We were already running late and several of the kids were resisting hurrying, so I picked them up and carted them off to their car seats. One young person was missing shoes, but I knew the shoes would probably come off in the car anyway and I didn’t have time to put them on twice. I’d grab them and put them on when we reached our destination.
But when we arrived and I unbuckled the shoeless child, I realized I’d left the shoes at home.
There was nothing to do but to soldier on, carrying the shoeless child when necessary, apologizing profusely to all those whose rules we were breaking by being shoeless.
I swore it wouldn’t happen again – and when I got home, I made a checklist.
Every time we leave the house, I check the laminated list that lives on the console of my car.
Almost every week, we stop in the driveway to get that one last item, to complete that one last task.
We didn’t get medicine this morning before we left the house. I forgot the TULA at home. Our packed lunch is still in the fridge.
The list doesn’t keep me from forgetting things – but it helps me catch them before it’s too late.
And so far, we’ve not had any repeats of our shoeless errand day.
Oh, how I love a good list! This is a wonderful way to make sure you’re leaving the house with everything you need. Way to go, organized Mama. :)