A million things to do and not enough time...

It seems as if these days I have A MILLION THINGS TO DO and NOT ENOUGH TIME... Don't get me wrong, I don't wish there were more hours in the day... OH NO... if there were any more hours in than day than the 24 we already have I would be EXHAUSTED! I feel as if I'm productive with my time each day- I feed the boys 3 meals each and every day, they're usually meals I make and don't just get out of a box- when they're little tummies get rumbly I feed them snacks in between; I make bottles for Cohen when he's hungry and cuddle him; I probably spend at least a total of 2 hours a day just changing diapers and washing hands or dirty faces and wiping away their boogers; I bathe and dress all three boys every morning- I also change them into their jammies and put them to bed at night; I usually make a clean sweep through my house each morning- some days my house chores take longer than others, depending on how much laundry needs to be done or if the tile needs mopped and toilets and showers need scrubbed; some days there are errands that need to be run, like shopping and I can never get all my shopping done at just one store, so I end up going to 3 or 4, sometimes more- each trip is a little time consuming, even if its purpose is just to grab a tube of toothpaste because I have 3 tots to load and unload into shopping carts and the car. The boys, all except for Cohen, have gotten to the age where they aren't just content by spending their time each day eating and sleeping; they demand entertainment and usually I'm required to play along; I don't mind playing along- I love to watch how they interact with one another and myself- I do however mind when tempers flare over a toy both boys are unwilling to share, I could definitely do without temper tantrums through out my day. I like to take the boys out to fun places, whether it be the zoo, or the Gateway Children's Discovery Center, the Living Aquarium, Thanksgiving Point, swimming or the movies- we try to visit one or two, maybe even three of these places once every week to give the boys exposure. They love walking with the dinosaurs at the museum; they have a blast feeding goats and sheep corn kernels at the farm and they become entranced watching sharks glide past them at the aquarium. I believe exposure of this kind helps encourage young children to discover their passions and pursue their dreams; their imaginations grow and they become educated by the world that surrounds them, only problem is, it's timely. Factor in the time it takes to get to and from each destination, along with the two or three hours we usually spend at each place, and an entire afternoon can slip by.

I'm not complaining; I love my life. I am grateful I have the opportunity to be a stay at home mother and share this time with my children. I realize there are many mothers out there who don't have the privilege of staying home during the day with their children because they HAVE to work to provide for their family. I can't even imagine how working mothers juggle work with family and household chores-I have the utter most respect for these women. My real intent in writing this lengthy post was to make a list of the million things I want to and need to start doing with the time that seems to escape me each day (I mentioned there's a million things-but for the sake of those reading this, I'll shorten my list).

Things I need to or would like to DO...now or eventually.

-I NEED to finish hanging pictures on the walls and putting decorations in their place.
-I NEED to organize our food storage and make a list of what else we need to buy for next month.
-I NEED to finish the laundry and iron Spencer's dress slacks and shirts I've left wrinkled for the last two weeks.
-I NEED to clear the garage of any clutter. This means sorting through my boxes of junk and memorabilia I have collected from high school, college and the mission.
-I NEED to D.I. any items, (clothes, toys, books, etc. ) that I have stored away that I know I don't have any use for anymore.
-I NEED to clean out and organize our office. This means finally putting books in their place on our bookshelf that have been laying on the floor for a over a month now; setting up our PC and our printer; sorting through untouched mail and organizing our file that contains important documents.
-I NEED to catch up on my blog. I have MONTHS of news to blog about and TONS of pictures I need to add from summer, birthdays and other events.
-I NEED to clean out my email inbox- it's beginning to get cluttered and I HATE clutter.
-I'd LIKE to make a new layout for my blog- mine is so plain and boring but I keep putting it off because I haven't had the patience to work with HTML.
-I NEED to organize the thousands of pictures I have taken and downloaded to our PC- they're taking up too much space. I NEED to sort through them and order the pics I want developed and save everything to some disks so I have back up copies.
-I NEED to finally make each one of the boys scrapbooks of their 1ST year (Noah needs his 2ND year to be scrapbooked too) and make a family scrapbook- I have all the supplies I need, I've been collecting them for the last 4 years, now I just to BUCKLE DOWN and DO IT!
-I really NEED to start taking more pictures and video of our little family. I know it sounds insane because I just mentioned how I NEED to organize the thousands of pictures I already have, but I really do need to start documenting our family adventures on film.
-I NEED to organize my recipes into a recipe book or a box.
-I would LIKE TO learn how to sew- I don't even know the basics of using a sewing machine. I would LOVE to learn how to quilt, but anytime I ask someone to help me get started they speak to me in a language I can't seem to make sense of. Again, I would LOVE to LEARN how to sew and quilt, but I NEED to find the time and someone who is willing to teach me simple skills first like threading a needle.
-I NEED to clear out the garage so I can find a place to put our treadmill. I NEED to start running again- I NEED some sort of work out routine.
-I NEED to get the boys haircuts and I would like to get mine styled and cut too, maybe even colored differently. I'm starting to get bored with my look, so I need a new one- only problem is, I haven't seen a hairstyle or color I ABSOLUTELY want.
-I NEED to schedule dental appointments for myself and the boys- we were supposed to visit the dentist for our 6 month check up in September but somehow I got so busy I never found the time to go.
-I NEED to potty train Noah- I may as well start trying to train Ian to use the toilet too. I know, I know- Noah's 3 now- he should know how to use the toilet but mom (me) just hasn't been consistent enough to teach him or make sure a potty chair is available for him to use when he needs one. This task is definitely a PRIORITY on my list.
-I'd LIKE to update my wardrobe; I don't have a lot of clothes to choose from that actually fit, (a lot of my clothes are either too small or too big- it's not cool to sport around anything I wore during maternity of course). I realize this requires money, and since we don't have a money tree growing in our front yard, updating my wardrobe will be an expense and take some time. I LOVE getting new clothes, I HATE shopping for clothes though, especially with 3 kids in tow. I HATE going from store to store and not finding anything that I actually like- or even worse- I HATE when I finally find that article of clothing I absolutely LOVE but it costs an arm and a leg to buy. I admit though- sometimes I've paid an arm and a leg for something I HAD TO HAVE only to find that after wearing it once or twice, it's something I no longer care to own.
-In reference to what I've said above, I guess I NEED to be less impulsive when it comes to shopping.
-I desperately NEED to clean out our car- inside and out.
-I NEED to sign Noah up for some sort of sport- possibly soccer again, or maybe t-ball or gymnastics. He needs to participate on some sort of organized sport or group with other little kids his age and learn to take instruction from someone other than myself or Spencer.
-I NEED to write, email or at least call friends I've been meaning to talk to. I don't call my friends or write them enough just to say "hi" and see how they're doing.
-I NEED to just RELAX and start enjoying long baths, alone, without kids pestering me. I can't even think when the last time was that I showered without being in a hurry. We have a HUGE soaking tub in our bathroom; I've wanted to soak in it since we moved in but so far Noah and Ian have been the only ones to use it.
-I NEED to try and get Noah signed up for CHIP-hopefully he can qualify and be accepted; he needs some sort of medical coverage since he's considered uninsurable by our health insurance provider.
-I NEED to say "I LOVE YOU" more often my family- to Spencer, to Noah, to Ian & Cohen. I can't put off saying "I love you" to my siblings or my parents or my grandparents. I NEED to TAKE A MOMENT and express my love to them every once in a while and share with them what I appreciate about them. Our time together as a family is valuable and the impressions we make on one another will stay with us for a LIFETIME.
-I NEED to have more PATIENCE with my husband and my children. I know that patience isn't something I can be given- it's something I must learn. I lack patience and tolerance- I am quick tempered. I will NEVER win an argument with a 3 year old- I don't know why I even try, even if he did just pour all of Cohen's baby formula out onto the carpet- IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT to get all worked up and upset. Maybe sometimes I just NEED to put on a blindfold so I won't see the messes or put earplugs in so the crying and tantrums don't get the best of me.
-I NEED to make and create new Family Home Evening lessons and props.
-I NEED to finish washing the windows I started cleaning from 2 weeks ago- hard water stains are a pain to get off of glass, but with a little elbow grease and the right cleaner, I think I can do it.
-I NEED to do more than just meet our new neighbors- I NEED to be a good neighborr. I've met most of our neighbors in our little cove- they're all very nice- but I'd like to take them a treat or some little doo-dad I've made or put together; maybe even try to get to know them better.
-I NEED to, I MUST wake up earlier each morning so I can read my scriptures and be enlightened.
-I'd LIKE to finish the four books I started reading but haven't been able to finish; Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn" (I started reading the book the first day it was released in stores back in the beginning of August- I read about half of it and haven't had the time to finish it); the 4Th book in the book series of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"; "The Last Lecture"; and the 3rd "Fablehaven" book.
-I OUGHT to get a start on my Christmas shopping- is it INSANE to anyone else that Christmas decorations are ALREADY displayed in stores and we haven't even celebrated Halloween yet?
-I NEED to volunteer and help out my community. Anyone have any good suggestions for someone like myself who doesn't have a whole lot of time and has little ones???


There you have it. My list could have been a lot longer but those things I listed above were the thoughts bubbling on the surface of my mind. Most of the things are those things I know I can do now or soon; some of the things would really take little or no effort at all to do; it's really just a matter a prioritizing and tweaking my "normal daily routine" in order to find time to accomplish these tasks. Too bad it's MY list and not a "honey do" list- I guess I'll be pretty busy for a while... My first task to complete- update my blog!