The Joys of Self-Discovery

After being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years and then recently having an empty house because Sydney is now in full day Kindergarten...I am actually starting to re-discover myself. And...I'll tell ya...what a nice feeling that is! I am becoming aware of how much I have changed in the past 10-15 years. It's interesting to discover what used to make me happy as a teenager makes me just laugh now that I'm an adult. Movies are a good example of that. There are some movies that I LOVED growing up...and now they are totally dumb! And, it's fun to watch my boys as they are getting older and hear the same conversations that I used to have.
I am also discovering that... I think differently, I like more things, and certain things aren't as important as they once were. It's kind of strange really, because all these years, I have done things a certain way because that's what I grew up with or what I thought I liked. And, now I am discovering I don't like it that way anymore. Trick now is...finding a new way to do it or just getting rid of something that has been a part of me for so long.
Everyday for the past 10 years, my main focus and desire was to make sure my kids (and husband) had what they needed and were happy. And, there is nothing wrong with that. But...what happened was, I forgot about myself. Over the past few months, I have acknowledged that...and I have being trying to "look within" to pinpoint what it is, that I am missing. And, what I came up with was..."craft time" and "rock-out time".
"Craft time"-I stopped doing crafts after I had Sydney mainly because I was lazy and Sydney took most of my energy. I considered doing crafts as just one more thing that I would have to clean up. So, it was the first to go in order to keep clean up as minimal as possible. Well...I have now changed my way of thinking about it! I don't care about the mess anymore because I enjoy doing it and it makes me happy! So...bring on the projects!
Now, "rock-out time" is MUCH needed for my sanity! I just put on my headphones or I get in my car ...and, I blare my music...and, I sing real loud... and, I just have fun. The type of music I listen to all depends on my mood. I gravitate to Classic Rock because that is what I grew up with. But, Mike has introduced a lot of other music to me that I really enjoy also.  I have a VERY wide range. Listen to my Playlist to hear some of my favorites.
I am happy to say that, this week has been a very productive week. With all of my re-discovering...I have been able to really take a look at my habits, my family's habits and what will help us function the best as a whole.
I finally came up with a meal plan...that I'm satisfied with.  And then, I gathered up the fam and made lists to tackle grocery shopping. Mike took the boys, and he went above and beyond with his task. He gave the boys a lesson on how to look for the best prices. He taught them about reading the price tag and figuring out the price per ounce and stuff like that. All while getting what was on his list. I took Sydney and let her push the cart...which, took A LOT of patience from me...but, I took a deep breath and just let her have fun. I told her the items I needed and how many, so it made it a game for her too. Ordinarily, I like shop by myself...less headaches. But, this was a lot less work actually, I didn't have to carry in all the groceries! BONUS!
Then, later the kids helped me clean up and cut the produce. And, Mike helped me prep food for lunches and breakfasts. So, now I don't have to mess with it later. What a nice feeling!!
My biggest self-discovery is discovering my need to control everything. Giving up control is one of those things that I REALLY have hard time with. I like things done a certain way...I don't have a lot of patience...I don't like a lot of questions...I hate repeating myself. So, as much as I hate to do it...I need to take a step back and just let it happen. In the end, everyone is rewarded from it somehow. My kids learn to be more self-sufficient, Mike's feels like he's helping and I have less to worry about. We all win!
Pictures of some of my projects will be posted as I finish them. :)