Welcome a New Year: 2013

HOLY SMOKES! It has been almost a year since my last post on this.  I guess i didn't anticipate life would be so extremely busy with two little ones, the hubby, work, friends and family.  It is amazing how much your life changes once you get married and decide to have lil ones.  Its truly amazing and most of the time trial by fire.  I have learned so much about who I am and who I want to be in the past 5 years.  So much so that I am super reflective now that it is a NEW year again.  Some are good, some are quirks or some think faults of mine but... its me, now.

I used to be a perfectionist.  I mean everything would have a place or order.  My idea of perfection has changed dramatically now!  Back in the day, I would clean the house every Saturday, go shopping every Sunday  and try my hand at cooking dinners at night.  I was so bad that i wouldn't let anyone step on my freshly vacuumed carpet!  BOY how this has changed.  Now, I very rarely clean one day out of the week.  I have made it so that I clean as i go during the week (bath time is clean the bathroom time, etc)  Saturdays I do a morning quick clean.  How do y'all get your cleaning done??

I used to be very self centered.  It was all about me.  Now, my kids take center stage, all the time.  I have gotten over the guilt of having to ship my kids off to daycare (sort of).  I know that they do well there and  I trust the staff.  I do know that I put them first NO MATTER WHAT.  Once I get them home from school, i do my best to give them my undivided attention.  I am only with them 3.5 or so hours a day on school days.  Get down on their level and play.  That is my number one priority. Let them know that I am there for them. Double edge sword though, right?  I do this so much so that the hubs gets frustrated.  Understandably but its that whole balance thing.  Still something I need to work on.

I was an extremely judgmental person.  I have learned that I cannot judge others situation, as you are not in the situation yourself.  You know the saying, "walk a mile in somebody's shoes..." I learned this lesson a couple of different ways.  I was always saying I would do things differently if I were in a certain situation.  Then when really presented with the situation I would go with my gut many times it is what that same person I judged did.... now I keep a more open mind with others.

OK there are a couple of mine....Are any of you reflecting this time of year?  Maybe of who you were and who you are today??

Happy 2013 Everyone!

How do you Cope?

By no means am I an expert at dealing with the curve balls that life throws at you but I was talking with a couple friends about this and it got me to thinking.

Many of my friends, working and non working, will relax with a glass of wine, or some of them smoke.  I often see Facebook posts of women frustrated/exhausted with all of the things going on in their world and I wonder what it is that gets them past their frustrations. How do they cope?  Is it with wine, knitting, gardening, writing, verbal diarrhea to a friend, sex?  Its easy to get through life if you have good healthy coping mechanisms. It also helps if those same mechanisms stick around all your life.

I am Irish and have always shut down verbally (unless forced :)) when things are not going my way.  It is difficult for me to discuss things.  So to "cope" with this personality flaw, I have always coped with wine and writing out problems.  If things get out of control and I just need to escape and relax I go and grab a glass of wine and sit with a journal or piece of paper.  Now not in a raging alcoholic kinda way at all... just as a way to stop, sit and relax, escape or think about the situations at hand.  It a way it helps me regroup. 

What are some of the things you do when things get tough or do not go your way??  How do you cope?