I did not make New Year's Resolutions this year, per se. But since I am at a hugely transitional time in my life, it was only natural that some changes came about once the Holiday Bustle settled down. So, although this was never intended as resolutions, per se, it has become a wonderful new 2009 already. Here are some of the changes and plans and we are all feeling it and it is good:
Managing Time:
Use wind up clock and egg timer for some basic daily events. Lunch at 12. Nap at 1. Get up at 3. Clean the house (tidy for Daddy) at 4:30. Start cooking at 5. Casey to bed at 7. Mama go on a walk right afterwards (only twice so far it has been sheer ice and I am afraid to fall) Greta and Mickey hang out free time 8pm. Charlie to bed 8ish. Greta and Mickey to bed 9:30.
Certain Days for Certain Events:
Use charts (I hate that word but I made a poster for each day, careful not to overload it with minutae) as guides. Monday serious schoolwork, Boy Scouts.
Tuesday Girl Scouts, Greta and Mama go out for girl-date.
Wednesday pretty open so far but might become reading/library/homemade "book club" of sorts...laundry day.
Thursday field trip or visiting, Daddy works until 8pm so we have casual dinner ie grilled cheese on a blanket or something "fun".
Friday is our new Homeschool Co-Op at a church across town and the kids are enrolled in amazing classes all morning. (Tell you more when we start up, tomorrow!)
Saturday family fun, make menu
Sunday Daddy and Mickey go grocery shopping at 10 am, relaxation and housework, prep for the new week
Simple but very full. This is all we can muster for now and the kids will need some time to really trust me regarding this new rhythm but it REALLY feels right.
I am secretly and slowly cutting back on TV and Video Games but for now I am able to do so in a way that doesnt feel punitive. Do not get me wrong, I am not afraid to upset the little darlings, I just feel like the current amounts are ok. Someday I will lay out my personal opinions of tv and video games and how our family uses technology to work FOR us and not let it take us over! I am also very aware that there are seasons of my mothering and nursing/crawling baby in the dead of Michigan winter is a very distinct season indeed, one of long hours and no car most days.
We are also massivly downsizing--for a hopeful move to the beloved tiny house across from the scrumptious park--but even if we stay here. We are really enjoying being together, and living free uncluttered lives.
I am also cutting WAY back on meat. I was a vegetarian from Nove,ber 2000 until November 2007 but then went overboard in bacon cheeseburger land and now...its like 2 times a week chicken breast and the occasional smoky link at breakfast.
Making menus and only buying those items.
Recycling everything. No we did not and now yes we do. (Got cute little bins and everything.)
Ordering pizza Friday nights and that is the only thing we eat out, ever. Not one single Tim Hortons timbit in the car, nothing. Challenging ourselves to try all the little pizza places in hopes of discovering a special one, and using COUPONS!
Still growing the back of my hair as I keep cutting my bangs....not bleaching so it stays healthy enough to grow....not gonna give up on the dream of high (blue!) ponytail within a year or two!
Happily married to my little twin starbaby since August 23, 1996
About Me
- Housefairy
- I have been a young Mama and an older Mama. I have been a homebirthing Mama and a 3 time c-sectioned Mama. I am very cutting edge and very old fashioned. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have five children whom we homeschool with a very eclectic approach. I am a reformed closed-minded/ know-it-all AP/granola snoot who doesn't play those Mommy Wars anymore. I am first and foremost a feminist kindred spirit and friend to mothers, with a penchant for all things colorful and human and real. I am an interesting character and so are you. You will not like everything I have to say but I hope you visit often and can find something useful or good or true out of my writings.
3 comments:
Very cool, Joy.
We are in the process of making a big transition right now, and I'm hoping to overhaul a few things along the way (ie. chores, media time, helpfulness, less fighting, me being happy and cheerful). You lay out a good system. I like the idea of assigning a few basic tasks to each day. I've never done that - I tend to be more spontaneous - but really I think I need to. We need more structure. Honestly I think that's why Matt is liking school so much right now. Lots of structure.
I haven't sat down and formalized anything, but here are some things I am trying to do:
1) exercises for Mama. I am feeling like my insides are just going to fall out right now and like I have no strength in my core right now, and I suspect that I need to tone up my transverse abdominals. So I am trying to do pregnancy-specific strengthening exercises daily, cardio workouts 3x/week, and prenatal yoga DVD a few times a week.
2) keep house clean on a schedule. As much as we'd like to have an equal division of labor, the reality is that with Eric working a real job, I am home and he is gone 8 hours a day. So I'm just going to accept that I will do most of the housework. I made myself a Google calendar with what to clean on which days, and how often, and it sends me email reminders every morning.
3) Work on mental and emotional preparation for this new baby. I just got my Hypnobabies home study course in the mail today, and I look forward to the 30-45 minutes of deep relaxation that I'll get every day with the CDs.
Well I could list more but it's bedtime for Zari. Oh, I could tell you tons about couponing that I've learned from my SILs. Give me a call some day and I will tell you all I know. It's seriously amazing. They often MAKE money when they go shopping (usually RiteAid, CVS, or Walgreens) and often get 50-75% off their grocery bills.
And YES, again! And Rixa: I have always recommended the following - Walk ( daily, at least a mile or 30 minutes, whichever comes first ) Squat - for anything that requires getting close to the floor, even watching movie, or folding nappies/clothes and Kegel -elevator type, every bathroom visit and 3 other times during the day on your own timetable. It's very difficult to "tone" the abdominal muscles during pregnancy but very easy to prevent loss of tone by attending to posture, walking, squatting and toning the pelvic floor. Doing abdominal specific exercises during pregnancy actually contributes to diastesis recti or separated abdominal muscles postpartum but I do recommend immediate return to abdominal and core toning after baby is born, literally the first day! Good luck!
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