Gimme an F!

As in F! ING! FEBRUARY!!11!!

Seriously. This month is for poop. This whole winter is kind of for poop, but the long snowy wet cold slog of February (can it really be the shortest month?) just takes the poopy cake. We have had some nice moments and my resolutions have helped but SERIOUSLY. Enough!

I gladly take my leave of you, February.

So to the monthly wrap-up: 

As you may recall my resolutions were all about finding and taking teeny moments in time. For the most part, I stuck to them. On a few days I was too lazy to shower or tend to moi terlet so I did not perfume me. And on a few days my stomach rebelled against the idea of chocolate or wine (what a stupid stomach I have). But for the most part, I took those moments. Me! No! Mine! Mine! My moments! 

(Sorry, I have a 14 month old for whom possession is 110% of the law.)

It felt pretty luxurious to smell good and to indulge my senses for a few minutes most days. I found that sensibility bleeding into other areas - once I smelled nice, I would then feel like looking a bit nicer. Maybe a little blush, even some earrings! So fancy! And maybe we could set the table to look a little nicer with my nice glass of wine! Maybe sit down to enjoy my chocolate! Instead of eating it while hanging over the counter and watching something crappy on the TV! So fancy!

"Suppressing the harsh tone" proved to be...challenging. Sometimes it meant I said nothing for long, long moments. Sometimes I forgot the resolution altogether and indulged the shout or swear or sent a text without editing. I might bring this one forward another month.

My most favorite bit was the daily photograph. At the end of each day, with a sleepy baby on my lap and (most nights) a sleeping toddler next to me, when all was quiet, I could look through the moments I had captured that day and choose my favorite. Then crop and filter so it became even more blurrily lovely and then bam! Onto the internet it goes! The grandparents were pleased as punch, and I discovered this is an easy way to almost completely reframe a day. Do I remember what happened in the hours before this photo was taken? Not really. But I do get a warm fuzzy feeling each time I look at it and can remember exactly how I felt in the moment it was taken. Like this one.

Baby G was perfecting her "running away and giggling at Mama" routine during one of our morning drop-offs. But as soon as I suggested she and Sister hold hands, she raced towards her Big and together, they walked to the building. And my heart exploded.

...And every day I found some moment that had similar impact. Altogether worthy exercise. The best. I'm going to keep it up, if not hold myself to a daily schedule.

And on shall we go together, dear Reader, holding hands, out of the crapfest February, into the everso-slightly-closer to Spring month of March! I shall not shy away from cliche, and will devote my month to resolutions around Spring Cleaning. See you there!

Happy bluebirds to you, A

Febru-any

Holy mackerel, dear reader. How can it be the MIDDLE of February already? IMPOSSIBLE. But, there it is. We have been super-busy due to a Birthday Explosion - seriously, how many Aquarians do I know? An assload, that's how many. I threw a 70th birthday party for my dad at the end of January (thereby crossing off a Life List item, most successfully). Then like dominos the birthdays fall down through February...my boyfriend, his best friend, my sister-in-law, my niece, my big girl's best friend, my little girl's betrothed, etc etc etc. So this month is as good as any to celebrate all these loves in our lives, and the greatest love of all, loving myself.

The greatest loooooove of aaaaaaaaaaaaaall!!!!

Ahem.

I don't know a mom who feels like they have all the time they need to be or care for themselves. An overarching goal for this whole year is to snatch back the teeniest, tiniest bits of time for self-care. And when I say tiny, I mean it - 2 minutes here to eat a piece of chocolate, 10 minutes for a glass of wine, 30 seconds there to dab on a bit of perfume. SO...to the Resolutions!

1. Eat a piece of dark chocolate OR have a glass of red wine every day. Or both! But only at a moment when they truly can be enjoyed.
2. Wear perfume every day.
3. Post at least one photo of a lovely moment to Instagram (and share on Facebook) every day.
4. Suppress the unpleasant word/harsh tone at least once a day.

My January resolution of exercise every day is also coming forward, because it makes my life 1000 times more bearable. I have taken a couple of days off due to snowfuckery and a twingy knee and oh the difference. So much difference in my patience and general ability to deal.

Happiness Project Month Two Electric Boogaloo! Here we go!

Happy bluebirds to you,
Andrea