Writings by me

And that’s it – January is pretty much over. It’s been the first January I’ve ever looked forward to in my whole life. For the peace and quiet and early nights and lazy weekends and catching up on sleep. It’s also the first January I’ve got real about my resolutions. 

Gone are the days of thinking a total life overhaul is possible at this time of my life. Instead, I’m practicing radical acceptance that right now I have two jobs, a house to look after and a husband and two boys to love and care for (lucky me!). So this year I’ve embraced the ‘less is more’ mentality; sustainable changes that suit ME, my lifestyle and my family. Too often, I try out these self-care challenges (damn you, Pinterest!) neglecting the fact that they are created by influencers with more time, energy, less commitments, not to mention a better knack for organisation than I will ever have. 

So bye, bye crazy unachievable changes, hello small, (almost invisible, really) micro-changes, which are easy to follow and truly reflect who I really am. The trick? Set a baseline; what would be the ideal you would really want if you were the influencer with more time, energy, less commitments and generally better organisational habits?

For me I’d want ideally, to do the following:

• only eat and make home-cooked meals
• enjoy taking my kids to the park
• do craft projects with the kids
• keep the house immaculate
• spend quality time with the kids during the school term and not just holidays.

…the ideal list could go on forever. 

Here’s the reality:

• I’d love to cook homemade meals everyday, but by tea-time, I’m tired, I’m grumpy and man alive, those frozen pizzas are yummy and convenient.
• I hate the park and I hate it when craft projects never look like they do on Pinterest (once again, damn you!). 
• I’m a really messy and disorganised person.

…you get the idea.

 And this is where the baseline comes into it’s own. What is realistic and important for us at this time? 

• that my kids are fed and have some semblance of a balanced diet.
• that my kids know how much I love them 
• that the house is semi-functional throughout all of this. 

With that in mind, here are this years micro-change resolutions:

• No matter what, we’ll all eat some fruit and/or veg every day.  
• No matter what, I’ll tell my kids that I love them everyday
• No matter what, the dishwasher and the laundry will be done each day.

And you know what? It’s working…so here’s your challenge; when it comes to your life, your family, your kids, what is your ‘no matter what?’ Good luck!