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Floradise

A lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

What I Didn’t Know About the Fourth Trimester: Maternity Leave Lessons

Maternity Leave Lessons

Maternity leave is over. I’m back to work full time as an editor. A positive is that I can work from home, though returning to work was still depressing and overwhelming. But on my first day I realized I also felt something I didn’t expect: relief. I felt relieved to be forced into a routine that is in some ways familiar. I felt more like myself than I have in months. Now that I am working again I’ve started to reflect on the past 12 weeks of maternity leave. I went into my maternity leave with grand illusions of being able to accomplish so much. I was going to cross off major blog to-dos, complete my summer bucket list and enjoy my time with my girls. Boy, was I wrong (with the exception of my time with my daughters)! I’m sharing some of what I didn’t know about the fourth trimester, aka the first three months postpartum.

What I Learned During Maternity Leave:

Maternity leave is isolating. This is especially the case if you don’t live near family and close friends. My mom was able to visit and help for two weeks, which helped immensely, but other than that I didn’t have much help. (I am grateful that my mother in law plans to visit soon, though.) People gave me advice about taking time for myself without realizing that I’d love nothing more; I just didn’t have any help with child care and wasn’t ready to leave my baby with a babysitter. I have had some friends visit, which I loved, but for the most part it’s been just me and the girls while Graham works. He has many long days due to the nature of his work, and sometimes his schedule was unpredictable, but we have survived so far.

You need help. If you have people willing to help in whatever way they can during your maternity leave, take it! I wish I could have had that luxury. By help I mean assist with household chores, errands, shopping, child care, whatever!

Your emotions are all over the place. I expected the baby blues, but not to the extent that I felt them. For me they lasted longer than just a couple of weeks. My anxiety has also resurfaced. A contributor to my blues was being alone so often with the girls. I was also anxious and afraid to do things alone with them for fear of what could go wrong. It took time for me to become more confident in venturing out. Some days still have tears, but talking to people honestly about how I feel has helped. Hearing people say that they will help in any way they can has also helped, even if I know they can’t do much from far away.

The bodily changes continue. It doesn’t end with giving birth. Postpartum life also comes with hair loss! Everyday I wonder how I could be losing this much hair. Also, your cycle can return at different times depending on whether you’re breastfeeding.

Twelve weeks of maternity leave is not enough. I know I am privileged to even have 12 weeks off work when many women have to return much sooner due to financial and other concerns. My maternity was unpaid and I had to pay for my health benefits during my leave. I was able to save for it beforehand, but I am still missing out on my big chunk of my annual salary this year. This experience has taught me that 12 weeks is not nearly enough for a woman to recover, and that more companies should show they value their employees by compensating them during leave.

The fourth trimester tests your marriage/relationship. With so much focus on the baby (and your other children), it becomes more challenging to make time for our marriage. But that relationship is the foundation of our family, so it’s important to refocus on it. Now that I am getting slightly more comfortable with leaving the baby I hope to find a night for a date sometime soon depending on Graham’s schedule. Another challenging aspect is figuring out how to work as a team to handle things such as nighttime feedings when you’re both exhausted. Showing appreciation for each other is key during this transition.

Have you experienced the fourth trimester? What did it teach you?

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Fourth Trimester, Maternity Leave Lessons

Related post:

Adelina’s Birth Announcements

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Johnnyswim at Vic Theatre | Why You Should See Them in Concert

Graham and I looooove Johnnyswim. The husband and wife duo have incredible voices and are such talented songwriters. Their song “Take the World” was our first dance song at our wedding, and we listen to their music all the time.

I bought tickets for last Friday’s show months ago and we’ve been anticipating the show ever since. They played a sold out show at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, a gorgeous venue. The best moments:

  • Johnnyswim’s openers were so fun! Striking Matches are a duo from Nashville that were energetic and played so well!
  • Abner and Amanda always go into the audience for at least a song.
  • Johnnyswim mix up their songs, transitioning into the next so perfectly and never being dull.
Tickets for the show were mostly general admission for about $34. You could also buy VIP passes to get into the theater earlier and meet them before the show. We skipped those because we met them in the past (for free) after a show, but I found myself wishing we had purchased them the night of the show. The Vic Theatre is set up so that each little section of the main floor is raised a little higher than the one in front of it, so if you’re short you can still see if you try to stand close to the railing. That’s what I did and I had a perfect view!

We take everything opportunity to see them live, and I’m sharing why you should see them play live before they get even bigger:

  • Their music is damn good.
  • They sound even better in person.
  • They involve the audience in the show.
  • They typically perform in intimate settings.
  • Tickets are affordable; prices don’t do them justice.
  • They sometimes bring their adorable son Joaquin or good friends (like Steph Curry) onstage.
My favorite Johnnyswim songs:
  • “Take the World”
  • “Home”
  • “Diamonds”
  • “Heart Beats”
  • “Don’t Let It Get You Down”
  • “Summertime Romance”
  • “Annie”
  • “Adelina”
  • “You and I”
  • “Live While We’re Younger”

 

Listen to Johnnyswim:

Hit shuffle and enjoy!

Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns at Chicago Botanic Garden

Happy Halloween! Graham and I had a spooktacular date night at Chicago Botanic Garden on Sunday. It was a bit past our old folk bedtime, but we managed to find tickets for the sold-out Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns on the last day of the event. We would have preferred to attend the earlier time slots, but we were only able to find 8:45 p.m. tickets available. We were still pumped to plan our first night out together in weeks.

We arrived at exactly 8:45 and quickly realized we should have planned to get there earlier to allow time for parking. When you buy the tickets ($28 for two), you get an email suggesting arriving 30 minutes before your time slot. A line of cars snaked out of the parking lot onto the main street, but luckily Google maps had directed us to come from the opposite direction, so we were able to turn into the parking lot and make our way through the members-only car line easily. We had paid for advance parking, which means we could bypass the other line. The woman in the parking booth didn’t even look at our parking receipt, which made me wonder if we should have even bothered paying! Parking still took a bit of time, though. We made our way through the garden entrance to the event waiting area to find another long line. I was a bit surprised that even with ticket time slots we waited until about 9:15 to get in, but once we were able to begin the walk, any annoyance was forgiven.

Each section of the walk has pumpkins carved to fit a certain theme, including music legends, Chicago sports, and Halloween classics. I was in awe of the talent of these carvers from the start!

Music:

 

 

 

 

 

The Solar System:

 

Pluto was included even though it’s not a planet. A sign next to it said: “Pluto, We Miss You. Love, Your PFF (Planet Friends Forever).” Adorable!

 

Sports:

 

 

 

 

They had other Chicago sports pumpkins but I only really care about the Cubs, duh. Also Michael Jordan.

Other Jack-o-Lanterns:

 

 

We were thrilled to see our name on a pumpkin. 🙂

 

 

 

 

At various tents you could observe as carvers created their masterpieces and you could ask about the process. You can and should stop by for a hot cider, chocolate or coffee and a dessert. (We got the apple cider doughnuts bites. Yum!) My hot chocolate actually made the pregnancy symptoms I was having go away, and the treats made the chilly walk more enjoyable! By the way, those beverages can also be spiked if you prefer/are not expecting. Or you can just get beer, wine, water or soda.

You also walk through a Wonderland Express section with countless trains. Kids would love it, as did we! We saw a miniature version of Wrigley Field that we very much enjoyed. Entertainers such as a man on stilts also greeted us as we walked around the garden.

The ivy inside the mini Wrigley Field was out of control!

We were done with the entire walk through the jack-o’-lanterns at 10:40 p.m. and appeared to be among the last people out. It was a nice way to beat the Sunday Scaries before another workweek!

Have you been to the Chicago Botanic Garden? What are your Halloween plans? Which pumpkin is your favorite?

 

Watch our video:

 

Our Little Secret

Abigail Joyce Photography |  Third anniversary photos at Montrose Harbor, Chicago

Toward the end of summer I started to lose my motivation and focus. I felt lost and uninspired, and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I shifted my priorities, gave myself a break and now I can happily say that I’m starting to gain some of that drive back, in large part because of some upcoming, exciting changes heading our way.

First, my family will have more time together now that the craziness of baseball season is behind us. (If you’re new here, my husband Graham works in the industry, so March-November can be busy.) Now we will have the time to prepare for our next big adventure: Pregnancy!

We’re having a baby!

Graham, Victoria and I are thrilled to share the news now that I’m starting my second trimester. We all attended my most recent ultrasound together, and V was excited to hear the heartbeat and see the baby in my belly.

We’ve slowly been spreading the news to our family and friends, which was a little tricky since they are out of state. We would have loved to share the news in person, but we just couldn’t wait any longer, and we weren’t sure when we’d be able to travel to see them. (Also, keeping this secret was extremely difficult. Graham’s coworkers found out immediately!)

Questions I’ve already been asked:

  • Do you know the gender? Not yet.
  • When are you due? April 30.
  • Do you have names picked out? We have discussed possible names in the past, but we haven’t made a decision since we don’t know the gender yet. Also, we won’t be sharing the name until the baby is born.

Questions you didn’t ask:

  • How will this affect your blog? I already blog about our toddler sometimes, so I am sure I will also blog about our new addition. I don’t foresee this becoming a blog solely about parenting, since I am interesting in so many things, including running, yoga, gardening, travel, etc.
  • How did you tell Graham? We kind of knew I was pregnant. When I finally took the test to confirm, I texted him a photo of the results. I wanted him to know immediately since we had this feeling and he was always at work. I don’t think he minds that I did it that way.
  • Is this why you didn’t run your half-marathon? Maybe no one noticed, but I had trained for a half-marathon all summer only to not run it at the last minute. The last long run I completed was 12 miles when I was about six and a half weeks pregnant. I didn’t know for sure that I was pregnant at the time because I put off taking a test. The following week I was scheduled to run another long run of about 10 miles. I had our babysitter scheduled and was about to get dressed for my run when I had a little fainting incident. When I realized what had happened, I saw (and felt) that I had bitten into my lip so hard that my mouth was full of blood. I had also hit my head and bruised my hip. After this episode, my doctor advised me not to run the half-marathon because it was going to be 90 degrees that day (and because of what happened). After that week I didn’t run for about two weeks because I wasn’t feeling well, but lately I’ve been trying to get back into the gym. My goal is to exercise or practice yoga as much as I can.

Winter Vacation Update:

Winter is the only time we can travel for longer than a weekend. This year we had originally discussed Belize as our vacation destination, but we later changed that to Puerto Rico because a passport is not necessary to travel there. (We still need V’s passport with her new name.) After Hurricane Maria and the pregnancy confirmation, we knew we had to change our destination, though we still plan to visit the island at some point in the next few years. So where are we going now? We don’t know yet! Where should we go? Leave your recommendations in the comments!

Saying Yes to My Well-Being

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WellYesMoment #CollectiveBias

 

I’ve always considered myself to be a motivated and driven person. I am always saying yes to new classes, activities and opportunities, sometimes to my own detriment. I say this because in trying to do too much, I have sometimes neglected my own physical and emotional well-being. I came to this realization recently in my Moment of Yes.

This summer I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic about all the things I had to do. I had a never-ending list because I was taking on too much and trying to put on a one-woman show. I was trying to put out content almost every day of the week, I was trying to be a present mom who also works from home full time, I was trying to train for a half-marathon, and I was trying to explore and do as much as I could in Chicago. I was also trying to make plans with friends, go to yoga, take care of my plants — the list goes on.

I tend to set many, many goals for myself to the point where it becomes overwhelming. This moment of panic and the feeling of being constantly exhausted taught me that there’s a certain Yes I need to be saying: yes to my well-being.

This yes means more time without worrying about my to-do list. Yes to canceling plans if needed. Yes to giving my body time to rest without forcing myself to go out and do something, or to do another workout simply because I feel guilty about not doing it. Yes to really listening when my husband and daughter speak to me without thinking about something I should post on social media, something I need to finish at work, or something I need to get done that day.

Yes to the following ways to take care of myself:

  • Eat well.
  • Simplify.
  • Practice self-care.
  • Prioritize.
  • Be present.
  • And most important: Do less, relax more.

The moment I experienced reminded me that I need to feel nourished in all ways, including what I put into my body and how I spend my time.

So what changes have I made? Well, I am saying yes to things that are good for me and make me happy.

Yes to hiring a sitter when we need a date day/night or I need a break.

 
 

Yes to more yoga and taking care of my body.

 
 

Yes to more journaling.

 
 

Yes to eating delicious meals.
Enjoying a Well Yes!® Minestrone and Kale Soup

As part of my effort to be more mindful in all aspects of my life, I have been loving Well Yes!® Soups.

I’ve been making more of an effort to log off the computer to give myself time to enjoy my mealtime. The soups I’ve been loving include Well Yes! Minestrone and Kale, Tomato Carrot Bisque, Black Bean with Red Quinoa and Cajun Red Bean and Vegetable. Well Yes! Soups are flavorful and delicious and they’re made from real, non-GMO and nutritious ingredients. The soups are crafted with care so that they contain no artificial flavors or colors. The can packaging is made with a non-BPA lining, too!

 
 
 

As a vegetarian, I am a big fan of soups with beans and lots of vegetables. I love easy-to-prepare meals even more, so Well Yes! Soups have been a win for me.
Cajun Red Bean and Vegetable Soup

Sometimes I enjoy my Well Yes! Soup on the patio for a nice change of scenery.
Black Bean and Red Quinoa

With plenty of Well Yes! varieties, you can switch up your favorite flavors and never get bored.
Tomato Carrot Bisque

Have you experienced a similar feeling of needing to find more balance? Also, have you tasted Well Yes! Soups yet?

 

Don’t forget to enter the #WellYesMoment Sweepstakes in the widget below for a chance to win up to a $500 Visa gift card! It’s as easy as clicking, logging in, and sharing your Moment of Yes story! If you win, think of all the ways you can use the prizing to achieve your Moment of Yes!

#WellYesMoment #Sweepstakes (10/14 to 11/17)

Connect with Well Yes!

 

34 Date Ideas (Besides Going Out to Eat)

 

Graham and I don’t get many date nights, but when we do, we try to make them as memorable as possible. While there’s nothing wrong with simply going out to dinner (it’s one of my favorite things to do in life), I wanted to share date ideas for fun things to do that might not be the usual date activities to you. I tried to not make these Chicago specific so that you can hopefully find these wherever you live.

34 Date Ideas:

  1. Embark on a dinner cruise on a lake, river or in the ocean, if you live near one.
  2. Attend a murder mystery dinner show. We recently experienced one in Chicago.
  3. See a musical or play.
  4. Picnic on the beach or park.
  5. Browse a bookstore and pick out books for each other to read. Follow it up with frozen yogurt because yum.
  6. Try a Dabble class. Knife-throwing, anyone? ** I am an ambassador, but I am not compensated for promoting Dabble. I just love them!
  7. Attempt standup paddleboarding.
  8. Yoga in the park or on the beach. Maybe even beer yoga?
  9. Volunteering and brunch.
  10. Spend a day at the racetrack or casino.
  11. Run a 5K together. Followed by brunch, obviously.
  12. Sample the goodies at a food truck festival.
  13. Shop at a farmers market and cook a meal with your haul.
  14. Go to an open mic night or a comedy show.
  15. Painting and BYOB night.
  16. Play miniature golf or go to TopGolf.
  17. Play laser tag.
  18. Find a cooking class.
  19. Try rock-climbing.
  20. Go to a baseball game. (Or insert your favorite in-season sport.)
  21. Bowling.
  22. Road trip to an amusement park.
  23. Check out an arcade bar.
  24. Go to a concert or music festival.
  25. Browse an art or history museum.
  26. Watch a movie or concert in the park.
  27. Work up a sweat at a kickboxing class.
  28. Drink fancy beverages on a rooftop.
  29. Stroll through a botanical garden or conservatory.
  30. Go kayaking or canoeing.
  31. Get a couples massage and have a pool day.
  32. Double date for an escape room adventure.
  33. Attend adult night at your local zoo or aquarium. (Many facilities do this!)
  34. Go hiking! (With plenty of snacks.)

What would you add to this list? What has been your most memorable data recently?

 

 

Life Updates and Seeking Balance

I’m sharing a compilation of life updates and thoughts with the hopes of being helpful in some way and maybe even offering inspiration. Most of my focus this month has been on rebalancing my life and being kind to myself. Perhaps you’ve been struggling with the same and I hope this will be beneficial or give you something to consider.

Something I want to cut back on is the frantic way I’ve been living recently. I tend to fill my planner to the brim and constantly search for ways to be productive when I could â€” and should â€” be relaxing. As fun as this summer has been, it’s time to slow down for the sake of my mental well-being. I know I am not alone in feeling this way simply judging by the number of people who regularly post about how busy they are. Call me crazy, but I don’t want to be busy. This month I’ve been trying to do less and focus more on self-care, but it can be challenging. Being busy is difficult habit to break.

How do I balance working from home, blogging, my fitness goals, marriage, plans with friends, self-care and being home with my daughter every weekday? The honest answer: I don’t. There are few days in which everything is perfectly in balance. On some days I cross off everything on my to-do list, but that leaves me with little energy left for my family or self-care. I realize now that I would rather let go of certain expectations in order to be more relaxed and present as a parent, friend, wife and human.

Balancing it all at every moment is impossible. It’s unfair to expect people to have all of these aspects of their lives be perfect. We need not be too hard on ourselves when we can’t have a perfectly tidy house or we have to push a task off until tomorrow in order to spend time with family. My priorities are becoming more and more clear in all areas of my life. And even though I don’t have everything entirely figured out, reaffirming my priorities is something to celebrate.

I used to thrive on deadline pressure when I worked at a newspaper. Now I don’t relish that same intensity or busyness I once loved. This gives me something to think about when it comes to my career and where I want it to go. It mostly reiterates the desire to work for myself.

Do you feel like your life is balanced? Is self-care a focus for you?


Other updates:

  • I was over the moon about going to the Lady Gaga concert at Wrigley Field last week, and it was just the mom’s night out I needed. She was the first woman to headline a concert at the ballpark, and she put on an emotional, entertaining show. My only complaint was that it didn’t last longer! I rarely go to concerts anymore, so I allowed myself to splurge on floor seats, and I do not regret it at all.
  • My renewed desire to be more present was partly sparked by the book “Present Over Perfect,” which was recommended by Kait (of Communikait) on Instagram recently. I fully believe that you receive what you need from the universe, and I needed a reminder to take a step back and reprioritize thanks to this book. Shauna Niequist writes about her own frantic way of living and the changes she made to make her life more simple, happy and fulfilling. The book is a series of essays about being more connected to yourself, your family and God.
  • My heart breaks for Houston and everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. I feel so powerless and sad when I read stories about what’s happening. The New York Times has a list of ways to help and avoid scams if you, too, are looking for ways to give. 

Shop “Present Over Perfect”**:

** This is an affiliate link. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Floradise!

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Note: This post was briefly published last week but taken down so I could focus on self-care and time with friends and family. It has since been edited.

August Goals

Yet again I am shocked by how quickly time passes. Will that ever stop happening?

In June I set an intention to invest in myself and my blog, and in July I continued doing that. As you might have noticed, I had several collaborations that came about because I set that goal. I also invested any earnings from Floradise blog back into tools that will help me continue to improve it. I enrolled in Instagram for Success, a course by Helene of Helene in Between that you may have heard about if you’re a blogger. We also made an exciting purchase last weekend: We bought the DJI Mavic Pro drone! I wanted to improve my footage of our travels, which will enhance both this blog and my YouTube videos. I also made other investments throughout the month and have more planned! My goal for the blog is to be a resource on travel, balancing fitness with everyday life, and being more intentional in general.

Before I share my August goals, I want to check in on how I did in July:

July Goal Check-In

Family:

  • Finalize plans for our Canada trip. We booked our hotels and some activities, but we’ll probably wing the rest. Have any recommendations for Toronto? Share them with me in the comments!
  • Go on a date night. We had two in one week: Chicago River kayaking and a murder mystery date night. Both were courtesy of their respective companies.
  • Plan activities for my nephew’s upcoming Chicago visit. We had a fun week of showing my nephew around the city, including the Tilt attraction at 360 Chicago and Navy Pier.
Fitness:

  • Start marathon training. Run at least 25 miles this month. I accomplished both of these, though I was only able to attend one group training so far. I ran 29 miles.
  • Go to two yoga classes. I didn’t make it to any studio classes.
  • Film a yoga video. I did this on the last day of July.
Blog/Career:

  • Surpass June’s sponsored/freelance income. I accomplished this with my work on four sponsored posts this month. I would have loved to space them out more, but the deadlines worked out the way that they did. 
  • Film five YouTube videos. I posted eight videos on my YouTube channel this month. Would you check them out?
  • Post consistently on my blog and social media. I posted consistently but there’s room for improvement on Instagram and Facebook.
Travel:

  • Find accommodations for our winter trip. I haven’t done this yet.
  • Explore two new places/activities in Chicago. I tried Chicago River kayaking, the Tilt at 360 Chicago and a murder mystery dinner show, in addition to checking out XO Marshmallow in my neighborhood. I also became a mermaid for a day with AquaMermaid!
  • Add to travel fund. I saved more thanks to a bonus from work, and we added a new trip destination to our list, so I need to get more serious about saving.

August goals

Family:
  • Be more present during family time, which means dedicating blocks of time to each category of my life: blog, work, fitness, family, self-care, etc.  This also means a renewed focus on single-tasking over the illusion of multitasking.
  • Go on two date nights. Re-prioritize our marriage. When we brought V home, a lot of our attention and focus shifted to adjusting, and I (and we) need to get back to making our marriage more of a focus. 
  • Enjoy a mom’s night out. This is already planned: I’m going to the Lady Gaga concert at Wrigley Field this month!
  • Continue working through my decluttering list. More posts on this coming soon!
Self-Care:

  • Meditate for 5 minutes a day.
  • Listen to two Audible books. I’m currently listening to “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have With People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do.” I also plan to read “Present Over Perfect.”
Fitness:

  • Start tracking meals again. I stopped doing this recently and started eating whatever I want. I told myself it didn’t matter what size I am and that I would rather enjoy my food and life. But now I don’t feel comfortable or confident in my clothing. I want to track what I’m eating to hopefully cut back on mindless snacking and get back to feeling great in my clothes.
  • Go back to the gym. Besides the treadmill, running outside and light yoga at home, I have not been strength training at all. I want to feel strong again!
  • Film three yoga videos.
  • Continue half-marathon training.  I am running the Chicago Half on Sept. 25. 
Blog/Career:
  • Learn how to use the drone! I’m so excited to share more videos this month!
  • Match my July freelance/blog income.
  • Plan and write more posts in advance. I want to use the time-blocking method more to write in batches. 
  • Work through the Instagram for Success course modules. I’ve already learned about some helpful tools that I previously had not heard about. 
Travel:

  • Add to our travel fund. This will continue to be a goal.
  • Plan a weekend trip to D.C. to visit my best friend. I miss her and it’s my turn to visit.
What are your August goals? Do you have any fun trips or events planned?

Related posts:

July Goals

If you read yesterday’s post, you know how I am always go, go, go nowadays. I’m not complaining — I’d rather be pulled in many directions and be able to stay home with V than have to leave her at day care in order to work. I love spending my days with her and I know they will eventually come to an end when she begins school. I’m savoring this time with her now. With that said, some days I feel like I can’t keep up with life and time. How can it possibly be July tomorrow? How?! Setting goals is a way for me to make a game plan and try to stay on track when it feels like life is barreling past me. Today I’m sharing my July goals, but first let’s check in on my  June goals:

Family:


Fitness:

  • Start half-marathon group training with my coaches on June 28. I had a work trip so I have to start group training next week. I plan to run on my own though.
  • Film a yoga video. I filmed one but didn’t post it. I plan to re-film it this month. 
  • Attend two yoga classes in the studio/local park/garden. I didn’t make it to any classes.

Career/blog:
Travel:

  • Decide on the dates and destination of our winter family trip. We finally booked our winter vacation! We went back and forth on destinations for many reasons, but I’ll share more on that later.
  • Add to our travel fund. Done. I also plan to set aside part of my work bonus for travel, as i always do. 

July goals:



Family: 

  • Finalize plans for our Canada trip.
  • Go on a date night.
  • Plan activities for my nephew’s upcoming Chicago visit.
Fitness:
  • Start marathon training. Run at least 25 miles this month.
  • Go to two yoga classes.
  • Film a yoga video.
Blog/Career:

  • Surpass June’s sponsored/freelance income. 
  • Film five YouTube videos.
  • Post consistently on my blog and social media.
Travel:
  • Find accommodations for our winter trip.
  • Explore two new places/activities in Chicago.
  • Add to travel fund.

What are your July goals? What did you learn or accomplish in June?

March Goals

I am ready for March — for change and for warmth. This month my routine will be adjusted once again after returning to work in February. My husband’s work will also ramp up and V just started pre-ballet and speech therapy. Our lives will be busier but also happier and healthier, I hope. Today I’m sharing my March goals for accountability reasons, but first, let’s check in on my February goals:

February goal check-in:

  • Enjoy my remaining family leave. I was not ready to return to work, that’s for sure. 
  • Find family-friendly activities in Chicago. We spent a day at the Field Museum, which was fun, and we took V to the playground when the weather was nice. 
Fitness:
  • Get back into a fitness routine. I was on track with my workouts for about a week and a half before I felt discomfort in my back and shoulder that has lasted for more than a week. I plan to slowly get back into my workouts this week.
  • Make it to one group run and one yoga class. I benefited immensely from a restorative yoga class last week! I didn’t make it to a group run, though, because of my back and shoulder pain.
Career/blog:

  • Pursue more freelance writing and editing opportunities. I began my writing project last week. So far I have only written a few pieces, but I hope the work continues.
  • Search for a photo-editing course. I found several options but the classes don’t begin until March and April.

March goals:


Family:

  • Figure out a day care solution. I work from home and V has so far stayed home with me. This won’t always work, especially when I have busy production days. WAHMs, how do you do it?!
  • Go on a date night. Since V arrived,  G and I have preferred to do things as a family, but now that we are in more of a routine we can go on date nights more often.
Fitness:
  • Start half-marathon training. I am registered for the Chicago Spring Half Marathon in May and training begins this week!
  • Attend four yoga classes. I would like to take yoga classes weekly during my half-marathon training. While I am certified to teach yoga and can practice alone, I can’t find a quiet enough space to practice in my home, so classes are my best bet.
  • Go on at least one group run. 
Career/blog:

  • Enroll in a photography course.
  • Create an updated media kit.
  • Write and send a newsletter on running. Are you subscribed?

What are your March goals?

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