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Hannelore

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Hannelore
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  • Re: Hanni's MAP

    A friend left Lussakatter on our front door yesterday, which was nice. The light show is only on on the weekends, so we did a humorous loop through the park in the dark, then visited ritzy neighborhoods looking for lights, enjoying the rolls.

    Today was a recovery day from yesterday's craziness. Older three took 40 minutes to get ready for piano lessons and still weren't ready when they were picked up. A friend brought over a meal, so that was taken care of. 

    I need to eat and drink more water. The appetite is not there like it was the first week after delivery, when I was eating 5 meals a day.

    Still trying to nap each day. 

    The morning and evening routines are kind of an obsession with me (probably not good). I'm determined that I'll get to the point where xyz is done before anything else in the morning, and xyz is done before bed; and eventually the older kids (9 and 8) can do this responsibly and independently. We really lack on the "trust but verify" front when it comes to daily kid habits and chores, the H and I.  I feel like I've been working on these routines for 6 months with nothing to show (it's been about 4 months...)

    Dishes and laundry done. 

    Tomorrow: routines, water each time nurse, eat, one load of laundry, dishes done before bed, figure out what to do about groceries for the weekend (we're on a blizzard, sub-zero cycle it seems, and I'm less than excited about taking everyone out in it)


    Tiger_LilyMrsJon
  • Re: Hanni's MAP

    Got a bad sore throat last night and now have a full out cold. Halloween and the World Series did me in. 

    Finishing up Friday's chores today. Hopefully the living room will be acceptable and I can finally finish moving all the book boxes from the soon-to-be girls' room. That's all I have planned for today. And making apple butter. 

    The kids were doing great with chores and working quickly, then the last few weeks everyone has turned ugly: really disrespectful, whiny, not doing the job well, sneaking away etc. School is a solid habit no one questions and a great success. I'm even adding some extra-curricular things once a week, for fun. But I feel like I've had 3-4 weeks of chore success, then fell off a cliff. I was looking forward after Halloween to nothing on the calendar until the baby comes---every weekend to catchup and get ready, and now my cousin planned an engagement party for my sister in a few weeks. For some reason an "event" like that these days throws me off, even though it's just dinner for a few hours, and not at my house.

    Today:
    Living room
    Books
    Apple Butter
    plus maintaining--dishes, laundry, dining room table clear

    This week:
    Better at keeping daughter on task at homeschool group when she's not in class (she disappeared to the library)

    Post books for sale 

    Drop off Goodwill donations

    Really need to get back to aggressively moving things out of the house. The floating piles is killing me
    Tiger_Lily
  • Re: Hanni's MAP

    Yes, a dog like that needs a job. We miss him, and I still check the animal services' site and Facebook page for updates or new pictures (so many beautiful dogs! So many families taking beautiful dogs home!) There was a new picture yesterday where he looked himself with his ears up and he was playing with a tennis ball, instead of sort of lost and unsure like his first picture. My mom visits him sometimes, which irritated me to no end at first--but I don't mind now, as long as she doesn't try to make me feel bad about our decision.  

    Baby due in 2 weeks. Wanted to post this here from another MAP thread

    "Wake up every morning and decide on your goals for that day and nothing else. Let each day run into the next as you do first what you must, then what becomes your habit, then what you discover are your desires."


    RosesHowlAtTheMoon
  • Re: Hanni's MAP

    @MrsJon Thank you :) 

    @fordsvt thanks, but I don't think I really "deserve" better behavior from him. I mean, we both owe it to each other to work harder on the marriage and family, but I have a very hard time myself not getting sucked into the malaise, health problems, acedia/depression, stress, laziness, whatever it is that causes H's down cycles. I am glad he's still engaged and not checked out during his low times. I just need to distinguish myself from those times and NOT respond with similar, mopy behavior.He's really an exceptional person and I do him (and our kids, and me) a real disservice by indulging his self-indulgent behavior. 
    MrsJon
  • Re: Hanni's MAP

    MAP update (improvement in parentheses)


    Health

    reds       
    • schedule full physical and get inhaler prescription (check)
    • resume daily exercise (post partum routine + walking dog in the morning) (either 3 mile walks or yoga, 3-5 times a week)
    • twice day flossing (still red)
    • pelvic tilts and kegels (still red)

    yellows
    • long-term exercise plan (check)
    • drink more water (half gallon a day, moving toward a gallon)
    • only eating foods prepared at home, except on date nights (still yellow, but better)
    • go to bed by 11 (check. Move to green) 
    • less sugar (check)
    • establish a productive garden (this would span a lot of MAP categories--exercise, personality/preference, food, money). We have the garden beds and the compost. I can plant perennial plants this Fall (still yellow. Got 9 tomatoes and lots of weeds)
                  
    greens  
    • not overweight  (good)
    • teeth fine (gingivitis on my dad's side, so trying to be proactive) (still green)
    • eat very well when I'm eanting meals prepared at home  (still green)
                  
    Goals: strengthen lungs and diaphragm/posture, abs and back, better leg and pelvis flexibility for sex, get my floor tightened, eat meals at home almost exclusively.  
    Other stuff: few weeks ago found out glucose can be high. Identifying which foods cause spikes. Had high bp toward the end of the last pregnancy; hoping exercise keeps that at bay this time.

    Money and Materials

    reds 

    • widen margin of monthly budget that can go into savings or secondary "needs" (still red)
    • house care, everywhere--need to make a realistic list of what can be done cheaply and easily. (Doing a little better, more orange. Better at isolating and finishing projects, even if I'm still slow at it, and not getting overwhelmed)
    • Declutter, probably my biggest red. I'm not a chronic hoarder or packrat, but the number of people in this house, and increased activity as the children get older, is competing with the stuff and testing my sanity. (Almost finished with clothes decluttering, and have gotten rid of a lot of toys and books. Not out of the red at all, but making progress)
    • Create a cleaning schedule. I finally automatically wash sheets and hang them on the line on Fridays; also vacuum the house and deep clean the bathrooms on Fridays. Kids help with this. Need to work more on daily pick-up/cleaning schedules during the other days of the week. (Still red, but like the others, moving, not standing still. I seem to have laundry, dinner, and dishes more under control --H has been helping a lot with this)

    yellows:
    • grocery budget (just moved from reds! The Captain took over this while he was on paternal leave, and the last 2 shopping trips I also have been able to keep under our $150 a week budget) (lapsed, but we're working on it together again)
    • continue to pay down debt (still yellow)
    • Fix simple household things, clean up the yard (great fall project for me) (probably moved to red :( )
    • start preparing for future big expenses: roof (still), laptop, second car (?), Ford Transit in a few years (bought van and roof, which is why debt is still yellow)
    • Work on aesthetic appeal in the house. I'm always pushing little projects aside I would like to do because they aren't necessarily, and well, look, there's 3 days worth of dishes! But I want our children to remember beautiful things in the house. And I want our house to be a restful place for me, since I spend most of my time here (move to red; really ignoring this part in favor of decluttering)

    greens (all still true)
    • beautiful house I love, love, love; relatively few problems for being 90 years old
    • H has a good job
    • plenty of sources of entertainment/leisure at home
     Goals:  Have emergency fund (need to replenish); save for specific future needs; have x months' income in savings; be actually, consistently frugal instead of head-knowledge frugal or sometimes-frugal; meet often to go over what we spent/weekly to review budget for accountability (RESUME); start taking better care of our house and stuff therein 

    frillyfunHowlAtTheMoonfordsvt