As you may or may not remember, my word for 2011 was simplicity. (See here for further explanation and here for 2010’s word.) I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I want 2012’s word to be, but haven’t given much thought to how well I’ve kept to this theme this year. And since objectives are pointless unless they are meaningful and measurable, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the ways I’ve tried to simplify my life and whether or not it was a worthwhile endeavor.
January: I spent some time purging and cleaning our house, which felt REALLY good and is something I intend to make a regular first-of-the-year occurrence. Getting rid of unnecessaries and organizing what remains helped bring peace to my mind and to our home.
February: More organizing and cleaning, this time in Amelia’s room. That has been an ongoing project, since baby stuff tends to explode all over the place. But I’ve been good about keeping the neverending flow of clothing that she’s outgrown or will soon be able to wear in check, I’ve got cloth diaper laundering and storage down pat, and things haven’t gotten too out of hand. Most of the time.
March: David acquired a job, which simplified my life immensely because it was the first time in nearly two years that we’d had a regular, decent-sized paycheck to budget from. And I quit my part-time job at the end of the month, which simplified my life because I was no longer working weird hours and driving long distances with a baby sitting on my bladder.
April: Honestly, I spent much of this month just enjoying my life. I had very few obligations. I wasn’t so enormously pregnant (yet) that I felt too uncomfortable. I mostly just knitted and read and played and it was a really nice way to relax before giving birth.
May: Lots of nesting and last minute baby preparation. The only thing I recall doing to simplify my life was writing a birth plan and talking endlessly with David about what to expect and where to go and what to do and such when I eventually went into labor. Which was, of course, the highlight of the year. Not so much the labor bit, but the part right after where the baby came out and nothing else mattered because she was so so perfect and she was ours.
June: I spent a month reveling in new motherhood. Eating. Sleeping. Watching Amelia eat and sleep. Spending days at a time on the couch in our pajamas. It doesn’t get much more simple than that. And honestly, how often does a person get the chance to do nothing but attend to life’s most basic needs? We were safe and warm and snuggly. What more did we need?
July: I continued my weekly photo shoots with Amelia that I’d started when she was born. This was my way of ensuring that a) I had photos of her as she grew and developed and b) that I didn’t go crazy overboard about taking said photos. I figured even if I only pulled out my camera once a week, I’d have a decent representation of what she was like as a baby without the hundreds of thousands of pictures that a lot of parents take of their firstborn. Granted, I still take dozens of shots each week, but I toss most of them. I really want to keep doing this with her and any subsequent children we have.
August: I discovered that I’m happier when I get out of the house every so often. So I figured out how to simplify the going-out process. Usually when we go out, I just take a stroller (which lives in the trunk of my car so I don’t have to think about it), a toy and a blanket for Mila, and my purse. There’s no need to bring more than that for most adventures. It’s been quite liberating.
September: Not sure what I was up to in September, because blogging fell by the wayside. Which, I suppose, was my way of cutting out unnecessary stresses that month. At least that is what I’m going to tell myself. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I spent some time shopping end-of-summer sales for baby clothes for Mila to wear next year. Which will make life easier when things warm up and she outgrows all her winter stuff.
October: I began using Google Reader, which has both simplified my daily internet browsing and helped me spend less time online. THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING.
November: The infamous 30 for 30 took place, and I learned to be creative with a much smaller wardrobe than usual. It was probably one of the best attempts at simplification I made all year. I was tired of it by the end, but after a month of having my entire closet available and still not finding anything I want to wear on most days, I find myself wanting to take on another sartorial challenge soon. Maybe not a 30 for 30, but something else to simplify my clothing decisions and help me appreciate the things I already have.
December: We pared down our gift-buying, which I loved: the three of us each got something to wear, something to read, and something fun. This is another decision that really made a difference in my stress levels, and for that reason will likely become a holiday tradition for us.
All told, I did a pretty good job. I put some conscious effort into keeping things as simple as possible, and while it didn’t always work out, I did have some noteworthy successes. Knowing that, I think I’m ready to put 2011 behind me. It was a very good year, but I’ve got a feeling 2012 is going to be delightful.
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