So, I had a baby girl, she’s perfect, and she turned 4 weeks old today.

Dorothy Jo

There’s so much great blogging material I could choose from: birth photography, the birth story, the story behind Dorothy’s name, breastfeeding this time around, life on the home front with 4, marriage lessons in the newborn phase, etc.  Today, I’m going to abandon all of that blogging fodder to write about MOI.

Back in December when I was brainstorming my New Year’s Resolutions, I decided that 2016 was going to be “The Year of Me.”  (I got the idea from our friends who had declared that 2015 was “The Year of Us,” and opportunity for them to refocus their time and energy on strengthening their marriage.)  I’ve stolen that theme and made it my own resolution for 2016.

As I near my 6-week follow-up appointment with my OBGYN, I’m revisiting “The Year of Me” with a whole new lens.  With 4 kiddos ages 6 and under, it is becoming increasingly obvious that I need to start investing more in myself in order to give my family what they need.  I’ve let myself get out of shape and out of touch with who I want to be.  I’m treating the day of my 6-week follow-up appointment as my 2nd New Year.  (I suppose I should call this afternoon to schedule it then, huh?)  That means I have two weeks to figure out exactly how I’m going to put “The Year of Me” into action.

Here’s what I’m envisioning:

Exercise

• At least 3x/week guiltless workouts at the gym while the kids enjoy the childcare
• Daily walks with Monty
• Get MOVING with the kids and get our hearts pumping (at least 15 minutes in the AM and 15 minutes in the PM)

Nutrition

• Meal planning with Philip to reach our healthy target calorie intake each day (working on portion control and balance of different food groups)
• Food diary to keep me accountable, reveal bad habits, and help me learn about portion sizes & caloric values of various foods

Prayer/Spiritual Life

• Resume spiritual direction and monthly confession
• Daily Mass 1x/week
• Reintroduce my morning prayer routine when Dorothy has more of a schedule (Saying a Morning Offering before my feet hit the floor and listening to the daily readings while I nurse/pump/eat breakfast via the USCCB website is where I am for now, and that’s a-okay!)

Rest

• In bed by 10:00 Sunday – Thursday, by midnight Friday & Saturday
• Guiltless napping whenever needed (this is the first day I haven’t taken a nap since Dorothy was born)

Me Time

• Guilt free regularly scheduled sitter during the day a few days a week so that I can nap, run errands, read a book at a coffee shop, blog, exercise, etc.

Kids are stirring from their naps, but a few areas I didn’t touch on are marriage and friendship.  I’m still pondering specific goals for these two areas, but I’m envisioning more regular contact and in-person visits with my friends as well as some new hobbies and ways to spend quality time with Philip.

That’s the plan for The Year of Me.  What ideas would you include in your Year of You?  Any feedback on how to reach my goals?