrange a quote for new blinds (SO excited about this) etc. I find that I'll do two or three things each month as time allows and leave the rest to roll over into the next month. At the end of each month, as I wipe the white board clean and re-write the list for the next month, I wonder why I didn't just do it all. I mean I watch enough TV throughout the month that I should be able to get it all done.

So here's my theory. I'm such a procrastinator (old habits die hard) that I'm afraid of what will happen when the to do list is all done. What is life like when there's no laundry waiting to be folded, or washed, or no junk pile on my desk waiting to be filed. I'm sure it's not that scary on the other side, but I'm still afraid of finding out. The funniest part is that as a mom, the to do list is really never done. Maybe having big things on my list is all the motivation I need to get the smaller things done regularly. Maybe if I have nothing on my big to do list, I'll slack off and fall behind on my regular stuff, so I wait until I can add something else to the big list before I complete something that's been on there for months.

Either way, things are getting done. The laundry just finished, M just woke up from her nap and the new blinds and bug screens should be here in 2-3 weeks. YAY!!!