Yoga, good friends, lunches out

Those are the modest ingredients of an ideal holiday week at home for this mom.
Having the mornings all to myself opened up a tremendous and even a daunting palette of activity options..The worker mom identity pushes through first and makes a proposal to finally complete the house related "to-do list": clean the kitchen cupboard, bring kids winter clothes to the attic, search a company to clean your carpets, go renew your id card at the commune.. So the first day of the holiday is quickly and productively used. How sad and unimaginative. I am disappointed at myself. Do I really not have any other identity left of me? Over the morning coffee, I challenge myself for a little brain gym to remind myself of things I really enjoy most doing.. Practicing morning yoga, going for a power walk with a friend, having a fruit cocktail at the Terrace, trying out a new organic farm and eating lunch out..Now we are speaking! Nice to meet you again ME! 

Yoga, good friends, lunches out

Those are the modest ingredients of an ideal holiday week at home for this mom.
Having the mornings all to myself opened up a tremendous and even a daunting palette of activity options..The worker mom identity pushes through first and makes a proposal to finally complete the house related "to-do list": clean the kitchen cupboard, bring kids winter clothes to the attic, search a company to clean your carpets, go renew your id card at the commune.. So the first day of the holiday is quickly and productively used. How sad and unimaginative. I am disappointed. Do I really not have any other identity left of me? Over the morning coffee, I challenge myself for a little brain gym to remind myself of things I really enjoy most doing.. Practicing morning yoga, going for a power walk with a friend, having a fruit cocktail at the Terrace, trying out a new organic farm and eating lunch out..Now we are speaking! Nice to meet you again ME!

Scoop

I am not sure if it is the pregnancy hormones or spring fever that has kicked in, but I have the urge to share the good news with you: We are having a new baby in the summer ! And  the cherry to the cake: it is a little boy..I had hoped my two girls (now aged 5 and 2 already!) would be very excited about the idea of having a little brother. In reality, the older one is. The little one is actively ignoring any discussion of the baby despite the growing evidence that somebody  has invaded mommy's belly..The older one on the other hand has planned it all out already: she has a name for the baby, she has prepared list of do's and don't for the little sister to follow..My husband is of course all proud of his growing family..As for me, curiously enough, I feel like a narrator to the show despite being in the very centre. The afternoons with the girls are intensive with picking them up from creche and school, driving them to hobbies or playdates and admittedly the pregnancy has been a bit on the side lines..In fairness, I do practice regularly yoga and promise to sign-up for a refresher prenatal course, which I guess can be considered as baby time..? There are days of self-doubt when I wonder how on earth will we manage with three kids?? Will I be able to give enough love and individual attention to all three of them?? To be seen.. 

Scoop

It must be the spring fever that has kicked in, but I have the urge to share the good news with you: We are having a new baby in the summer ! And  the cherry to the cake: it is a little boy..I had hoped my two girls (now aged 5 and 2 already!) would be very excited about the idea of having a little brother. In reality, the older one is. The little one is actively ignoring any discussion of the baby despite the growing evidence that somebody  has invaded mommy's belly..The older one on the other hand has planned it all out already: she has a name for the baby, she has prepared list of do's and don't for the little sister to follow..My husband is of course all proud of his growing family..As for me, curiously enough, I feel like a narrator to the show despite being in the very centre. The afternoons with the girls are intensive with picking them up from creche and school, driving them to hobbies or playdates and admittedly the pregnancy has been a bit on the side lines..In fairness, I do practice regularly yoga and promise to sign-up for a refresher prenatal course, which I guess can be considered as baby time..? There are days of self-doubt when I wonder how on earth will we manage with three kids?? Will I be able to give enough love and individual attention to all three of them?? To be seen..

Parental leave - worth the effort!

It all started on a sunny winter lunch break, when I bumped at the garage into a cheery Swedish colleague of mine. She hopped on her bike and steered happily away at 12:30 to spend the afternoon with her children. "Hmm, that's luxorious, I thought. I would like to be in her shoes." In the following days I started rationalizing how could I in reality fit into those shoes: is it financially feasible or in workload wise, what would my colleagues think, how will we manage the daycare for the morning etc..As any project, which comes from the heart, the puzzles pieces just magically come together and a solution is emerging to each problem. All I needed to do is to put them into action! And I did! Within three working days I had convinced my husband, my colleagues, my boss and our nanny and here I am six weeks into my parental leave enjoying the afternoon switch my wonderful girls! Despite the high workload, financial pressures and sometimes rainy afternoons, we all feel it was the right decision. I am a very happy girl :) 

Mindful parenting

Look what I found! Will this be answer to my all my questions??

Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

by Myla Kabat-Zinn, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sign of life

Quite difficult to believe it has been almost two years since my last post. For some reason, today, having a rare calm moment before picking up my daughter from kindergarten, I was drawn back here. So many things happened! First of all, our little family has become larger with the birth of our second daughter. She just turned an admirable one year, moves faster than Fisher Price rabbit car and puts a smile on our face at least a hundred times a day. Her older sister - a fresh 4 years old - has developed a strong and yet highly sensitive character (coming from fathers side no discussion) and is placing as many times an argument on the table probably just for the sake of play. Although, tonight we had a unique sharing of feelings at bed time with her, when she was for the first time able to express herself on these chronic tantrums. Her statement was so calm, serious and sincere that I had tears in my eyes before she even spoke : "There is one thing mom that bothers me. It is just that you take all the time the baby, the baby and the baby in the arms.." Thank you my dear for having given me the chance to explain too.

My husband experiences a Renaissance with his healthy foot after the nine operations in four different countries. He plans to be back on the running track and skiing  by no time, but the training starts tomorrow. I finally bought him a Fitbit as birthday present to spin his motivation, but no results in the horizon so far. And me? I am good. Happy!  Decided on an impulse one winter night before Christmas to listen to my heart and asked for a part-time work since February. Convincing my close surroundings of the huge benefits for every family member, defending a business plan to ensure a financially sound spring for this household, lobbying colleagues to support me (at least in front of my back) and finally discussing with my boss seemed the least daunting parts of the process. And then started the glory days of working half-time, which is great. But I still find myself in trying to keep balance in this every day craziness. Of course. I have made some other tough  fundamental 'feel better' changes in my  life as well. Professionally, I moved from working for the private interest to the European interests. Big change in many levels. I have also kept my regular Hatha practice (started when pregnant for my second daughter) and just printed out a new running program to be fit for the 20 K in May. I hope this spring will bring more occasions to go see my friends, keep contact with those ones living abroad, have skype meetings with family and do more spontaneous outings with my husband (among a zillion of other things)..I think we should all ask to have it all, no?