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Midlife Life, Parenting, Transitional Parenting

Grateful for the past

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I asked my younger daughter for a Christmas list this morning. I’ve already tucked away a few goodies for both girls and have a good idea of what I want to do for my husband, but I know the time for shopping will be in the panic zone before I know it. Still, I don’t want to miss this month. Though not exclusive, this is the month customarily designated for gratitude. For me, it is also a month of reflection; a time to look back before the busyness of the holiday season ushers in the closing of the books on another year.

On occasion, I pull out my old journals and read through the pages. Who was I two years, five years, ten years ago? What did I worry about? What were my struggles, dreams, and triumphs? What changes have I made? Have I made progress?

I started this blog (originally named Transitioning Mom) back in 2011. I wanted to use it to both record and reflect on my life as I moved through the transitional phase toward the empty nest. My days were so different back then. I was still actively homeschooling my girls. Life was filled with their needs far more than my own. That, in many ways, is what we do as moms, intentional or not. We lose sight of our own needs and before we know it, another year has passed.

Tonight I looked back on where I was and who I was the year I started this blog. Delightfully, I was taken to post that walked me back to the early days of this blog and my children’s lives. It was a walk down memory lane of Christmas ornaments and construction paper gratitude chains. And, for that, I am grateful.

NaBloPoMo 2017

Midlife Life, Parenting, Transitional Parenting

Keep going.

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Don't watch the clock do what it does. Keep going..png

It’s been a long day. You will probably hear me say that a lot over the next few of months. The first few months with a new puppy are often exhausting, in the same way, the first 20 years raising children is exhausting.

A few weeks back, we had a heavy wet snow that pulled one of our neighbor’s branches down and sent is spearing through my roof and ceiling. Today, I had my roof replaced, which meant that every time I took the puppy out to relieve, there were grand distractions all around. Now, if you’ve ever potty trained a child or a pup, you know that, on a good day,  50 percent of the work is in catching them at the right time and the other 50 percent is spent cleaning up accidents. So, there is a lot of clock-watching, and predicting and, well, exhaustion because you really can’t let your guard down when you are trying potty train a little one. Timing, as they say, is everything.

I tried to sit down and write a few times today, in between potty trips and playtime and feedings. I waited for naptime to really crack down and knock something out. My attempts proved futile each time. I found myself stressing, watching the clock, and worrying about whether or not this would be the day that broke my writing streak. My 5 day, NaBloPoMo 2017 streak.

The clock is a fickle mistress. We all live by her in one way or another, watching the minutes tick away, wishing for more time to use for _____________ (fill in the blank.) Many of us were given an “extra hour” over the weekend. I’d guess the vast majority used it for sleep unless, of course, you have a small child or a pet. Neither can read time and neither cares about time. They just keep going.

Today, despite my fatigue, I told myself, one way or another, I would get a post up. I told myself to stop watching the clock and to just keep going. And, so I did.

NaBloPoMo 2017