One Little Word
A friend of mine recently participated in One Little Word, and it got me thinking. What would I choose for a word for 2012? I couldn't come up with one off the top of my head so I decided to process my thoughts here and hope that a word emerges naturally.
What would I like to get out of this year? Foremost on my mind is reclaiming my household. I love my Mom and tremendously appreciate her help, but I'd like to have a sustainable lifestyle that doesn't involve having her live with us, take care of my kid for half the day, and cook dinner most nights. Sounds like a perfect setup, I know, and in some ways it has been, but I feel like I'm not running my own house. My hope is to get Maya settled in full days at school, which is only 9am-3pm, and cut back my hours at work so that I can pick her up after school. I know from experience on weekends that if I can give her some undivided attention and play time, then I can manage to cook dinner as well. Getting home by 3:30 every day would give me enought time to do that.
Something else I want to do is make time for myself. The Sundays in December that I left Maya home with Ryan worked out really well, and I'm going to try hard to continue doing that this year. It's good for Ryan because he doesn't get much time with Maya during the week (and even if he is home, she's often cranky and wants only me or my Mom at night or early morning). It's been good for me because I get some much needed alone time, and it's even been good for Maya as she's a bit more independent on those Sunday evenings. She learns that Daddy knows how to take care of her needs so she's more likely to go to him when she's not at her best. I get to make up work time, or go shopping, or see a movie, or just have a long lunch with myself and a good book. All good things for my introverted soul.
Fitness or exercise is the third major item I need to work on. Between pregnancy and having a demanding baby and full time work, I have made zero time to exercise regularly. It's not possible to do so after Maya goes to sleep at night (9:30pm!!), and similarly, it doesn't work in the early morning because once I leave bed, Maya doesn't sleep for very long. So: midday. But how to reconcile that with needing to be home? My thinking is that my "alone Sundays" could include an hour at the gym. That's once a week which is, literally, infinitely better than zero. I'd love to do another two days during the work week, which I could justify as long as I make up the lost work time. That could happen if I pick one day a week to stay late at work (maybe even Fridays), and have my Mom or Dad do school pickup that day. I'm sure they'd love to have time with Maya on a regular basis like that.
Icing on the cake? Taking what I got out of NaNoWriMo and devoting a night a week to writing. Hosting more fun events with our kiddie friends. Getting outdoors and hiking. Potty training for Maya. Travel to Copenhagen (to see family) on the way to India (critical).
What does it all come down to? The theme seems to be one of bringing back pieces of my life that have slipped away due to having a baby, and to integrate those pieces in a way that fits with parenthood.
"to rescue from an undesirable state; to restore to a previous natural state"
Reclaim.
What would I like to get out of this year? Foremost on my mind is reclaiming my household. I love my Mom and tremendously appreciate her help, but I'd like to have a sustainable lifestyle that doesn't involve having her live with us, take care of my kid for half the day, and cook dinner most nights. Sounds like a perfect setup, I know, and in some ways it has been, but I feel like I'm not running my own house. My hope is to get Maya settled in full days at school, which is only 9am-3pm, and cut back my hours at work so that I can pick her up after school. I know from experience on weekends that if I can give her some undivided attention and play time, then I can manage to cook dinner as well. Getting home by 3:30 every day would give me enought time to do that.
Something else I want to do is make time for myself. The Sundays in December that I left Maya home with Ryan worked out really well, and I'm going to try hard to continue doing that this year. It's good for Ryan because he doesn't get much time with Maya during the week (and even if he is home, she's often cranky and wants only me or my Mom at night or early morning). It's been good for me because I get some much needed alone time, and it's even been good for Maya as she's a bit more independent on those Sunday evenings. She learns that Daddy knows how to take care of her needs so she's more likely to go to him when she's not at her best. I get to make up work time, or go shopping, or see a movie, or just have a long lunch with myself and a good book. All good things for my introverted soul.
Fitness or exercise is the third major item I need to work on. Between pregnancy and having a demanding baby and full time work, I have made zero time to exercise regularly. It's not possible to do so after Maya goes to sleep at night (9:30pm!!), and similarly, it doesn't work in the early morning because once I leave bed, Maya doesn't sleep for very long. So: midday. But how to reconcile that with needing to be home? My thinking is that my "alone Sundays" could include an hour at the gym. That's once a week which is, literally, infinitely better than zero. I'd love to do another two days during the work week, which I could justify as long as I make up the lost work time. That could happen if I pick one day a week to stay late at work (maybe even Fridays), and have my Mom or Dad do school pickup that day. I'm sure they'd love to have time with Maya on a regular basis like that.
Icing on the cake? Taking what I got out of NaNoWriMo and devoting a night a week to writing. Hosting more fun events with our kiddie friends. Getting outdoors and hiking. Potty training for Maya. Travel to Copenhagen (to see family) on the way to India (critical).
What does it all come down to? The theme seems to be one of bringing back pieces of my life that have slipped away due to having a baby, and to integrate those pieces in a way that fits with parenthood.
"to rescue from an undesirable state; to restore to a previous natural state"
Reclaim.