Morning sickness (aka all day sickness) returned with a vengeance this month, accompanied with weeks of sick kids. The combination was painful, and I feel like I didn’t accomplish much. The good thing is, I feel better now, the kids are healthy, AND spring has finally arrived in Massachusetts! It was amazing to have it warm enough yesterday afternoon that our final snow pile melted AND the kids could play outside without jackets for the first time in 2009!
My March goal was to get a routine going at home. I didn’t work out a routine per se, but I did start paying more attention to how we use our time. I tracked our activities for three days (see this post) and discovered that there is a routine of sorts. One reader sent me an email suggesting that I focus on habits over routine, and I’ve found that helpful. Emma is wanting more and more structure in her life as she gets older and I think structure in general will become more important with three kids under four, so this is something I plan to continue to work on.
My April goal is to make some maternity clothes. Emma and Johnny were both winter babies, so all of my maternity clothes are warm. And worn out, since I kept wearing most of them when I wasn’t pregnant because they were so comfy. I’ve looked in stores, but the clothes that are in my price range seem to have ridiculously huge necklines and/or to fit very strangely. I did find one great shirt, but it was only available in two colors: black and a horrid green color. So, I have one black shirt. Anybody have favorite maternity patterns or (even better) online tutorials I can try? I definitely want to try making this skirt.
As for annual goals…
- Find places to keep all those odds and ends that get stashed in random places: I got nowhere on this this past month. But I did keep the kids’ toys mostly cleaned up. And I watched a webcast on Peter Walsh’s new InPlace organizing system that included some useful tips for organizing life in general (like the importance of not procrastinating organization…) I’m not sure how I got invited to the webcast, but when I accepted the invitation they also sent me some cool organization samples (including the file folder I used to make Emma’s travel felt board) that I’m using to create a “school” kit for Emma – nothing fancy, just a collection of activities she can pull out and complete with minimal supervision.
- Potty train Emma: We’re doing great here, except when Emma decides she doesn’t want to stop playing until it’s too late. But that doesn’t happen often enough that I’m worried about it, so far at least.
- Get Johnny to eat more solid food: We’re getting there. Very slowly.
- Be more patient with cooking/baking that involves a rolling pin: Still haven’t touched a rolling pin
- Take the kids outdoors more: We were outside at least three times a week all month, and usually much more. Hooray for spring!
- Get the kids to sleep through the night better: Emma nearly always sleeps through the night, finally! Johnny is waking up at least three times per night since he got sick early last month after sleeping pretty well for most of his life. I cope with sleep deprivation really well, but I would LOVE a night of uninterrupted sleep.
