Alright, so clearly it was a joke that I thought I'd be able to tackle one of these every week. So far it seems more accurate to try to post one of these every two weeks so maybe I'll strive for that and be pleasantly surprised if I do slightly better.
But back to the topic at hand: August! How in the world is August literally right around the corner already? Whenever I feel anxiety about Presley leaving me and starting pre-k this year I am comforted by the fact that we still have a long time until it becomes a reality. However this is NOT THE TRUTH and I've been telling myself a lie all along seeing as she'll be an official PRESCHOOLER by the end of next month. So we've got another three days before the start of another new month which will propel us deeper and deeper into the second half of 2016 (still haven't gotten used to typing/writing/saying that) so I believe now is the best time to make a few plans for the month... and possibly revisit some of those resolutions we made months ago for the New Year.
8 Goals for August:
01. Try not to freak out over Presley starting preschool.
I've never been diagnosed with anxiety or anything - and I know anxiety is a feeling most people experience from time to time - but I can be an anxious person. Or sensitive/feel a lot in that regard. And when it comes to my kids then - yes, absolutely I feel anxiety about letting go. It's a whole lot to trust someone with your most prized possession. I'll be trusting the teachers and other children to treat her with love and respect throughout the day - or five hours two days a week. I'll be trusting Presley to become a little bit more independent and to hope and pray she tells me if anything out of the ordinary happens to her while she's not in my care. It's that first huge step into the world of slowly letting go. For any parent, this is exciting and beautiful and necessary and terrifying. For this stay at home parent, it is just terrifying. Okay, I'm absolutely excited for her, too, and the fun things she will get to experience. But not one single part of me is excited for myself yet the way I anticipated I would be. I thought I'd be jumping up and down and so excited for a little more freedom from the constant pressure of parenting. I. Don't. Like. It. It all makes me wonder how in the world I am going to send her to public school - five full days - next year. And if I'm not okay with it, am I ready to teach the kids from home? I have to do what I think is best for THEM and not just what makes me the most comfortable. Maybe this is God asking me to give control to him instead of clutching onto it myself. (Or hey... wishful thinking, maybe this is God nudging me in the homeschooling direction?) I know it's going to take a lot of meditating/praying on this topic and growing for Presley and I over the next year to come to a decision. In the meantime, I am going to try not to freak out over Presley starting pre-k this month and focus on the exciting, wonderful opportunities for Presley that this chapter affords her.
02. Organize Crosby's clothes.
This will include anticipating the transition of moving Molly into Presley's room. I'd like to go ahead and move Molly's clothes into Presley's chest of drawers and her hang up clothes into Presley's closet. We plan on Crosby being in our room for the first couple months of his life and we will likely keep the girls in their separate rooms for that time, too, and then eventually getting both girls into the same room and Cros into his own room. Even if he doesn't have his own room for the first few months, he'll need space for his clothes and baby stuff so it'll be nice to go ahead and switch the clothes around beforehand.
03. Begin & finish a project around the house.
One of the projects I'm wanting to tackle is to hang up all the crosses I have collected over the last few years. We have yet to make a place for them and I am pretty sure I know where I'd like them - I just need to enlist my taller, better half to help with this project. It'll be nice because not only will it beautify a corner of our home, it'll free up some space of having them laying around. We have even bigger projects that {badly} need to be done in this house but this is definitely the easiest one.
04. Stock our freezer.
I really can't wait to tackle this one!!! Step one of this was totally crucial and we needed it anyways - decrap our freezer! It was so gratifying!! (Tony jokingly said you really couldn't tell a difference aka that we still had way too much in the freezer - but I got rid of so much food that we forgot about over the last two years.) Anyways, I can't wait to prep some meals and blog about my favorite ones! The freezer meals are going to mostly consist of crockpot dump meals but there will hopefully be a couple other staples like chicken pot pie, spaghetti, and lasagna, too.
05. Continue to deep clean and declutter our bedroom.
I started this a few weekends ago and then Tony joined in to help and it was soooo intensely necessary and felt incredible. I'd also like to rearrange the furniture in our room before we decide where to mount our TV in there. And then add that to the list: mount the bedroom TV.
06. Eat at home more.
This is an ongoing one for us - it's so easy to pick up lunch instead of packing lunch ahead when I'm out and about with the kids or carrying out for dinner when I just don't feel like cooking. We eat at home a whole lot these days but we could be so much better about it. I feel more in control when I set up meal plans ahead of time so maybe that's what I need to get back to for a few weeks to see how it goes. Not only is it usually healthier for us to eat at home but it saves money and that is definitely something we should focus on in August.
07. Tour both hospital options, choose a hospital, & pack our hospital bag.
I know this might be cheating a little bit as I slid three things into one here - but they're all hospital-related so I think it's allowed, not to mention when you look at them individually they're so simple! I saw Dr. Stinson throughout the first 1/2 of my pregnancy and for several reasons I just kept wanting to return to the doctor who birthed Molly. So I finally did! Now this changes our options for birthing hospitals... we've got to choose between either Saint Francis locations (Park Ave or Bartlett) or Baptist Women's Hospital (Humphrey's Blvd). All great options but we've gone ahead and ruled out the SF location I birthed Molly at because of the bad experience with the wet tap last time. Obviously that could happen anywhere but neither Tony or I want to go back there. I've scheduled to attend group tours at both places but for now we're pretty set on Baptist but the SF Bartlett option is so close to our house that it's worth a second look. Mostly I am just thrilled Dr. Podraza will (God-willing!) be there for us again and to help bring another one of our kids into the world. He was such a calming presence in the delivery room last time, flipped Molly in the birth canal from the posterior position, and helped me gently birth her. It was fantastic and the trust in him is there 100% for both me & Tony so I'm ecstatic to be back in his care! Lastly, I can't wait to pack the hospital bag!!! It is that one little step that will really make all of this all the more real for me. Bonus: Memphis Mom's Blog just posted a super great list of things to pack!
08. Make the 31 days of August extra special for Presley & Molly.
I definitely want to make it a fun month for the girls on the cusp of all this change for both of them (preschool, new sibling coming, etc). We've got access to a great park just a mile from our house, a summer membership to the Pink Palace, and memberships to both the Children's Museum and the Zoo. Money is a bit tight for us these days but the awesome thing is that all 4 of those options cost us nothing at this point. We've got water they can play in at the Zoo and CMOM, too, that we don't do a whole heck of a lot that they'd be over the moon about. I want to map out a plan for the month for them (along with contingency plans for weather) so that I can hold myself accountable. They also love visiting Target for free cookies at the bakery along with trips to the mall to check out all the fun things at the Disney store. There are so many fun parks around Shelby County to visit. And though it wouldn't be completely free, I'd love to plan a weekend getaway for Tony, the girls, and myself and use some free hotel nights we have. It'd more than likely be our last trip together as a family of 4 and I'd love to make that happen!!! I'm pretty excited to get started on a plan for their month of fun.
Alright, so that's it for some of my plans for August! I'm super excited now and I can't wait to start putting these plans in place & to mark some of these off the list!! Here's to a productive four weeks for all of us.
 |
| These girls keep me on my toes during all waking hours and most of the time I'm not even sure what day of the week it really is! |
But back to the topic at hand: August! How in the world is August literally right around the corner already? Whenever I feel anxiety about Presley leaving me and starting pre-k this year I am comforted by the fact that we still have a long time until it becomes a reality. However this is NOT THE TRUTH and I've been telling myself a lie all along seeing as she'll be an official PRESCHOOLER by the end of next month. So we've got another three days before the start of another new month which will propel us deeper and deeper into the second half of 2016 (still haven't gotten used to typing/writing/saying that) so I believe now is the best time to make a few plans for the month... and possibly revisit some of those resolutions we made months ago for the New Year.
8 Goals for August:
01. Try not to freak out over Presley starting preschool.
I've never been diagnosed with anxiety or anything - and I know anxiety is a feeling most people experience from time to time - but I can be an anxious person. Or sensitive/feel a lot in that regard. And when it comes to my kids then - yes, absolutely I feel anxiety about letting go. It's a whole lot to trust someone with your most prized possession. I'll be trusting the teachers and other children to treat her with love and respect throughout the day - or five hours two days a week. I'll be trusting Presley to become a little bit more independent and to hope and pray she tells me if anything out of the ordinary happens to her while she's not in my care. It's that first huge step into the world of slowly letting go. For any parent, this is exciting and beautiful and necessary and terrifying. For this stay at home parent, it is just terrifying. Okay, I'm absolutely excited for her, too, and the fun things she will get to experience. But not one single part of me is excited for myself yet the way I anticipated I would be. I thought I'd be jumping up and down and so excited for a little more freedom from the constant pressure of parenting. I. Don't. Like. It. It all makes me wonder how in the world I am going to send her to public school - five full days - next year. And if I'm not okay with it, am I ready to teach the kids from home? I have to do what I think is best for THEM and not just what makes me the most comfortable. Maybe this is God asking me to give control to him instead of clutching onto it myself. (Or hey... wishful thinking, maybe this is God nudging me in the homeschooling direction?) I know it's going to take a lot of meditating/praying on this topic and growing for Presley and I over the next year to come to a decision. In the meantime, I am going to try not to freak out over Presley starting pre-k this month and focus on the exciting, wonderful opportunities for Presley that this chapter affords her.
02. Organize Crosby's clothes.
This will include anticipating the transition of moving Molly into Presley's room. I'd like to go ahead and move Molly's clothes into Presley's chest of drawers and her hang up clothes into Presley's closet. We plan on Crosby being in our room for the first couple months of his life and we will likely keep the girls in their separate rooms for that time, too, and then eventually getting both girls into the same room and Cros into his own room. Even if he doesn't have his own room for the first few months, he'll need space for his clothes and baby stuff so it'll be nice to go ahead and switch the clothes around beforehand.
03. Begin & finish a project around the house.
One of the projects I'm wanting to tackle is to hang up all the crosses I have collected over the last few years. We have yet to make a place for them and I am pretty sure I know where I'd like them - I just need to enlist my taller, better half to help with this project. It'll be nice because not only will it beautify a corner of our home, it'll free up some space of having them laying around. We have even bigger projects that {badly} need to be done in this house but this is definitely the easiest one.
04. Stock our freezer.
I really can't wait to tackle this one!!! Step one of this was totally crucial and we needed it anyways - decrap our freezer! It was so gratifying!! (Tony jokingly said you really couldn't tell a difference aka that we still had way too much in the freezer - but I got rid of so much food that we forgot about over the last two years.) Anyways, I can't wait to prep some meals and blog about my favorite ones! The freezer meals are going to mostly consist of crockpot dump meals but there will hopefully be a couple other staples like chicken pot pie, spaghetti, and lasagna, too.
05. Continue to deep clean and declutter our bedroom.
I started this a few weekends ago and then Tony joined in to help and it was soooo intensely necessary and felt incredible. I'd also like to rearrange the furniture in our room before we decide where to mount our TV in there. And then add that to the list: mount the bedroom TV.
06. Eat at home more.
This is an ongoing one for us - it's so easy to pick up lunch instead of packing lunch ahead when I'm out and about with the kids or carrying out for dinner when I just don't feel like cooking. We eat at home a whole lot these days but we could be so much better about it. I feel more in control when I set up meal plans ahead of time so maybe that's what I need to get back to for a few weeks to see how it goes. Not only is it usually healthier for us to eat at home but it saves money and that is definitely something we should focus on in August.
07. Tour both hospital options, choose a hospital, & pack our hospital bag.
I know this might be cheating a little bit as I slid three things into one here - but they're all hospital-related so I think it's allowed, not to mention when you look at them individually they're so simple! I saw Dr. Stinson throughout the first 1/2 of my pregnancy and for several reasons I just kept wanting to return to the doctor who birthed Molly. So I finally did! Now this changes our options for birthing hospitals... we've got to choose between either Saint Francis locations (
08. Make the 31 days of August extra special for Presley & Molly.
I definitely want to make it a fun month for the girls on the cusp of all this change for both of them (preschool, new sibling coming, etc). We've got access to a great park just a mile from our house, a summer membership to the Pink Palace, and memberships to both the Children's Museum and the Zoo. Money is a bit tight for us these days but the awesome thing is that all 4 of those options cost us nothing at this point. We've got water they can play in at the Zoo and CMOM, too, that we don't do a whole heck of a lot that they'd be over the moon about. I want to map out a plan for the month for them (along with contingency plans for weather) so that I can hold myself accountable. They also love visiting Target for free cookies at the bakery along with trips to the mall to check out all the fun things at the Disney store. There are so many fun parks around Shelby County to visit. And though it wouldn't be completely free, I'd love to plan a weekend getaway for Tony, the girls, and myself and use some free hotel nights we have. It'd more than likely be our last trip together as a family of 4 and I'd love to make that happen!!! I'm pretty excited to get started on a plan for their month of fun.
Alright, so that's it for some of my plans for August! I'm super excited now and I can't wait to start putting these plans in place & to mark some of these off the list!! Here's to a productive four weeks for all of us.
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| Three prompts down and seven more to go! If you participate let me know and I will add a link to your blog here on mine! |
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