Busy times, the holiday, especially with a little one. We had fun, so did he. We're all much more relaxed for having had some time off. I even ignored my desire to submit a paper to a big conference (due Jan 10). Not sure if I will make it at this point, if not, oh well, c'est la vie. I'm on mat leave after all, and soon going back to work. So I'm taking advantage of these last 6 weeks!
What's on the plate for the new year? I'm not one to make resolutions, generally, but this time I've used the new year as a motivator since it's too easy to get absorbed completely by baby-boy's needs and ignoring my own. I'm listing my ideas here so that I don't forget them and so that I can be held accountable:
1. Find a nanny.
2. Join a writing group.
3. Renew my exercise programme.
Number one is in the works. It's our most urgent issue right now. Yes, we still have blinds to hang and pictures to sort out, and what not. But I can't very well go back to work without having someone to care for our little one. We began the process about 10 days ago and have met 2 nannies so far, with a third tomorrow. The first nanny is the most promising and who knows, we might be lucky enough to finish our search quickly. It feels kind of 'scary' that we might hire the first person we interviewed, but we did meet someone when baby-boy was around five months old, and both agreed that was someone we definitely did NOT want taking care of our kid. So we have some kind of benchmark to compare to. I checked out the first nanny's references and they were all solid. Next step is to get her to send through a police check, if we both agree that tomorrow's nanny isn't as good as this one.
I'm also in the process of working on number two. A friend of mine has set up a local writing group as part of a new organization she created. I'm hoping to revive my ancient fantasy novel that is gathering dust on a computer or USB drive somewhere. Meeting people every 2 weeks should stimulate me to do some writing in the evenings when baby-boy is asleep. I'm excited about it, since it's been a very long time since I allowed myself to work on this (I've prioritized writing for work). This time, I'm going to work during the nanny hours, and write for pleasure in the evening. It will have to be a more measured approach, of about an hour a day, but that might be just what the doctor ordered.
I have not yet started the exercise goal. Since I'm still breast feeding, I am continuing to eat like a horse. However, my habits are not that great, and alongside the exercise, I'm hoping that the nanny will be able to prepare salads/vegetables every day that I can add to my protein and a measured approach to carbs. My plans for exercise are two-fold. I am going to join the gym again at my university, and during nanny-hours, I will be able to dedicate 45 minutes to a daily gym visit. This is less time than I usually have spent in the gym in the past, but if I go every day instead of just 2 or 3 times a week, it should work out. At the same time, I'm considering joining a friend's and fellow bloggers 1000 mile challenge. This means you run 1000 miles during 2012 (or burn the equivalent number of calories in another form of exercise). It sounds intimidating but again, it may be just the kind of kick up the butt that I need. I could easily alternate my gym routines between weights (my preferred workout method) and running (my best weight loss and fitness approach).
So there it is 2012. And I've not even talked about work goals. Those, I'll just post on my pin board in the office!
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