Bring It

What is it with women and our propensity to bite off more than we can chew? Bizarre fact: every woman I know does this, and every woman I know miraculously completes each task in the eleventh hour. She emerges from the cloud of stress-induced fog with squared shoulders. Then, when praised for her efforts, she just shrugs it off: "oh, it was nothing" or "I was just glad I could help." Secretly, she's had 3 meltdowns during her morning showers, and her husband can recite every concern that's popped up along the way.

I am in the middle of such a time. Ok, I haven't broken down in the shower or anything, but my list of commitments is looking like my children's letter to Santa: it is long and tediously detailed. My family will move in three weeks' time. Snippets of bubble wrap, cellophane, packing paper and tape are flying around the place.

This isn't a bitter rant. I'm not upset about any of the "busy" events taking place in my life, in fact I'm thankful for them. Let's call it preserving my humor, shall we? I think if I can just see the list in black and white, the extra oomph will be there to finish the job(s).

What must happen:

• I educate my two children, and tomorrow morning is back to school. This one is a fun bullet point because I kinda get a kick out of cracking open my planner and starting each day with a fresh, organized set of lessons. I sort of missed this structure during Christmas break. Plus, we're opening a few new textbooks this semester. Ooooh, can't you just smell the crisp, new pages? I wish I could bottle that kind of excitement.
• Packing. Every evening more stuff is going to be packed tightly into boxes. It's shocking how many boxes we have labeled "books". I knew we were bookworms. I did. I'm just not sure we've left many at our favorite booksellers' for the rest of you. Once amassed into a box, they're amazingly heavy.
• Editing. My hubs, an attorney with a penchant for history, is finishing work on a book. While he's beating the publisher's deadline by 6 months, he's a week behind his self-induced deadline. Did I hear you ask who is proof-reading his scintillating read? Of course I am; happy to!
• Buying stain and polyurethane for hardwood floors. We have stripped the floors in the house we're moving to. Next weekend, we sand, stain & seal (which reminds me, for no related reason whatsoever, of Stevie Wonder's song: Sign, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours).
  
• I've got to get my hair cut. That seems superficial, but we can only put it off so long. Why can't I wake up every morning with this type of graceful ease and beauty about me?

Other stuff that should happen:

• I have jacket #1 of the 2011 challenge cut out. It's cold out; I'd like to wear more jackets. So I think I can justify taking a couple of nights once the kiddos are snug in their beds and crank this out. Otherwise, I've got to pack it. And who knows when I'll find it again.
• Have you ever heard of Postcrossing? This awesome site connects you to the world via postcards. I keep up with my account, one for each of the kids, and one for my 91 year old grandmother (it was a birthday present for her - she loves getting mail). Hubs is on his own here. I need to write about 15 postcards this week, and send them on their way.
• I have got to work out. If I learned one thing this weekend while stripping floors, its that my arse needs to get in gear.
• Every year I compile a dvd of family photos set to music. Usually about 45 minutes in length, it contains hundreds of snapshots. I wrap them up for Christmas gifts to my mom and sisters. It's January, and I'm still not finished. Judge me if you must.

And wouldn't it be nice if:

• I had more time to blog?
• The book ideas running through my head magically made it into a Word doc?
• Mascara didn't rub off under my eyes half way through the day?
• The family cookbook my cousins and I are compiling were off my plate? Must organize recipes into sections and email it on. I must. Maybe.
• Our passports were being used?

I know your list is longer than mine. These are the highlights, people. What Herculean tasks are you working on? Do you finish them all on time? Share. Don't despair.