The Trap of Mother's Day Out

Miles attends a Mother's Day Out program two days a week.  In theory, this gives me time to do all of the things that are difficult to do with a rowdy toddler in tow.  Usually, my to-do list looks something like this:

• Pick up a couple of items from the store
• Stop at the post office
• Make sweet tea, lemonade, etc for the week
• Bake cookies or other yummies
• Finish a dozen or so craft projects
• Clean the kitchen
• Vacuum the whole house
• Clean out Miles' room, and thin out his toy hoard
• Clean out the garage/basement
• Drop off items to be donated at Goodwill
• Do all of the laundry in the whole house
• Write blog posts
• Shower in peace
• Brush the cat
• Do some gardening
• Take a nice, long nap

Etc, etc, etc.  Often, my list goes on for pages beyond anything I could conceivably accomplish in a mere five hours.  And, in looking at the daunting to-dos, I get overwhelmed and my brain fries, and I lose all sense of what to do first.  So, instead, my 'Things Accomplished' list looks more like this:

• Go to store, pick up a dozen things we don't need and forget the one thing we do
• Drive past the post office with the intention to stop in later
• Make myself a quick lunch
• Sit in front of the television while I eat, and then get stuck there for the rest of the day.
• Try to do a load of laundry, a load of dishes, and vacuum the living room in the last half hour before I have to pick up Miles.

Sigh.  Apparently, I cannot be trusted to accomplish anything when left to my own devices. . .