I’m back! We actually got back on Saturday night, but yesterday was so busy and I was exhausted, so I’m just now getting back to the blog.

The wedding went well, and I did forget mascara, the one thing my mother doesn’t have. Oh well, I just looked like I was half-asleep. The great thing about having the flower girl for a daughter is that no one looks at you anyway.

I’ve been considering my new non-negotiable for the week. Last week was laundry, which went okay, but is nowhere near being a habit yet. I considered just keeping laundry as the habit to work on for the week, but I decided to go at it from a different angle.

I’ve mentioned that a before-bed routine, as I believe Flylady calls it, has always scared me. There are many days when I plop on the couch as soon as the kids are in bed. Or I try to get some project done, like cutting coupons before my grocery trip the next day. There are things I know I need to get done before bed, but I never even think of them.

With my other daily tasks, I often remember to do them when I sit down at the computer during my daughter’s nap time. If I have not done something, I can go do it quickly at that time. With the before bed routine, though, I don’t have that. But it is something I need to do.

So, for this week, I’m going to complete a list of before bed tasks.

I decided to do this because the reality is that I have to remind myself to make sure the laundry is folded and put away before I go to bed. If I’m out during the day, I may miss getting it into the dryer, or getting it out of the dryer.

I am going to go ahead and make a list for my before bed routine. There are things that I usually do, but often forget, which HAVE to be done daily, so I am going to put them on the list.

Make kids’ lunches.
Lay out kids’ clothes for next day. (I hope that as I do better at laundry and put away, I’ll be able to give this responsibility over to them.)
Wipe down bathroom counters and toilets.
Check to be sure one load of laundry is finished.

I just made a sign for myself with these four tasks. I’ll let you know this week how it goes.