Category Archives: New Years Resolutions

Resolution Check for 2013

Here we are, mid-way through January, and according to this British article, most of us abandoned our New Years Resolutions five days ago. That’s right, according to England’s Daily Mail, 3/4 of those surveyed admitted that they were no longer confident they would keep up their resolutions by the time January 10th rolled around.

The gold standard in Moi-Time…..Piggy

So do we make the wrong resolutions? Is that it?

Of course, not here at Wired Momma. My seasoned readers know that this year’s resolution is to commit ourselves to the gift of Moi-Time more frequently throughout the year and here’s hoping that 15 days in, you are keeping it up. Are we? I heard from one reader that she spent a few glorious hours of Moi-Time the other weekend and she was refreshed and recharged. I loved hearing it. I’ve offered up a 30-day membership to CorePower Yoga in Bethesda — to try to help one lucky reader find some Moi-Time free of charge.

So – are we committing ourselves to more Moi-Time? Anyone?

Bueller?

I hope so! I feel compelled to confess, as did another reader, that I actually have no qualms whatsoever about Moi-Time. I used too but I’ve since gotten over it and realized that in order to be a happy moi, I need to get away a bit. And everyone in my house is much happier when I’m happy, right? Same is surely true for you.

C’est vrai.

If you are on the hunt for Moi-Time ideas, as a blogging ambassador for Restaurant.com, might I suggest a dinner or lunch out with friends, with your spouse or even by yourself? You get a double-gift if using Restaurant.com for your Moi-Time — not just some time away but also it’s an easy way to save some money, another popular New Year’s Resolution!

Tell me – how are you doing in the Moi-Time department? Keeping with the resolution or did you abandon it by January 10th like the Brits?

 

Disclosure: I am a paid blogging ambassador for Restaurant.com but my opinions here are all my own.

New Years Resolution #1: The One and Only

2012 was the year of Moi Loves Moi. We celebrated the fact that we are all perfectly imperfect. We threw guilt to the wind and we praised ourselves for all that we do right in the day instead of wallowing in all that we do wrong.

Or at least hopefully we tried.

C’est vrai.

So as we start another fresh year, I’ve given a lot of thought to 2013 and our theme. I was afforded the chance to really get out and meet with lots of different moms over the past year in a variety of settings and I noticed one common thread. One thing that we all shared whether we have 5 children or one child, whether we have just a baby or we have a teen, whether we work full-time or not – there is one scarce resource out there and that is our time.

We spend so much time fretting about whether or not we are giving our children enough of our time, fretting about managing work and home, managing kids activities, keeping the clothes clean and dinner on the table. We spend and spend and spend time but what we don’t do is give ourselves any of it. We are all guilty of this and that is a CHOICE we are making. It is not something that makes us martyrs, it is something we do to ourselves.

In December I found myself at a lovely holiday open house on a Saturday afternoon. I almost didn’t go. Wanna know why? I didn’t have TIME. I had SO MUCH TO DO. How could I justify ditching Mr WM and the kids and all my other long, really important, list of things to do, to go have a few sweet treats and some drinks with a bunch of ladies at 3pm on a Saturday? How DARE I?

But I went. Naturally I stayed longer than I thought I would and mid-way through, I realized something, I could feel myself decompressing, I could feel myself relaxing, I was enjoying myself so very much. Doing nothing but gossiping and eating and drinking on a Saturday afternoon. It was delightful. And I was maybe there 90 minutes.

While I was there, I was talking with a few friends and I started telling them how a few days before I did something radical. I was out alone and I sat down on a bench in Bethesda. By myself. And I just looked around for a few minutes, peacefully just enjoying the warm December afternoon and the peace that comes with being out without your children. I looked around at what OTHER PEOPLE do on a random Monday afternoon and remembered that other people do things for themselves. I just sat in the moment. It was a novelty and it was so refreshing. And so completely absurd that this was so foreign to me. Isn’t this why the streets of Paris are lined with cafes? So you sit there and just relax and enjoy your afternoon?

I mean really.

I asked my friends at this open house when the last time they did something similar, like just sitting down on a bench, and none of them could think of any examples. Not one could really even come up with any time they give themselves and then one of them said this: “It’s a disease people. It is a disease.”

Amen sister.

We all suffer from this disease and it is stupid. Where along the way did anyone say that motherhood meant you can’t have a moment? OR that you don’t deserve it? OR that your only moment should be crammed in at 2pm on a Saturday when the kids are napping and that is when you should run out like a crazy person and cram in a week’s worth of errands?

That’s not a moment people, that’s frantic.

A moment is sitting down by yourself on a park bench and just looking around.

A moment is going to a party on Saturday afternoon and staying too long.

A moment is taking a long walk when the children are up – WITHOUT THE CHILDREN.

And so this is my new years wish for myself and for you, it is what I hope we all will make our resolution – moi time. And catching yourself in the disease. The symptoms are as follows: thinking you don’t deserve time, only leaving the house alone when the children are napping, turning down invitations from friends for things like book club or meeting up at yoga because you “don’t have time” and hearing these words come out of your mouth: “I just don’t know how she has time for X (whatever it is:  making photo albums, going to the gym, reading a book.”)

Allow me to be frank: It’s bullshit people. And it’s a disease we all inflict on ourselves.

Husbands don’t do this and they are smarter for it. And probably more relaxed. There’s no reason why everyone doesn’t deserve moi-time. Moi-time without justifications or explanations. Just do it.

Happy New Year! I hope that on December 31, 2013, we can all proudly reflect on how we gave ourselves the gift of moi-time and recharged throughout the year. We rid ourselves of this self-inflicted disease and enjoyed our rejuvenating moments. Don’t forget to give moi the gift of hitting “Like” on the Wired Momma Facebook page to keep up with the fun and some occasional reminders on the importance of moi-time.

 

Do you need a New Years Resolution when you’re already AWESOME?

This is my husband’s shirt but why don’t we all have one?

Happy New Year, friends. It’s hard to believe another year has passed, right? So, as I gear up to launch what 2013 will be in Wired-Momma-land, I thought we should look back at the theme for 2012. Did you live in the vein of Moi Loves Moi all year long? Did you channel your inner-fabulous-ness? Many of you are somewhat new here, so you might not be familiar with my ongoing Moi Loves Moi (MLM) theme. So please – I am re-posting my 2012 piece from last New Year’s Eve and hope you have a fabulous evening. Look for my New Years Resolution Guide & Theme for 2013 later this week.

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I hereby declare 2012 the year of I Am Awesome.

The year we praise our accomplishments and focus on what we do right every day, including our youthful glow and attractive figures, instead of all the areas we fall short. Forget the year of the Dog or Cat or whatever hell animal it is – it’s the year of I Am Awesome. In that vein, it would seem there is little need for a resolution, or two. But alas, with the little mini’s running around my home, even I can admit, despite my awesome-ness, there is some room for improvement. Note: I am not-so-subtly about to blame my short-comings on my children. It’s all part of the I AM Awesome campaign.

Resolution #1: Must I drive a Frat Party on Wheels?

Excluding the empty beer cans and condom wrappers, the interior of my vehicle basically looks like a frat party happened there, every night. Frankly, I think there must be a mouse family living inside because why wouldn’t there be? It’s warm, between the strewn kid artwork, the books, the food wrappers and crushed Goldfish and popcorn, it’s a veritable mouse haven. Ratatouille could likely whip up a true Francais-feast under one of my seats. Little Gus from Cinderella could find a cozy nest and hearty snacks to grow his family and tummy. Sometimes I do look for mice. In those rare moments of quiet inside my car, I’ve even been known to listen for them.

So can I do better? Yes. I hear there are people who don’t let their children snack in their cars. Who are you? Are you for real? Do you ever drive longer than 10 minutes with your children? Maybe I’ve trained my kids like dogs, they automatically associate riding in the car with snacks. So I might be to blame but it’s a vicious cycle I’m unwilling to break until they are older. So until then, I resolve to try to make the interior of my vehicle seem less like the Ritz for Rodents and more like something adult humans actually want to dare set foot in. If I am Awesome, perhaps my car’s interior should be a little more awesome….

Resolution #2: Control the Picasso Take-Over of all my Closets

One of the keys to being awesome is not being a hoarder. And the tale of my car interior and my closet interiors tell a different story than the awesomeness-tale I am weaving about myself in 2012. I blame the plethora of kid artwork for how closely I flirt with hoarding and the chaos inside my closets. I have trouble parting with their masterpieces. In an upcoming interview I will post on organization with a local stylist and home organization expert, she really made a strong case for disposing of kid artwork. I know she is right. But alas, I am just not strong enough to ditch all of it. And in the vein of brutal honesty, there’s no way in a cold day in hell I am ever going to be organized or motivated enough to make digital photo albums of their artwork. Part of being totally awesome is just being realistic and honest. So, lucky for moi, Santa brought me these kid portfolios, with their names on the front and note the size, big enough for those insanely awkward size pieces that tend to come home from pre-school, yet flat enough that I can store it under their beds. Ah ha! I am awesome because now I am going to empty out my closets and move the art collections to under my children’s beds. Thereby beginning their life as hoarders and mine as organized….

 Resolution #3: Moi Loves MoiA final repetition of the 2012 I am Awesome theme. Less self-flagellation. Less self-doubt and wondering what went wrong in the day or if my 3-year-old is acting insane because I was too distracted with a work project. Newsflash – that’s what they do when they are 3. So if you need a dose of how to perfect yourself in the year of being Awesome and Moi Loves Moi, then read this awesome and hilarious interview with my hero, my idol, Miss Piggy. I don’t know about you, but I also love to blog and tweet, like Piggy, and I am totally re-naming my iPhone my MOI-Phone and uploading pictures of…what else…MOI all over it. Repeat after Moi: Moi loves Moi. I am Awesome. Happy New Year! For more doses of awesome-ness and Moi Loves Moi, make sure you “Like” the WM Facebook page. Otherwise you are missing out…..

No one does Moi loves Moi better than Piggy

It’s the Lunar New Year of Moi Loves Moi

No one does confidence better than Piggy, oui? Oui.

This week for HuffPost, I drafted up the 5 tenets to living a full year of Moi Loves Moi…please check out my “Oui/Non” list of saying goodbye to such boring things like…mommy guilt, diets, fretting about pre-baby bodies, saying “yes” to everything..and other things parents are very guilty of..I hope you’ll enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please read, share, comment!