They say the “The days are long, but the years are short” for motherhood, but wow, I’m not finding the days long either…they fly by. Now that’s not saying they are easy…like I said before, life is wonderful right now, but some days are down right wonderfully hard!!
A new year is here and somehow I thought a new me would happen overnight New Year’s Eve. Just as the new year set in, so would the new me. But I awoke to the harsh reality that I was still me and you might say I’ve been struggling with that reality! I set a bunch of goals for myself. Established a new word for the year. But most of the goals have been set aside for now and the word has been reset, or maybe I won’t even focus on one word in particular.
Life is very full right now and I just don’t feel like I have the time and energy to focus on me so much. I certainly don’t have time to sit down each evening and wonder if I did everything I was suppose to and fill in bubbles as a reward. It’s reward enough to get everyone in bed and savor some quiet time! So I’m down to one tracking sheet (versus about 5!) on something I do every day…EXERCISE! It’s rewarding to see attainable progress! This may seem like a cop out to some, but seriously, as one friend put it recently, “Motherhood is enough most days!” Thank you, YES!
I have a few smaller sized tracking sheets for my planner that I’m keeping track of a few monthly focus things I need. My Flybaby friends and I do several rounds of 100 days of creativity through out the year, so I keep track of my creative moments. I’m also keeping track of my Gratitude365 app use. I’m loving this…you can add a photo to each day’s gratitude list. Seeing those photos on the whole calendar page is AWESOME and definitely fills my heart with love and gratitude!
So, yep, motherhood. Like another mom said recently in an article I read, “I feel everything.” Yes! Happy, sad, mad, glad, tired, energized…it’s all there in a day and sometimes it’s hard to decipher how you really feel. Like when someone asks you how you are or how your day went! Where shall I start?? These are the moments that really rejuvenate me though…when I just simply get down on the floor and hang out with my littles.
Starting the day reading some books is also wonderful and helps set a better tone for the day than just pushing through my mental and paper to-do lists!
I do have a small goal of eating lots of fresh vegetables this winter. I get so tired of frozen vegetables. So here are two new recipes I tried. The corn casserole was too heavy on the lime, but still edible, just not a keeper. The sweet potato and kale hash (I didn’t do the egg part) was delicious and a keeper for sure. I’m so thankful my family is open to trying new foods and recipes. Good thing, because I cannot fix the same thing week after week! Food is one of my major creative outlets!!
This butternut squash and cranberry dish was good but needed some roasted nuts on it…
So this is my challenge! To use all of these veggies without any waste. In addition to what’s in the fridge already. So far so good! (In the pot are some white beans I cooked up for a grain base for different recipes…a real protein/fiber punch!)
Another little thing I’m doing this year is adding in some National Day fun into our lives!! Yesterday was National Bubble Bath Day…what a wonderful reminder for me to go and unwind! Another day it was National Straw Day and another, National Bean Day. I look at each month and pencil in the days in my planner that I think would be fun for our family to participate in.
More mindful eating is a big part of this year (like only have a dessert after dinner and not grazing on it all day long!). Having had Gestational Diabetes was a blessing in disguise. I’m at a weight I haven’t been at in years. I’m also way more aware of the sugar/carb ratio in our diets. Yikes! I have a goal of no sugar gifts for Valentine’s Day this year. And I don’t want sugar given to me! We are not doing anyone any favors when we gift them with sugar.
And other randomness from life,
A good luck charm I found one morning as I was reading in my mom’s bible,
I love the message I received from seeing this leaf on our driveway the other morning (my morning walks do SO much for me physically AND mentally). The weather was a mix of snow, rain and sleet and here the warmth in the leaf was keeping it from instantly succumbing to the frigid elements. I want my heart to be softer and warmer so I’m not so instantly affected by actions/reactions and the overall environment around me.
Gorgeous morning sunrises on my walks! 
And my new workspace in the kitchen. Loving my new planner…it’s my little world of comfort that helps me through each day. No day is the same and I can hardly plan much, but it helps give a tad bit of structure to my little life right now! This photo was taken for today’s #thebethadillychallenge photo prompt, my workspace.
My studio is under construction right now. My husband is going right to town on it, so I’m getting excited!! Maybe by February I can be settled back in to work on Valentine goodies! I started saving a few non-sugar Valentine ideas yesterday!
That’s enough for now! I can’t promise when I’ll be back. Blogging is a very random extra right now, as much as I do enjoy it! Little DS is sleeping away in his swing and DD3 is off to town with DH to run errands. Now I’m off to finish sewing some burp cloths before they get back home.
istampscrap&craft 