To-Do Lists?

My style always has been a neat, frequently-checked, carefully-maintained to-do list on a notepad sitting alone on a relatively tidy desk.

And then I had kids.

Now that same notepad seems to scream to 3 year old Bella “take out that glittery colored pen from the desk drawer and graffiti me beyond recognition” and to 18 month old Bean “rip me into bite-sized pieces and consume me.”

So, while we’re on the topic of home organization, how in the world do you keep your to-do lists safe from artsy and/or hungry toddlers? Have you scrapped to-do lists altogether and come up with a better and less vulnerable system for managing your day-to-day checklists?

I’ve considered a dry-erase board mounted on the wall above my desk, but I’m afraid that will only encourage the kids to make their own “to-do lists” on other parts of the wall that will be none too easy to erase.

Help?