{rockstar mom} The Listmaker's Guide to List Making // Kelly Gilreath Part Two

My super organized, detail oriented, crafty, designer friend Kelly Gilreath was Rockstar Mom of the month.  Check out her great tips for creating useful lists and get things done!

To me, nothing compares to a handwritten list.  It's easy to toss in your pocket, throw it in your purse, stash it in a bag, or stuff it in your nightstand.  You can add and cross things off easily.  For some reason having a list on my phone or ipad just isn't quite the same. 

Use a great pen or sharpie!  A fabulously cute notebook doesn't hurt either.  Invest in something you actually will use and enjoy using at the same time.

Keep small notebooks around to jot down things you want to remember as soon as you think of them; in the kitchen, on your desk, in your purse, even in the car!  If you're like me and have a thousand things to keep track of, sometimes just writing them down makes me feel like I have less that I HAVE to remember.

 

I like to start my Monday off by creating a list of the tasks I need to accomplish during the week.  And on Fridays I make my "to do" list for the weekend.

 



I have a separate list for things that need to be done, but items that aren't immediate.  For example, things that I'd like to to eventually get to doing or designing around my house once I get extra time or money!

 



Before we go on a trip, no matter how long or short, I always put together a packing list.  That way nothing gets forgotten.  This was especially helpful when my kids were babies and we had to tote around so much stuff!

  



I keep a running list of things my husband, kids, and family ask for or want throughout the year.  That way when their birthday or Christmas rolls around I don't have to scramble to come up with something I know they really would like.  I've already figured out several options. 

 



Sometimes creating a "fresh list" makes it feel like you've gotten a lot accomplished.  Even if all you're doing is re-writing a list to look clean; without all the other items scratched out/crossed out from the previous page.

 



Just the other day I started a list of things around the house I want to try and sell on Craigslist or in a garage sale to make some extra cash.

  



A "honey-do" list is always a winner too in my house....well, at least for me.  Even though my husband says he hates it, he'll actually do some of the things if I leave that list out for him.  :)

*Bonus Tip:  Don't let list making get overwhelming or feel like another task to do.  It just helps balance out my chaos.  But if it doesn't work for you.....don't do it!

{mommy mondays} Rockstar Mom // Kelly Gilreath Part One

Pleased to introduce you to my friend Kelly!  I do believe Kelly rocks the award for friend with most distance from me (can you get any farther than North Carolina and Alberta?)  Kelly and I met working together at my first design job right out of college.  Her creative and organized heart is something to envy.  She has true talent and an eye for detail.  Kelly was awesome enough to share her tips on being so organized.  Check out tomorrow's post for her "Listmakers Guide to Listmaking".
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 I am honored that Lauren wanted to feature me in her Rockstar Mom section for sure!  I’ve had this task on my “to do” list…..ahhhh, the never-ending “to do” list; a constant staple in my life.  How will I manage to find time to write something when I have a gazillion other things going on?  Well, nothing feels better than crossing items off my “to do” lists….so here it goes…..

I’ve been racking my head about what I might possibly write about myself that would be interesting and that people would find interesting to read.   

I’m certainly no expert on life.  

I don’t have any clever taglines.

No top ten rules to live by.

Nothing of the sorts.

But as I was taking my shower this morning and looked up at the little sign that I have decorating my bathroom window sill, it came to me.

Why not write about how my life is good… at the beach!  

Well, let me backtrack a little bit and introduce myself.  My name is Kelly.  I’m a full-time working interior designer, wife, and mother of two kids.  Drue, my daughter, is 6 and Gavin, my son, is 3.  My husband, Andrew, is a sergeant for Folly Beach Public Safety Department.  
 I’m a true creative at heart. 
I love organizing (weird, I know).   
I love Pinterest.  
I love party planning.   
I love making invitations.   
I love making hair clips for my daughter and her friends.   
I love anything crafty.  

Life wasn’t the easiest a year ago.  My life was in total transition.  My kids and I were still living in Indianapolis, IN and my husband had taken on a new job here in Charleston.  Nothing is easy about living apart; especially when you have kids and ESPECIALLY when it’s for six months.  We were in the process of trying to sell our house, which took much longer than we could have expected.  Everything was on me…getting my daughter ready for preschool in the morning, taking my son over to my sister’s house so she could watch him, making sure the house was immaculate in case we had any unexpected showings, working full time, giving baths, putting kids to bed, making meals.  I honestly don’t know how single mothers do it.  Then when we finally sold our house, it was up to me to do all the items above, coordinate the moving company, AND pack the house all by myself in the meantime.   Yuck, just thinking about all that stress right now makes me nauseous.  I’m so glad that time period is over.  I look back on this picture of our family with the ipad, and say, thank goodness for technology, because that’s really the only way our family held it together!!!

It was hard leaving my extended family to come take on this new adventure in Charleston, but sometimes you have to do things you never thought you would do, and that means going places you never knew you would go!  We took a leap of faith to move here, and with that came lots and lots of prayers.  But God has been with us along the way, making sure we are okay.  And now, it’s a year later and we are loving life!  

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay at home with my kids when we first moved.  I mean, how could I not take advantage of being able to walk out my front door, and head to the beach every day! It was hard going back to work after being off for 8 months or so, I’m not going to lie.  But it needed to happen; we needed the extra money.  I’ve been a designer for about ten years now, and like I mentioned, creativity is such a part of my life.  I’m not “me” without it.  Now my life is back in the state of transporting kids to school, their extracurricular activities, working full time, giving baths, putting kids to bed, and making meals; but at least this time I don’t have to do it all myself.  I realize that being all together as a family is truly SUCH a blessing.  It’s been hard, but it’s making my husband and I better, stronger people.  We have been having so much fun here exploring and taking on new life adventures…..together.    

As long as I’ve got my notebook and my lists, my life stays a little bit more put together.  Whether it’s a list of work tasks, a grocery list, a packing list, a list of things to do over the weekend, a list of things that need to be done around the house (who knows; sometimes it may even be a list of the lists I need to put together)…..if it’s in a list I can keep it together.  THAT and a bunch of prayers.  It’s not much, but in my life, things need to be that simple, otherwise it’s too complicated!  And so for now, my simply, complicated life is good…..at the beach!  


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If you are interested in custom barrettes, invitations, or party planning please email Kelly at kellygilreath@gmail.com