You might have heard that parenthood changes people's preferences and interests. Adventure-seekers become homebodies. Clubgoers become homebodies. Social butterflies become...hrm, a pattern emerges.
Ok, so a lot of new parents spend a more time at home (though not always by choice). The young'uns need a lot of sleep, and the best sleep tends to happen at home, in a crib (or for E's first four months, a swing, but whatever).
More has changed for me than my tendency to stay at home a lot and only occasionally wear pants that need to be buttoned. Here are some other notable changes.
Cleaning and organizing
I don't know if this change has occurred because I spend more time at home, but I am much more interested in keeping a clean house than I used to be. I have even been known to vacuum on a weekly basis. To some, I am slacking, and to others, I am a housecleaning goddess. I think I still fall somewhere in the middle but am much closer to goddess status than I used to be.
On the other hand, some of my useless organizational habits have fallen by the wayside. It's true: the contents of my underwear drawer are no longer folded and organized as neatly as before. Shocking, I know. And that's not all, either. I find that I am able to ignore other projects of an organizational manner without feeling even the slightest hint of guilt. Hey, my life is busy. Reordering the carton of wrapping paper is going to have to wait.
Spending habits
Before E, an objective person might have observed the debits in my personal checking account and wondered whether I had enough clothing already. The answer, of course, would be no, and I question the objectivity of any person who thinks that "enough" is an acceptable adjective for clothing.
That said, my clothing purchases dropped off almost entirely after E's birth, and they have not regained their pre-E momentum. Unfortunately, I am not banking mad cheddar, as my spending has not been reduced. I just spend differently.
Specifically, I spend more on items that I can enjoy at home, such as books and music. I still like being fashionable, but dressing smashingly at home by myself is simply not as appealing as immersing myself in a good book. (Latest fav: Rules of Civility. Dreamy all around.)
(I know I should have a third category/example, but it's been a long week and I'm tired. Let's just say that my eyebrows have become a bit jungly, and I don't care.)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Summer dreaming
Here at the Headquarters de Rooster, life is viral. In other words, we're all at various stages of unpleasant colds. Despite being the index patient of all illnesses, E has more energy than B and me combined. We parents sloth about from one couch to another, hoping that E remains within eyesight so we don't have to follow after him and prevent him from playing with knives or whatever other dangerous items he always manages to find when he wanders away from us.
Of course, keeping E within eyesight is no guarantee of overall safety, as E's belated Valentine's Day gift to me proved. The cute little guy threw a block that landed squarely on my lower lip, resulting in swelling, bruising, and crankiness, not exactly what an already unhappy patient wants. Rather than encourage his clearly MLB-level talents, we will continue to discourage throwing and hope that eventually, he will learn. (Or at least have less painful aim.)
When we're not playing dodgeball with wooden objects, we're gazing longingly at the calendar, looking forward to warmer days, fewer germs, and some time spent away from home. Yes, I'm happy to announce that 2013 will feature the return of travel.
Our adventures are tamer than they used to be, but adventures they will be nonetheless. Here's what's on tap for our family this year:
A spring trip to New York City
When you're still scheduling life around one nap per day, you tend to focus on places that allow you to be in the middle of the action. And let's face it, just about everywhere in NYC is in the middle of the action. We're staying at a hotel that's a bit south of Central Park, where we expect to spend much of our time.
When we aren't playing on the (amazing) playgrounds at Central Park, we'll be visiting the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, saying hello to the animals at the Central Park Zoo, jumping on the giant piano at FAO Shwarz, sampling macarons and violet ice cream at Laduree, and riding the carousel in Central Park. And staring in awe at all of the trucks and buses that drive by.
A summer trip to Martha's Vineyard
Summer will arrive, and with it will come our first beach vacation in a long time. Granted, we're going in June, so we don't expect to spend a lot of time on the beach, since summer weather doesn't tend to start in earnest until July on the island. However, since our little man tends to be a bit persnickety when he gets crumbs on his hands at mealtime, we're not expecting him to turn into a beach bum by summer. We'll be happy if he's happy to sit and dig in the sand for a bit.
Other activities we're looking forward to on the island: Eating fudge from Mad Martha's, playing on the playground, going to storytime at the Oak Bluffs public library, riding the Flying Horses carousel, seeing the cliffs at Aquinnah, watching the ferries arrive and depart, and stopping by the airport to see the planes take off and land.
A fall cruise to Bermuda
I admit to feeling some trepidation at the prospect of a cruise, given recent cruising events. Engine fires are scary. And having no electricity on a ship is also concerning. However, as of right now, our cruise is on, and we're excited about it.
I think the part of the cruise that excites me the most is not having to prepare or clean up a single meal for an entire week. I'm also looking forward to seeing Bermuda for the first time, introducing E to another country without having to get an airplane or undertake a lengthy road trip, and experiencing some warm weather after our weather has turned cool.
But really, the biggest appeal is not having to cook for and clean up after E for an entire week. And the free soft serve.
Of course, keeping E within eyesight is no guarantee of overall safety, as E's belated Valentine's Day gift to me proved. The cute little guy threw a block that landed squarely on my lower lip, resulting in swelling, bruising, and crankiness, not exactly what an already unhappy patient wants. Rather than encourage his clearly MLB-level talents, we will continue to discourage throwing and hope that eventually, he will learn. (Or at least have less painful aim.)
When we're not playing dodgeball with wooden objects, we're gazing longingly at the calendar, looking forward to warmer days, fewer germs, and some time spent away from home. Yes, I'm happy to announce that 2013 will feature the return of travel.
Our adventures are tamer than they used to be, but adventures they will be nonetheless. Here's what's on tap for our family this year:
A spring trip to New York City
When you're still scheduling life around one nap per day, you tend to focus on places that allow you to be in the middle of the action. And let's face it, just about everywhere in NYC is in the middle of the action. We're staying at a hotel that's a bit south of Central Park, where we expect to spend much of our time.
When we aren't playing on the (amazing) playgrounds at Central Park, we'll be visiting the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, saying hello to the animals at the Central Park Zoo, jumping on the giant piano at FAO Shwarz, sampling macarons and violet ice cream at Laduree, and riding the carousel in Central Park. And staring in awe at all of the trucks and buses that drive by.
A summer trip to Martha's Vineyard
Summer will arrive, and with it will come our first beach vacation in a long time. Granted, we're going in June, so we don't expect to spend a lot of time on the beach, since summer weather doesn't tend to start in earnest until July on the island. However, since our little man tends to be a bit persnickety when he gets crumbs on his hands at mealtime, we're not expecting him to turn into a beach bum by summer. We'll be happy if he's happy to sit and dig in the sand for a bit.
Other activities we're looking forward to on the island: Eating fudge from Mad Martha's, playing on the playground, going to storytime at the Oak Bluffs public library, riding the Flying Horses carousel, seeing the cliffs at Aquinnah, watching the ferries arrive and depart, and stopping by the airport to see the planes take off and land.
A fall cruise to Bermuda
I admit to feeling some trepidation at the prospect of a cruise, given recent cruising events. Engine fires are scary. And having no electricity on a ship is also concerning. However, as of right now, our cruise is on, and we're excited about it.
I think the part of the cruise that excites me the most is not having to prepare or clean up a single meal for an entire week. I'm also looking forward to seeing Bermuda for the first time, introducing E to another country without having to get an airplane or undertake a lengthy road trip, and experiencing some warm weather after our weather has turned cool.
But really, the biggest appeal is not having to cook for and clean up after E for an entire week. And the free soft serve.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Time and balance
It's been a while. I've still been here. I just haven't had much free time for blogging.
I've noticed that time moves further and further to the top of my problems list when I feel like I don't have enough time. Of course, everyone has enough time. We just haven't all figured out how to do everything we want in the time we have each day, week, or month.
At the end of 2012, I identified two areas in which I wanted to spend more time. First of all - and this should come as no surprise to any mom - I wanted to have more time in which to do whatever I wanted. I wanted more time to read, to blog, to see friends, to do nothing. My current schedule doesn't allow for much of that.
My second time priority was to spend more time working. This wish might come as a surprise to those who don't enjoy their work, but I genuinely do enjoy it and my reduced working schedule has left me wanting more.
Of course, increasing my time in those areas means a decrease in time spent one-on-one with E. A few weeks ago, I increased his attendance at school from four days to five.
I've been tempted to increase Eli's school attendance for a long time, but only recently has Eli established the same sleeping schedule at home and at school. He's been having only one nap per day for two months now (woohoo, finally!), and he naps as long and as well at school and at home.
We no longer have a full (longgggg) day together during the week, but between mornings and evenings, the two of us still spend 3 hours each weekday in quality one-on-one time. I still feel like I know him as well, and I am more patient with him when we are together. (And he is no longer cranky to be stuck at home alone with Mom all day every Friday during the long, cold winter.)
The balance I'm looking for still eludes me, but part of me suspects that statement will be true for a good many years down the road. I do feel like I'm getting closer to balance, though.
I've noticed that time moves further and further to the top of my problems list when I feel like I don't have enough time. Of course, everyone has enough time. We just haven't all figured out how to do everything we want in the time we have each day, week, or month.
At the end of 2012, I identified two areas in which I wanted to spend more time. First of all - and this should come as no surprise to any mom - I wanted to have more time in which to do whatever I wanted. I wanted more time to read, to blog, to see friends, to do nothing. My current schedule doesn't allow for much of that.
My second time priority was to spend more time working. This wish might come as a surprise to those who don't enjoy their work, but I genuinely do enjoy it and my reduced working schedule has left me wanting more.
Of course, increasing my time in those areas means a decrease in time spent one-on-one with E. A few weeks ago, I increased his attendance at school from four days to five.
I've been tempted to increase Eli's school attendance for a long time, but only recently has Eli established the same sleeping schedule at home and at school. He's been having only one nap per day for two months now (woohoo, finally!), and he naps as long and as well at school and at home.
We no longer have a full (longgggg) day together during the week, but between mornings and evenings, the two of us still spend 3 hours each weekday in quality one-on-one time. I still feel like I know him as well, and I am more patient with him when we are together. (And he is no longer cranky to be stuck at home alone with Mom all day every Friday during the long, cold winter.)
The balance I'm looking for still eludes me, but part of me suspects that statement will be true for a good many years down the road. I do feel like I'm getting closer to balance, though.
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