Here I am!

Officially, it’s been 6 years, 2 months, and some days since I last decided to publish a blog post. However, in this time, I have created a few drafts, made a few small updates to the site, all in hopes that it would motivate me into a regular blogging rhythm again. Suffice it to say, that never happened.

So here I am, at the beginning of 2020, with another resolutions list that includes blogging. Except this time, I don’t have a full time job – oh wait, I do, the customers are more demanding and I don’t get paid anymore. I’m on maternity leave with two kids under three.

I thought about posting a picture of my resolutions that I scribbled on a piece of paper while Ellie was drawing beside me, but I just read it again and a) I see that maybe the list has too many items that have to do with kids (ugh, who have I become) and b) I’ve had to update my travel ambitions twice now, so that’s still a work in progress I can’t quite share.

What I can share, though, is that so far 2020 has been to a pretty good start. Even though day-to-day, it feels like I’m deep in the trenches repeating myself over and over again, in a louder-than-I’d-like voice, about what to touch, what not to touch, who not to hit, what not to eat, and why dinner/lunch/breakfast is good for you. By 8pm daily I generally do not wish to speak to humans again. I didn’t think you could be exhausted from talking but, here I am. Overall, the first month of 2020 has been quite aligned with what I want to accomplish this year (a looser interpretation of the lofty “resolutions” one might’ve made 5 years ago):

• I hope to read 18 books this year and I read 2 in January. I’ve also updated my profile on GoodReads to keep myself organised
• I’m back at it with a lot more knitting, trying to get through my magnificent yarn stash, so I’ve organised my knitting queue for 2020, as well as updated my completed projects, on Ravelry. That queue is a constant moving target, as I’m not speedy with my knitting and I keep getting distracted by pretty patterns and yarns everywhere I look
• I’m exercising again! It’s been THREE YEARS since I did any form of exercise and I’ve now signed up for two days a week in a “mom and baby” fitness class. A class setting is definitely easier to ensure I actually get my act together and out the door, and I’ve even had a chance to use the childminding service for Ellie while Anna and I are in class. Gotta love community programmes – the whole set of classes is $60(ish) for 10 sessions, and the childminding is $3.75 each time we go. Finally, I get to see my tax dollars at work
• I’m trying to upcycle / recycle / reuse as much as possible, especially with kids stuff, and I’ve had pretty decent luck twice now on Craigslist. Technically the first purchase was done in 2019, but I got Ellie’s Christmas gift – a little play tent shaped like a vintage VW camper van – for $25 and it’s been the best $25 we’ve spent. She plays in it everyday for hours. We also got a hiking backpack / child carrier secondhand, and I hope to use it as soon as the weather gets nicer!
• On the topic of travel – tbc – but we’re hoping to hit up as many friends and family as possible around the Northern Hemisphere now that we’re back up here

So that’s my quick update of where things are at…and with some careful planning, I shall be back more regularly to keep track of what I’m up to. I miss having a blog to document the little things happening in life.