In So Many Words

This is a quick list because our desktop computer is on the fritz, and my hubby needs to check his email on my laptop, but anyway, here’s my list for this week:

My To Do List

I’m curious for any of you with kids on the spectrum who work – what are you doing for summer childcare?

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

For anyone not familiar with this awesome weekly linkup, To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

What’s at the top of your list this week that you don’t want to do?

For those who don’t know, our clothes dryer conked out a little over a week ago, and it has been a crazy experience getting a new one! The old dryer had been purchased by the previous owners of our house in 1970, so it definitely had lived a full life. We measured it carefully before going out to buy a new one, but neglected to take into account the fact that the kitchen had been remodeled sometime in the 1980s.

It turns out the space between the edge of the wall oven and the edge of the counter on the other wall is now just over 27″, and the first dryer we purchased was 29″ wide. While it wasn’t quite that deep, it was still was over 27″ in that direction as well, and so back to the store it (and we) went. The new dryer is coming this afternoon, so as long as all goes well, the laundry marathon can commence!

Daily Priorities

• Follow morning routine each day.
• Declutter something every day.
• Stay on top of my afternoon/evening routines so dinner is done and cleaned up in time to get Michael in bed by 8:30.
• Spend some time decompressing (i.e. blogging or reading) once Michael is asleep.
• Go to bed at a decent hour myself so I am not too tired the next day.

Things to Do

• Catch up on all the laundry.
• Send in registration for TOPSoccer.
• Do homework for IEP workshop.
• Email school about Michael’s re-eval and about anxiety/headache from missing his break.
• Check ASD HOPE voice mail at least every other day.
• Figure out budget for February.

What’s on your to-do list?

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

I did much better this week by just focusing on the main things that need to happen every day. I finally saw our new dentist and am SOOOOOO much happier with them than our previous place. I was also pleased to hear that he will be happy to continue referring Michael to the pediatric dentist with special needs experience. He just wants to meet Michael and then will give us the form.

I also finally took the time to call the water company about why our bill has been increasing, and the representative I spoke to said that usually that means a toilet is running. She suggested I use food coloring in the tank to check in (by not flushing and waiting to see if the color gets into the bowl). Sure enough, the toilet in the basement, which we hardly ever use, was the culprit. Boy, I sure wish I had taken care of that a month ago!!

So for this week, I am going to just commit to the basics again and handle whatever else pops up as it comes.

Daily Priorities

• Follow morning routine each day.
• Declutter something every day.
• Stay on top of my afternoon/evening routines so dinner is done and cleaned up in time to get Michael in bed by 8:30.
• Spend some time decompressing (i.e. blogging or reading) once Michael is asleep.
• Go to bed at a decent hour myself so I am not too tired the next day.

How is your week looking?

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

I have been feeling stretched in many directions lately, on just about every front. Even at work, I am dealing with a variety of tasks coming in from several sources and getting to know a new boss who works out of a different office than I do.

Since I am focusing on decluttering this year, I thought I would extend that concept to my to do list. I have never felt like I really got into a good daily routine since last summer, so I have decided it’s time to pare the list down to the basics.

Daily Priorities

• Follow morning routine each day.
• Declutter something every day.
• Stay on top of my afternoon/evening routines so dinner is done and cleaned up in time to get Michael in bed by 8:30.
• Spend some time decompressing (i.e. blogging or reading) once Michael is asleep.
• Go to bed at a decent hour myself. For now, I’m going to shoot for 11:00.

I have done pretty well with this the last two days, and the whole family has been less stressed out. Honestly, I know my stress has more to do with my own mental state than anything else. There are times when things are totally unorganized and I am still relaxed, and there other other times that no amount of structure helps me feel okay.

On the topic of getting enough sleep, I read a fascinating blog post over at Small Notebook called Conversion Experience: How a Night Owl Became an Early Bird and Liked It and was glad to hear that I’m not the only one who struggles with going to bed at a decent hour. I have been staying up later and later over the last couple of years but am not sure that’s the best thing for me, even if I can sleep in a little later than most people.

So what are your daily priorities? And are you a night owl or an early bird?

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

This is me doing a happy dance because I actually finished everything on my to do list last week. Way to go, me!

The list is pretty short this week. I’m trying to allow myself some breathing room so I can keep up with the daily housework and get back into our evening routine now that school is back in session.

I was probably too lax this week during the break and am really hoping the transition back to school isn’t too difficult for Michael. He had a good day on Monday, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all will go well.

My To Do List

What’s on your to do list?

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

It was so helpful this last month to break all the Christmas to do items down by week, so I decided to keep going with that system for the coming year. I am an obsessive list maker and would constantly be going through my huge to do list to figure out what to do next (or try to avoid the stuff I didn’t want to do!). And then I would have to rewrite it when it got too messy or confusing.

Putting things in a weekly time frame helps me focus on what is most important and also not worry about the things that aren’t critical yet. I found this cute weekly planner and ordered one for both me and my friend who came up with the idea. It’s called the Buttoned Up Weekly Agenda:

And here’s what it looks like opened up:

It has a bunch of pages in the back for notes and also some shopping/errand lists that you can tear out. The best part is the advice section in the middle–I think the authors read my mind when they wrote this:

The secret to getting Buttoned Up isn’t obsessing about what you need to do, but rather getting clear on what you don’t need to do.

1. You don’t need to be perfect.
2. You don’t need to do everything on your list.
3. And you don’t need to do everything yourself.

My To Do List

I think this method will help me focus on what’s most important and get those things done at the right time. At least, that’s the plan!

To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

For anyone who may not have seen this meme before, To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

I totally rocked my list last week! Good thing too, because we ended up leaving for Virginia Friday night instead of Saturday morning in order to beat the snow (yeah, that didn’t happen – it took us 4 1/2 hours to make a 2 hour trip). But we got there safely and had a wonderful time with Bob’s parents and his sister’s family.

Now we are looking forward to a relaxing couple of weeks with no traveling. Michael only has two more days of school, and Bob took off work to stay home with him during the break. Although I will still be working, my office is closed both Thursday and Friday the next two weeks, so it’s not too bad.

And here’s the last week of my four-week Christmas Countdown To Do List:

December 20-26

What do you have left to do to get ready for Christmas?

For more To-Do Tuesday, visit Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

For anyone who may not have seen this meme before, To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

We had a wonderful time at the Autism Society Christmas Party on Sunday. The only difficult part was the raffles; Michael was so upset not to win anything. I need to remember to talk with him ahead of time about these. Later that day my husband surprised me with a early 40th birthday party when I thought we were going to a friend’s house for dinner. It was very nice – I had a great time and was so touched that he did that for me.

I’m sure he got some great pictures of everything, but I just haven’t had the time to post as much as I would like to lately. I’m still hyper-focused on getting everything done for Christmas. Once we get all the family gifts mailed and delivered, it will be smooth sailing for the rest of the holiday season.

December 13-19

December 20-26

What are you doing to celebrate the holidays this year?

For more To-Do Tuesday, visit Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

For anyone who may not have seen this meme before, To-Do Tuesday was started by Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting for the purpose of attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we’ve got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable.

Well, it’s week two of my Christmas countdown. One thing I really like about dividing up the tasks by week is that I don’t have to stress about the things that are on next week’s list. I’ve got enough to deal with just for the week I’m in!

I didn’t get everything done last week but progress was made nonetheless. The bulk of the Christmas cards are sent, and the rest are awaiting Bob’s note and signature. We made a trip to Virginia to see Bob’s parents and I cooked for them while Bob helped his mom with her Christmas cards. It was an exhausting weekend but a good one.

December 6-12

December 13-19

December 20-26

I just realized we haven’t set a date for Christmas Candylane, so I still need to fit that in somewhere. What’s on your to do list for this week?

For more To-Do Tuesday, visit Crazy Adventures in Parenting.