Priorities

The house is a mess and there is laundry to be done, but I've realized that if I don't make blogging (and thus, recording memories) a priority above little things I can cross of my list (like unloading the dishwasher) for a momentary burst of pride (who doesn't like to cross things off a to-do list??), then I will NEVER get caught up on my blog. (How about that run-on?)

For a goal oriented person like myself, the to-do list is never ending. Honestly, my to-do list is actually a notepad that sometimes is several pages long because I won't tear off a sheet until everything on that page is crossed off. It's kind of my own personal self-discipline. I want to tear off and throw away the top page, but won't allow myself to do so until everything on that page is crossed off. Crazy, I know.

This means that sometimes (okay, maybe a lot of times), I do things just so I can cross them off my list. Unfortunately, this also means that I tend to procrastinate the bigger projects because I know I can do many small things (which equals many small victories) in that same amount of time. I guess I like the instant gratification that comes from tasks like putting away a load of laundry - it's clean, neat, and no longer cluttering my bedroom floor.

However, tonight I'm sitting in the living room by the fire watching my 3 month old baby boy coo and bat at toys in his toy gym on the floor. One of which is some funny looking creature that plays music every time he hits it. And he is intentionally hitting it! I don't think he's picked up on the cause/effect relationship yet, but he is avidly watching that toy and consistently touching it. Watching Brecken do these things made me realize how fast he is growing and changing and that if I don't start recording these things now, I never will.

I don't have to get bogged down with writing the most beautiful post with the best pictures. Short and sweet is just as effective. Though I'm obviously not very good at short and sweet, it seems like that might be my only option if I really want to chronicle our family adventures and every day happenings.

I can't tell you how many times I've sat in bed nursing Brecken writing a blog post in my head about something he did that day or something I was feeling or thinking about. Unfortunately, those blog posts never actually made it out of my head. My goal for 2010 is to just sit down and do it! Don't stress over the dirty dishes or messy bedroom. Next month I won't remember how many things I crossed off my list today. But I will remember that today, Brecken started to actually play with toys. I know I'm already a couple weeks late getting started on this 2010 goal, but better late than never, right?

So I am going to go back and get some posts up that I've written but not published yet. It might take a bit to get caught up, but I'm making it a priority.