2011

What a ride 2011 has been!  There are some things I learned...or relearned...in 2011. Special thanks to Chip, Ruby, and Owen for helping these truths become so clear and making this year another opportunity to push, learn, and love.

 I just love looking back at the pictures of them SO small, swaddled, and sleeping in the same crib.  Too sweet.

1)  Write things down.  I have always been one to make lists for anything from goals to shopping.  I believe there is something powerful in putting an intention, desire, or whatever, into writing.  I think the universe hears it louder that way or something.  Anyway, this year, I had to write down things as simple as "take a shower".  Somehow if I put it down on paper, it would get accomplished.  And if I didn't, it wouldn't.  There were just too many demands on my time.  So, writing things down helped me prioritize, organize, and materialize a lot more than if I had just rolled with it.

Just a few days old.

  Just a few months old.

2)  Drink coffee.  Perhaps I am justifying a delicious treat in the morning...but there is lots of positive research to back up this justification.  A cup a day is GOOD for you...and definitely me. I am a better mom on a cup of coffee than without.  Most days that Chip is not home, I do not make time to brew coffee...and on the days he IS home and we make it happen, I am better for it!  Coffee (in moderation of course) combats depression, diabetes, cancer, strokes, and, oh...almost forgot....fatigue!...something I was pretty familiar with this year.

3)  If you think something is hard...make it harder.  This one became clear when we traveled mostly.  Sometimes at home I would begin to think that things were barely manageable.  When would the kids stop crying, why won't they EVER sit still for a diaper change, why aren't they eating, why won't they make it through a normal nap...and so on...Then, we would take that show on the road and you just make it work.  Squirming kids being changed in the back of the car...makes changing that kid at home now look like a cinch. Crying kids in public...make crying kids at home seem a lot less stressful.  You get the idea.  The more I thought about this, it applies to a lot of life situations.  Try it.  It is amazing what a little change of perspective can do for the psyche, stress levels, and general happiness.

First plane trip...to Outer Banks, NC

4)  Take time to shower and say thank you.  These are two of the most therapeutic things I do all day.

This insane collage represents the things and people I am thankful for and...some of the reasons I need to take a shower.

5)  Systems and routines rule.  The more I can turn into a routine and/or system, the less thought it takes on my part, and therefore, opens up more of the limited brain space and time for other things I might want to do...like exercise, make a phone call, or be creative (i.e. blog!)  Plus, I think it can turn mundane things into ritual...which I also believe is good for the soul.

 You might diagnose me with a mild case of OCD if you checked out my food system.  Freezer above, nightly routine below.

And finally, a quote from a favorite author-

"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened." ~Dr. Seuss