Category Archives: Regarding Me

Mothering Mindset

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. All thoughts are my own. 

Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m a really horrible mother.

I don’t say this to gain sympathy from you. Trust me, words on consolation are far from what I need right now. I’m just giving you perspective to where I’m at right now.

Half the time I can’t stand my kids. This is where I want to be in life and I want to be at home watching my children grow. I want to be that directly involved. I’m happy to be done with school for the summer and get some time with them without homework looming over my head, but it also opens a whole new can of worms. We’re together all day every day. I know I’m a stay at home mom in most senses of the term, but not in that piece that pulls it all together. In going to school, even online, I always have another goal and a specific purpose to get away. It makes life more stressful because there’s more on my plate, but it also gives me a small respite of time to be an adult.

Now that we’ve been out for nearly a month, both myself and Peanut, we’re getting on each other’s nerves. And Twig too. It’s a hard age, for me at least, when they’re so mobile and yet so emotionally immature. And needy.

I yell, a lot. I don’t want to, but it somehow keeps happening. I used to be upset at myself for yelling at Peanut once a week, but now it’s nearly a daily occurrence. I do stop at the point of being physical anywhere beyond taking her in her room and not-very-nicely dropping her onto her bed, so I guess that’s something. And I’m working on not yelling, so I guess that’s something too.

I just spend so much of my day waiting for it to be over. For that little bit of me time after they go to bed, which often extends beyond what it should and surely effects my mood in the morning from the lack of sleep. I don’t particularly like getting down on the ground and playing with the girls. I get really tired of the endless imaginative games after only a few minutes. I often feel stretched to my limit at what should ordinarily be every day tasks. This shouldn’t be how I feel.

These feelings are part of the reason I’m so excited about the Mindful Parenting eBundle I shared with you all last week. I’m hoping to use these resources to get back my perspective. Like the eBooks Mindset for Moms and Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy Moms. I really, really need this right now. I need to remind myself that there are glorious things happening in my everyday life. I need to remember how to appreciate my children at the ages they’re at right now. I need to get myself into a good mindset before I start school in the fall. I hope you’ll join me in ordering this eBundle for not only these wonderful resources, but all of the other ones too. It’s really a great value and I’m excited to start reading and get myself back on track.

The Stigma of the Diaper Rash

One of the creams we’re currently using (who is not sponsoring or in any way endorsing this post).

When Peanut was younger, I had a constant fear that I was doing something wrong. Something that would label me a horrible mother and/or scar her for life. I think that we all have this fear to some degree.

So when she started getting constant diaper rashes with open sores shortly after her first birthday, I was convinced it was something I was doing. I tried everything I could find to get them to go away. I tried switching washing routines, every cream I could find, only cleaning her in the tub (as opposed to with wipes), lots of diaper-free time, multiple doctors visits with different creams prescribed, etc. None of it worked. I would be doing all of these things consistently and the sores would disappear, only to have new ones pop up a week later.

Later when I found out about the peanut allergy and how it could cause the rashes, I figured we finally found the problem. But when we eliminated all nuts from our diet, the rashes still stuck around. It took potty training to get these rashes to go away and since she still wears a diaper at night, she still to this day gets a little soreness (though luckily no open sores).

I resolved myself to the fact that she just has sensitive skin. Not too surprising considering her dad is a redhead with eczema and I don’t have particularly tough skin myself. And when Twig was born, I figured she was just like big sister.

We continued with all our routines. Lots of diaper free time, washing off most poos in the tub once she could sit up (it’s just more pleasant than fighting them to get their bum wiped, in my opinion), frequent changes, the whole deal. But she, too, has had constant rashes. Hers started earlier than Peanut’s did and seem to have no connection to the food she eats. I haven’t rushed her to the doctor in the same way I did Peanut because I like to limit our doctors visits to the truly necessary and when I used to take Peanut in because a rash looked really bad, they’d tell me it was nothing and to keep doing what I’m doing, here’s a new brand of cream you can try to no avail.

But when some blisters popped up on Twig a week ago, I decided enough was enough. I am tired of constantly battling diaper rash and there must be something I can do to prevent this. Turned out this was no normal rash. She had bacterial rash (including a pustule that had to be drained in the office) and some yeast rash on bottom. So now we’re doing three separate creams and it’s getting a ton better, but I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve done something wrong.

I know I haven’t. The doctor told me it just happens sometimes given the environment of a diaper. All of my many hours of research on the topic of diaper rashes tells me I’m doing all the right things. My brain tells me to be logical and know that this is all correct and I am not a horrible mother, but the feeling is stuck. It’s made me realize something though: there’s a stigma associated with diaper rashes.

If your baby has diaper rashes, you’re obviously letting them sit in a poopy diaper all day. Or maybe you never change pee diapers. Or maybe you’re using the wrong brand of disposables or the wrong detergent for cloth. You’re obviously doing something wrong though.

But no, that’s not always the case. Sometimes you can do all the right things and life still gets in the way, diaper rashes or otherwise. Parents assume they have so much control over how their kids turn out that when something does go wrong, we blame ourselves to the point of self-hatred. But we can’t control everything. You can do all the things the books say and still end up with Jeffrey Dahmer for a son or, in a little less hyperbolic example, a horrific diaper rash.

We need to stop blaming moms for things that aren’t in their power. We only see a snapshot of their lives, even with moms we’re close to. So don’t assume that the one feeding her kid a bottle willingly ignored the breastfeeding advice or the one snapping at her kid in the mall is that mean all the time. And don’t assume that the one with a kid with diaper rash is negligent. And if you’re one of the ones like me who has a kid with all sorts of rash, try to give yourself a break. You’re a great mom, diaper rash just sucks.

Mother’s Day Poem

I wrote this little poem while putting my girls to sleep the other night. Since it’s Mother’s Day, I’m going to be brave and share it all with you. Happy Mother’s Day fellow mothers!

No matter the sleepless night, the bedtime battles, the lack of naps.

No matter the nipple bites, the waking in the night, the chest scratch.

No matter the constant interruption, the lack of time, the mommy calls.

No matter the arguments, the hair pulling, yelling down the hall.

You’ll always be my little girl, and I your mama. I’ll stay up late, reading you Llama Llama. You’re worth every frustration that I can get. Because you’ve made my life the happiest yet.

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On Becoming a Parent

On a sick-day road trip with the girls.

On a sick-day road trip with the girls.

As Twig napped one Saturday morning, a rather long nap, my husband and I sat down for a calm lunch with Peanut. My husband remarked how easy it is with just one child and we mused on the fact that we never really appreciated the easiness when we had it because we hadn’t experienced the more hectic life of having two kids.

I often look back to what my life was like before children and laugh at myself. How exactly did I have no time? What made me so busy? Why can’t my still-childless friends understand and appreciate the ability to use the restroom at their convenience (and without interruption or an audience!), let alone spend a lazy Saturday reading a whole novel in one sitting?

Parenthood is life-altering.

We often think of this in a negative way. “You’ll never sleep again.” “Just wait until…” I even read an article once that said if a mom has a picture of her kids as her profile picture on Facebook, that’s her way of saying she doesn’t matter anymore (as opposed to saying “my kid looks darn cute in this photo”?). We view parenthood as an inconvenience. As something we must do before we go back to our real lives.

We often fail to recognize that parenthood changes us for the better. As I’ve posted about before, I believe parenting allowed me to come into my own. It made me the person I was meant to be.

What’s my day like? Waking up too early and cursing myself for not prioritizing sleep. Drinking some caffeine, making breakfast, and kissing my husband on his way out the door. Making amusing faces back and forth with Twig and listening to amazingly imaginative stories from Peanut. Clean the house and playing with the girls. Eating more and a little rest for them, along with a little more work for me. Moving outside where we can all get some sunshine and our hands dirty. Back in to make dinner while they continue to play. Husband home, dinner eaten, bedtime stories read. A bit of homework and me time, generally extending further than it should, so that I curse myself again in the morning.

It sounds taxing, and it is. It sounds boring, which it sometimes might be. It sounds stressful, which it is at times. It sounds all-consuming, which it is by definition.

But none of these things are bad.

I spend a lot of time prioritizing tasks (though, like I said, often not sleep). I spend a lot of time multitasking. I spend many days running from putting out one fire to the next. This is my life and I love it.

Parenting will change you. Parenting will consume you. But you will be happier than you can even comprehend. Every minute will count more. You do not know love until you hold someone you created in your arms.

So don’t be afraid to become a parent, no matter how daunting a task it may seem, because your life will be more amazing than you can imagine.

Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures

There seem to be reviews floating around for this awesome new book everywhere, but I decided to throw my hat in the ring anywho.

I found her blog less than six months ago and after reading a few posts, immediate 1) subscribed to the blog via my Google Reader (eep! Still don’t know what I’m going to do for a new reader) and 2) spent all of my free time over the course of 3 days reading Every. Single. Post. on the site.

Well I suppose you could say I did a third thing too, which was to randomly (to them at least) send my friends, and mostly my husband, links to the most hilarious of these posts. Like this one (oh my goooooooodness!) and I’m pretty sure we own the same cats and ahahahahaha this is my life!

Well maybe a fourth thing too, which was to obsessively check my reader for new posts at least once a day. And often there was one! Seriously for being amazingly funny and drawing pictures to go with it, Amber posts a lot. Not that I’m complaining or anything.

Now to the book. First off, I don’t buy many books. I’m a constant reader and have been most my life, but I’m also on a tight budget. The library is my friend! Secondly, given that I have two children and most of my reading time is spent in front of a textbook (or maybe I should say most of my anything time is spent in front of a textbook), I’m also a big fan of audiobooks. They allow me to always have a novel going, even if I don’t really have the time. And knitting plus audiobook equals awesome!

With that background, I now tell you that I preordered this book as soon as I heard it was coming out. I was that absolutely certain that I would love it. And I do! Oh how I do! Just like with her blog, this lady hits parenting right in its sweet spot. The good, the bad, and the ugly and all hilarious! How many times can I type the word “hilarious” in one post?! Really though, I can’t even describe how awesome her writing and pictures truly are. There are stories that are outrageous and stories that you can’t do anything but cry because you relate to them so thoroughly. It’s awesome. And hilarious. And possibly hilariously awesome. (Hilarious, hilarious, hilarious)

I wasn’t certain how the blog posts would work as a book, but it’s amazingly cohesive. And, while there are some old favorites from her blog, most of the material is never before seen. Just what I needed to get my crappy fix!

I’d have to say that I love the most is how easy and quick it is to read. I stowed it away in the bathroom so I could sneak in a chapter on the potty (Note to Amber: I was totally in the bathroom while reading page 8. Your dreams have come true!) or the girls are playing in the tub. I was always surprised that I could find an easy stopping point when someone starting screaming at me from down the stairs.

Though, I must say, it’s a double-edged sword. I’m not complaining about a lack of content, because there definitely was a book’s worth, but I got through it so fast! Come on, it’s been like two weeks, aren’t you ready to release another book already? I’m jonesing!

No really, go buy this book. This hilarious lady deserves it. And go read her blog archives (starting with the very first post) and join the rest of us in our crappy addictions.

Side-bar: I was not in any way, shape, or form paid to do this review. I just love this blog and book SO much. Now go buy it!

Getting Disconnected From My Smartphone

FNC-FAN1001124 - © - Klaus TiedgeIf you’re a regular on this thing they call this series of tubes as of late (and possibly only in my personal realm of the internet, because I don’t know how big this is yet), you’ve probably seen many-a links to this article. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should. It makes you rethink your priorities in life and how you’re showing them to your kids.

It will also make you feel awful. In this technology-driven world, it’s difficult to disconnect from the Internet. In the palm of your hand, you hold–most literally–a world of information. You sit down to watch a movie with your children. Who is the guy doing this voice? I’ll IMDB it or it’ll just keep bugging me. Oh, while I’m on my phone I might as well order that thing I need to from Amazon. Wait, I should read some reviews first. Hey, didn’t a blog I read do a review on one of these? What did she have to say about it? Okay, I’ll buy it. Now, back to the movie. What’s even going on? I don’t get it. I’ll just check Facebook.

Even my mom, who I distinctly remember teaching to text a decade ago, now tells me she feels lost without her phone. Even I, right now, am ignoring my child (who should be sleeping) that is literally rolling in circles on top of me while I type this post on my WordPress app. It’s just a fact of life, right?

Well, that’s a big vague yes and no. Yes, it’s a fact of life. Unless you’re one of those few who no longer have a smart phone, you’re going to have to deal with the distraction of it. Personally, I love having my iPhone. It’s great to have something I can check my email on when Twig falls asleep in her car seat. It’s the only way I stay awake while nursing Twig back to sleep when she wakes up before I’m ready to go to bed. It’s nice to have so much information at my fingertips.

But having a smartphone doesn’t mean you have to let it rule you.

Learn to take a step away from the phone. Sure, you could do this by purposely “forgetting” it, but that’s only a short-term solution. You need to be able to coexist with your phone rather than just occasionally putting it in time out.

Turn off notifications. About a year ago, I deleted my Facebook app. At the same time I deleted Twitter and turned off notifications for pretty much everything on my phone. I turned my email down to updating manually, but later moved it to once an hour (the max on an iPhone, which seems still too frequent) because I was forgetting to check my email for days and actually missing important things. Since then I’ve reinstalled Facebook a couple of times, but I keep deleting it within a couple of days because I now find it annoying.

Do you get a little ding on your phone every time someone likes your status update? Do you really need to know they did that so immediately? Was it worth interrupting your child’s story about what they did at school? I’m guessing not. Are all your emails so urgent that they must be read and responded to the second you receive them? Do you really need to know Tom the Talking Cat misses you? If you’re anything like me, the answer is no and the notifications can be turned off.

Prioritize what gets to bug you. How many emails do you get a day? How many of those do you immediately delete without even opening them? How many minutes do you spend on this task? Well, maybe it’s time to unsubscribe. This is especially true for sale or daily deal emails, because they’re robbing you of your time and money you wouldn’t otherwise be spending.

Got an app that keeps bugging you even with the notifications supposedly off? I bet you wouldn’t miss it. Got an old email account that only gets spam you have to delete? Disconnect it from your phone. If it’s not worth the time it’s wasting, do your best to eliminate it. Be choosy about what apps you download too. Maybe if it’s wasting too much time, it should be deleted.

Find other portable hobbies. Preferably ones that are relatively mindless. This is part of the reason I love knitting. I purposely always have at least one relatively repetitive project on the needles. Then I can still watch and talk to my children, just while glancing down occasionally. If something happens and I really need to intervene, I can just drop the needles and go help, picking up where I left off when I’m done.

Knitting isn’t the only non-smartphone way to busy your mind and hands while tending small children. Try a book (though maybe not anything too riveting). Or maybe do a sudoku puzzle. Read the paper on real paper. Sure, these are all things you could do on your phone (probably all at the same time even!), but there’s a difference with choosing one thing and making that it. If you get bored of sudoku, you don’t immediately have 5,000 other games you can play. Having all the information in the world at your fingertips is a double-edged sword. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in all of the information and forget about life.

Remember that life is for living. It’s okay to put down the phone. Chances are, anything you miss won’t be so important that you can’t deal with it later. Your kids, your partner, your friends, they’re all worth your undivided attention. We don’t need to be multitasking 24 hours of the day. You can learn to coexist with your smartphone without letting it control you, and you’ll be better for it.

The Grass is Always Greener

Wheat Grass on Spring Mantel_4216Lately I’ve been having a hard time with wanting things I can’t, at least at this moment, have. I partially blame the weather. Utah gets so gucky this time of year and with the spring peaking through only to be immediately shadowed by a huge snow storm, it’s like Utah is teasing me.

That’s part of wanting what I can’t have–I want out. Out of this state with the dreary weather. Out of snow all together. Out of feeling like I’m the only non-Christian democrat for miles around. Out of the same old people, places, and things I’ve been around my whole life.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things to love about being where I am. I’m just having trouble making myself see them. I know we’re lucky to live near the girls’ grandparents so they’re able to have thriving relationships with them. We live in a state that actually has seasons, which I hear from others is something often coveted. I’m never lonely in a foreign place or missing people who are too far to visit. Almost all of my friends are a short drive away.

But the problem is that no matter how lovely all those things are, I’m still a person who thrives on change. The idea of going somewhere new is exhilarating. The idea of living somewhere that there are more people I can relate to is thrilling. That’s why my current dream is Portland, Oregon. It’s not a dream that will ever necessarily come true, but it’s still my dream.

The other reason I think I’m in this rut is being burnt out. I’ve been in college for the last 6 years. I have never had more than one semester break. I started college before I actually graduated high school.

Yes, much of my college career has been part-time, so that extended how long I have been in school. Yes, I had difficulty making up my mind after my initial career (that I had been planning on since I was a little girl) turned out to be the wrong path. Yes, I’ve been “lucky” (or in other words, planned meticulously in order to) that I’ve been able to do these last three semesters online fully so that I have been able to stay at home with Twig during her baby- and early-toddler-hood.

The problem is, even with all the logic telling me why I’m here and why it’s really not that difficult of a place to be, I’m still hating it. I’m so beyond tired of being in school. Part-time is easier than full-time, but it’s still really hard to do with small children. Online only is great because it means that I don’t have to physically leave Twig when she’s so small (or at least infrequently, as most of my classes at least require that I take exams at a testing center), but it also means that I don’t have a set period of child-free time to do my school work. That translates into me staying up way later than I should to get my work done.

What gets to me the most is that I still have two years left. That’s four semesters, three of which will be full-time. All of which will be on campus. All of which we will be paying entirely out of pocket for if I can’t find scholarships (thank goodness for tax refunds) because I messed around so long with changing my mind that I ran out of pell grants.

Two years until I can even think about moving out of state. Two years until I get to be a real stay at home mom. Two years until I could possibly get pregnant again.

Don’t get me wrong, I love learning. My husband has joked multiple times that I would be a career student if I could. But enough is enough. I need a break. Thankfully, after three semesters straight, I have this summer off. We also won’t have preschool or music, so we can just be. It’ll be lovely.

So this is where I’m at right now. I’m working on enjoying life right now as it is, but having a hard time with it. If you’ve made it through my nonsensical babble, I commend you. Thank you for listening. End rant.

Turn That Frown Upsidedown

DSC_0144We all have bad days and it’s easy to let them get away from you. A recent day for us went like this: the girls aren’t feeling well, Twig didn’t sleep well that night, we had to rush to Mema’s to drop them off so I could go to a meeting that no one showed up to, the weather was bad, we were late to preschool, I was late picking Peanut up from preschool, the girls were crabby on the way home, the girls continued to be crabby when we got home. I found myself dwelling in all of the things that were going wrong that day, even though in retrospect it really wasn’t that bad.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “poor me” spiral and it’s hard to get out of once you’re there. Life with little ones can be hard and it gets even more so when mama is in a bad mood. Frequently, mama’s bad mood causes the kids to get an attitude too! Here I’m providing some time-proven tricks to get out of your funk so you and your kiddos can have a better day.

1. Get a hug. Hugging has some real benefits. I’m sure you can tell too because when you get a good hug from someone you love, it just makes you feel better. Even for me, a very non-touchy person, a hug from the right person just makes me feel better. There’s a reason behind this–oxytocin. Hugging releases the same love hormone as any other love act, including breastfeeding. So if you’re a nursing mom, take a little breastfeeding break! Especially if you have a toddler, it’s nice to get them to sit still for a minute so you can relax.

2. Make sure all your needs are met. Are you hungry? Are you tired? Are you cold? It seems silly to even check these things, but it’s easy to forget that you need to eat when you’re watching kids. There have been times when I can’t figure out what’s wrong with my crabby child and it turns out that I’ve totally missed naptime. Even something as simple as not enough clothes (or too many when it’s warm) can turn what would be a happy child into a mess.

3. Take a shower. Along the same lines, go take a shower. I know I feel better when I’m clean, and truth be told, it to doesn’t happen every day. I commend the stay at home moms who are able to figure in a daily shower. As I said, life with little ones is hard. Bonus points for taking the kids in with you.

4. Put the kids in water. Whether it be that shower mentioned above or a bath or going swimming. I read some advice once that if your kids are crabby, put them in water. I’ve been trying to follow it since and it really works! Two grumpy girls go in the tub and immediately their moods brighten. Try it sometime.

5. Make your frustration into a game. Peanut actually showed me this one by accident. One day she was really fighting getting into her pajamas and she started pretending she was asleep, so I started to ask her “Can the sleeping girl put her leg in? Can she open her mouth and get her teeth brushed?” and so on. Instead of being mad, we turned the situation around and made it into a game. This can work with so many frustrations. Not eating enough vegetables? Make it a race of who can eat theirs first. Running through the store? Play red light, green light. The list goes on! If you can stop and remember to parent playfully, life will be easier.

6. Start a random game. Along a similar line, just drop whatever you’re doing and play a game. Don’t ask if they want to play first, especially if the child is crabby, because they might say no just out of being a grump. Instead, just start playing. In the middle of an argument, start touching the top of everyone’s head and saying “duck” a couple of times, then do a “goose” and run for it! While I was writing this, my crabby 1 year old came up to me crying, so I hid our eyes and started to count to 10, since hide-and-go-seek is one of our favorite games, my almost 4 year old knew the drill and ran off to hide. They continued playing for a minute and now they’re happily playing with toys downstairs.

7. Make some music. Whether it be putting some music on (Spotify is lovely for this), singing, or playing an instrument. Just start music and let your kids chime in. It’s amazing how much of an effect music has one everyone in my house. If I plug the computer into the speakers in the kitchen and turn on Gangnam Style, it can turn any fit into fun instantly. 

8. Put on some music and clean. Often having a messy house is enough to get me in a foul mood. And just telling my kids to clean can be enough to put them in a foul mood! Instead, we do one song clean alongs. I grab the music and we start the song and clean as much as we can in one room before that song is over. I read about doing this somewhere and I can’t remember where it came from, so sorry I can’t give someone credit. A room will never be perfectly clean with one song, but a bunch of toys can be picked up and I can be a lot less frustrated.

9. Go outside. This is a hard one in our area this time of year because it’s so cold and snowy, but if you can get yourself bundled and outside, you’ll at least get relief as long as you can stand the cold. When it’s warm out, we love to run around the backyard and have a ball. Simply the sun hitting your face can change the tune of your day. Man, I can’t wait for summer.

10. Go for a drive. If all else fails, take the kids for a drive in the car. It can be difficult trying to make it out of the house with small children, but it’s not quite so stressful if you don’t actually leave the car. Go hit up a drive through for a treat, go to a park, or even just drive around for the sake of driving. Sure, it’s not great for the environment or your wallet if you do this too much, but everything in moderation. The change of scenery and the fact that your children are strapped down can certainly help a bad mood.

I hope this list helps some of you out there struggling with a foul mood and small children. It’s amazing how simple little things can change a frown upside down.

What are your special tricks for getting in a better mood when you’re grumpy? How about getting your children in a better mood when they’re the grumps?

13 in 2013

I’ve already made my feelings on resolutions clear to you all in the past, but I’ve gotten sucked up reading all the blog posts and other such things with people talking about their goals for the next year. While I don’t believe in the kind of resolutions that are way out of the realm of possibility, I do have some things I’ve been working on for a bit or would like to start working on. So I’ve decided, for posterity’s sake, to put them into words.

So here, in no particular order, is my list of 13 goals for 2013.

  1. Keep one week ahead on blog posts. I’ve already been doing this one and it’s working out pretty well. It gives me a bit of a cushion when life gets away from me and it gives my brain a little time to ponder if I want to change wording or even decide not to post something. That’s why this post is being published January 9th even though I wrote it on the first. :-P
  2. Get down on the floor with the girls. Sometimes in the rush of day to day life, I forget to just get down and play with my girls. Or even when I do, I often feel the tug of the laundry that needs to be switched or chemistry that needs to be read. Playing tea party with my girls isn’t just fun, it’s an important part of our relationship and their development.
  3. Spontaneously tell my family that I love them every day. While I definitely tell each of my girls and my husband “I love you” every day, it’s generally as a part of saying goodbye or goodnight. While I’m sure that I won’t work it in every single day, I’d like to try to say it as many days as I can.
  4. Cook more and plan my cooking more. Meal planning really does make things less stressful, but for some reason I can’t even keep the habit of doing it. Then when I don’t meal plan, I see it as an excuse to go out. While I’m definitely not one of those people who would ever be happy never going out or only at rare occasions, I do want to plan more meals. And when I don’t get around to planning, I want to cook anyway.
  5. Keep my grades up. Last semester I did really well in school. I ended the semester with a B+ in chemistry and an A in physiology. Yeah, it kicked my butt, but it was worth it. This semester I’m now a TA for the physiology course (which takes over my one credit hour needed to be 3/4 time instead of 1/2 time), my second chemistry class (which is basically an extension of the first), and public speaking. I know my own studying style and what I need in order to do well, so I’m going to take advantage of that knowledge and use it. Especially considering next year we have to start paying for my schooling because I’m out of pell grants and we aren’t taking out any more student loans.
  6. Listen to music more. Especially if anyone is grumpy. Music makes us happy. Turning it on when we’re all in a grumpy mood just makes all all feel better. Singing as we do normal tasks makes them more fun. I need to take advantage of these facts.
  7. Go to bed with an empty sink. A sink full of dishes just makes me stressed out, but I hate doing them. I feel like it’s a task that I’m always behind on and never ends. If I go to bed with an empty sink then at least I’m starting the day fresh with this task. Bonus points for clearing and cleaning the counters.
  8. Drink more water. Not drink less caffeine, but just drink more water. By default, doing one will do the other, but I won’t feel guilty when I need a little pick-me-up.
  9. Eat more veggies. Especially leafy greens. I just feel better when I do.
  10. Sleep more. One hour of sleep makes the difference between a grumpy mama and a happy mama. Sleep is a priority.
  11. Knit a Christmas gift each month. No more mad rush to do all the Christmas gifts from October to December (and quite a bit of freaking out on the tail end of that). I’ve joined a group on Ravelry and I already have my January gift planned out, though it’s going to have to wait until I finish the birthday gifts for this month.
  12. Let go of the phone. I do not need to be attached to my phone 24 hours a day. Checking Facebook can wait. I don’t get emails that are so urgent that I must check my mail 6 times a day. I don’t need to multitask all of the time.
  13. Read to the girls before bed. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales.” – Albert Einstein
  14. And one more just for fun. Stay home more. Sometimes in the rush of life I get into the habit of staying outside of the house as much as my husband who is working a full-time {paid} job. These past few weeks we’ve spent many a days just hanging out at home and it’s been lovely. Everything just feels so much more calm and in order when we’re home. Everyone gets routines, less gas and money are spent, and we’re all just happier. It’s going to be more difficult to do as Peanut and I start school again this week, but I’m still going to work to be at home more often.

So that’s my list. Hopefully it gives me a little bit of accountability without guilt and having it all written down helps me to remember my goals and keep them towards the front of my mind as life gets more hectic again.

What are your resolutions?