The List, an update

For three months, our lives— appropriately so— have revolved around baby and getting him acclimated, confident, and attached to us.  The work is far from done, but we have more of a sense of things and what works and are operating with a plan in mind everyday and are feeling good about our daily progress and the support we are receiving for doing what must be done to help him become a strong, confident, self-assured little boy. 

What did that duck ever do to you, baby?

We’re put a lot of self-care and enrichment on hold during this time so that both of us could team up together to handle what has been a time consuming labor of love.  But now that we have a better understanding of things– of what’s good for baby and what makes things harder for him after just his third month of being here, of each of his needs and how we can meet them one on one and one by one, we have decided to periodically do some significant dividing and conquering.  Last Friday, I had my first span of hours away from the house (other than for teaching)..  We’re hopeful that we can maybe have a day like this every other week or so (probably Fridays) where one of us can run and get a litany of things on our list done (on my list this past Friday?  Buying a couple pair of summer shorts and t-shirts, getting a pedicure– my brother’s Mother’s Day present to me, and going to a restaurant by myself for lunch and reading a book).  Thinking about any upcoming free time in the coming months, I decided to revisit my 35 things list for inspiration.  Thus far in this birthday list year, I’ve just scratched a handful of things off the list:  teach writing and self-awareness workshops locally, update my will, take a family leave period in February, throw a giving party, take a retreat, and remodel the guest bathroom.  So I reviewed the master list of 35 things and besides seeing 3 things I really don’t want to do anymore and another 2 that are questionable as to whether or not I want to do them, I figured out some things that I could actually get done or at least significantly started in May:            

Incorporate daily walking and stretching into my schedule. 

Go horseback riding. 

Walk or ride my bike around town—for meetings, grocery shopping, etc.  (The spirit is willing.  I am just bad about pushing whatever I am working on until the last possible minute so that I am forced to drive to a meeting to be on time (as I am absolutely not willing to sacrifice being on time.). 

Clean out the attic (I have all my high school US history lesson plans from 10 years ago.  And I have zero desire to teach a lesson on Custer’s Last Stand again in my life. Now, I did like some of those lessons I crafted up in my years teaching.  But, seriously, there is no need for me to keep crate after crate of overhead projector sheet is there?).   

Knock off four more books on my list of 35 I want to read by my next birthday.  I just finished The Senator’s Wife and should finish Cooking for Mr. Latte, my book club’s May selection, in the next couple of days.  Then I’ll need to get two more in before the end of the month.  I’ll pick from that book shelf in my closet.  Maybe The Purpose of Boys, The 30 Second Seduction, Joe College, or A Saint on Death Row. 

This weekend, I’l start by having BF haul down the old lesson plan boxes and then I’ll start my stroll down high school history memory lane.