where do I begin again?

So, tonight we’ve been back from our long long delicious vacation for exactly a week and it already feels like years ago.  My re-entry hasn’t been too graceful.  It’s quite a shock going from my Bear Lake life back to my Malden life.  I’ve been trying to process it this week as it’s been hitting me in the face and the result hasn’t been too pretty. 

It’s difficult to go from glorious-guilt-free-bear lake-un-productive-mode to try-to-be-productive-but-fail-and-feel-guilty-about-it Malden mode.  Especially when your relaxed vacationed rejuvenated self made all kinds of resolutions to live life perfectly upon re-entry.  Everything seems easier from far away. 

It’s still summer and, just like at Bear Lake I have no schedules, no routines, no rhythm.

But, unlike Bear Lake, I have a monstrous list of to-dos.  Bigger than ever after being utterly neglected for a whole month.  And the lack of structure and routine just makes it harder to switch back into production mode.  So, the result?  A crabby mom who can’t seem to make a dent in her growing to do list.

So, where do I begin again?  How do I tackle this to do list?  How do I make it less paralyzing?   How do I enjoy the rest of routine free summer and still feel happy and productive?

I was talking to a friend today who said (in so many words) that one of her main priorities this summer is to have fun with her kids.  What?  That’s not on my to do list.  Maybe it should be the first thing, then I can check it off every day and feel like I accomplished something.  Maybe then my kids wouldn’t be in the way of what I’m doing, they’d be what I’m doing.  Just a thought.

But still, there’s the weeds to be pulled, the blogs to be written, the photos to be edited, the friends to be called and cared for, the home repairs to be managed, the shopping, the laundry, the cleaning….the darn cleaning….the bills and emails and phone calls and scheduling…..on and on and on.

So, anyone out there (if there is anyone after my long blog silence), any thoughts?  Any ideas on how to manage productivity? How to prioritize all the bazillion to dos that fly through your head each day?  How to be productive while still enjoying those things that matter most? 

Oh boy, what a pathetic great re-entry post. I didn’t mean for this to come out….I just started typing and out it came.  Hopefully something more uplifting and less venting will spill out next.