My mommy "to-do" list

We have been here in Wenatchee about a month, and I still have no pictures up on my walls, at least downstairs. I have not yet put away all of my books or photo albums, and there are some other boxes in the garage that haven't been opened and unpacked, either, but I'm not really sure what is in them . . . which probably means we don't need the stuff in them anyway.

All of this is driving me CRAZY.

I am a major type A personality . . . I make lots of lists for myself, and love to, at least mentally, check off tasks I have accomplished. Today was one of those days where I had hopes of getting a few things done around here, and absolutely NONE of it happened. None. This is not the first day since staying at home with the girls that this has happened.

Staying at home with a two-and-a-half year old and two five month olds is way more difficult than I had imagined. Daddy leaves around 8:30 every morning and is not home until around 6:30. I would love to get some stuff done around the house, even some crafty, fun things, after the kids go to bed at 8 p.m., but I seriously am just too tired, and it's all I can do to just load the dishwasher, maybe fold some laundry, and watch TV. This is by far the toughest gig I have ever done, and I have worked in some doosie (made up the spelling for that word) Special Education classrooms.

Anyway, my day today inspired me to write out a "mommy to-do list," mostly to remind myself that it's ok if I don't get much done during the day, because I am very, very busy just being mommy to the girls.

Feed each baby 5 times
Change each baby about 5 times
Make breakfast, lunch, and several snacks for Clara
Come up with, shop for, and make dinner for all of us
Load and unload dishwasher at least 2 times/day
Wash a load or two of laundry, fold and put away
Clean our kitchen floor, pretty much daily (the laminate in this house looks AWFUL when dirty)
Play with Clara, then play with her some more, then some more
Work out for 20-30 minutes, while watching the kids or maybe during nap
Spend some time with God (that should be on the top of my list, huh?)
Spend 15-20 minutes grading some online lessons
Move the babies from a blanket on the floor, to the swings, to the bouncy chair, to their carseats, to the car . . . etc.

You get the idea. It would probably be really good for me to type that out, put little boxes next to the items, and be able to literally check them off throughout the day, so that I have something tangible to show for my day. I have been proud of a few little activities Clara and I have done lately:
1. We are taking a lot of walks around here, because the weather is great and I'm dreading when it gets dark early, so I'm taking advantage of sunlight while it lasts. We put the babies in their side-by-side, lighter stroller, Clara rides her tricycle, and we just saunter around, collecting leaves, rocks, and sticks to bring home and put in our "treasure box" we've started.
2. Obstacle courses: At least 3-4 times/week, I make up an obstacle course in our nice big playroom using an extra mattress we have, a tunnel, some light hand weights I bought for Clara, and various balls/toys we find. Clara loves to pretend to mess up on the order of the steps she is supposed to complete, which has grown to 6-7!
3. Fall-themed activities: We ordered some fall library books through the mail, which was fun, and we've been making a few crafts centered around apples, and in a few weeks we'll do pumpkins and leaves.

Alright, that's it for tonight. Gotta put my feet up and watch some TV with the hubs!