the mommyhood memos

How long do you let things sit on your to-do list?

I am a huge list-maker. I have lists for everything:

The usual stuff like groceries, errands, and chores that need to be done... but also the emails I need to write, the cards I want to send, the gifts I have to buy, the things I need to remember to talk to my hubs about, the people I want to make an effort to catch up with, issues I want to pray about, subjects I want to write about, meal ideas, books I want to read, things I want to study or learn about, albums I want to listen to or buy, home improvement projects I want to do, movies I want to rent, craft and decorating ideas... ohmygoodness the list of lists goes on and on! As crazy as it sounds, I really do have all these lists going.

I write lists for three reasons:

I am extremely forgetful and if it's not on a list it might as well not exist. (Why can I never remember that important movie I wanted to see when I'm actually at the video store?)
I need visuals to help me stay organized. (Or should I say get organized?)
I feel accomplished when I get to cross things off my list. (Do you ever put things on your list for the day like "take shower" or "make the bed" or "do the dishes" just so you can cross a few things off and feel accomplished? No? Oh—ahem—me neither...)
I have a baby that constantly interrupts my thought processes. (Will I get to use the "mommy brain" excuse for the rest of my life?)

Ok, make that four reasons.

There are a few things on our "house projects" to-do list that have been there way too long. One of them is to finish the painting that we started in December.

Yes, December.

When I was eight months pregnant we moved into a new house. The house was awesome except for the fact that it desperately needed to be painted. My hubs and a bunch of friends set to work for an entire weekend getting it looking beautiful while I stayed at our old apartment tackling the packing. They painted the whole inside of the house in 90+ degree heat (add 70-80% humidity) and no air-conditioning. Ugh. Not fun.

They did a fabulous job and the walls and ceilings looked amazing... But we decided to wait and finish up all the detailing and the doors and trim until the winter-time (June/July) when things cooled down (to 70 degrees?).

And then... winter came.

And then... winter went.

Ooops.

We found ourselves in spring, with temperatures climbing into the mid-80s and the summer fast approaching, and we knew that if we didn't finish up that job pronto, it would soon be worth reasoning to wait again until next winter.

So we decided to get busy.

I can now say that the house-painting is nearly completed. Just one last room to finish on Saturday and we can cross another (giant) thing off of the "house projects" list.

{after being shuffled from the playpen to the jonny jumper to the exersaucer and back
again, by the end of the day levi was incredibly bored and very vocal about it. this was
the only way we could possibly finish up - some mommy multi-tasking at its best!}

We're not always this bad at finishing things... but sometimes.

Dear friends, how about you? Are you a list-maker? Are there certain things that tend to sit on your list for-ev-er? What's one thing that you need to take care of that will bring great satisfaction to strike a big, black line through?

loving a chance to cross things off,