To Be--follow-up

My To Be List for the week of 3/16 -- (follow-up)

Role: Myself (Self-advocate, perhaps?)

1. Engage in hobby-like activity...not so much, but I did get some gaming in (that must count)
   
2. Read my dr-prescribed self-help book...no again, but I've been in a good mood so that's something
   
3. Get my free bagel on Friday...hell yeah! last one this tomorrow (sigh)
   

Role: Mother

1. Give a bath...yes!
2. Tickle...yes!
3. Encourage independence (specifically in dressing)...somewhat, she still wants to be a baby, I say let her!
   

Role: Wife

1. Provide support by giving positive feedback....I think so
   
2. Initiate intimacy...m'yep
3. Prepare meals...gotta

Role: Employee

1. Focus and stick to deadlines (several projects)...ka-ching
2. Plan ahead for the next 2 months (deadlines)...ka-ching

Role: House Manager

1. Change out kitchen drawer hardware...this always slips off my to-do list
   
2. Track finances...done
3. Make sure CD is closed and transferred...yep!

Role: Friend/Relative

1. Upload March pictures...done
2. See how Dad is doing...done
3. Monitor the online outlets...done

It was an interesting experiment. The results were predictable...I mostly slipped in self-care (though not really to my detriment this time around) and those darn household projects. I am getting alot better at being realistic with my housework. But I think I need to work on getting my reading and hobby time up to snuff.

Resolution progress

Just very brief...
1. Organize/declutter.--getting there
2. Set up our wills and a college fund.--barely started
3. Paint the inside of my house.--front hall and bedroom done! (need to do stairwell/upstairs hall and nursery)
4. Landscape the front.--soon
5. Do some bathroom fix-ups.--uh, someday
6. Work on my stress management.--underway
7. Continue meal planning.--chugging along
8. Save money.--working on it
9. Get pregnant.--planning it
10. Work on my photo archive project.--got storage, but haven't started

A Woman To Be

I read somewhere about the idea of a To Be list instead of a To Do list. You list your roles in order of importance and each week list your top 3 goals for each role. Sounds simple enough. I'm not sure if I like the idea particularly, but since I've been feeling overwhelmed by my to do list AND I've been at a loss of what to do with myself during those natural weekend lulls, I think this exercise can't hurt.

My To Be List for the week of 3/16

Role: Myself (Self-advocate, perhaps?)

1. Engage in hobby-like activity
2. Read my dr-prescribed self-help book
3. Get my free bagel on Friday

Role: Mother

1. Give a bath
2. Tickle
3. Encourage independence (specifically in dressing)

Role: Wife

1. Provide support by giving positive feedback
2. Initiate intimacy
3. Prepare meals

Role: Employee

1. Focus and stick to deadlines (several projects)
2. Plan ahead for the next 2 months (deadlines)

Role: House Manager

1. Change out kitchen drawer hardware
2. Track finances
3. Make sure CD is closed and transferred

Role: Friend/Relative

1. Upload March pictures
2. See how Dad is doing
3. Monitor the online outlets

Life snapshot

This morning was pretty typical. Bit was sleeping when N left, so when she woke up, she was pretty mad that he wasn't there. Eventually she calmed down and I managed to get her ready to go. She is NOT a morning person, but that's OK. Neither am I.

This week is fairly light: had a snow day Monday, weigh in tonight, chat and the Top Chef reuinion; tomorrow I might go sign up for Let's Dish and get my freebie, I probably won't go see my mom since she's sick and I'm seeing her Saturday; Friday I'm picking up Bit from daycare; Saturday N is gaming, and I'm taking Bit to see my mom and maybe my grandma who just moved to be closer to my aunt (and get into a better nursing home); Sunday we're celebrating my dad's birthday.

Next week is reasonably normal. Bit has a follow-up for her ears on Friday 3/13 morning; Saturday 3/14 we're supposed to have a family get-together for my Grandma's birthday and Bit's swim class starts; Sunday 3/15 our friends might visit.

Then I have a meeting for work Monday 3/16 night and my 2nd therapy session on Tuesday 3/17; I'm planning on Let's Dish for Saturday 3/21 and Nightwatch is on Sunday 3/22 (Andrew should be observing in preparation for joining the game!)

And that's only 3 weeks!

Stuff & Things

Memory clutter and organization

I'm a sentimental fool. I tend to forget all but the deepest hurts, so I'm frequently afflicted with nostalgia. I feel the need to keep photos, journals, school papers, and the like. Now that I'm an unclutterer, a disciple of Peter Walsh, I've been thinking more about how to preserve, honor, and store my forms of nostalgia.

Photographs: I am scanning old photos to create a digital archive. Not only will this enable me to share the photos easily with family and friends, but I can create photo books instead of traditional photo albums (which is something I find very tedious). Brilliant! I'm not sure how much "space" my photo project will take, so I'm going to use a 250 GB portable hard drive to start.

Journals: Thanks once again to a timely post on Unclutterer, I have some food for thought on this one. I have long intended to scan or re-type some of my old journals. I think once I've been through that process, I will better know whether I want to keep any of the originals (pages or books). I know there are a few more artistic journals (collage style) that I'd like to keep, but I think it will depend on their content to some degree.

Other memoirs: I'm not sure how to handle. I need to find time to go through it all and determine which pieces are truly meaningful. Then I can figure out if I need a keepsake box or a scrapbook of some kind. My mom has a couple of scrapbooks from her youth that I enjoyed looking at when I was younger and will hopefully get to enjoy sharing with my daughter.

I think that you should save some things for yourself and future generations, just not too much. You can't let the "things" overpower your life in the here and now. As Peter Walsh always says, your things and home should all work togehter to help you live the life you want. It's important to keep this in mind when dealing with clutter, even (or especially) the emotional/nostalgic kind.