lists

i have become a list maker.

it's not something i set out to intentionally become either.

and it has happened since children. before children i don't think i made lists. if i did, they were nothing like the lists i seem to be making these days!

i make lists as it gets the 'things' out of my head and means i hopefully don't forget something! prior to christmas, i was making quite a few lists. they ranged from ideas of christmas presents, to christmas presents i'd actually bought, to the good old grocery list, to jobs i felt needed doing (ASAP!!) to what i needed to pack in my hospital bag for lbm3 and i. the to-do list has been re-written 3 times now i think, with a lot of things on it crossed off. things which weren't crossed off were added to the next to-do list.

in all of this list making, i realised something and posted it as my facebook status....
is it good or bad that I realise I have completed a task, yet forgotten to put it on my ever-growing to-do list, so I add it to the bottom of said to-do just to be able to cross it off? Because the tiny bit of satisfaction I feel at putting a line thru dot-points and seeing a long list of dot-points all scribbled out is normal, right?


i was reassured by my friends that i am in fact normal, and that several of them do the same thing!!


it was with relief i found this website listproducer.com which was created by someone who makes lists as well! i have enjoyed reading some of her posts, in particular this one 20 Easy Resolutions You Can Feel Good About


a few of the suggested points i already do - 4, 9, 8, 12 and 18. 


i'm taking a pregnancy multi-vitamin (4) at the moment, and that will continue for quite a while yet. once i finish breastfeeding, i'll be finding a more appropriate one to take.


the things i love to do (8) are reading, surfing the internet (facebook and pinterest are regular sites i visit!) and exercise. so i've been doing these everyday for i don't know how long now. once lbm3 arrives, not sure how i'll keep them up. exercise won't happen for a while, but thankfully i have internet on my phone!


i call my mum (9) fairly often throughout the day, not just the week. it's a bit unusual for us to go more than 2 days without speaking. i also call my mother-in-law fairly often too. 


i always open snail mail (12) within 24 hours of opening it. i'm too curious to see what's inside to let it just sit there, and i love reading junk-mail. love catalogues! 


i've occasionally sent thank-you notes (18) by text or email, but after an event such as our wedding or the girls birthdays, or even when the grandparents have minded the girls, a card has been sent in the mail. i love receiving hand-written cards and notes. a bit more effort has been put in to it i feel!


the points i want to incorporate into my life are....


7. keep a gratitude journal. i started this last night, and will endeavour to keep it up everyday. it is important to take a look at what you have in life to be thankful for, as it is unfortunately easy to forget. 


10. buy fresh flowers once a month. i love flowers. tulips are my favorite. thankfully our supermarkets stock them, so i don't have to go to a florist! will be adding them to my shopping trolley once a month. they brighten up our home, smell good and make me smile when i see them!


11. end each day with a positive thought. well, i don't think 'sleeeeeeeeep!' can get much more positive!! given i will be writing my points for #7 at the end of the day tho, i think i'll be ending the day with lots of positive thoughts!


13. unsubscribe from unwanted email newsletters. i've been doing this a bit lately. sick of so much junk mail, and some emails i don't even remember signing up for! think i'll be 'un-liking' facebook pages too...


14. eat more dark chocolate. dark chocolate is 'better' for you than normal chocolate, as it is closer to it's natural form. i don't like it. so i'm just gonna go with eating normal chocolate....not more often, less often actually!


15. say no! i started saying no to tasks for church last year. it's not that i didn't want to do them. i don't want to do them when i have a newborn! once i've worked out 3 kids, i'll then let people know i am more than happy to do tasks i've done in the past. for now tho, less is better.


17. be more patient. this is something i really must work on, especially once lbm3 arrives and the girls are back. i've had no patience with them the past month or so. it's sad, and i hate it. i'm missing them at the moment.time apart from them has helped me remember just how much i love them, adore them, and can't live without them! it's funny. so often i just want 'me time'. as carrie said in an episode of sex & the city, once a need is met, often that need disappears. anyway, one of my friends who had bub #3 in october said that being patient is a big thing she has noticed. patience is not one of my strong points, however i will be practising it with everything i can. i will be reminding myself that bubble and bug are just babies too, and they will only be wanting to help me. children, by nature, only want to please. bubble in particular is a 'pleaser'. bug not so much yet. however i will be getting them both involved with helping my look after lbm3....once he or she arrives!!!


19. learn one new thing a month. be it a recipe, word or game. i love this! i am not a cook. not at all. things i cook end up with no taste!! sad but true. however, i am willing to give things ago. which is probably why i attempted spaghetti bolognese a couple of nights ago, even tho i didn't have a couple of the ingredients! so learning one new recipe a month sounds great. a new game...? hmmmmm the agent and i were given a some board games as a wedding gift. the card read 'the family that plays together, stays together.' very true. so i think i might find these board games and we'll start playing them! as for word, well i'm an interpreter. i interpret what bug is saying, so does that count as learning new words? hope so, cos i'm counting it!!


so here is, yet again, another list!! a few other things i want to achieve this year, which i have already written about...


* read more. more novels on anything!
* date night with the agent, at least 2 per month.
* us all eating breakfast together every morning.
* girls doing swimming lessons.
* do fun runs - 5kms to start with. 
* get back to the gym to the 9:30am classes.
* holidays! weekends away. we didn't once go to the agent's mum's place last year. so travelling down there, to my parents place, and to the agent's dad's place in qld are things i want to do more of!


i love lists. i'm off to make one for today....my butt is sore from sitting at my computer for so long. whoops!!