Erin Akin Carroll

1. I’ve finished Season 1 of Parenthood and I’m almost finished with Season 2. After so many of you suggested I add Lorelei Gilmore to my list of Best TV Moms, I’m starting Gilmore Girls. But I can only watch those on actual DVDs. Come on, Netflix Instant! It’s time to have everything available for us to watch. I’ve also added Brothers and Sisters to my Netflix Instant queue. Thanks for all of your suggestions a few weeks ago!

2. Crist and I had our first joint personal training session on Tuesday morning. It actually went well. But it didn’t start off on the right foot. Literally. It was 5:30 a.m. and we were running outside and doing lunges in the dark. All of a sudden Crist said, “Watch out for that hole.” And about two seconds later I was on the ground. I can’t believe I fell that hard and didn’t hurt my ankle. My palm was a tiny bit skinned up, but no big whoop. But I was laughing because I’m sure our sweet trainer was thinking how awful it was that she got stuck with the klutzy client! We survived the training session.

3.We had our second personal training session this morning at 5:30 and it was great. I don’t love it or anything, but I really like our trainer and I can absolutely feel that it’s working. I’m very sore, but it makes me feel better about bathing suit season approaching.

4. I’m going to be starting a new weekly thing on my blog where I do a review of the week and highlight a different blog I’m reading every week. I’m excited to share some of my favorite things and people with you on a regular basis!

5. Did y’all see the SMASH finale? Oh my goodness. How awesome is Katharine McPhee? #TeamKaren

6. Are y’all watching The Bachelorette with Emily Maynard. I just watched it last night on the DVR. I haven’t watched a season of the Bachelor/Bachelorette since Brad’s season with Emily. But I like Emily, so I think I’ll watch this time. Poor Todd has to put up with another season of this junk.

6. We had Hudson’s last day of school yesterday. I’m so thankful for everything that has happened this year as a result of him attending his preschool. Hudson made some wonderful friends and so did I. Here he is saying the blessing before their end of the year party. Sweet thing.

7. At Hudson’s school party yesterday, there were about 3 little siblings toddling around the room. Hayes spent most of his time sneaking bites off of the big kids’ plates with his buddy. I love all of these kids so much– and their mommies.

8. Yesterday in my post about letting go of the to-do list, I said that “quiet time is non-negotiable.” I think some people thought I meant having my own personal “nap time” or just hanging out on the couch. When I say “quiet time” I mean my devotional time. Sorry for that confusion.

9. I need a pedicure in the worst possible way. Except I don’t really love pedicures. I love that they polish and shape my toenails, but I’m so horribly ticklish, that I am just on edge through the entire pedicure waiting for the moment when she scrubs the bottom of my foot. I just don’t relax. But I do really need a pedicure and some pretty Cajun Shrimp on my toes.

10. I love this shirt. I just love solid navy right now. Maybe the Anthropologie fairy will deliver this shirt to my doorstep?

11. Today we’re just going to hang out, watch Peter Pan (I just ordered this one the other day since it was the last one we didn’t have, and I’m super excited to introduce Hudson to it. He is obsessed with every Disney movie), go run around the park, and go for a walk. I got up early so I could get “my stuff” done. Todd and I have a date night tonight–we’re going to see Grease! at the Town Theater, so when the boys nap this afternoon, I’ll be getting all spiffed up!

12. Also! I took this picture yesterday as a joke to send to my friend, Nina. I opened my package from Bridier Baubles and found this fun koozie. And that’s a a Diet Coke in there, not a Coor’s Light! Ha! (oh yeah, totally didn’t follow through with my New Year’s resolution to give up the Diet Coke.)

13. Today is the first day of summer for us! Exciting stuff!

*I linked up today with Hayley (The Tiny Twig) and Jessi (Naptime Diaries) for their weekly series called Giving Up On Good. This series asks us to share the good things that we can let go of with the intention of taking care of the things that really matter to us. If you blog, I encourage you to write and link up, too.

I am a task master. I love making to-do lists. I like to get things done and sometimes I add things to my list just so I can get more things accomplished.

Every day, my to-do list looks a little bit like this…

Get dressed.

Put on makeup.

Dress kids.

Take Hudson to school.

Exercise.

Shower? Maybe? Only if there’s extra time.

Play with kids.

Respond to emails.

Devotional and daily Bible reading assignment.

Read for fun. But read at least two chapters.

Do some laundry.

Do the dishes.

Prepare supper.

Make sure the dogs have been taken care of.

Feed kids.

Bathe kids.

Blog.

Sleep.

So some of these things are part of a mental to-do list. I don’t really have “sleep” on my list. I also don’t have anything about sitting and have good conversation with my kids and husband on my list. But those are important parts to my day.

I also really enjoy the unexpected phone call that lasts 45 minutes, but you don’t regret a single minute that you spent chatting with a great friend.

Some of the items on my list are non-negotiable. I wake up early to exercise. I take Hayes out on my runs every day when Hudson is at school. I blog either early in the morning or late at night.

My quiet time is non-negotiable. I really need to have dinner for my family every night, but leftovers are absolutely okay. Showers are great, but so what if I only get one every other day? Or every third day? (Promise you won’t stop reading my blog just because I said that?)

Sometimes I think the list keeps me on track. But other times I think the list weighs me down. The list reminds me what I haven’t done. The list reminds me that I’m not moving fast enough to keep up.

The list reminds me that there are only 10 minutes left in nap time and I’m not even close to getting it all done.

And this summer, when Hudson is out of school, I have an amazing opportunity. I get to have a “summer” with my kids. I’m not giving myself the summer “off.” But I am giving up on the to-do list.

I will make a point every single day to take some time to do something for myself. Maybe I’ll read during nap time. Maybe I’ll blog during nap time if I choose not to wake up early. But I refuse to run around all summer like a chicken with my head cut off trying to put a little check mark next to every item on my list. So I’m getting rid of the list.

Things will be forgotten. Balls will be dropped. I will most definitely be disappointed at times that I forgot something or that we ate sandwiches for supper because we stayed too late at the zoo and there wasn’t time to cook supper.

And I’m giving myself a pass to not have every single thing on my list done.

Here’s the deal with my lists. I put the responsibilities on the same list as the “want to” items. And then I get upset when I see that some of my fun items didn’t happen. But those are the things that keep me sane. But laundry also has to get done. Our house has to run and I need to set an example of responsibility for my kids.

But I also want them to remember that I wanted to have fun with them and play with them. I wanted to sit on the floor and play card games on rainy days and I wanted to run through sprinklers when we’re out with the stroller on a hot day.

So this summer I’m giving up on the to do list and focusing on the happy.

What are you giving up on? Are you a slave to the to do list?

Today I’m linking up with my friend Mandy from House of Rose for her weekly Stop and Smell the Roses vlog link up!

Visit her blog to see other videos from bloggers to see what fun things they have to share today.

For more info on the two product lines I mentioned, visit:

Bridier Baubles

Lil Light O’ Mine

What’s making you smile today?