Lists And Routines

 Does anyone else make lists?

I keep a monthly to-do list. David asked if it's things for me to do or for him! 

One reason I keep this list is that some chores just seem to get away from me; having things listed helps a lot.

My basic routine is to keep the main areas of the house clean and tidy. Dishes, always a mountain of them! I do try to do them every day, also ask whoever has some time to do some. I try to do laundry every day when the weather is good, and I can get it outside to dry. At the moment, it's every other day, nothing really dries and having wet or damp clothes hanging around just isn't nice. Of course, I have to run the vacuum, that's almost every day, the wooden floors get swept, vacuumed and mopped! Cat hair! This time of year isn't a big problem, but as the weather warms up and they start losing their winter fur, it gets to be rather crazy. These are the things I try to get done daily. 

January to-do list

This is just the beginning! I usually add to it as I cross off things! 

The first item is to clean cob webs. I thought I had gotten them all in my big clean before Christmas, but I've noticed a few more. I know that we had a lot of spiders in September/October, but I helped many of them to move out, maybe they came back or left their kids here! I know I say I don't like insects, but spiders are alright, as long as they aren't too big!

The second item is to clean under my bed. My bed has drawers under it, to take them out and clean is really hard. Taking them out is alright, getting them back in is hard! So I usually slide my mattress off and move the board to get underneath! I hope to get that done tomorrow.

I'll let you know how I get on! I hope to have all the jobs crossed off!

Another list I have is things I want to buy!

Things I want to buy

I managed to buy a couple of the things on the list, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner and a vacuum cleaner. Between the cats and this house being very dusty, those two things are necessary!

The other items I'm trying to save for. But I think the printer I might have to ask either David or Christopher to buy on a credit card. It's something I use a lot for teaching!

The other things I can wait for!

Another list I've just started is places I hope to visit this year!

Places to visit this year

I'm not sure how many of these I can get to, but I thought having a list would help me to plan. I'm going to write this out in more detail later; this was just a brainstorming list. I want to figure out when to go and how much it will cost, so I can budget for things!

A few more lists or plans I'm thinking of making are to do with my words for this year: health and learning.

What are my goals for my health? How much weight should I aim to lose? What should I do to achieve that goal? What exercises will help me? Where to find help/inspiration when the junk food is screaming my name? I don't keep junk food in the house, which helps, but sometimes I get an intense craving for something! I guess one good thing about living in the middle of nowhere is that I can't just go to a shop and buy snacks!

Also, what should I focus on learning this year? Of course, Japanese. I had a dream the other night that I had to teach biology to 6th graders in Japanese! I woke up in a panic! I don't think I would ever have that level of fleuncy but to be able to deal with day-to-day life without panicking would be nice! I also want to read more classic books. I'm not sure what yet! I just finished Wuthering Heights, which was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. Thinking about what my next read will be!

Then I want to get into Japanese history more. Visiting historical places is more interesting with a bit of knowledge of the time period and area. All of my kids like history, especially David, so they help me to understand things!

Let me know in the comments if you are a list person!

As I develop these lists, I'll post them here!