Feeling Resolute?

I guess you could say my New Year's resolution this year is to add one thing a week to my daily routines to inch me toward what an "ideal" day might look like.  So each week, I add one thing to my morning, and one thing to my evening.

So far, it's been:

Week 1 - established consistent wake up and bed times.

Week 2 - scripture first, floss

This is Week 3.  Week 3's resolution is "wipe up".  When I'm done in the bathroom in the morning, I'll return all my stuff to my drawer, grab a cloth or towel I used that morning, and give the counter a quick once-over.  Same at night.

But the thing that will take WAY more resolve this week?

the sleep training.

It's just not working.  And by it, I mean me.

I can't stick to it.

Mostly because I want to tell the sleep doula lady to take her plan and shove it.

So.  We decided tonight that I need to come up with the plan, and James will implement it,
but I need to be behind it.

The plan basically is no nursing at night, because when he wakes up, that's what he wants, so we need to break the association of
nursing = sleeping.

(I know lots of you have all kinds of opinions on that, but our family needs a solid night's sleep to function with our current commitments, and I'm pretty sure this is the only way we're gonna get it).

Instead of nursing, one of us (James) will pat his back and "shhhh" him, slowly removing the patting and just "shhhh"ing, then moving the "shhh"ing into the hall.

(I've been "shhhhhh"ing for an hour and half.  I'm currently on the floor outside his bedroom door "shhhhh"ing.  and I'm still in my work clothes.
and my house is a mess.
and the babysitter's coming here tomorrow.
and there are currently no lunches made for tomorrow.
and the diapers need to be washed.)

So, the resolution of the week is "wipe up."

But the real resolve is required to get through this week's sleep plan.

And release my grip on all that stuff that I can't change right now.

Resolutions, week 2

Holy Guacamole has it been a busy week.

I did a pretty good job of meeting my time goals regarding going to bed and getting up on time.  Not so much last night, but as my dear husband pointed out, when you don’t get off work until 9, it’s tricky to get home and be in bed by 10.

Starting this week, it should get a whole lot easier.

Why?

I got a new job!

With REGULAR HOURS!

That doesn’t involve working weekends!

I am SO glad and so relieved.  This will be so good for our family.

I’ll be working for the same agency, but in an administrative role rather than front line as I was before.  It’s a bit of a commute, but it is Monday-Friday, 8:30-4, weekends off, and that will be such a nice change.  My past schedule was a 4-week rotation including weekends and evenings, and it was getting tricky to figure out when we’d need a sitter, and just challenging to maintain consistency for Haydon.  This will be a whooooole lot better.

So, last week’s resolutions were to get up and go to bed on time.  This week I’m adding the next step (or previous step, in terms of bed time).

In the morning, the alarm is set for 6.  After the 6am news, the first thing I’m doing is heading downstairs with my Bible to spend some time in the word and pray over my day.  That’s this week’s resolution – spending time in scripture and in prayer before anything else.

The bedtime resolution is to floss.  Ok, not just floss, but to actually do all of those little self-care items that I often overlook, like flossing, and putting on eye cream, and all of those things that apparently will make a difference in 20 years.  And are just good for me.  That means heading to the bathroom by 9:45 so that I actually have time to do what I need to do in time to be in bed by 10.

So.  There ya have it:

Last week – get up/go to bed on time

This week – spend time in scripture first, floss

I hope you have a good week!

Resolve

It's a new year, the calendar tells me.

Do you make New Year's resolutions?

I haven't really made any huge goals, but I consistently am looking for ways to tidy up our lives and stay on top of things, and so I'm working on a little plan to try and make sure that the important things happen.

The plan is to write out all of the things that should happen in a day, jot down a rough schedule of what a day that includes all of those things looks like.

And then, because that would likely make me overwhelmed and just want to crawl into bed because I'm not close to actually accomplishing those things, I'll pick two to implement each day, one for the morning, one for the evening.  

Each week, I'll try to remember to tell you what it is I'm working into my day.

This week it's timing.  I'm going to work on getting up at a regular time (even if the dear boy is still sleeping, which will be my biggest challenge), and going to bed at a regular time.  I think I'll aim for a 6:00 wake up, and to be in bed by 10 (like, head on pillow, not heading toward the bathroom to start my night time routine).

Once I have my wake up and bedtimes down, I'll work on filling in the things that need to happen in between!