Check!

Holy moly I am tiiiiiiiiired. I feel like I'm always playing catch up and wonder when the day is going to come when I'll actually feel all caught up. And the more days that pass where I feel this way, the more I'm starting to realize (and accept, kinda) that that day is just not going to come.

I remember getting into a good groove with our first child. Once he had settled into a good routine, I did, too. I had certain household tasks I would do on a daily basis and being the checklist-lover that I am, had a list for each day and the joy and checking off a box as I completed a task. Why does it feel so good to mark an item with a checkmark?! Don't think I haven't added already completed items to a list just so I could check them off.... and don't think that doesn't happen on a regular basis.

I have a checklist for EVERYTHING.... packing, shopping, household tasks... you name, I have a list.

Why do I feel like I've written about my love of checklists before? Am I going a little cray-cray?

I digress.

I know Stuart is not yet 4 months so it's not expected that a good routine be established yet but MAN, I can't wait to figure this out. I don't know exactly what I'm referring to really but just a good flow, I guess. I try so often to come up with a game plan for the day (or some times even get a little crazy and try to plan a few days... or a week) but something constantly throws a wrench in it.... an explosion in a diaper, a stubborn toddler, me just being too tired to move quickly enough, etc.... I'm always running 10 minutes behind and what the WHAT, why is a trip to the grocery store so impossible now?!?!

My former daily checklists have been completely ignored and now, my daily list pretty much just has the following items:
-keep kids alive and fed

Did I say items, as in plural?

My kitchen. Oh my kitchen. That's the one household task I have to stay on top of or I go bonkers. I need a clean kitchen. If my kitchen is clean, my sanity is just a little bit more intact. Our floors desperately need to be vacuumed, our furniture needs to be dusted, household organization is at an all-time low, and our list of home renovations keeps getting longer and longer without much progress being made on that front, either. But that kitchen has. to. be. clean.

On some days, this lack of routine leaves me completely frazzled. On others (like today), I just think "it is what it is, Dani, you're doing a-ok." Thank goodness for coffee. Thank goodness for other moms and candid mom conversations. Thank goodness for good support and funny friends who can help me find some humor even in meltdown moments. Thank goodness for the sense of freedom that comes along with a childless trip out and about, even if it's just to a doctor's appointment or Target (but really, who doesn't love a trip to Target alone??)

So, moms, how do you do it? What helped you get into a good groove when you had a baby or added a new baby to the bunch?