Avalinette's MAP

Avalinette

This week my main goal is getting LO napping independently. Over the weekend, H did naptime with her. This week I'll not nurse her to sleep at naptime but still get her to lie down...and if she outlasts me and never sleeps, it'll only be for 4 days because H has Friday off so I think I can manage that.

Avalinette

Last week:
-I did about 3/4 of my every day stuff
-I did pf everyday till we went away (at which point I no longer had my helpful reminder paper around me and totally forgot them...I guess I haven't got that habit yet)
-Not once did LO nurse into total insensibility at naptime and she did actually sleep about half the days and stayed in her room/on her mattress downstairs during naptime every day.

Avalinette

This week's goals
-LO is now going to sleep without nursing to sleep at naptime...but it takes longer so now she often doesn't nap or worse, naps really late and is a nightowl at bedtime...I can't even do enforced quiet time in her room at naptime because it's too hot up there so we're having our naps in the airconditioned loungeroom (and she is kinda doing quiet time sitting on her mattress). Anyway, this week's monkey is to keep working at getting her falling asleep alone and enforcing the no napping after 3 rule (stretched to 3:30)
-Get my share of the chores done every day
-Do all I can to protect hubby's zen time so he gets to unwind.

Avalinette

So, the last week I had goals written here, we had a big storm and that kinda set everything off track with clean up and not having a car because our car got caught in the storm and smashed (we weren't in it). That was then followed by kids being sick. Anyway, I want to get back on track now. My monkeys
-send Christmas cards
-put together and email off our Christmas wishlists
-toilet training
-stay on top of household chores
-write a to-do list of all the little niggly things that need doing and start crossing them off.

MrsJon

@Avalinette ; So glad you got through the storm safely. Sorry about your car though.
I think you are doing really well in your MAP. Good job on just powering through and getting things done. I know how hard that can be with very little ones to care for. You are making good progress.
Keep up the good work!

Avalinette

Thank you @MrsJon

Avalinette

Avalinette said:

So, the last week I had goals written here, we had a big storm and that kinda set everything off track with clean up and not having a car because our car got caught in the storm and smashed (we weren't in it). That was then followed by kids being sick. Anyway, I want to get back on track now. My monkeys
-send Christmas cards
-put together and email off our Christmas wishlists
-toilet training
-stay on top of household chores
-write a to-do list of all the little niggly things that need doing and start crossing them off.

Last weeks goals:
-I've got the most important Christmas cards written and I have all the addresses. I plan to post them tomorrow. I even managed to print off some photos to send to overseas relatives: that was a mission...
-Christmas wishlists are done (getting H's contribution was like squeezing water from a stone...but I guess I understand, I don't much like writing mine either)
-toilet training: she's getting most wees in the potty or toilet and we've been away from home a few times and no accidents while out . At the moment she still needs reminders and only goes when I remind her.
-Household chores were pretty good. I'm particularly proud of myself for tidying the lounge every single day
-To do list: I wrote it, but LO tore it out of my notebook and it got lost I know I missed one thing but I think I did everything else.

Avalinette

@Kiche, toilet training is one of the areas of parenting I'm least sure of...but at least we're not under any pressure to get it done early like previous generations were. Anyway, I've got books with advice :P 

(The awesome is for your daughter training easily)

Avalinette

Plan for this week:
-Every day: tidy the lounge, do 10 kettleball swings, do an activity with LO. If I do them all I'll buy myself a bunch of flowers. (I did earn my flowers last week too) (@HildaCorners)
-Toilet training
-Christmas cards and get started buying and wrapping gifts.
-Create a toddler proof quiet time spot in the air conditioned lounge because I'm going crazy now that her room is too hot for her during the day. (If I can't get both kids asleep simultaneously, I miss out on my nap time)

Avalinette

Thanks @Kiche

Avalinette

Hey every one. Sorry for disappearing: we've been having computer woes and I've been unable to get to the forum for the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to posting (and reading) regularly in a few weeks time. I had a lovely Christmas and am still enjoying my holidays (one more week to go). I hope everyone else did too.

Avalinette

H is back at work, so I need to get back into the swing of housekeeping. We had a wonderful holiday away at the seaside and feel kind of re-set. It was so easy while on holiday to get up early and go for a swim or a run on the beach before breakfast and I want to try and keep that momentum going. I also had barely any chocolate cravings during the holiday. It's frustrating that now we're home again, it's hard to get up early, hard to exercise and the chocolate is calling again...

3 monkeys:

• We've re-organised and re-printed our daily chores lists and our evening schedule. Monkey one is sticking to them
• Monkey 2 is exercise: I plan to get up early and exercise after coffee and before breakfast every morning. Kettlebell swings every morning and drive to the pool and swim as many mornings as I can make it
• Monkey 3 is diet: I'm trying to pay attention to what I put in my mouth and actually ask myself whether I'm actually hungry and whether the thing I'm about to eat will actually be good for me. It was much easier to do this on holidays and now I find myself falling into bad habits again : craving chocolate and wanting to snack all the time, especially as motivation to work. In addition, H and I are having a 2 week sugar detox (ie. not eating any refined sugar) starting today.   

(While typing this, LO got into the fridge and helped herself to my unopened block of chocolate, opened it and helped herself to 2 pieces...grrr...it was soooo tempting to grab a piece myself...)

MrsJon

So glad to see you back @Avalinette !  I am glad you enjoyed your little holiday by the sea. I always enjoy reading your posts.
Good luck with your monkeys this week.

Avalinette

Thanks @MrsJon.

Avalinette

Last week was really frustrating. I wanted to start out all ready to go with a new year and stay on top of everything...and instead: I spent Monday fighting cravings and hayfever and feeling miserable that I couldn't have chocolate and then Tues and Wed I was sick, Thurs I was recovering and Fri my kids were sick...so it wasn't very productive a week after all

Yesterday (Sat) was great though We got up early and went to the farmer's market to buy veg and then to the butcher before stopping for coffee and breakfast. At home, I made a chicken stock, a big batch of iced tea and a week's worth of packed lunches and snack boxes in addition to my share of cleaning the kitchen inbetween (H was also cooking) and watching kids. In the afternoon I drove the kids out to visit with my family.

Anyway, Last week's monkeys:

• We pretty much did all our daily chores, but that's mainly because hubby did them, especially on Tuesday when I stayed in bed for the evening. I cooked all the meals apart from Tues though and managed to have the lounge tidy on hubby's return from work on Thurs and Fri.
• Exercise: We all went to the pool on Monday morning, I did kettlebell swings Tues, skipped Wed, just did some stretches Thurs cause I felt off and my muscles were (and still are a bit) so sore and stiff from being ill, did kettlebells on Fri
• Stuck to the sugar detox (and almost completely gluten free) except for cheat morning on Saturday. (I'm noticeably thinner and weigh less than I did before we left on holiday - yay! )    

This week

• Actually do my share of the daily chores, log how well we keep to schedule in the evenings, tidy the lounge floor 4/5 afternoons before hubby gets home.
• kettlebell swings everyday, swimming as often as I can (probably once or twice)
• One more week of no sugar
  

Avalinette

hmm...I see I wrote a slightly different version of my 3 monkeys here than I did on my whiteboard...so I didn't quite do these because I forgot. Oh well: report on last week:

• Did my share of the chores. I think I missed lounge floor 2 afternoons, but both of those were afternoons he finished early and phoned me to pick him up so I had no warning and was driving to fetch him rather than tidying while I waited for him.
• kettlebell swings 4/5 days (and a new pb!), 2 lots of swimming
• I slogged through my second week of no sugar and am soooo glad it's over. 

This week

• Stick to schedule in evenings
• kettlebell swings and swimming  
• Pay attention to what I eat, ask myself whether I really want to eat it (am I actually hungry?, why do I want to eat it?, if it's a treat item, is it actually worth it? etc) and put it back if I don't.

Avalinette

Last week's goals:

• H had a bad week and didn't help as much as usual, so only 75% of chores got done and evening routine was only vaguely followed. I didn't record anything.
• I did kettlebells or swimming every day and on Thursday I even managed to get up before everyone else and drive to the pool to do my laps.
• I did ok with the eating, but would like to be more consistent.

Avalinette

So, I haven't been around for a while. I have really limited computer access and it's not feasible for me write up my 3 monkeys here every week till that gets sorted. Anyway, an update:

• Chores are going ok. We are getting enough done that the house isn't falling apart and is reasonably clean. H and I are both struggling mentally with the idea of being happy with 80% rather than close to 100%...and the last few weeks we've been under 80% anyway...
• Till this week, I was doing really well with doing kettlebell swings every day but have had a sore knee recently so need to take it slower. I haven't been swimming in a while
• I think I'm doing ok diet wise...certainly, I seem to have just about lost all the baby weight

Avalinette

Hi @Kiche, things are going fairly well. I haven't been able to update here as much because i don't have such easy computer access as I used to. I'm generally keeping busy looking after a toddler and a baby and not keeping my house quite up to the standard I'd like, but I'm doing better with accepting less than perfection. I'm hoping to find time to do a proper map update sometime soon.

Avalinette

MAP update

Physicality and health
-get my pelvic floor strong again (preferably stronger than before) still trying to remember to do pf exercises. Improvement has pretty much stalled though and physio thinks I might have too much nerve damage to get any more improvement till the nerves heal (something like 18 mo after baby, giving me 9 more months to go)
-get into regular exercise for me: quit the gym, swam regularly through Summer but not now it's Winter so back to nothing other than keeping up with a toddler and baby
-sort out my anxiety and mental health issues seeing a psychologist: I've had some events happen to me that usually trigger panic and didn't panic so there's some improvement
-slowly cut down on the junk food and sugar most of our food is home made, but I'm not restricting anything for me or toddler when we're out, so a fair bit of junk's still getting through.

*A general note: I've lost all the baby weight (despite my mother's warnings during pregnancy that I was putting on too much) Still have a flabby tummy but I don't feel as depressed about it as I did after last pregnancy
Money and materials
-get back into budgeting we've got all our expenses budgetted now 
-sort out my closet and kids clothes and throw out unused stuff I did this but needs doing again: bother changing seasons and sizes
-sort and organise the various drifts/boxes of stuff lying around hubby's done a lot of these
-budget my time better and get the important things done doing well at following a weekly chore list, and some week's doing a to do list
Displaying High value
-better wardrobe and do a better job wearing it I've bought a few things. the down side to budgeting is that hubby left out clothes from the budget which either means, no money for clothes or unlimited money...confusing...I don't think I can justify some of the things I want
-stop whining and complaining I think I'm better at keeping this to myslef but I still have a really negative sound track in my head
-get better at taking time for myself and not feeling guilty about it I've had a few massages and a few times out by myself but the kids have hit a bit more of a difficult age for leaving again and we're so busy with other things
-get better at communicating maybe

-find a quick every day makeup routine I'm not really sure I want to do this: I'm so not a make up person and hubby doesn't like me putting stuff on regularly so if neither of us really want it, what's the point? The point of course is that now that I'm over thirty the natural colour in my face that I've been blessed with all my life is fading and the wrinkles are coming out.

-become a more confident driver I'm driving regularly but every time I start getting a bit more confident something awful happens again so it's hard building it up, but I'm bouncing back better.