A big year ahead...
Happy New Year my lovelies!!!
I hope you are all refreshed, rejuvenated and optimistic for the year ahead.
I’m sure you can tell that I have taken a little longer to return to the online world. I have two excuses for this…1) an almost 2-year old tantrum queen and 2) a 9 month old sleep thief!
Alyvia will be 2 at the end of the month and she’s been practicing being a ‘terrible two’! I think she’s pretty good at it if you ask me!
As for Sophia, I’d rather not talk about her sleeping habits…let’s just say she is a cross between an owl and a vampire!!!
So with the two of them, the daytimes are given to Alyvia to consume, while she allows her sister to take over at night!
This year marks several big things and I have already started to organise myself in preparation for these milestones.
Alyvia turns 2 at the end of the month. We are planning on celebrating with close family and friends this year.
My little Sophia turns 1 in April and we will be planning an over the top, over-priced, stressful event but it’s only fair as this is what we did for Alyvia’s first birthday.
It is our 5 year ‘wood’ wedding anniversary this year and frankly if CD brings me a plank of wood as his anniversary present, we all know what I will do with it!
CD is celebrating a big birthday this year, and is expecting a little (or a lot of) attention.
Lastly, I return to work!
There you have it! A busy year but I am excited as always for the memories we as a family will hopefully make.
In order to prepare myself for the year ahead along with the upcoming festivities, I have written 10 tips/actions that I have found help me stay productive, focused, organised, healthy and possess a clear mind all year round.
1) Try to wake up before the kids – My children usually wake up around 7am and I try to get up at least half an hour before to have a full glass of water and organise myself for that day.
2) Check journal/planner – I can’t live without my journal. It is the only way I can remember to do things and it certainly helps me stay organised. As our lives become busier, I feel that our minds too get very busy and it can be difficult to organise and prioritise everything. For this reason, I have found that journals bring a lot of structure and order to my days. I have started bullet journaling. It is a great way to put everything you need into one diary/notebook/journal/planner. I have my to-do lists, meal plans, diary, health trackers etc and it is also a great way to document your daily highlights so that when you look back on it in the future, you remember exactly what happened.
3) Skincare – Looking after my skin has been something I have been doing for a verv long time. It is part of my daily regime and I recommend something simple so that you find it easy to stick to. If your skin is feeling fresh and hydrated, you too will feel the same. I cleanse my face first and then use an eye cream before putting on my moisturizer for the day (it also contains SPF). This also includes cleansing and moisturising at night.
4) Vitamins – I usually have my multivitamins and my pregnacare tablets as I am still breastfeeding.
5) Try to eat healthy throughout the day – this is an obvious tip and one I won’t dwell into as most people know the benefits of eating healthy.
6) Exercise – if you exercise or not, I always suggest at least going for a walk and getting some fresh air, you’ll be surprised what that does for your mental state. Go with or without the little ones it doesn’t matter but as a cardiologist, I always recommend at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (equivalent to a brisk walk) per day in order to exercise that vital heart muscle. I am a member of Heartcore and attend their classes weekly. I think they are excellent for toning and conditioning your body.
7) Work/errands/’me’ time/quality time with the kids – If you have work or errands to do, get on with those towards the earlier part of the day so that it is done and you can concentrate on other things. I personally procrastinate if I don’t get things done in the morning, as I tend to feel lethargic by early evening. When the kids are napping, I try to have at least an hour of ‘me’ time where I light a candle, make a cup of ginger tea and read a book. It’s hard not to want to get other things done but I feel this makes a huge difference to my mood towards the later part of the day. My time with the kids is always special and I don’t like to have a laptop or phone in front of me while I’m playing with them. This is an example where multitasking is not the answer. I don’t want to give 50% to my work and 50% to my children and neither receive the proper attention that they deserve. I try to dedicate pure time with them…and don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t need to be hours and hours, but I like to do something where they both can get involved. Reading, puzzles, attending a class or a stroll to the park is usually what I do.
8) Date nights- CD and I have not been having as many date nights as we would like to recently. He has been very busy with work and I have been very busy being a zombie! We do find that we need that time to ourselves at least once a month in order to maintain our sanity and we take it in turns to plan something for each other each month.
9) Go to sleep at a reasonable time – this preps you for the following day. If you are like me and have little or no sleep due to young children, sleep as early as you can. Your sanity is more important.
10) A Positive Mind – try to spend a few minutes a day reflecting on the good aspects of the day. It focuses all your energy into positivity and you will feel equipped for the following day.
I’ll end this post by trying to instill some motivation and encouragement for a great year ahead full of wonderful memories with your loved ones. After all, we are parents and we can do anything!!!
Speak soon
MCD
xxx