mommy fun fact #16 ~ the most important TO DO LIST
Are you a list maker? Â Me too! Â Sometimes I write chores I’ve already accomplished on my to do list… just so I can cross them off. Â Crazy, I know. Â But you have to admit there is something comforting, motivating even, about seeing that little line marked off on a long list of undone to dos.
As a stay at home mom, my to do list is a combination of endless, flexible and well… self made. Â I don’t really know how many people care if I scrub the bath tub or clean out the file cabinet, but once they are on the LIST they will get done. Â I will cross them off with a sigh of satisfaction and quickly move on to the next item. Â On the days I actually accomplish every single “to do” you will see me doing cartwheels in the backyard. Â Of course doing cartwheels might be on my to do list… which brings me to the real point of this post.
What belongs on my to do list (and yours) that often gets left off? Â Down time with the kids, play time with the kids, sit down and do nothing but be there time with the kids. Â This time is so important, it’s the reason I stay home with my kids… not so we will have a sparkling tub.
When I find my to do list so full that I am telling the kids I don’t have time to play, I know that it is time to reorganize my priorities. Â (As I write this I know it is time for me to reorganize my priorities.) Â The easiest way for me to this is on my to do list. Â Here are some things you will find on tomorrow’s to do list.
- Watch Big M build (with whatever building materials he is using). Chat with him while he works.
- Say yes to Little M when she asks for me to join her pretend play.   (Set the timer, no interruptions for 3o minutes).
- Join the kids at the art table and work with them.
What will be on your to do list for tomorrow?
What a great reminder! I’ve been seeing so many “to-do” lists online lately with spring cleaning, it’s hard to not feel “behind” (constantly) on housework….but, as you said, the reason I have stayed home the past 8 years is not a sparkling tub;) I’ll be going back to work in the fall, so this has really been on my heart a lot the past few months!
8 years at home??? WONDERFUL! The spring cleaning pull is so hard to ignore. Thank you for the comment. 😉
I used to set myself the forever long list of household jobs that needed/had to be done. I started to realise that I wasn’t being a SAHM the job that I had decided to be instead I was a Housemaid and not what I had decided to be. I still have a to do list but it’s the same to do list that I had when I worked outside of the home teaching instead I set a weekly to do list of activities/experiences I would like to give the kids – on tomorrows go and try and catch a tadpole from the pond, dig for worms in the vegetable patch so we can make a wormery in a plastic bottle that I saw, plant some sunflower seeds and find out what makes them grow and take some time to watch my two play together
YEAH!!! I love your to do list. We are going to be digging for worms too. (Must have seen the same plastic bottle worm farm.) 😉 It’s a very good idea to keep your at home “work” list the same as if you were working away from home.
This is a great reminder and I’ll be adding these to my Must/High Priority section of my to-do list (i have a very complicated 4 quad to-do list…if I don’t, I only end up doing the Extras/Low Priority things because they are the most fun). Also, I always write things down that I’ve already done just so that I can cross them off!
I love the priority sections. So glad I am not alone in my need to cross off what I’ve accomplished. 🙂