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Birthday party T minus 38 hours and counting...

I have done a ton to prepare.

Food. Check. Decorations. Check. Clean out back porch, front porch and breezeway. Check. Cut grass. Check.

But suddenly I am at a stalemate. I'm stuck. Still a lot to do and I am staring at it thinking where do I start? How am I going to get this done?

Simple stuff like vacuum, do the dishes, mop the floors...

I am a list maker. Right down to listing:

- make a list

- check something off the list

Just to feel like I have actually accomplished something...

I have my list. I have completed a lot off my list but there's still things On. The. List...

I hate this list! It's like my mother standing there nagging me to clean my room or my father saying "you really need to do this and this and this"...

Why do I do this to myself?????

Of course of I don't make a list I am sure to forget...

Go to the grocery store for A, B, &C with no list, come back with A, D, E, and H...

Is anyone else an obsessive list maker who is also stressed out by their lists???

Me!

Always have!

It's necessary!

Me!

I actually have an excel spreadsheet that I use for my lists (so I don't have to reinvent them, just UPDATE them).

Yeah...I know.

Oh good. Glad to know I'm not the only list maker lol

But do you feel anxiety if there's still things incomplete on your list at the end of the day?

I also have the problem that my list will contain A, B, & C but starting A leads me to D, E and F... So I end up doing those things and forget or don't get a chance to do B & C...

OMG! Me too!!

To Do list, grocery list, packing list, etc. And I've been know to make lists that have things listed hour by hour or aisle by aisle at the store.

I think my list making drives my mother crazy. When I go grocery shopping for her, if it's not on the list, I don't buy it. She, on the other hand, will go to the grocery store with a list of 10 things and come home 3 hours later with the back of her SUV filled with bags. Of course, she decided to go to 3 different stores and thought "it" looked good.

OMG yes!!

I have list after list after list. Then I sort he list and divide the list 10 different ways. And then of course there are things on the list that you cannot do until the day before and I obsess about those items for weeks!! And then I obsesses about what if I forgot to put something on the damn list??!!!

Dragn, just breathe. You will be fine. Your DD will love her party even if your forget something on the list or forget to put something on the list. And then afterwards you can make a list of the stuff you forgot

(((hugs)))

Ahh yes. I have my Saturday and Sunday lists ready.

The last minute stuff is driving me mad!

I am sure the party will be ok. Just need to calm myself down.

But do you feel anxiety if there's still things incomplete on your list at the end of the day?

Generally, no. I'm the planner/organizer in our family and I tend to start WAY early because I want everything "just so".

I'm also very good at delegating so I don't get as bogged down.

I'm with Thriving. My lists are extremely detailed. And here's why.. I am pretty darn sure I have ADD and if I don't list things very precisely they literally swirl around in my brain like squirrels on drugs playing marbles.

If I have a big event coming up, let's say Christmas with all the people to buy for, the baking, the food to bring to this and that party, the stops at the post office, the decorating, the school concerts etc etc etc, I will be MISERABLE with everyone if I can't get that stuff out of my head. The only way to actually get it out of my head is to put it on paper and check things off one by one. It keeps me sane.

I actually have stickie notes on my computer. I have 5 open right now, and at least 4 longer word docs for bigger projects. I am very organized or my life would be utter chaos.

Now, one thing I can tell you with certainty is that when all is said and done after that party you will say to yourself "What was I so worried about? That was great!". Been there, done that!

[This message edited by SI Staff at 10:18 PM, July 26th (Friday)]

I too get the

squirrels on drugs playing marbles.

if I don't write things down. I'll

I just find that when I make a list it becomes so overwhelming.

Ugh! There's things to do that I had hoped wh would do...but nope! Owell looks like I'm adding a few things to my list

One of the things that has been plaguing my list is what to do with our African Grey. His very large cage is in the living room because that's the only place it would fit. My kids know not to touch his cage but I worry about the other kids. He can also be a brat and screech when the attention is not on him or curse...(still working on behaviour management of those things)

We have a few options...

- We could try to move the cage into the hall to the upstairs. There's a door between that hall and the living room.

- Take him out of the large cage and put him in a smaller cage upstairs for the duration of the party.

Or

- simply cover his cage.

I now also have to borrow my mothers vacuum since mine broke yesterday. Ugh!

I may or may not have written things on my list AFTER they were done, just so I could cross them off.