So, I debated long and hard about this. I’m swamped every stinkin’ day of my life. I don’t get enough sleep as it is and my to-do list never seems like it’s finished. But I have to do it. Not just for me, for my kids. For their memories. For my memories. And so I venture to say, that this is going to be a hard commitment, especially for those days that there is no end in sight and I just can’t muster the energy to get my camera out, but I’m going to do it.

What is it? It’s the Project 365 – take one picture a day to document your life. It can be of anything. It doesn’t require a pro-level camera. Heck, you can even use your camera phone. Just document your life, something that happened that day. Special or just ordinary. Perfect exposure or blurry/out-of-focus/wonky white balance. It doesn’t matter. Just do it.

My project 365 is going to be titled, “No Ordinary Life.” As a mother of 4 kids, life can get pretty crazy, some days our lives are in order and some days, well, let’s just say I could use a secretary/nanny/cook/cleaner/homework-do-er/chauffeur/dietician/massage therapist/butt wiper. Life is wild, joyous, unpredictable, hard, lazy, funny, disciplined, hungry/thirsty/tempermental(nevermind, that’s my kids), but it is never, ever ordinary.

For me, this is more of a personal project and I’ve seen it done before, but never thought I’d want to. Well, I have wanted to, I just didn’t think I could commit to it. But I’m gonna darn sure try.

Today’s post came from one of my major personal goals for 2011: Organize like a mutha.

I have stuff, not hoarding, but things that the kids bring home, business stuff, work stuff, toys, too many clothes, you name it. It’s everywhere. The closets are jam-packed and I find enough broken/torn/forgotten toy pieces to build a small toy factory. So, a week ago, I started clearing my son’s room of outgrown toys, clothes(to store for little man), and trashed toys. Then, a couple of nights later, I cleared storage bins under my bed and my closet of pre-baby clothes that have been neglected like my eyebrows of late. (Even if I get to a size 6-8 again, I’m gonna be so friggin’ happy that I won’t want those old clothes – I’ll be going on a shopping spree! But until then…)

I’ve come out with 4 large yard bags of stuff so far. Not bad, Momma, not bad. But it is goal to have things cleared and/or organized by the end of 2011, hopefully sooner.

In the midst of my clean-up, I decided to let go of one very personal, very touching piece: the infant car seat. It has carried each of my babies during infancy and I’ve cherished it every time I pulled it out for the next baby. I remember when my husband and I bought it, along with the matching stroller. I was so excited to have my baby in it. It’s been sitting in my garage, as we no longer need it, and I had been planning on donating it. I grabbed my camera and took it to the yard to grab some final images of it. And oddly enough, I got a little emotional about it, just thinking of carrying, lugging, those big babies of mine to and from places, making sure it locked into the shopping cart at Wal-Mart, the pain I’d get in the crook of my arm when carrying it like a handbag.

And to think, I never thought I’d have kids.

Goodbye, ol’ infant car seat. You’ve been a great protector.