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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Taking some time.....


....to reflect.  To relax.  To be with family.  Blogging has certainly been on the back burner lately. December was a bit of a whirlwind for us: weekly craft markets, working toward my all-handmade gift goal, school holidays, and a good dose of flu/ear infection/chest infection/broken arm/tummy bug spread liberally amongst our family.  Whew.  When my son's Montessori program ended for the year, and Christmas really got into full swing I decided to take a break from Seedling stuff for a few weeks. In my normal routine, I can get a bit focused on productivity and crossing items off of my list, so it's been good to step back and take time for lots of kid-centered and kid-paced fun.

I just thought I'd stop by to share a few hopes and goals for the coming year.  I think these are a natural progression of where we're already at -- no drastic lifestyle changes here.  All the same, they say accountability helps, so with that in mind....

:: Pay off all of my credit card debt. Groan. Yes, I have some -- unfortunately, that's how we funded part of our travel a few months ago.  I'm used to having a clean slate and I'm eager to get back there....I've set up a plan and I know that I'll be able to realize this goal within the year.  I hate having debt looming over my head.

:: Continue to run; invest in new running shoes.  Since this post a little over a month ago, I've been running five days a week.  My initial expectations were so modest that it was easy to surpass them.  I try to go in the morning to beat the heat -- it's been amazing!  Such a good way to start the day.  I ran on my school teams from when I was 14 through 22, and then for a few years as an adult before letting it slip.  It's great to feel like a runner again.

:: Try craft night at Ka-pie (a local cafe.)  I tend to be a real homebody, especially in the evenings when I'm sleepy and just want to crawl into bed and read.  But...I know I would love this and would glean a lot from a group of like-minded craftsters.  Time to break out of my homebody habits....at least once a fortnight or so.  If I were also to make it to a few other evening activities (dance, yoga, rock-climbing, the movies....) that would be a huge extra bonus.

:: Aim for one date-night per season.  Seems doable, right?

:: Get us all sleeping through the night.  Once this one is achieved, I know everything else will go so much more smoothly.

:: Get the house warm for winter.  Mainly, this entails taking off the walls of our coldest room, insulating them, and then putting up new gib.  Also, we'll insulate the entire house underfloor.  Still blows my mind that older houses here were built without insulation.  Kiwis are tough!

:: Grow more food.  Make more of our own food from scratch.  I.e. preserving, jams, making yogurt, attempting cheese, etc.  I've recently begun making my own peanut butter; I'm a huge pb fan, and I can honestly say it's the best I've ever eaten.  More on that later.

:: Work toward finding the right balance between Seedling Clothing and being a full-time mother.  My oldest is about to begin a Montessori program 4 mornings a week (previously, he's been in the less-frequent introductory class), but my youngest is still with me all the time.  This is just how I want it, but I do sometimes feel torn -- when I'm working, I want to be able to have more space and time for that, and simultaneously, I want to give my kids the best grade-A mama attention I can.  I want to be fully present for each of my roles -- I'm sure that balance is something I'll forever be striving toward in this area....

:: Nurture relationships that bring me up, give me energy and a foster sense of true connection.  

:: Invest in our health and boosting our immune systems.  I've always been one of those people that gets a cold once a year.  Suddenly, it seems we're all playing "pass the parcel" with germs (not nearly as fun as with gifts) in spite of stringent hand-washing, healthy eating habits, and drinking tons of water.  This week, our entire family is well, and I'd like to keep it that way (see also: Get us all sleeping through the night....)  I'm not exactly sure how to keep us healthier, but I'm looking into it.  I know quality sleep will help.

That's me...my goals for the foreseeable future, at least.  My mother is here for a visit, and we're continuing with our Montessori break.  I imagine I'll take time away from Seedling for the rest of January -- focusing my energy on summer, the kids, and play.  I'm also looking forward to doing a few experimental projects just for us.  Perhaps I'll check in again and share them here.

Happy New Year to you!

xx Jen