An Introduction, part 1

I have always loved lists. I have always thought it was fun to find out what others do to "be organized" or to run their days. When I was a young teenager I used to slip away from friends my family and I were visiting and sit in a closet with a box full of lists and charts and organizing systems that had been created by my mom's best friend. It was so much fun to see if I was missing something in my schedule and learn about how others spent their time and energy. To this day, if someone wants to show me their planner or schedule, I want to see.

When I was a new mom, my organized life fell apart. Aside from suddenly having more on my plate and learning how to be a mom, I also couldn't get to the things I wanted to do. Ever. I was frustrated with myself and I was also dealing with some health issues and just wanted to call a time out on life. I did, for a bit, but the funny thing was, life just kept going whether I wanted to participate or not.
I had recently met a new friend and she and I became close. Close enough that I could share my frustrations and not feel judged. Her first son was only a few months older than mine and she loved schedules and lists as much as I did. She was navigating this new stage of life, too, and we talked about how to handle things all the time. She would share tips and tricks in a "oh, well, I'll tell you what I did, if you want" kind of way. She offered when I asked for help and sometimes I would find myself at her house and see a new schedule up on the wall and demand (beg) that she please print one out for me so I could just live off what she created.
And she always would print out a copy for me. My first lists that functioned for me as a new mom came from her. For a few weeks I lived her list, did what it said and that was so nice to not have to think about it.

And then I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to change some things, just a few, so they lined up with what I really wanted or needed in my home and life. I started making a schedule out for cleaning the house, cleaning out my purse (and my newly added diaper bag), and learning how to run life in a way that worked for me, my husband and my new baby. Every month I'd print out a list on the computer and hang it on the fridge. I was finally gaining some control and not leaving everything to chance. I started getting on top of my health problems and started to feel more like myself again. Life was good.

And so we decided to have another baby. But I had my lists, so I figured I'd just jump right back into life again. And I could have, if not for the fact that our new little boy cried and cried. And cried. He threw up everything we fed him and kept crying. So about the time I thought I'd be jumping back into life, I decided to ditch everything except feeding everyone 3 times a day and everything else was gravy. It was a good call, but then I would still feel frustrated. I remember getting into a schedule where I would feed everyone in the morning and then put my 2-year-old in front of PBS kids, bring my newborn into the bathroom with me in a bouncer and pray/sob/plead/laugh my frustrations and heart out to God while the sound of the shower, usually, would soothe my baby just enough to shower. I'd often leave the shower on so I could dry off and throw pjs on without too much screaming. I spent many weeks bouncing my little boy while I balanced on an exercise ball and tried to help him get bubbles out. Every time someone would come over and offer to hold him, I would drape a big blanket over them to help protect their clothes and then thank them over and over for giving my tired arms a break. Those people were my heroes. We soon figured out a combination of medicine and bouncing that worked and I found myself being attached to the exercise ball and PBS kids a little less each week. During this time I decided that I wanted to add one more thing to my list of "to-dos" - get dressed. But I just couldn't seem to manage it many days, until I started showering at night. That one change in routine changed my life for many years and made me feel like a normal, put-together person at least 70% of the time. It was during this time that I learned what a powerful effect getting fully, completely dressed had on my life. I was able to harness this power daily as I would shower when my husband was home at night and already be ahead of the game the next morning. I stopped feeling like pjs and ponytails were all I could manage and stopped feeling frustrated at the situation I found myself in. Changing my routine changed my life.