When I started writing this post, I thought “I’ll just give it a quick polish later”. Somehow, I forgot that the winter months, really aren’t my favourite months and February kicked my butt.
Even though one of my goals for this year is to live with the seasons, I forgot that I would rather hibernate in February than be active and visible. So writing this took me much longer than I thought, but hey, it’s a review, so the month is almost over and I get to start fresh.
What does living with the seasons mean to me?
Atop my agenda it says “Live WITH my cycle” and I meant to encompass living with my menstrual cycle and the seasonal cycle of the year. However, I realized that I don’t really know how to put my ideas into practice.
I do know that I want to give my mind, my body, my business the things that are needed at the right time.
The first step to figuring out patterns and cycles is observation. This February I have started to note down thoughts connected to the season, like “I wish I could hibernate”. So hopefully, I will remember next year.
There is at least one area where I somewhat succeed in living with the seasons: my menstrual cycle. As you can see, I have colour coded my monthly agenda, so I know in which weeks I should cut back on appointments. I don’t pay attention to it as much as I would like, but I know I have made start and for the first time, I have actually declined appointments this month, because they coincided with my “bad week”.
Coughs, Colds and the Big C
My great enthusiasm for starting a new year was put to the test this month. While in January everything is fresh and new, by February routine sets in. But not here. Early in the month I was down with a very annoying cold, during which I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) work.
And now, we have a case of corona in the family. I can tell you: nothing can upset your routine, like a husband in quarantine! Which means I moved into the home office/ guest room for the next few days. It looks like the chaos on the outside is matching the chaos on the inside!
So yes, once again, I am taking it slow, managing what little energy I have wisely.
February Highlights
As I am scrolling through my photos, I realize that February definitely is my hibernation month, I have literally no pictures to remind me of what I did.
But the month wasn’t as bleak as I made it out to be, I actually got to do a lot of fun stuff as well.
Dutch Sign Language – Well, on the 1st of February I started learning Dutch Sign Language. And in the past 3 weeks I have learned to say “Hello” and I can spell my name.
Sustainable clothes – I’ve been toying with the idea of having a more sustainable wardrobe for a while. I won’t bore you with the details, but I have actually started mending all kinds of fabrics instead of throwing them out. Stormy is delighted with all his knee-patched trousers. A great resource for all kinds of ideas and tips is the Modern Mending Club on Facebook
Looking at those highlighs, I realize that these activities are low-key, cozy, inside activities that are somehow still in keeping with the season. So maybe, I’m not so bad at living with the seaons after all?
The good thing is: I’m still learning. I’m figuring out what my ideal mom-life-balance is on a monthly, weekly, sometimes daily basis. Have you found YOUR mom-life-balance yet?
If you don’t know what your first step would be towards living motherhood on your terms, let’s talk! Book yourself a 30 minute balance-call and walk away with a little weight off your shoulders, a quick tip to implement or even a plan to tackle a challenge in your mom-life-balance.
