2013 Summer To-Do List

The Rationale

Summer vacation is arguably the number one perk of being a teacher. A guaranteed two-months off every year makes things like disgruntled parents, piles of grading, and disappointing paydays worth it. At the same time, I am the type of teacher person who thrives on structure and a sense of accomplishment. While I can spend summer vacation doing (pretty much) whatever I want, I know I will be happiest if I can look back those first few weeks of August and say, "Look what I did!" rather than, "Where did the time go?" How will I accomplish this, you ask? Enter my to-do list.

When I say "tackling life one to-do list at a time," I mean it...literallly. I use to-do lists at work, at home, and in my head. They bring order to chaos, bring me the satisfaction of crossing items off one by one, and release me from the anxiety of feeling like I haven't done "enough"--and trust me, that last one is a HUGE accomplishment. They also keep me from spending hours of my free time on tasks that don't really matter...like watching TV, staring at the wall, and--you guessed it--perusing Pinterest. Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, lazy, or unmotivated--I know it's time for a to-do list.

This summer, I want to live a more project-oriented life. I want to serve my husband and my son. I want to challenge myself, reinvigorate my creativity, and learn new skills. I want to be a better mom and friend. That is what I will build my summer around, and this to-do list will help me do that.

The Plan

Today, I write my list. Tomorrow, and for the rest of the summer, I will make every effort to do or at least work on one item from the list each day. When I find myself hating the invention of Netflix and shaking my head in disbelief over the time I've already spent on shows like "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation," I will pull up this list and find something better to do. To help keep me honest, I will track my progress via roughly weekly posts on how I've spent my time and what I've accomplished, hopefully inspiring one or two people in the process.

The List

Nota bene: Be prepared for a very, very long list. I like to itemize projects so I can cross off items throughtout the process. Tedious, right?

BTW: If an item has been strikedout, then it moved from "to-do" and became a "to done." ; )

1. Finish my fish sketch
2. Hang my fish sketch
3. Add bath photos of Brannon or other artwork to finish out the hall bathroom
4. Have a picnic with Brannon
5. Get my haircut
6. Repair the holes in the walls
7. Patch the holes in the closet doors (all from Brannon)
8. Start Brannon's bed quilt (Pattern & fabric bought)
9. Set-up a display system for Brannon's art & worksheets (I'll add more later)
10. Do something with unused picture frames & family room walls
11. Hang Derek's guitars (although this is really a honey-do item)
12. Install a clothes line on the back porch (even if I never use it) (Bought the hardware--waiting for hubby's help)
13. Finish decorating laundry room--wall art, homemade bunting, picture frames
14. Memo board tutorial post
15. 7x7 Putting Me Together fashion link-up
16. Sew a skirt
17. Sew something from Goodwill fabric
18. Make infinity scarf for Sande
19. Make blue and white infinity scarf
20. Make a wreath or other door hanging for the front door
21. Find a good place to store the Slip N' Slide
22. Sign Brannon up for swim classes (Decided to do that next summer)
23. Do one "kid pin" with Brannon each week (ongoing)
24. Plant something with Brannon
25. Paint something with Brannon
26. Create Brannon's fourth Shutterfly book (So VERY close to finished--just waiting for hubby's letter)
27. Help my husband lose weight (ongoing, but started)
28. Try new recipes (ongoing)
29. Read The Perks of Being a Wall Flower
30. Do work stuff that shall not be named nor fully committed to (working on it)
31. Take a road trip
32. Hang hooks in the master bedroom
33. Hamel family portrait session
34. Use my Gap gift card
35. Use my Target gift card
36.  Make the necklace and earring set for my mom
37. Weed the front yard (again) and treat it with pre-emergent spray
38. Purge all closets and storage areas
39. Decide whether or not I should continue to hoard Brannon's baby clothes
40. Start taking Doc for regular walks (started & he LOVES it)
41. Deep clean carpets, hopefully erasing the pet smell from every carpeted room in our house
42. Buy yard clippers
43. Use yard clippers to clean up bushes in the front yard
44. Help Brannon learn his letters (ongoing)
45. Help Brannon learn to recognize written numbers (ongoing)
46. Spend more time with Stephanie
47. Send Pinterest code to Kim
48. Transfer features and shut down "To Blog or Not to Blog" (decided I may as well ignore it & leave it up--no shortage of space on the internet, right?)
49. Try to make gluten-free play dough...cheaply (decided to skip this project)
50. Make family-photo monogram (decided to skip this project)
51. Family-photo monogram post
52. Wash the car
53. Continue weekly gratitude and The Everyday Celiac posts (ongoing)
54. Moon Valley Ward nursery post (letting go of this one, too)
55. Identify & commit to family chores
56. Hang spice racks
57. Repair grout in dining room
58. Deep clean shower and tub stalls
59. Deep clean and whiten bed pillows
60. Father's day gifts
61. Send verification of residence to NSP
62. Get knives back...hopefully
63. Make a decision about my birthday gift from my dad and act on it
64. Spend time with my dad
65. RELAX, HAVE FUN, and ENJOY MYSELF