surrender, part two

So, a couple of nights ago I wrote about the concept of surrendering to life as a parent. I liked that idea and definitely go with it for the major things in life. For everyday stuff though, my personality doesn't lend itself well to letting things go. I ended up deciding that in order to truly relax and enjoy the time I spend with Celia, I need to know that my world is in order. There will be times when the house is a mess and I just go with it, but in general I have a hard time relaxing and focusing on Celia when I know there's a pile of dirty dishes in the sink or dinner isn't planned. I accept that I have a type A plus personality and I can truly relax and enjoy life when everything's neat, tidy, over planned, and documented in list form on the Post-It notes I leave all over the house. Knowing this, there are some changes I can make to my schedule so things are taken care of ahead of time and I have less stress when I'm spending the day with Celia.

These are some of the things I've started to do, or am planning to try soon. Some involve using iPhone apps so that I have all of my planning and lists organized in one place that's always accessible. I may have trouble giving up the old pen and paper list making, but I think this will be great once I'm used to it.

Meals and Meal Planning:
    ▪    Cook or prep meals ahead the night before.
    ▪    Make and freeze a couple of dinners each month.
    ▪    Start using the slow cooker more often (anyone have a good recipe?)
   ▪    Plan dinners for the week every Sunday (already doing this, but not consistent since   
 Celia was born).
    ▪    Plan and/or pack everyone's lunches at the beginning of the week.
    ▪    Use grocery list iPhone app so lists are always in one place and at my fingertips.

Household Management:
    ▪    At night: Put away clutter, clean kitchen surfaces and floors, swiffer living room if needed, run dishwasher (already do this most nights).
    ▪    Set up any items needed for morning.
    ▪    Do laundry in the evening when Chris gets home, or set washer to start in the early morning.
    ▪    Prioritize tasks and save quick ones I can do while Celia plays for the daytime (putting away laundry or organizing her clothes).
    ▪    Use new to-do iPhone app to keep all to-do lists in one easily accessible place, and organize by day.
    ▪    Work on de-cluttering. Throw out or donate things we never use that are taking up space. Less stuff means less cleaning, less to store, and less stress.

I really like the idea of getting a lot of small things done each day in a short period of time, so nothing piles up and gets out of control. Implementing these changes really will allow more time to give Celia attention during the day, while keeping the household running smoothly. Getting dinners prepped or made in advance will make a huge difference in my dinner-time stress. Pita tends to be very clingy at that time of day, and sometimes my only options are to make dinner while holding her or listen to her cry if I'm busy and can't pick her up. I really hope this phase passes… Until then, I need ways to adapt. Hmm. Come to think of it, all of this really does mean I've surrendered to life as a parent! I've not only accepted who I am, but that I need to work a little harder and do things differently to make room for my Tiny Pepita. Who wouldn't want more snuggle time with this little bug?