As I posted yesterday, it has been a good month. I am all about analyzing what is not working when things aren’t, and yet I don’t feel like I ever spend much time analyzing what seems to be going on when things really do click.
So, here goes one attempt at teasing out the factors that seem to be working well right now, because I know there will come a time when I need to remember what they were.
1. I am starting most days (and nearly all workdays) with:
– meditation
– journaling/planning the day
– a workout. Either barre3 or a 4-5+ mi run (training for Miami half has begun!). Mondays = rest and take more time to plan out the week (grocery list, meals, weekly to-do items, etc)
In order for this to be feasible, I get up early (yes, 4:45a most mornings) and Josh has been ‘in charge’ between the hours of 5:30a – 6:30a most weekday mornings. Sometimes this involves no childcare at all (because they are asleep!); other times it is more involved. Most of the time, I’ve been doing evening/kid bedtime routine solo, so I feel like this is a reasonable trade.
2. I am being proactive about childcare. This means at least a few hours of me-time on weekends when Josh is on call. Next year, we’re going to be taking call together (I think this shift will be fantastic!) so this won’t be needed nearly as often. I am also booking the occasional evening during the week when needed (though I decided that the Thursday night idea wasn’t really working out, because what I really want to do every weeknight is to go home and STAY THERE.)
3. I am really working at unplugging. I feel like in our society, if you go on autopilot, it would be easy to be a) obese and b) staring continually at a device ALL day long. I am actively choosing to skip out on both of these (see #4 re: health/weight) and thus I am being really conscious about my phone and computer usage. This is still a work in progress, but I notice that the more I force myself to detach from the screen, the better life is (and the more I am actually aware of it happening!)
4. I am taking care of myself. Including: a generally healthy diet, enough sleep, balanced approach to exercise, etc. I feel so much better when I treat myself well in these ways and I just don’t want to waste days/weeks/months not feeling good.
5. I am feeling very aware of the transient nature of life and how short it really is. I printed out the life in weeks graphic and hung it on my office at work. Many people have commented on how shocking it is. And just keeping this in my mind feels like a dose of much-needed perspective about what really matters (and what doesn’t).
So . . . is everything just perfect? Of course not. And — as I posted yesterday — I still have goals and more projects and ideas of other things I’d like to do/change/achieve. But I feel like I have a framework of positive energy that I am working from. And that is a great feeling.
ASSORTED UPDATES:
(also in list form):
1. I finished my first book club book! And then I missed the book club. HA! (It was rescheduled, I was supposed to go with my SIL, and there was a lot of confusion). Since I didn’t get to share my views on this tome at the meeting, I’ll share them here:
MEH. I liked the historical context, but felt the book itself was just too repetitive and one-dimensional. I’d give it a B-minus. But it was still sort of thrilling to have an assignment to read. The next pick is Troubling Love but Elena Ferrante. Will report back . . .
2. Trunk Club update! In the end, I decided to keep 4 items: the AG black jeans, one pair of black work pants (NYDJ, petite), and two tops — the green Trouve top and the black one from Topshop. I hemmed and hawed over the Madewell top but ultimately decided it was too voluminous, and same with the green sweater. If anyone decides to try it, let me know! If you’d like to use my referral code, it’s here (if not, that’s totally okay too!).
3. No TV for Annabel in the evening update: this has gone shockingly well. I honestly did not think it would make a difference (we were having a terrible time with A’s bedtime routine) — but it did. And it’s not even the amount of TV — so it’s a decently controlled experiment (well, n =1, but still). She has been much MUCH better at bedtime for the past week. Hallelujah! Now to just get past this time change . . . .
1 Comment
It’s amazing how much electronics affects kids. We have done similar experiments on and off with our kids, and the behavior always improves with less screen time. They just become more present, more involved with the family in the morning and evening. iPads and iPhones are particularly bad, I don’t know if it’s the screen or the fact that it’s the touch screen interface — for instance, 20 min on my laptop vs 20 min on an iPad make a major difference. Also, watching TV on an actual TV or a laptop are much less engrossing for the kids than on an iPhone/iPad. We have started hiding the tablets altogether. It makes wonders for the sleep quality and behavior of our middle kid.