I’ve only been a Mom for two years, but in that time the pieces of the got-it-all-together girl that I used to be have been lost like the letters on my toddler’s ABC puzzle board. My flat tummy and young eyes have been replaced by a bit of a spare tire and dark circles. But those changes I fully anticipated. One thing I never expected though, was how forgetful I’d be once becoming a mom. I used to be able to house any little thing in my head and whip out what I needed when I needed it no problem. Now?
I’ve reached a level of forgetfulness that leads me to turn on my phone’s flashlight to look for my phone…yikes.
The irony in all of this is that I’ve always been a planner when it comes to school/work because grades/deadlines are important to me and I like to have my best foot forward. However, when it comes to my life at home, I’m a literal mess. I always feel like I’m drowning in laundry, dishes, dinners, and diapers. Most people don’t expect that from me, but here I am completely not put together when I’m in the closed comfort of the walls of my home that definitely need a good scrub. In a sense, it’s kind of nice that at least in one area of my life I don’t feel like I HAVE to have it together 100% of the time. On the flip side, I also feel constant anxiety of never (ever) feeling caught up. I mean, it’s not the end of the world to forget to start the washing machine, but when I do it’s one more thing that gets pushed back toward the weekend. You know, the two days out of the week that I can be just Mom instead of working-mom, so I’d rather not be slaving all of that time away.
It hit me one day that I can apply my Plan-All-The-Things personality to my motherhood journey as well.
Like, why did I never connect the two? So I bought this whiteboard. It’s super simple with each day of the week and 2 sections for notes. Each day I jot down our schedules (blue for my husband, pink for me…duh.) And in the notes section, I put a few tasks that I’d like to get done in the morning and at night. Emphasis on *few* because a mama’s gotta be realistic.
You’re probably saying to yourself That’s a command center, girl, we all have one.
Yes, you’re right. But I always thought command centers were for veteran moms, you know, the ones who somehow figure out how to be at baseball practice and dance class at the same time while simultaneously cooking a 4-course meal back home. My kids are babies. I wouldn’t need a command center for a few years…or so I thought. But then I started using it. For me. And I didn’t expect the mental weight that would be lifted when I started to house my running list of chores in small notes on a whiteboard. Once I write them down they live there on the whiteboard instead of in my head and I’m not spending the whole day trying to remember not to forget this that and the other thing that needs to be done or washed or put away.
The weight of responsibility is heavy for humans in general.
Add a few little humans to the mix and you can definitely feel maxed out. For me, all it took was a simple $10 whiteboard to take some of that mental weight from me and allow my brain to store a few more pieces of sweet peace of mind.
So, don’t judge me when you walk into my kitchen and see my House Chores To-Do List right across from the dishes that still aren’t done with a line of full laundry baskets trailing behind it.
Instead, offer to knock out a few items, or all of them. I’d be forever grateful and I might even let you experience the real joy of erasing it off the whiteboard…but no promises. That’s my favorite part!
