Procrastinating

“When at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I’m not sure where the phrase came from, but I’ve said it to myself countless times. Because I’m really good at making plans and then changing them, starting projects and not finishing them, making to-do lists and then getting distracted. I have felt like I failed so many times when I meant to accomplish something and didn’t. When I plan one thing and it doesn’t go my way, whatever the reason is, I feel disappointed and anxious.

This is my ever-growing to do list.

Not that I can’t do it, but something always happens. I get distracted, I lose interest, or most commonly, I get too busy with something else that’s more urgent. My list has included painting the bathrooms for 2 years. 2. YEARS. It’s easy enough. But I hate the towel rings on the walls, and before I paint I need to take them down and replace them with something nicer. I want a shelf with a towel rack built in underneath. But something always came up and my priorities shifted. 

I painted the kitchen cabinets (one thing I did accomplish and I’m very proud of my results) and that took my full attention for a while. We meticulously took each door/drawer front down, cleaned it, sanded it, primed it, painted several coats on, let it dry for 3 days and then hung it back up, transforming my kitchen from a dark dungeon to a bright and shiny, FUN place to spend my time. It’s   really important to have a happy kitchen.

                                                                          Before:

After:

Then my husband had some problems with his back and needed several surgeries. That couldn’t be avoided and was no one’s fault, but painting got pushed back again. Then I was pregnant and didn’t feel like painting, and we had a new husky who did not want to be trained. Two sisters got married during that time, and I was the maid of honor in one of them. Bridal showers and wedding plans were becoming a regular thing. It was so much fun, but happened all at once, and we live a couple hours away!

And well, now I have a baby that eats every 2 hours and poops the rest of the time. More pooh than I have ever seen in my life. I haven’t changed a lot of newborns, but I’m getting lots of practice now! And when he needs a clean diaper, he needs it NOW. He hates waiting. In between diapers I’m usually trying to coax him off to sleep, because he’s desperately tired but fighting it.

I love him!! 

I have lots of good days, full of baby snuggles, but at the end of each day, I’m usually wishing I got more done. I have a long list of things, in no particular order, that need to be done. I keep adding to it, but right now it just keeps getting longer without anything getting checked off. They’re all weird things like cleaning the inside of the stove or oiling my sewing machine. So I plan to do one thing from the list every day. It’s not much but if I can do that, at least I’m making progress. And some of the things are so easy, but some days I can’t even get the laundry done because Kit doesn’t like being put down for even a minute. (If anyone has tips on how to get him to sleep better, I’m all ears!) 

My little rant is coming to an end. If you made it this far, I applaud you.