The 2012 List Has Begun

“Everyone” starts of the new year saying “I’m going to do this” or “I’m going to do that.” I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions a while ago, because it only made me feel badly about myself when I failed. Like I need something else to make me feel bad, right?

Right after Thanksgiving I got “the toss, clean, and organize” bug. I listed a bunch of stuff on Craig’s List and planned a yard sale (in a week). I wanted needed to get myself back on the track I was on before I got pregnant with the twins. I had a schedule to keep the house cleaned. It included vacuuming multiple times a week, cleaning a bathroom a day, doing ONE load of laundry a day to keep up, etc. I started that last December. It lasted until about February when I was so exhausted in the first trimester that it was all I could do to say awake on the couch while Collin played and watched TV. (Talk about feeling like a horrible Mom…) I never was able to get back into the swing I had. But once I felt like I “had a grip” on the Mom of multiple children thing, the gears in my head began to turn on high speed and work overtime. There were are so many things I wanted to do.

I now have a list about 10 miles long of things that I want to do, and only a few of those things have been crossed off. So I suppose this could be my “New Year’s Resolution” List. But the only thing that would actually qualify it for that is I really got started on it this week.

The TO DO List:

• Take down Christmas decorations and tree
• Make sure boxes get into the attic within two days
• Control the new toy chaos that Christmas brought with it
• Clean the “office”/front room
• Get window coverings (blinds/curtains) for the front of the house
• Hang pictures in the stairwell
• Find storage boxes to hide clutter and laptop on the desk
• Find storage for toys in the front room  and purchase it
• Settle on a color scheme and plan for the house
• Begin execution on the plan – A continuous work in progress
• Finish our bedroom
• Get the house “under control” and keep it “under control”
• Cook more, I mean really cook more
• Try more new recipes
• Don’t become aggravated and annoyed when I can’t do it all and things don’t go according to plan

 

I feel like I’m off to a decent start. The list I made at Thanksgiving already has things crossed off. I feel like I’m getting a grip on my life and housekeeping again. I’ve settled on colors for the house (big shocker here: black, brown, tan, and blue…) I found curtains that I like (both for the front room and dining room and our bedroom) I know exactly what kind of storage boxes I’m looking for for the office, it’s just a matter of finding them in a store. Target was a bust in that department. I found decorative pillows I want at Bed Bath and Beyond for our bedroom. I bought and assembled new cubbies for the toys in the living room. Pictures are in the frames, they just need to be hung. And I’ve already made two new recipes since Christmas that have been pretty good. So, just because it isn’t crossed off the list, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been thought about yet. Out of everything on my list (that I’m sure will continue to grow by two more items each time I get one crossed off…) I’m pretty sure the hardest one is going to be the last one. I get completely and utterly aggravated, annoyed, and stressed out when I can’t don’t keep the house cleaned and organized the way I want to. I have to come to grips with the fact that life happens. I have three kids 2 and under. There are days that I’m not going to lift a finger on the house and just sit and play with them all day long. Those days are the best, but the next day is the worst. Guess I need to add “Better Time Management Skills” on the list also.

If I can better my time management skills, hopefully, I’ll be able to write more. More than my kids’ well check stats and monthly updates. I’d like to document the progress I’m making. Hopefully there is progress to document.

Oh yeah, every church-goer makes the same resolution every year “I’m going to read my Bible more.” It lasts about 3.5 days to a week most of the time. I have to say, I started using YouVersion on my iPhone and have kept up with daily readings every day so far. I have a reminder set to go off at 9:00 every night so that I remember to do it (if I haven’t already) after I’ve finally plopped on the couch when the kids are in bed. It’s got just about every different way to read the Bible you can things of, straight though in a year, through in 90 days, blended readings (some NT and OT) etc. And it has just about every version known to man. I started reading in the KJV but realized the the ESV has audio and I can follow along and not have to guess and struggle though the names of so-n-so begat so-n-so and lived 900 years that Genesis starts with.

 

So here’s to 2012! Collin turns THREE and my babies will be ONE! Gotta start planning for those too!