May 17, 2017

10 Lists I Love (None of Which Has Anything to Do With Groceries or Buckets)


If this isn't your first time stopping by Guilty Chocoholic Mama, you've probably figured out that I'm a big fan of list and that most of my posts are lists. (Also: thank you so much for coming back!) 

In fact, if I had to rename this blog, I'd probably call it "I've Got to Make a List."

In the interest of reusing, re-purposing, and recycling, I've put together this list of lists. Okay, fine: this is actually total self-indulgence. Up to this point, these are some of my favorite posts in full-on list form. But it's also time management: I've got a high school graduation party to throw, and that list is titled "101 Things You Absolutely Must Do Before June 23rd and Honey, There is No Way You're Going to Get to All of These." 

Self-indulgence aside, I'd love it if something here somehow made your day a little bit better--if only by giving you a "me, too/I'm not the only one" moment. Which, when it comes down to it, is really item #1 on a theoretical list of why I have a blog in the first place.


1. 20 Classes Moms Would Take If Motherhood Was a PhD Program. Stain identification and removal, maybe? Or how about math for moms?

2. 10 Things I Don't Wish I'd Done Differently as a Mom, Parts 1 & 2. Oh, mama, believe me: I've got plenty of things I DO wish I'd done differently. (Two words: potty training.) But here are a few things I'm grateful to say I wouldn't change, even if God did offer me a maternal do-over.

3. You Might Be the Mom of a Tween Girl If.... "You have accepted that life runs more smoothly if 'it' is clean. Whatever 'it' is." For example.

4. 5 Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith (Without Preaching at Them). My husband and I are far from being the wisest parents ever to be sent home from the hospital with a baby, a bill, a birth certificate, and best wishes for our utterly changed lives. But we've tried to feed our girls' faith, and so we've learned a few things about what's worked for us...and what might work for you, too, while you lead your children along the way home.

5. Dear Children: 25 Things I Think You Need to Know. Some practical (hand sanitizer will get ink and Christmas tree sap off your hands), some preachable (as often as possible, try to "disrupt the world with grace"). 

6. 7 Reasons I Love Being the Mom of a Teenager. Among other things no one ever tells you, having a responsible teen driver on hand is the best thing ever. 


7. Four Kitchen Tool Must-Haves, Plus One I Just Really Like. Don't even talk to me about life without my batter bowl. 

8. These Are a Few of My New Favorite Things. With bonus "how I met Julie Andrews (yes, that Julie Andrews)" story!

9. Chocolate-Covered Popcorn...and 5 Other Habits of a (Mostly) Happy Family. One day, I asked my children a Very Important Question: "do you think we have a happy family?" Here's what they said and why I think they said it.

10. My Top 5 Mom Lessons (So Far). I've been a mom for more than 18 years now, and I'm not sure I could have learned these life lessons any other way.


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Bonus round...or, rather, a roundup of lists from some of my favorite bloggers. These ladies are hilarious and encouraging and you need them--and these practical, purposeful lists--in your life.




Thank you so much for stopping by. 
You're on my list of "people I may not have met but am really, really grateful for."

**This post may have been shared at some of these blog parties.**

35 comments:

  1. What a great roundup, Elizabeth!! I'm looking forward to re-visiting some of your lists, as well as checking out some of the others you linked up at the end. (And I so appreciate your including my list...blush, blush ;)

    I hope you have success getting at least 100 of those 101 things done before June 23rd!! Can't even imagine what May is looking like for you! :) Blessings on you as you prepare to send your sweet daughter into the next phase of life!

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    1. Thank you so much, Tracey. Apropos to your post, I am spending May doing even more praying than usual. ;) Mostly, I am asking God to help me keep my focus on what really matters: my graduate. As long as she feels cherished and loved, the party will be all the success I can possibly hope for. Thank you again for all your support and encouragement! You are a blessing to me!

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  2. If there's anything I love more than a list, it might just be this blog!! I sat down for a brief minute and wanted/needed a good smile so I hopped over to your blog. It never disappoints! Thanks so much for including my post in your round up. Wishing you the best of luck as you work through your list of 101 things!

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    1. Aw, Jennifer, you are the sweetest! I still thank God for the day I "met" you...through a blog party, I think? Thank you for all your support and encouragement...and for your wonderful post. As soon as I get cupcakes for 300 out of my freezer, I do believe I will fill it again with the meals you suggested. ;) Blessings to you, lovely lady!

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  3. I love this, of course, and not just because you so sweetly included little ol' me in it! I'm pretty sure I've read all these lists already, but I still can't wait to grab a minute and go back through and read them all again soon! Shared the heck out of this post, too!

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    1. Thank you so much, my dearest Lisa. You are absolutely, positively in the highest tier of "people I am thankful for and hope to meet in person someday." This post could not possibly have been complete without something from my favorite Syncopated Mama. xoxo

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  4. What a wonderful idea for a list! And a fun ready. Stopping by from the link up :)

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    1. Thank you, Becky...it was fun to put together! I'm so glad you popped over from #FridayFrivolity! :)

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  5. I remember quite a few of these posts, especially the first one (I really need a class on cooking for picky eaters).

    Thanks for sharing on #FridayFrivolity.

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    1. Audrey, what a lovely compliment you've paid me here! Thank you so much! And I surely do feel you on the picky eaters. Sigh. My youngest (her Royal Miss Fussiness) went with my parents to see my sister and her family last Thanksgiving and came back loving scrambled eggs and I've never been so happy about a "souvenir" in my life! Because they are PROTEIN, for the love of health and well-being and mental acuity in the morning. Thank you as always for hosting #FridayFrivolity!

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  6. Goodness, this was a lot of work for you! THanks for the effort and the info!

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    1. Hahaha, Michele...it's funny: I thought this would be an easy post to "throw together" to give my greatly cherished readers plenty of material while I'm on a little graduation-mom blog break. Then I got into it and realized I wasn't going to just be able to phone it in! But I do love these lists and all the guest lists and am happy I got this put together. Now, I bake cupcakes. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  7. Oh man. I love a good list!
    #alittlebutofeverything

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  8. Visiting from Coffee and Conversation. Lists are so fun. This is a great roundup. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kristina! It was fun to look back--and I was greatly relieved to see that I still stand by all these "old" lists! ;) So glad you dropped in from #Coffee&Conversation! Pat knows how to write a great list herself. :)

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  9. My goodness - I could spend all day reading your lists! I know I've visited a few of them on your blog before (I love the Tween girls one!) and this collection is awesome.
    ~Jess
    #ALittleBitOfEverything

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    1. Aw, Jess, that's so sweet of you! You have made my day! Thank you so much for popping over from #alittlebitofeverything!

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  10. Fantastic roundup!! So lovely to pop on your wall today! Blessings!

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    1. Thank you so much, Bonnie! And it's always lovely to see you name pop up anywhere in my day! :)

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  11. These were some fun and interesting list you came up with.

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    1. Thank you! Clearly, I have a little list obsession going on, but it's working for me! ;) Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. I just cannot see a post of yours in a link-up and not come visit. It's like getting a bonus hug!

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    1. AWWWW! You are one giant (and by that I mean symbolically, of course) hug yourself, my lovely. I just rediscovered Bloggers Pit Stop and thought I'd throw this all-in-one post into the party. Bonus: it has one of YOUR fabulous lists! Thanks for the sweet start to my day. Now I'm headed to #FridayFrivolity! :) xoxo

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  13. Love the "mom of a tween girl" list! I've been there with my own and I also teach at a school with 10-12 year olds! Thanks for sharing at The Blogger's Pit Stop! Roseann from www.thisautoimmunelife.com

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    1. Heehee, Roseann...I'm SO glad that list resonated with an expert. WHICH you clearly are. ;) Thank you so much for hosting The Blogger's Pit Stop...I'm very happy to have discovered it!

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  14. I love this roundup Elizabeth. It should keep me busy checking out the various lists. I found you through The Bloggers Pit Stop. Have a lovely Sunday!

    ~Christie

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    1. Aw, thank you, Christie! I have to say I had fun putting this together since I do speak rather fluent list. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by from The Blogger's Pit Stop...it's my new favorite party!

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  15. Great roundup of lists. I enjoyed reading your top 5 life lessons learned from motherhood.

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    1. Ah, Carrie, you've hit on one of my favorites, too. Of course, it's sort of like picking a favorite child, but that "life lessons" list summarizes so much of the rest of motherhood for me that it's definitely one of my favorite favorites! :) Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  16. What an amazing list of lists. We will give it some more oxygen and FEATURE it on the Blogger's Pit Stop. Congratulations on a quality post.
    Kathleen
    Blogger's Pit Stop

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    1. Oh my goodness...thank you SO much, Kathleen! That's the most exciting news I've had in a long time. :) I look forward to this week's party and to this amazing honor! Thank you for letting me know!

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  17. I adore the name of this post. IT is absolutely hilarious. Plus I adore lists. They help me so much.

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    1. Heehee...thank you for that lovely compliment! I'm rather fond of this title myself. And of lists. (Clearly.) Thanks so much for taking time to stop by! :)

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!