Resolutions

Right, so I’m not calling them New Year’s Resolutions or Pregnancy Resolutions or any cutsey title like that.  I think if you put a qualifier on “resolutions” it corners them and maybe trivializes them a bit.

I woke up this morning after a very sleepless night due to a freaked out dog and a snoring husband who thought it would be fun to pin my arm to the bed for most of the night.  At first I was irritated but, what can I do, so I got up and started to brainlessly do my morning routine:  wash face, let the dog out, open the blinds, get dressed, make some Cream of Wheat, turn on computer.

Somewhere in this routine, my brain actually woke up and kicked me.  I need to change things up a little.  There are things Stephen and I have been talking about that we need to change up as a couple – mostly money-saving strategies – but I need to change things up a little for ME.  And not just “get healthier for the pregnancy” even though that’s permanently on the list.

So here’s my open-ended list of resolutions and there is no due date (see what I did there?).

1. Read more

Some of my friends may goggle at that and go, “more??”  I read a ton but, upon looking at my shelves, I realize that there are many, many books I haven’t touched.  My mother-in-law is constantly telling me about books she’s discovered.  My mom just told me that one of my favorite authors just published another installment to a trilogy I love and I didn’t even know.  My reading gives way for my imagination which gives way for my next resolution.

2. Start writing already

I’ve been talking about it for years.  ”Wouldn’t it be great if I published a book?”  I think I defeated myself by saying that.  Publishing a book, unless you self-publish, is a daunting process that has more failures than success stories.  I need to change that to “Wouldn’t it be great if I wrote a book?”  Publishing be damned – if it’s good enough that someone wants to sell it to a mass audience, hooray; if not, I accomplished something that I’ve been wanting to do but too scared to do for years.

3. Walk/Yoga

This is more of a pregnancy thing but it should carry over into post-pregnancy.  Over the weekend, it was gorgeous, so Stephen and I took Max for a walk around the neighborhood.  We actually met some neighbors.  We’ve been here a year and a half and I just met some neighbors.  Sad.  But the walking was fantastic and, for my health, his health and, even the dog’s health, walking needs to become a regular occurrence. Alternate that with some of the free prenatal yoga on Comcast and I have, right there, an easy-to-maintain fitness routine for my pregnancy.

4. Keep up with household chores

Ugh. Ew. Tantrum. Find an excuse.  No more of that.  During the first trimester, it was understandable that the household chores fell behind a little.  I kept up with laundry and basic chores like dishes and a little sweeping but, being sick prevents you from doing most things.  Now, I’m in the second trimester and not so sick as long as I keep eating so I have no excuse.  I’m not talking a giant day of cleaning but doing a little each day to keep up with it.  Clean the floors one day, dust another day, clean the kitchen surfaces, etc.  I need to get into a routine about this now so when there’s a baby in need of my attention I can adjust as needed and still get things done without being overwhelmed.

5. Keep in touch with friends/family more

It’s easy when you stay at home all day to sort of forget about the outside world.  I find myself finding out about things that have happened to friends (good and bad) several days to a week after the fact so I have been making a concerted effort to reverse that.  I’m starting small by keeping in touch with my mom at least once a week via email or phone.  My other starting small is trying to keep in touch with my best friend who just recently moved to Florida by email and phone as much as she has free time – which admittedly isn’t much.  I don’t want Stephen and I to become that couple that has a kid and then no one ever sees them again.  Granted, money comes into play and time and schedules but I do want to make an effort to be more available to my friends and family.

So that’s it, my personal list of five things that I’m going to try to do.  I don’t expect massive changes immediately – everything starts slowly but I’m going to give it a try because I know it’ll be worth it.  It’ll be good for me, good for Stephen and good for our impending child.  And that’s a goal I can strive for.