My Daily To-Do List

Anybody who knows me knows that I like to be organized and that I'm a go-getter.  Sometimes I can get overwhelmed because I have a huge to-do list and want to get it all done right away.  Robert teases me that I had a list a mile long when we bought our house and expected us to finish it in a day.  While that is an exaggeration, I definitely breathed a sigh of relief once we had our list of repairs completed.  So it's no surprise that I also like having a daily to-do list.  I think that sometimes people who aren't stay at home moms wonder what we do all day, and honestly, when people ask what I've been up to I don't always even know what to say.  It's not like I have any ongoing projects, unless you consider raising a child who becomes a functioning adult an ongoing project.  In that case, I have an 18+ year project going on.

Here's what my daily to-do list looks like:

• Pick up
• This is ongoing every day and throughout the day, but ideally we pick up in the morning after breakfast and in the evening before Sarah goes to bed.  In the morning I like to open up all the curtains, pull up the sheets on our beds, and throw in laundry if needed.  In the evening Robert is in charge of cleaning the kitchen, we pick up Sarah's toys and stuff throughout the house and in her bedroom, and close all of the curtains.
• Mittens
• This doesn't take much time, but it has to be done every day.  I open the curtains in the bedroom where we keep her litter box, scoop out the litter box, and give her five dental treats.  I used to brush her every single day before Sarah was born, but now it happens at least a few times a week.
• Mail
• This happens in the afternoon, and if you've ever had a toddler you know that checking and looking through the mail is a highlight of the day.
• Self-care
• This usually happens some in the afternoon during Sarah's nap and some in the evening.  I've learned over the years that if I don't take care of myself I can't take care of others.  For me, I find relaxation and recharge by drinking herbal tea, reading, journaling, crocheting, and doing my Bible study.  This happens on a daily basis.  On a weekly basis (usually at the end of the week on Thursday or Friday evening), I try to do something a little more in depth to pamper myself like take a bath, do my nails, or do a facial at home while listening to relaxing music.  Taking care of yourself is not selfish.
• TV
• We let Sarah watch a little TV each day.  Her current favorite is Llama Llama, but she has also really enjoyed Elmo, Moana, and Sarah & Duck in the past.  Robert and I also watch an episode or two of something in the evening.
• Bathe Sarah
• I give her a bath almost every day, but I only wash her hair every other day.  Usually she likes it and it uses up a good chunk of time (at least 30 minutes).  She didn't like it for a bit after her surgery, but she's coming back around.  
• Social activity
• The morning is the best time to get out and about with Sarah because after about 11:00 there's a chance that she could fall asleep in the car and ruin our chances for an afternoon nap.  It's also easiest to get together with friends in the morning because everyone's kids have different schedules for afternoon naps.  On Mondays we typically get together with two other stay at home mom friends from church.  One of them has two daughters, and the other one has two sons.  Two kids are older than Sarah, and two are younger than her.  It's so much fun!  On Tuesdays we go to story time at the library every other week.  On Wednesdays we go to Bible Study Fellowship in the morning.  Thursdays are our most boring days socially, and it's the end of the week for our family so I'm usually pretty drained, but this is a good morning to go grocery shopping.  Friday and Saturday is our weekend with Robert, so we try to do something fun like the zoo, Discovery Center, or some errands.  Sunday is church, so we're around people almost all day long.
• Toys
• Lately Sarah has really enjoyed being creative and likes spending time painting, coloring, singing, and doing Play-Doh.  She's also really good at taking random items and turning them into toys.  Boxes are the best!
• Walk
• I'm so excited that it'll be warmer soon so we can do stroller rides every day.  This is an excellent time for Robert and me to get to talk without Sarah interrupting us much, and she likes getting to see nature and saying hi to everyone we see.

Since Thursdays are our least busy days I try to do the weekly cleaning.  Sarah and I do it in the afternoon after her nap.  One day when Robert and I are both working full-time outside of the home I know this routine will have to change, but for right now it's really nice to start the weekend with a clean house.  I feel like doing this routine every week helps things not get too out of control.  Our house isn't spotless, but this routine is so easy and gets our house clean in about 30 minutes.  I start out stripping the beds and gathering laundry.  I start up a load so it's washing while I clean the house.  I used to change our sheets every two weeks, but now with Sarah's allergies I change them every week.  Then we pick up throughout the house.  I do the dishes and start up the dishwasher if needed.  I wipe the inside and outside of our kitchen appliances.  We clean the bathrooms (sink, counter, tub, toilet).  I don't always dust, and when I do it isn't much.  We don't really have a lot of decorations sitting around on objects collecting dust.  We clean the mirrors in each bathroom.  We gather the trash from the bedrooms and bathrooms and empty the kitchen trash and recycling.  Then we do the floors.  We have hard surface floors in the whole house so we sweep, and then we vacuum the big rugs in our living room and Sarah's bedroom.  We Swiffer mop the kitchen and bathroom floors.  Sarah really enjoys helping and it keeps her occupied while I clean.  She has her own cleaning set of a broom, dust pan, mop, and duster so she uses those.  She also enjoys wiping the kitchen table and chairs with a wet paper towel.