mommy guilt. Always the mommy guilt. I should do more, I should have the immaculate house and scrubbed, happy child. I should have freshly baked cookies on a plate with a doily every afternoon. I should have my hair perfectly coifed... What a load of baloney.

Am I being brainwashed by the image of a perfect world or what? I focus on the short list every day; the stuff that must get done. When I sit down in the morning to make the list, I put the top priorities, the nice things, the chores that I've got to work into the day. This way I stand a chance of getting my butt off the couch and getting something accomplished. This is a good thing. This keeps me from blog-whining about how my house is a mess, my life is a bigger mess, wah wah me.

In the spirit of sharing EVERYTHING I'll share today's list. Fold laundry. Put away clean dishes. Vacuum. Alterations as needed to Toddler's Clothing. Clean off the table. Pick up floors in bedrooms, dust. Shower. Wash hair.

Seems simple enough, right? It is. Up until the Toddler decides she needs to be in the middle of the whole thing. That's generally when I fall apart on things. Fortunately for me she's decided to play in her room today.

Tonight's menu: brats with potatoes. I've got most of it already made, but last night we were heavy on the brats. Today I'll fry up a few more potatoes to put in it, and it'll come out just fine. Lunch is fruit and tuna salad. And somebody... meaning the Toddler... is going to be unpleasantly surprised by a nap real soon now.