2361: Simple Living with My Little One by Jennifer of Simply Fiercely on Motherhood & Simplicity

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[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_01]: This is Optimal Relationships Daily. Simple Living with My Little One by Jennifer of SimplyFiercely.com

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Hello friends! I know it's been a long time since you last heard from me, but I promise I've got a good excuse.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Regular readers can probably guess what I'm about to share, or if you follow me on Instagram you already know.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_01]: But to make things official, I'm a mom now. My little girl Edie June was born September 14th at 6.01pm.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Not surprisingly, having a baby has changed my life in a million ways.

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_01]: I won't bore you by going into them all here, but over the past two months, I've been thinking about a few things relevant to this blog that I wanted to share with you.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Because I'm running on caffeine and little sleep, instead of the long form posts I normally write, this will be short and sweet.

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_01]: But I'm hoping you'll stick with me anyway, because I have so much I want to share with you.

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_01]: In no particular order, here are a few thoughts on simple living with my little one.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_01]: To-do lists

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Confession. Even though I have written before about simplifying my to-do list, the truth is, over the past 12 months, I have been pretty overwhelmed.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_01]: I wasn't listening to my own advice about knowing my limits.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I'd tried to focus on the most important stuff first, but I talked myself into believing everything was important.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Of course this didn't work well for me. I was always stressed out, and I was so scared things would only get worse after the baby came.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I cried all through my last month of pregnancy, because I felt so completely overwhelmed.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_01]: I felt there was no way I could ever get everything done.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And I was right. There's no way I'd ever have finished that massive to-do list.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_01]: But surprisingly, since having a baby, I feel calmer and in control.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Why? I think it's because my limits are no longer something imaginary in my mind.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_01]: My free time is now severely limited, so I have to be much more selective about what I do with it.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a lot like when I downsized from a two-bedroom house to a studio apartment.

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: My living space was physically smaller, so I had to let go of the unessential, whether I was ready or not.

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_01]: The same now applies to my to-do list. I've been forced to cut back, and it's truly a weight off my shoulders.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Finally accepting that I can't do it all is truly a gift, something I wish I'd been able to do for myself much sooner.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Perfectionism

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: We all know perfectionism can be poison, but despite our best intentions, it can be easy to indulge in it from time to time.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_01]: For me, I'd do little things, like spending hours editing my blog posts or wanting things to be just right in my house before receiving visitors.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_01]: But yet again, having a baby has changed things.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I've had to take a step back and revise my expectations.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_01]: If I waited for a perfect house before having visitors or for perfect editing before publishing a blog post, there'd be none of either.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm finally really learning. Good enough is just that. Good enough.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Mindfulness

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_01]: This one has been a huge surprise, and also a lifesaver for me.

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Again, I've written about mindfulness and being present before.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, everything in this post is something I've talked about before.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_01]: But I've never truly lived in the moment the way I am right now.

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_01]: It's partially an intentional choice, and partially out of necessity because newborn babies have a way of keeping your attention in the present moment.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_01]: When she's crying, I'm all there with her.

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Doubly so when she's happy and smiling.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_01]: I know these days are special and they won't last.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_01]: And when I find a quiet moment for myself to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or write a blog post, I'm 100% present, absolutely indulging in those precious minutes.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_01]: I think mindfulness is essential, new moms.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Without it, we wouldn't survive.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_01]: After all, who knows when I'll get a proper night's sleep again?

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Or when I'll be able to enjoy a proper evening out with friends.

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_01]: It could be months or maybe years.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: And if I dwell on the future, I feel anxious.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_01]: So instead of worrying, I take pleasure in the little moments happening right now.

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I take note of her gorgeous gummy smile, of the spring breeze through an open window,

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and of the satisfied, albeit weary, smiles my hubby and I exchange at the end of a long day.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_01]: This is life now, and I'm taking it one moment at a time.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Final thoughts.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_01]: I hope you've enjoyed these random thoughts about life with my little one.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I would normally spend a lot of time trying to find some sort of clever way to bring it all together at the end of a post,

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_01]: but I can hear someone fussing in the other room and I'm pretty sure nap time is almost over.

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's all for me today.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm letting go and embracing this wonderfully messy period in my life.

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_01]: And I hope, whether you're a mom or not, you've found something you can relate to in this post.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_01]: You just listened to the post titled, Simple Living with My Little One, by Jennifer of SimplyFiercely.com.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_01]: The more we miss out on things worth making to-do lists over, if that makes sense.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_01]: That's my way of putting it anyway, but I'm not as sharp as Jennifer, so I'll just stop here.

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_01]: That is all I've got for you today, folks.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_01]: We are going to close this one up.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for listening all week, and I will see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.