This morning I had an epiphany. I've been feeling unproductive and overwhelmed and all the things that a mom of four littles regularly feels. I've tried making great To-Do lists so that I can mark things off as I get them done. I'm a compulsive list maker, and usually to-do lists are my best tool for productivity, but lately they just aren't working. So this morning, I was getting the big kids out the door and looking longingly at the blanket waiting for me on the couch, thinking about turning on Disney Junior and dozing for an hour. Knowing I'd wake up feeling grumpy and guilty about not being productive, and then scrambling to get a couple things done from my list for today, knowing I'd feel guilty about all the things left on the list when I went to bed, knowing I would transfer most of those things onto tomorrow's list, only to repeat the cycle again.
Instead, I threw out my list. And I got a new sheet of paper out and started a "Things I've Done Today" list. I know I do things every day. I fall into bed completely exhausted at the end of the day, so I know I do things, I just had no idea what, exactly.
Here's my list:
- Fixed and fed 5 people breakfast and lunch and dinner (Travis is on his own).
- Helped the kids unload the dishwasher. Loaded the breakfast dishes.
- Snuggled a cute baby.
- Washed 1 load of laundry.
- Put away 4 loads of folded laundry from yesterday.
- Fed the baby. (This doesn't sound like much, but it takes up a HUGE chunk of my day. William eats every 2 1/2 to 4 hours. He eats 6 - 12 oz at a time. It takes him 30 to 90 minutes each time, by the time you burp and change him. So, to do a little math, if he eats every 3 hours on average, and it takes him an hour each time, that is about 8 hours a day. That is a full time job right there. Fortunately, when the big kids are home, they want to feed him, so that frees me up a little, but if you are a mother of an infant and don't have big kids or you are nursing, give yourself a pass on everything else - you are amazing if you can find the time to brush your teeth every day!)
- Dealt with 3 wardrobe meltdowns - one fashion-conscious preteen, one leaky diaper, and one grumpy toddler who insisted on picking her own clothes.
- Made 3 beds (usually only make my own, but I washed the sheets).
- Got showered, dressed, brushed my teeth.
- Attended a tea party.
- Cleaned my bedroom.
- Filed papers.
- Watched Micky Mouse and snuggled on the couch.
- Negotiated several short-lived peace treaties between Megan and Jared.
- Talked on the phone to my sisters and friends.
- Wrote a blog post.
At the end of the day, there are still cobwebs where the ceiling meets the wall in Every. Single. Room. There is a mystery stain in the carpet in the livingroom. The toaster oven still needs to be cleaned out. And the dry cleaning is still on the front seat of my car, waiting to be dropped off (it's been there for about 3 weeks now). My bathroom is still dirty. But I know I had a productive day. And I feel good about my list.
I'm not saying I won't make a to-do list tomorrow, because I probably will - I can't seem to help myself. But I won't feel so bad when I don't get through half the items on it.
