I am a bit of a control freak, mainly for myself and the house. I like schedule and order.

However, I am not the Extreme Type A personality. I believe this is because my oldest sister is one, and it drives everyone around her nutso. She NEEDS to control everything and will tell you right out what you are doing wrong and how to change it. She's getting older and is easing a bit, but sometimes it's just exhausting to be with her.

I am a planner. In the tub I have a pen and paper in hand writing out my schedule for the next day in detail, of course this includes my 2 little ones as well. But, I have found that before I did this. I was frustrated, the kids were in time outs more cause they were bored and frustrated. Now that we are organized and the day is predictable with a good balance. All is well.....house is clean, kids are played with, and everything is fit in gracefully.
Now I have started in on my dh's schedule, only cause it effects me . If I don't plan our weekend then we spend the majority of it asking each other what do you want to do? By the time we decide it's a nap time and the kids are grumpy, or half the day is gone. I can say this, even if it is planned I am flexible enough that we can change our minds if the mood changes.

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

LOL! No you weren't my inspiration! I have a friend here who is ALWAYS wanting to make plans with us (our kids are the same age) and so when she calls, she wants to know PRECISELY when we can meet up, what we will be doing and she will also give an end time to the scheduled play date. A typical conversation with her is like this:

"So we can meet at two at the park, have the kids play, go for a walk, maybe play soccer a bit, chit chat amongst ourselves than at 1/4 to four go home, make dinner and call it a night!"
While we're at the park, she is super paranoid her kids will wonder off (it's a small park you can see your child at every angle) and she is constantly redirecting them to do something closer to her...and even tells them what they SHOULD be doing (swinging versus teeter totters). I sometimes wish she could just let them BE...you know what I mean?

I am only a control freak when it comes to organization of my home. Since I run the household, I have set ways to keep it neat, clean and functioning well. When the rest of the family leaves reminants of their life in every nook and cranny of the house it drives me crazy; especially since it's left for me to straighten up or clean. Now I have an "8:30 rule" which means, every night at 8:30 they had better walk through the house and tidy their own belongings and put them away or else.

As far as plans for my life and every day living, I can go with the flow. If plans change or spur of the moment happens, I deal very well.

PHEW! Okay I am not quite in that catagory...I'd never plan when to leave somewhere (unless it is somewehre I really don't want to be in the 1st place), and I let my kids BE kids.

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"When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I'm already better than them."~ Marilyn Monroe

i use to kid-sit for a lady who was control freak....the poor kid had to have all the time managed( she even told me when she was to eat and when she was to play and when and what she had to watch on tv)..poor little thing...she went on matrenity leave for her second kid and i did not have to watch the girl anymore...but she was like that even more when the second child was born.

Oye! I can't imagine the life those kids will live....so sad.