I wrote most of this post and decided I had to come back to start with a disclaimer. If you are a highly organized, efficient person, I’m sorry. This post is probably going to make you alternately anxious and nauseous. You might tremble. Also, do you tutor? It seems like I could possibly use some lessons…
I’ve learned I’m more of a starter, not so much a finisher. By the time you finish this post, you’ll realize what an understatement that is. This has both pros and cons, but lately the drawbacks–namely the zillion incomplete projects laying around my house–have been driving me insane.
At the outset, I’m going to acknowledge that a little grace is in order. My time isn’t super predictable right now, so it can be challenging to plan projects or make headway. Take yesterday, for instance. I can typically count on 10-15 minutes to put Jude down for his nap, and he usually sleeps between 45 minutes and 2.5 hours. It’s a range, but it’s something. But yesterday, it took 80 minutes to get him to sleep and he napped for a sorely disappointing 25 minutes. Boo. A horrible return on investment! It’s not always naps, but it’s always something!
Also, it’s next to impossible to plan large chunks of time to complete bigger projects. This means large jobs have to get done in smaller chunks, and I find the lack of obvious progress to be discouraging. Again, this is mostly a function of our life stage. While I could decide to forego lunch because I’m engrossed in something on which I’m working, my children…not so much. They need things like regular food, clean diapers, naps, bedtime, school dropoffs/pickups every single, freaking day! Gah!
And then there’s the bickering, entertainment, mischief, and the like that keeps things interesting. Larger chunks of time are rare and precious and often utilized for going on dates or epic laundry. I’ll let you guess which one’s my favorite. Hint: it’s not the one that happens more often…
But still, I could make a better effort to tie up loose ends, and that’s what Tahd and I are focusing on this month. So, to kick off, these are the incomplete projects weighing on my mind. I’ll probably edit this list throughout the month, and I don’t expect to get everything done in 31 days. There are probably things on this list that need to be 86’d. But hopefully in 31 days things will be substantially better than they are now.
Fireplace paint needs finishingLiving room paint needs finishingNursery paint needs finishing- Second coat of paint in Gabe’s room (alternately, maybe we should be calling this project The Month of Painting Everything…)
- Kitchen trim
- Hem Gabe’s curtains
- Purchase & hang second set of living room curtains
- General decluttering
- Week in the Life album
- Project Life update
Update gallery photos- Hang new pictures/decor in living room
- Word wall
Hang nursery artNursery shelf- Paint bedroom shelf
Hang play tent in nursery- Paint toy kitchen
- Finish laying patio
- Arrange living room workspace
- Car brakes
- Fix spot in roof that leaks in winter
- Get thyroid blood work done before orders expire
- Finish the happy mail package for my nephew
- Knit 3 hats
- Start knitting Christmas blanket
Get a haircut (this hasn’t been done by a professional since before I was pregnant with Jude; ack! I did trim it myself – does that count?)Finish calm down basket for little kids- Hang ladder in our room
- Paint the piano (good grief – more paint!)
- Nursery floor
- Blackout curtain in nursery
Fix cafe lights in dining roomFinish editing posed photosGet ball rolling on school meeting- Clean up basement
- Life Plan class
- Listen to 3 Influence classes
- Photography modules
- Pick up glasses
There are some things needing to be done that are somewhat time sensitive. They’re not so much undone as just extras or seasonal items I want to tack on so I don’t lose track of them. Truthfully, I mostly want to be able to cross them off the list, and if you want to cross something off a list, you have to put it on first…
Order Halloween costumes EARLYSchedule doctor appointments for everyone- Schedule eye doctor appointments for everyone
- Start planning Gabe’s and Jude’s November birthday parties
- Take fall family photos
- Create and send out all the gift lists (this is a major task I never anticipated, made worse by the fact that all 3 children have birthdays within 6 weeks of Christmas; if I don’t get it going in October, I’ll never make the November birthday deadlines) 😉
Word of advice – don’t have all your children around Christmas. We start at Halloween and have new festivities every few weeks – Jude’s birthday, Gabe’s birthday, Thanksgiving, big Christmas party, Christmas, New Year’s, our anniversary, Isla’s birthday, my birthday, and Valentine’s Day. This is a bad plan. Take my word for it. You’re welcome.
And then there are the books I’ve started reading and haven’t finished. I like having a collection of books going at once, but my in-progress collection is currently out of control. I’d like to finish a few this month, if possible…
- Food and Wine
- First Mitford book
- The Gift of an Ordinary Day
- Charlotte Mason’s Home Education
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0
- Better Than Before
- Hold on to Your Kids
- Playing Big
- Project-Based Homeschooling
- Habit Stacking
- Smart but Scattered
- On Writing
- I Love You Rituals
- Remember the Sweet Things
- This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
- Writing Down Your Soul
- Design Mom
- Rising Strong
- Simplify (ha!!)
This does not count the list of books I’m waiting to start. Yes, I’m actually waiting to start a whole bunch of bookish goodness. At least this many again. Maybe even double…You guys!!!!! The books!!! They are a sickness!!!
Off to work…Care to share any part of your list?
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