Well, here it is...the obligatory "One Little Word" post - aka: the post in which I talk about all the things I hope to accomplish this year..of which I will actually accomplish approximately 12.42%. If you've been a reader of my blog for awhile, you might already know that I am not really fan of the whole OLW phenomenon. I usually (rather sarcastically) choose a word, knowing that I'm doomed to fail miserably by about the 10th day of the new year. A couple of years, I completely shunned the ONE little word, and instead made lists of {what I thought were} manageable goals...most of which I also failed at. What can I say? I'm pretty much a failure when it comes to self-improvement...no one but myself to blame. ;) But, this year a single (one little, I suppose) word jumped out at me when I started thinking about the new year. This is a word that I NEED to be successful in the upcoming new year that is filled with so many changes and new things. It's important for both me and my family. It's not a fun word...a cool or trendy word. But it's a necessary word. And that word is...
That's right...the key to my success this year is establishing routines in just about every area of my life. When we were living in IL, we may not have been doing things perfectly, but we had routines...and since we've moved to WI, they've all been thrown out the window. Next week my daughter has her first full week of school (check that - since I started typing this the district called a "cold day"...so much for starting fresh on Monday!), and I plan to begin implementing some new routines to make things run a little smoother around here. A few of them include:
1. Morning/School: M has school every day from 9-11:30. That means we need to get up, (maybe I should shower, huh?!), get dressed and ready, eat breakfast, and be out the door to get her there on time. Then, Henry, Ollie, and I will have 2.5 hours of Miri-free time. ;) We will likely use this as a time to run errands when necessary, but it will also be a time when (hopefully) O will nap and H and I can do some "academic" work. I feel like I've been neglecting him lately in that field. We need to read more books, do some puzzles, talk about the alphabet, sing some songs, and just have some fun together!!
2. Quiet time: I am officially reinstating "quiet time" in our house. We had a GREAT system in IL...however that was when H was still in a crib. Now that he's in his "big boy bed" well...nap time hasn't been going very smoothly. Oh, who am I kidding...nap time is now non-existent!! My new plan is similar to the old plan, which is simply that the kids do not need to sleep, but they DO need to stay upstairs (bedroom or playroom) for the time. This will give me time to get things cleaned up from lunch and do something really fun and exciting...like laundry. ;)
3. Creative kid time: I used to feel like a pretty good mom when I was at home with my kids...creating art projects, cooking things, and doing lots of fun activities with my kids. The newborn + trying keep the house clean when we were showing it + moving really put a damper on that. I'm not saying we need to do something super cool and creative every single day, but I want to bring the creativity back to our afternoons!! This also includes exploring and getting out to meet new people. This is one thing I'm a little nervous about. I'm totally not a shy person...once I know you. ;) But meeting new people is kind of tough on me. I'm just not the person that jumps up and says hi...but, I guess I might need to start being that person.
4. Dinner: Meal planning has returned!! Over the past three months, our dinners have been pretty dismal. We've had more frozen Trader Joe's meals than I care to admit...and um, so apples, yogurt, a couple pretzels, and a half a hot dog is totally a "meal" right?! ;) Starting next week, I will follow a plan so that we can eat healthier and more consistently, not to mention I actually really like and want to cook dinner!
5. Bedtime routine: This is the only routine that has remained fairly normal since we moved. Ollie goes to bed at seven (or before), and the other two are in bed by eight. Thank goodness. ;)
6. Me time: Blogging, scrapping, working out, and reading. These are the four things I want to make sure I am making time for in my evenings. There is no reason that I can't do at least one or two of the four every night. Right now I'm usually so tired that I either go to bed or just sit up and mess around on the internet. Not good. The time I have "to myself" is pretty slim, and I need to make the most of it!!
I realize that all of these things are not going to magically happen overnight, but I really want to make this work!! Perhaps I will revisit my word every month or two to see how I'm doing. Did you choose a word this year? I'd love to hear it!!
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Finally, this is my first list in a {what is supposed to be} weekly blog series called "Lists with Friends," which is a collaborative effort between a number of smart, talented, and fun women that I am lucky to be a part of. Throughout the year we will all be posting various lists on our blogs. I will post mine both here and on my personal (private) blog. For those of you who read both, I apologize for the repeated content. I'm working right now to figure out a balance between the two blogs, now that I am not working and have the freedom to include more personal items on the this blog! The majority of my family posts, however, will remain private. If you'd like to play along and makes some lists, link me up! :)
