Every Day is Exactly the Same

Its Thursday, and its one day closer to the weekend. My allergies are starting to act up again, and that is a sure sign of spring. Little Man has been suffering all week, and I mean suffering. The poor kid is all congested, and just feels icky. He's been taking children's claritan which helps, and I've had him do a few neti treatments. Last night at choir, I could see he felt icky and really didn't want to sing. But being the trooper he is, sang through it.
Tonight I am having some ladies over from church to finalize the silent auction for the youth group. It shouldn't be too intense or take too long. Tomorrow is Pizza Bingo at school, which I am very much looking forward to. So is the little man-he's been talking about it all week. Plus he knows mommy has worked very hard to make this event happen.
I went to a Hospice conference yesterday, and while it was very informative, it also was a little on the depressing side. I am glad I went and I learned a lot, but I needed to shake that gloom off me.
Mornings are usually miserable in my house. I am a screamer (and I come from a long line of screamers, so its genetic) and I tend to spend most of my mornings screaming and yelling at the little man to get up, eat breakfast, get dressed, etc. etc. etc. Most mornings I feel like the worst mommy in the world, and little man goes to school feeling sad and angry. This is not what either of us wants-especially since it just sets a tone for the rest of the day and basically ruins it for me before it even starts. So, in a bit of frustration Tuesday night, I came up with a check list of things that need to be done before we leave for school (brush & floss teeth, get dressed, make bed, feed fish, eat breakfast, pack up backpack). Yesterday we tried it and it worked so well. No tears, no screaming, all smiles. It set the tone for the whole day for both of us too. I also came up with a list of all the things that need to be done before bed each night and the two nights we've used it, bedtime went much more smoothly.
I am a creature of habit myself. I like to do the same thing at the same time each day (for example, I get up, drink my coffee, blog, go on the treadmill, take my shower, get dressed and eat breakfast, swifter the floors (and if there is enough time, run around with the duster) and get out of the house). I am one of those people that if its Monday, its meatless-and I need that kind of structure. I do a lot of juggling in my life, and I need the comfort and security of having routines in place so I can keep my home functioning and running. The big man does pitch in and help a lot, but he's a lot more free flowing whatever happens happens personality type. It can drive me crazy because he doesn't get the same adrenoline boost that I do from checking off a to do list. I've always needed that crutch if you will of a to do list, and I have my little notebook with it in there. Its my master to do list, then broken down by month of what needs to be done. I am not saying that I get it all done, and there are things that have been moved from month to month to month. I also am a very goal oriented person, and have been most of my life. I see that personality trait in the little man, although there aren't many goals to set for a 7 year old.
I am sure that this type A personality drives my husband crazy, and it has in the past. It is how I function and can multi-task as well as I do. In my job, I have background noise as a distraction, so I have to hyper focus. Then add in my phone and clients stopping by. Plus the variety of tasks that I need to perform each and every day. I have a basic framework of what I do-get in, check my email, check the obituaries, check the census, morning meeting, open & sort mail, data entry, file, correspondence, claims, etc. It is a very full 8 hours, and there are some days that are fuller than others.
I like when I know what I do and when to do it. My life rocks when its all the same.