Chew Toys and Juice Bottles

It's All Routine

I was reading a blog about routines, and it got me thinking about my own daily events. I don't mind routine - I am definitely a creature of habit. I find comfort in knowing what's going to happen next, and I hate wondering what's going to happen down the line, say in a year, or maybe five. I like planning things out and making sure I can get things done.

The negative side of this, is that it is so easy for me to get into a rut, that it becomes almost impossible to try something new or different. For example, when I became pregnant, I stopped my daily jog and started eating whatever I wanted. Now Cameron's ten months old, and I'm still forty pounds heavier than I was pre-pregnancy. My problem is that now everything I do centers around my boy - my jobs, the time I get to spend with Matthew, my "free" time (even though I can't quite remember what that was like), etc. I can't find a time to work out, because when I do find a half hour to do so, I would rather sleep.

On top of that, I've been trying to ween myself off of working at Kohl's, and I request days off constantly. The problem with that is, I'll get three days off in a row, and have to work a bunch of days together - it's like getting hit with a tidal wave after wading around in the surf for hours. The contrast is so harsh that I find myself having a hard time concentrating when I am at work, and I take forever getting my tasks done. I've turned into a clock-watcher, which turns a six hour shift into an entire day affair. One of these days I'll be able to walk out of that store and never have to work there again. One of these days.

I will say that one great thing about my routine is that my son found himself a schedule (more or less) when he was about a month old, and just grew into it more and more steadily as the weeks went by. Now, I pretty much know when he's going to be taking a nap, so that I can plan to do certain things during those times. Trust me, I know I'm lucky in that respect, and I feel for all of you mothers out there that have six-month-olds who are just starting to find their routines!

Have a great day....