Check

From a very young age, I have loved to be able to see progress.  I think one of the reasons I love to clean so much, is because it is an instant gratification thing: It's dirty, I clean it, I look at the fresh space, I'm gratified and happy.  Check.

In addition, cleaning also allows me use of one of my favorite things in the whole wide world: Checklists.  You better believe that when I make up a checklist, I add every.single.thing to be done, so that when I look back on that checklist when completed, I see a massive row of perfect little check marks.  It is not just a 'wipe down countertops,' it is 'wipe down countertops __ __ __,' because there are three countertops in my kitchen, naturally.  I give myself a check for each task, sure, but if I can get away with giving myself more checks, you better believe I'm gonna find a way.  It's a quirk, something that makes me me, and I love it.  I'm such a dork... please be my friend.

I'm getting to the point in my packing that I can't do much else.  Since we still have a week (maybe even less, fingers crossed!) I am not going to really start taking down my kitchen yet.  Plus, since I've already taken the time to visualize and mentally organize/map out the new kitchen (Thank You, Julie Morgenstern, for your Organizing From the Inside Out book that has helped me with each and every one of our 9 moves since I got the book from my friend, Natalie Messick, in 2001!!) I may just move it over on the day we get the keys.  The new house is only 1.8 miles away, anyway.

In an effort to make sure that I have everything in order, I thought I'd sit down and put together the cleaning list that I'll use after everything is moved out, before our new friends move in.  Since I'm going to ask friends to help clean, if they can, I wanted to make sure that I knew exactly what we'd do in order to quickly doll out jobs that need to be done, but to also have the correct supplies saved back from the move for each job.  I feel that it would make everything run smoother and get everything done quicker if I wasn't trying to think under pressure on the day of.  So, I sat down last night to make my Master list.  And let me just say: because it is ingrained in me so deep to make a place for every single check I can come up with, it was almost like pulling teeth making just one word tasks.  Microwave, Fridge, Oven, etc.  I mean, come on, the fridge alone has at least 4 checks for the front alone-- two doors and two handles!  In the end, I have 16 Task lines to clean the entire house, top to bottom.  In fact, I blazed through it as quick as possible, and then printed it quick, before I could add more check mark lines.  Hives, I tell you, it felt like I had hives, I was itching to add more lines!!!  Again, I'm a dork.  Please be my friend.

Things are coming along nicely.  It is nice to have a distraction.  It has helped, but not made me forget all-together.  When the kids came in for family prayer this morning, Caden excitedly said, "One week till the move," where my first thought when waking was, "Two weeks till the scan."  I hope I can fill my life with enough check marks to help pass this time. 

Journal/Blog: Check!