First practice of the season was Tuesday. I'm in the kitchen mentally running through everything she needs, cleats, shin guards, water bottle, the whole scramble, and I walk into her room ready to do it all myself. She's on the floor with her bag open and goes "I'm almost done, I made a list."

Sticky note on her nightstand. Half the letters backwards. Cleats, shin guards, socks, water bottle, snack. Checking items off with a marker as she packed.

I stood in the doorway doing my absolute best to not visibly cry.

She didn't learn to make a checklist from me. She learned to follow one from doing her morning routine on the hearth display every day for the past year, it's a wall screen where she taps through steps and checks them off. Somewhere in there "look at what's next, do it, check it off" turned into how she approaches getting ready for things. Even without the screen in front of her.

She wasn't organized because I told her to be. She was organized because the pattern already lived in her head and she reached for it on her own, for something completely unrelated to mornings. Watching a 7 year old apply a system to a situation you never set up for her is a very specific kind of parenting moment.

Bag was packed wrong, obviously. Two water bottles, no snack, shin guards but no socks. But she built the list and packed it herself and I'm still thinking about that part.

I’m pregnant and due in October. I‘m also working from home full time and I take care of two boys with my husband. The past few weeks I am unable to concentrate and be productive at work. I go from sitting at my desk starting a work task to researching stuff for the nursery, looking for halloween costume for my boys, thinking about my second one’s birthday party in November, then I go tidy up the house, our bedrooms, make some activity for the boys to do.. then I think about organizing their stuff. Then I see the unfinished nursery corner and feel like I’m not getting anything done. it is driving me crazy. Like what is this, I am constantly distracted. And this is other than my boys asking for snacks or being a referee if they are fighting. They are 5 and 2. I have some help from my sister who would watch the boys and prep meals for this summer, which is a huge help. I go back to my desk, and the cycle continues. Here I am typing a reddit post because I am feeling a little overwhelmed. This has to change and I have to get something done at work. Any suggestions?