It is not always like this. Not at all. But the twin veteran moms were right. Something shifts at age 4, and suddenly these little beings can handle some independence. We have built in a structure of "quiet time" after lunch for a lonnnng time now and it is finally paying off. It doesn't always work (or last more than 10 minutes), but some days it does. Those days are treasures. Yes I have laundry to do, and the garbage is overflowing, and dinner needs to be prepared, but for 15 minutes, I am sitting down. Enjoying the moment. Savouring my coffee. (And just as I type this a child has come out with an angry request).
We had a rough few months of sickness, through the Christmas season. We went away on vacation to Mexico, and it was wonderful, despite that we were still sick through it all. We are back into routine. We moved the boys to 3 days of preschool to give us (mainly me) an extra bit of kid-free time to keep up my sanity. That has just begun, but I am already so happy. I just need a little more space at this point in time.
This winter has felt long, and dreary. Over time the years here on the island have felt more oppressive through the rainy seasons. I love the storms and the wind. But living it day in and day out, with young kids who are stuck inside, and carting groceries through the rain, and taking out a dog twice a day is wearing. I am so grateful for their preschool this year. It is a nature-based program and nearly every day they ARE outside, rain or shine and when they come home they have played and explored and are ready to tuck in and be content inside. Still, I am ready for the new life of spring to come. Being in the sun on holidays was wonderful, but it made it especially hard to come back to an intense storm season.
As for New Year's resolutions, mine don't tend to shift much year to year, and I am probably still in works of the same things from last year and the year before. Three priorities at the top of my list are:
1. Read my Bible every day. I started this year with a 30-day devotional called Awaken, which includes a journal portion and I'm so glad to be back at it.
2. Exercise - starting back at the gym. I've done home workouts for a few years, and while I have strength, I think this will take me to a new level of discipline, so I am starting 3 days at the gym, in addition to my weekly walks and runs.
3. Declutter! The boys are nearly out of all "baby" toys/clothes/supplies so I have purged those and want to continue through my house this year and bring the other rooms back to some sense of normalcy.
So that's where we are at, on the verge of February awakening and the prospect of spring (my tulips have pushed through the dirt and are waiting to make an appearance). What does your new year look like?
