Getting Things Done

December is a month of lists: gifts to buy, decorations to hang, writing deadlines, end of the semester wrap-up, books to read, resolutions, who to send Christmas cards. Add to that all the things I hope to do while I'm between semesters and have extra time on my hands, and it can be overwhelming. I'd like to be writing. I'd like to be making. I'd like to be taking photographs. And, to be honest, I'd like to do them when I want, not whenever my toddler will let me. I guess I don't really have that selfless thing quite down yet.

After picking up some new fabric, I returned home with plans to make a garland for our almost-bare Christmas tree. I set out to work on it while Lily napped, but nap time was shorter than I expected. Silly me to think I could keep working after giving Lily a snack and laying out all of her favorite toys. Instead of playing with them, which I told her to do at least three thousand times, she stood underfoot whining and eventually settling into a full-blown tantrum.

Having considered having a tantrum of my own, I decided instead to get out the crayons and stickers and paper, and sat Lily down at the table. She still doesn't get the whole coloring thing, but she quietly busied herself so I could keep working on my project. Why I didn't start her off coloring, I'm not sure. The day before we had gone through a similar ordeal while I was working on an essay. Lesson learned, I'd say.