parenting 101 Archives - Page 6 of 8

2012 goal #3: find time for myself

January 12, 2012 8 Comments

I must admit 2011 got me spinning like a top + I hardly have enough time to take a breather, much less go out for some well-deserved me-time or relax + hang my feet for a while. My little man is really quite a handful + looking after him, while squeezing all the household chores + occasional online tasks in between, I hardly have enough time for anything else. Child-minding requires full attention + I actually wait until the little man is off to snooze land before I begin other home chores or tinker online upstairs.

It was actually tiring to say the least + what do you know, I am only human disguised as a wonder mum after all. So, to be kinder to myself this year, I vow to make extra time for me, myself + I! I know it might sound selfish, but it will actually benefit my loved ones more whenever I get to spend sometime alone. I become more productive, raring to serve + be with them some more, + yeah, I must admit, I become less cranky, too! 🙂

For this year, I plan to reserve some activities for myself that I know I will absolutely enjoy. Here’s what I’ve got in mind:

a trip to the salon, for some pampering. My feet are in dire need of a pedicure + my hair’s been dying to have a trim + I would love to give it one this month. While planning it, I might as well check out those sienna X hair products that might be locally available. Who knows, they could probably work wonders for my otherwise dull + lifeless hair 🙂
read a book. I have always been a voracious reader, but, like most of my passion in life, they had to take a back seat when the little man was born. So, this year, I plan to read one book each month + I have one ready for January, “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I will write about it as soon as I finished reading 🙂
occasional meet up with friends. Depending on who’s available, I’d love to have regular meet ups with my friends. It will be a perfect breather from the mothering grind + I really am dying to hear from them 🙂
organizing my photos. I don’t know about you, but scrapbooking is something that I really enjoy + I have a ginormous pile of photos waiting to be organized. This year I plan to have all of the photos printed + pasted on individual albums
focus on postcrossing. Getting surprises from the mail is my absolute favorite + this year I plan to build up my collection of postcards, specifically map cards, from all over the globe. I need to get a new notebook to serve as a record of all my swap + mailing activities, a bigger one this time 😀

So, what are your plans for your pocket-me-time this year? 🙂

image not mine

mum musings

2012 goal #2: learning a new skill

January 11, 2012 No Comments

I did mention am shying away from New Year’s resolution altogether + will be renaming them as goals or bucket list from here on. + one of the many goals I have in mind is to learn something new this year. A few options come to mind:

enroll in a Yoga class is on top of it {I have been meaning to do this since time immemorial but priorities + parenting got in the way :)},
learning how to drive, which I have put on hold some years ago when I found out I was pregnant
learning a third language which can very well be either French, Italian or Spanish. I love the romance languages + it had been my life-long dream to know how to speak French.
enroll in a cooking class. Now this option is by far the most practical, as being a mum, I really need to be dishing out those delicious + nutritious meals for my kiddo. But since money is also a big factor, I am thinking of sticking to watching cooking shows + buying cookbooks + cooking publications for now.

Learning is a life-long process + I believe that it is very important that I strive to learn something new everyday. Not only will I be able to pass it on to the little man when it’s time, but it is also a great exercise for my brain. I remember when I had to have an impromptu quickbooks training when I was hired as a cashier in my previous job. Back then, no quickbooks training online were available on hand that I had to learn the ropes as I used the system each day on the job. I only had a few days to practice before the store opens + I was glad that my brain is in tip top running condition to take all the information overload in 🙂

It was timely that I chanced upon this post the other day whilst I was browsing through sites online. I found out that Stanford University is offering free online lessons. Yes, the famous university where Chuck went + was kicked out, remember? I just had to check it out + what do you know, I find one subject interesting enough for me + hit the enroll button. If you’d ask why I chose Anatomy among all the subjects listed, well, anything technical has lesser appeal to me, + I reckon Anatomy is the most handy subject for a mum to learn 🙂

image not mine

earn online, mum musings

spending too much time online?

December 15, 2011 8 Comments

A very lucrative day job, a thriving social life, a night life or weekend gimmicks with my best buddies ~ these are just a few of the things I gave up when I became a mum. Not that I am complaining, I am loving every minute I spend with my little kiddo. He is just absolutely adorable + I love him to bits! Nowadays, spending time online is the only semblance of social life I have left, save for occasional meet-ups with my chums, perhaps, or a few blogger events here + there. + I must admit, I am guilty as charged, I actually spend way too much time online + you bet, I just might be checking free online bingo games very soon.

I don’t think you can blame me, really. Apart from updating several blogs that takes up a bulk of my online time, I have actually found a few interesting + productive things to do that’s got me checking up on my online accounts whenever opportunity arises {read: whenever the little man is asleep or preoccupied with something}. One of which is writing articles for other bloggers {we call it GW in our blogvernacular ~ yup, I made that word up!} who simply have way too many paid tasks they hardly have enough time to finish all of them. They share it to other bloggers, like myself, who are free to write with a deadline, for a fee, of course. Although, these GW tasks do not pay as much as when I get paid tasks of my own, they are a good, steady source of income + with a dollar or two for each task, I am able to keep the Paypal account happy + myself, a happy camper!