Designing smarter

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I am fascinated by small space designs.  I don’t know that I want to live in a microhouse, but I love the idea of having a smaller space that is designed in the best possible way so that it feels bigger than it really is.

We stayed at the Hotel Blauer Bock in Munich.  Blauer Bock was in a terrific location, had a very friendly staff, and the room price included breakfast and internet.  It was definitely a bit of a splurge, but we were stymied on where else to get a room with two cribs.  We received polite responses to inquiries that stated the hotel did have two cribs, but we would not be able to fit two of them in a room.  We almost booked adjoining rooms at the Pension am Jakobsplatz, but we were cautioned about ongoing construction noise there and thought that might not be ideal for nap time.

Our room had some thoughtful design touches.  I was impressed with the cutouts above the bathroom that added light to a darker area.  It was also nice to have a coat rack right by the front door.

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The nightstand with reading light was also nice.  After spending many years sleeping with my kindle under my pillow or on the floor, I value a good nightstand.  I’m not sure why I didn’t take the plunge at our old house and fasten something to the wall, as they did here.  I guess it just feels so permanent.  Hope you like where the bed is because your nightstand ain’t moving!  I operate under the (misguided) belief that there is a perfect furniture arrangement that can be found if you just keep trying.  What if I nightstood before it was achieved??  (I know, I know, it could move.  But if you are too lazy to attach a nightstand in the first place, you are probably too lazy to move it.)

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The hotel room also had some great features for a stay with kids.  After fearing that we would be sandwiched with cribs touching the bed, I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had a sitting room separated by a door that was a perfect spot for the kids.  Well, it was perfect for the first three nights.  After that Mac got unexplainedly ragey when you tried to put him down.  Then, once you finally rocked him to sleep and set him down, Henry screamed, “MACKLES” from across the room, starting the screaming all over again.  At this point, Mac was removed and placed in the corner of the main room.

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Unfortunately, the bathroom was not ideal for two littles.  No tub.  We had a corner shower with two curtains.  Why do people do this?  Maybe it looks nicer to have curtains instead of a door?  Maybe it is just easier to clean?  But it sure was a pain for showering.  The space shrunk by half as the ghost curtains horned in on you once you started the water.  Let’s just say the kids did get cleaned, but not as often as at home.

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Henry was thrilled to have two TVs to play with.  He either didn’t notice or didn’t care that all programming was in German.

Anways, I’ll file the good design ideas away for now.  I have this vision that maybe someday we’ll get to design a space of our own and use all these bits of inspiration to make an amazing space.  The YoungHouseLove-rs always advocated living in a space for awhile before making any major changes so that you really know what you want.  I like to think that we’ll have some thoughts from our previous locales if we ever get to design a space of our own.

Hotel Blauer Bock • Sebastiansplatz 9 • 80331 München • Telefon: +49(0)89 23 17 80 • e-Mail: info@hotelblauerbock.de

Any design features you are itching to change on your current abode?  Any that you love?  Have your dream space all planned out?

Do SAHMs have higher rates of skin cancer?

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And we’re back!  We got back from five nights in Munich last week.  There were definitely some lows (like Henry causing 50 euro of damage at the hotel breakfast), but plenty of fun moments and the Christmas markets were amazing.  You guys will be hearing plenty over the next few weeks, I’m sure.

After a week of meat, sugar, and beer, I’m looking forward to getting back to cooking real food.  This is a bit of an exaggeration, but I almost feel like I haven’t cooked since Thanksgiving.  The holidays are here which makes it tough, but it is time.

I’ve been thinking about this article: How I Gained and Lost 60 Pounds as an Entrepreneur — and So Can You!  Even though I’m not an entrepreneur or working outside the home right now, many points here really resonated.  I try very hard not to, but it is easy to put yourself last.

Overall, I’d say my new lifestyle is less healthy than my old in several ways.  I drink less water.  When sitting at a desk, I had my Nalgene bottle right in front of me and I drank water all day long.  I am excellent at drinking things put right in front of me.  This is a great skill for staying hydrated, a less great one for trying not to get sloppy at a party.  Now because we are on the move, I don’t have water in front of me.  I feel like I take two sips and then we are off to something else and cups just end up all over the house.  It is not ideal.

There is less incidental movement.  Before, I did a good bit of walking on my commute.  I would often walk to lunch.  Even walking around a large office building built in some exercise.  I thought here, we’d be constantly on the go and would really rack up those steps, but it is surprisingly easy not to move far at all.  The grocery store is only a few blocks away.  I have playgrounds steps from the front door.  I want to walk more, but the sidewalks here can really be a pain for the stroller.  And the toddler doesn’t really want to sit in the stroller anyway.

One of the best bonuses about working at home is making your lunch.  It is easy to throw together a real salad or even just grab leftovers without having to lug them to work in a giant Tupperware.  But even though I’m at home, I haven’t been taking advantage.  Lunch is usually a scramble.  An afterthought.  Not good.

I’ve been noticing more freckles.  Freckles I haven’t seen this bright since I was a kid.  Small wonder, I’m spending much more time outside now.  Usually just standing at a playground with the baby strapped to me, but it adds up.  My mom has had precancerous things removed from her skin.  Why am I not doing better?

Looking over this list objectively, I admit that there seem to be easy solutions to many of these issues.  A little more effort.  A little more planning.  But it is easy to get really caught up in the day-to-day kid spiral survival mode and the last thing I want to do is walk across the city or even walk to my kitchen to get a glass of water.  And even typing that sentence, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that is honestly the way it feels sometimes.  I’m tired.  And even though I know that making an effort on some of these things would make me less tired, it is hard to do.

As the Entrepreneur article says, the answer is inevitably to “Plan the work, work the plan.“  I get it.  I need to do this.  I’m working on it.

In the meantime, at the suggestion of my cosmetologist friend here, I have switched to wearing real sunscreen on my face.  SPF 55.  Formulated for babies actually so I think it stinks less.  (I hate smelling like I’m going to the beach all day.)  My Oil of Olay with SPF 15 advertised continuous moisture all day long, but if you read the fine print, stated that you needed to reapply every two hours for sun protection.  Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Anyone have any tips or tricks?  I know, I know, there are no easy solutions.  Grr.

A day in the life

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This is not the most glamorous, but I present for your consideration a typical day around here.  In many ways it is not “typical,” (we don’t always go to tree lightings), but is there actually a typical day?  As you will see, it is not all cappuccino wishes and fettuccine dreams.

7:06 am James’s alarm goes off. Holy tootknockers, that means Mac slept through the night! This has only happened a handful of times and is big doin’s. Of course, he stirred right when James got in the shower, but settled back down.
7:06 – 7:30 Reading. Most days this is spent dozing fitfully, thinking about the day, and yelling at myself that this would be the perfect time to get up and do some pilates. Sigh, some day.
7:30 – 7:55 Shower, get dressed, makeup. Mac is stirring so James gets him up and changes the dipe. We say goodbye to James.
7:55 – 8:36 Henry is stirring. I grab Mac and head into Henry’s room, giving Henry a couple books. Henry reads while I feed Mac. Eventually, Henry is ready to leave the crib. He gets the new diaper, fresh clothes treatment. We hang out on the bed for a bit.

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8:36 – 9:10 Breakfast time. I’m irked because the dishwasher was not run last night and walking into a messy kitchen is a pain. Less shenanigans today than usual from the boys though, likely because I told Henry that if he eats his eggs than he can have leftover banana bread. The boys sit while I cook. Henry and I have eggs, as we do most days, and Mac has the rest of a jar of prunes baby food. I throw more in the dishwasher and start it on the way out.

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9:10 – 9:32 We head to the living room to play. New outfit for Mac. Henry is super into the nativity scenes here. So far, I’ve seen cows eating grass, wise men marching, angels dive-bombing shepherds, and sheep eating Baby Jesus. I slip out for two minutes to throw in a load of laundry at some point.

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9:32 – 9:37 Prepping Mac for his nap and putting him down.
9:37 – 9:48 Confirm that Henry is occupied and clean the two bathrooms. Henry comes in when I’m finishing up the tub in the second bathroom.
9:48 – 9:50 Refill waters and sippy cups.
9:50 – 10:15 Henry and I read. Lion King and a book on military aircraft today.   It’s all toddler’s choice around here.
10:15 – 10:25 Henry and I play basketball.
10:25 – 10:45 Mac wakes up. New diapers for everyone!   (Bathroom break for me.) Locating shoes, socks, and jackets for everyone and stuffing shoes, socks, and jackets onto everyone. Two meltdowns result which is not a terrible track record.
10:45 – 11:55 We head outside. I thought about heading to a farther park like Villa Borghese, but the clouds are still looking ominous and decide it is better to stay close. I thought we’d hit the playground out front, but we ended up on a “toddler walk.”   This is a walk where the toddler sets the pace and we stop where he wants. Henry kicked trash.

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Climbed on window grates.

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And kicked columns.

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For the record, the Italians approve of none of this. Italian kids generally sit in strollers bundled up to their eyeballs. Nobody said anything though, except the one lady who commented that Henry should be wearing a hat because of the wind, but she was pretty nice about it.
11:55 – 12:25 We head inside to watch one episode of Winnie the Pooh, aka the only way I could convince Henry to come inside.   I can’t just scoop him up because I’m wearing Mac. I feed Mac while Henry watches. Mac and I play. I throw Henry’s wet shoes in the dryer. Henry has a meltdown that he only gets one episode and then gets a timeout because he repeatedly shoved his brother.   He is uninterested in lunch and tells me it is time for nap.
12:25 – 12:38 Naptime is usually at 1:00, but who am I to question a screaming toddler? New diapers and story time. Kids are down for naps.
12:38 – 12:50 I switch that laundry from earlier and make myself lunch. I start to unload the dishwasher, but double naptime is sacred and must not be squandered on chores.  Lunch today is some seriously past its prime arugula with oil and salt/pepper (I end up abandoning about a quarter of the way through), apple, cheese, three leftover pieces of coppa, and a heated mug of turkey broth.
12:50 – 1:01 Read some blogs. I’m in the bad habit of associating food with internet break time. Too many lunches eaten at my desk at the law firm.
1:01 – 1:15 Read some sites on what to do in Nuremberg for upcoming trip.
1:15 – 2:25 Write 1.5 blog posts.  Post the day’s post.
2:25 – 2:55 Take dishes back to kitchen, grab a small piece of banana bread and nutella spoon, respond to email, check a few more blogs.
2:55 – 3:15 Text with my neighbor about walking to Christmas tree lighting. Read guide book on Munich.
3:15 – 3:18 When I hear the kids start to stir, hit the bathroom and go on a blitz gathering up stuff for our outing.
3:18 – 3:45 Feed Mac, change diapers, get Henry yogurt, put on shoes, socks, coats, etc.
3:45 – 4:25 Walk to James’s work for Christmas tree lighting.
4:25 – 5:30 Enjoy tree lighting and reception.

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5:30 – 6:25 Walk to and enjoy best gelato ever at Come il Latte. More on this soon.

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6:25 – 7:00 See someone we know. Walk home with friend, chatting all the way.
7:00 – 7:40 Peel off shoes, socks, coats; hanging out and chillin’ as a fam.

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7:40 – 8:00 Get kids ready for bed.
8:00 – 8:45 Make soup from the turkey stock we made previously. Empty the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher, and do other kitchen cleaning tasks with James. In theory, we would do more chatting about our days here, but we were both kind of out of it and cranky.
8:45 – 9:30 Eat soup and do some plotting with James on Munich trip.
9:30 – 9:50 Watch an episode of Brooklyn 99 with James. (If you aren’t watching this show, you really should be watching this show.)
9:50 – 10:00 Get ready for bed.
10:00 – 11:00 Read in bed. I really need to get better here. In my mind, I only read for like 15 minutes. Clearly, that is NOT the case.

So there you have it.  A typical-ish weekday in December.  Some days we see friends.  Some days we go to the store.  Most days we feed the kids a real dinner.  But if you can’t have gelato for dinner every now and then, what’s the point of living in Italy?

 

 

 

 

 

Rain rain, go away (Restaurant Review: Cul de Sac Wine Bar)

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You guys, will it ever stop raining??  I know, I know.  It isn’t snow.  It is still pretty warm here.  But it is starting to feel like it rains every day.

And it is a sneaky rain.  You never know when it is coming.  I can look out the window in one direction and there is blue sky with happy clouds.  The other direction looks like a gray sheet of doom.  I have been at the playground and had a single individual cloud rain on me and then pass.

I’m always surprised by the quantities of thunder and lightening as well.  These aren’t just sheets of gray.  They crackle with electricity.

It seems to rain more often than not on date night.  One evening looked suspiciously dry.  We hopped into a cab to go stroll by the Forum before dinner.  On the way, the skies opened up.  We should have told the cab driver to change location, but we were too busy being amused by him.  He hated everything.  The traffic in Rome.  The food in Rome.  The people in Rome.  And I was hopelessly hoping that the rain might stop before we got there.

We stood on the corner sharing an umbrella (mine) and set off on a very truncated walk.  It was not a romantic stroll in the rain.  It was cold and wet.  I immediately headed to a cab stand to get to the restaurant.  I can’t find it now, but someone had a travel tip that stuck with me:  if it costs less than $10 but makes your life much better, you should do it.  For example, if you are starving, go ahead and get that overpriced airport sandwich.  I’m not traveling, but I think this is an excellent rule to live by generally.

Our destination that evening was Cul de Sac, a wine bar tucked away behind Piazza Navona.  A friend recommended as a fun place to try wines by the glass and local meats and cheeses.

When we rolled up around 2100 (I know, I’m a baller), the place was hopping.  After a few minutes, we were able to get a table in the back.  The space is very narrow with the wines up front and center on display.  Let’s just say that this is not the place you’d like to be during an earthquake.

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You could get bottles, but they did have a nice selection of wines by the glass, I think mostly in the 6-10 euro range.  We got a mixed meat and cheese plate as well.  Although it was quite tasty, I wish we had just ordered individual things.  There was a large selection of cured meats and cheeses, with the region of Italy noted.  I’d definitely recommend as a place to stop in if you didn’t want to pay Piazza prices around the corner.

After some enjoyable glasses, we did take a look at the rain-drenched Piazza Navona, one of my faves.

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I also had the tartufo from Tre Scalini in my sights.  This was eaten crowded by the covered outdoor heater where I technically shouldn’t have been because I only paid for a takeaway.

It wasn’t the date night I had planned, but at least it had a sweet ending.  Hehe.  🙂

Cul de Sac, Piazza Pasquino 73 (Piazza Navona) 00186, Tel. +39.06.68801094

Tre Scalini, Piazza Navona 28 00186, Tel. +39.06.68801996

Red lips to the rescue!

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Modern Mrs. Darcy has a post up on Simplicity, productivity, and the personal uniform.  Yup, I’ve got that.  I’m a fan.

[Hi to any MMD readers who clicked over from my comment!  Thanks for taking a look around!]

My personal uniform remains, but I’ve been feeling a little frumptastic lately.  This is because I don’t usually add the completer piece unless I’m going out.  The baby would destroy my necklaces.  Why put on a scarf or a jacket if it is just going to get covered in spitup and flung food?

Let’s just say, I feel all of those What Not to Wear contributors who scoffed at Stacy and Clinton for saying they should wear nicer blouses.  Yes, I use burp cloths.  But did you know that kids can aim past the cloth?  Or I might not have one in reach?  There is a reason that my uniform is washer-friendly.

I also need to rethink my makeup regime.  I feel like it is all wiped off by mid-morning.  I’m not loving my hair lately.  I’ve got those bald spots and wisps thanks to the postpartum hair loss.  And all of this rain and humidity does not cute hair make.

Sum it all up to say that I’m not feeling super cute most days.  And this is not the best place to not feel cute.  The women here, they know how to work it.

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Enter the red lip!

I’ve been loving Boots Botanics lip gloss.  Mine is cherry, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere for a link.  It doesn’t pass the kiss test, but it adds a punch of color without getting peely, chappy, and flaky later like so many lip products I find.  (I know this is reading like a giant advertisement, but nothing sponsored here; I just like the product.)

I’ve got it right by the door and it is now a part of my going-out-the-door routine.  Shoes, strap on baby, jacket, red lip.  It’s not a salon blowout or a stain-free shirt, but it always helps me feel a little more put together.

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Yes, those are mirror smudges from a certain toddler.  And, wow, taking mirror selfies is crazy awkward.  I kind of can’t believe I’m sharing this with all of you.  Please, be gentle.

Do you have a fave lip gloss?  Any special thing you add to feel polished?

Da Media . . . for Kidz

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Ah, da media.  (Picture saying this like Ali G.  Clip is a bit NSFW, it is Ali G after all.  Do not click if references to elephants boning on the National Geographic channel offend you.)

Like many of you probably do, I feel very conflicted about screen time for my kids.  It seems that no screen time is the ideal experience.  But I watched TV growing up, and I think I turned out OK.  I don’t remember what I was doing at age two, but a little older, my sister and I lived for Saturday morning cartoons.  There was plenty of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers in there.  And I remember occasions when we would watch a movie, rewind it, and immediately watch it again.  Of course, we did plenty of other things besides TV.  But I certainly don’t remember my mom obsessing about TV as much.  (I may have blocked it out; I do that sometimes.)

Besides thinking that surely some screen time can’t hurt, I worry that I could be missing a useful tool.  I thought of this again when reading Hanna Rosin’s piece, The Touch-Screen Generation.  The article is from last year and is pretty long, but it has some interesting thoughts, particularly on games for touch screens.  We don’t have an iPad or similar, but I think about uses for the computer.  Henry and I read books about kangaroos and we can instantly look up videos of kangaroos on YouTube.  How cool is that??  We’ve also looked at Harrier Jets, bees, frogs eating flies, and caterpillars becoming butterflies.  When I was a kid, we’d just have to wait and hope Mister Rogers covered it.

These videos are definitely the exception rather than the rule.  I try to avoid videos because Henry becomes a shrieking rage monster when he has to stop watching, and the few minutes of downtime are not worth the aftermath.  At the moment we watch one twenty-minute Winnie the Pooh episode per day and a movie on Fridays.  The Pooh is used to entice him inside from the playground for lunch (I can’t just scoop him up because I’m wearing Mac) and to allow me to feed the baby without Henry trying to tackle me.

I have no idea how this compares to most people.  Should I care?  I don’t want to, but this is an issue where it is easy to feel judged, no matter what you do.  Rosin’s article notes that experts tend to view an hour of screen time as a zero sum game, meaning one hour of TV is one hour of time not spent interacting with parents.  But that isn’t really the way the world works.  There are many hours in the day, and I know that the kids get plenty of interaction, playtime, and downtime.

But.  I’m sure I’ll always feel uneasy.  I feel like I have to justify myself, like I’m justifying to you now.  And it will only get harder as they get older.  The general approach is avoidance, but I’m hoping for memories like making popcorn and watching a movie together.  Watching football on Saturdays.  And I don’t want to just bury my head in the sand thinking about apps and games.  Sigh, one step at a time.

What’s your screen approach?  Any apps or programming you recommend? 

 

So what do you do with all that turkey . . . ?

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We had a great Thanksgiving.  I have a lot for which to be grateful.  I’m always thankful for my family and friends, here and back home.  I’m also thankful for many things in Rome.  We’ve met many wonderful people.  We are living in a great place with friendly neighbors, elevators big enough to fit the double stroller, and a playground outside the front door.  There is much to be thankful for indeed.

I’m thankful we got to share a traditional Thanksgiving meal with friends here.  And Thanksgiving meal means leftovers!  I don’t get sick of these.  Here’s what we did:

Slate recommends a Thanksgiving burrito.  We didn’t go that far, but we did start off with plain heated leftovers.  Our issue was that we ran out of turkey much earlier than I would have liked.  After some calculations, I decided that a 10-15 pound bird would be good.  I did tell James that “on the low end of that range should be enough.”  Apparently there was some miscommunication, and he came home with a 9.5 pounder.  I can only blame myself for lack of clarity.  (I mostly blame James.)

So we moved on to other things.  Behold, our french toast casserole sweet potato souffle.  For this one, I soaked leftover french bread with milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla overnight (loosely following this, but with way less milk and egg), and baked in the morning with a topping of sweet potato souffle.  Our souffle topping is very similar to the one on the french toast so it worked.  Oh, did it work.  This was a definite winner.

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We also did chili mac and cheese.   Step one: make chili.  Step two:  place it over heated macaroni and cheese casserole.  And voila!

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Even though we were working with a turkey deficit, we did make turkey soup.  Kind of followed this recipe.  (Many of these recipes are called turkey carcass soup.  I know that is exactly what it is, but I wouldn’t mind a little gloss on it.)  I browned sausage and then sauteed the veggies in the sausage grease.  As the recipe suggests, I added a dollop of leftover mashed potatoes.  Now that I’m getting sniffly, this one has been particularly awesome.

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What about you?  What have you been eating?  Any exotic leftover traditions?

The height of fanciness . . . let’s talk utility vests

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Once upon a time when talking about Roman fashion, I promised you more on what you really wanted.  You’ve been patient.  And now the wait is over, my friends.  That’s right, it is time to talk utility vests, the wardrobe essential for Roman men of a certain age.  Or any age really.  Because when asking yourself whether your outfit would be better if you added a utility vest, I hope the answer is always a resounding heck YES.

James collected all of these photos on a single commute.  Not a to-the-office-and-back-commute.  Just on a one way trip.  Granted, the photography leaves something to be desired, but when you are asking your husband to pap random Italian dudes with a cellphone, you take what you can get.  (Thank you, James.  Mmmmwah!)

So let’s get to it.  But why the birds you ask?  Or you will ask once you see these amazeballs utility-vests-in-the-wild photos.  I put a bird on it to protect the fabulous.  #putabirdonit  (I admit that pixelated faces would have been way cooler, but my photo editing skillz are only so advanced.)

Exhibit A.  Here, we have a pretty standard example of the utility vest.  Sleeveless.  Many pockets.  Probably for handkerchiefs and Parmesan.  Or whatever it is Italian dudes carry around with them.

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Exhibit B.  Did I make you look twice?  Yes, that is a different dude.  But don’t think that all utility vests have to be dark.  You can have fun with color!

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Like sand!

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Or even red!  This is actually the only red vest I’ve ever seen.  Maybe because this gent is of a much younger demographic than most utility vest wearers.  At age 40, you probably have to hand in all of your brightly colored vests.

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Here’s another youngin.  As you can see, it is never too early to vest up.

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I adore the quilting on this one.  (This is 100% not sarcastic.  I’ve been seeing some really cool quilted puffer coats as well.)  So it is good to know that you have both everyday vest and dressy vest options.  #dressyvest

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I only barely edited this photo.  That dude is killing it from a street style perspective.

And thus concludes this utility vest roundup.  The next time you’re in Rome, don’t be surprised that many of the men look like they are about to go fishing.  I’m dying to know how this became a fashion staple.  Where do they find them?  I’ve never actually seen one in stores.  And do you have one vest or a whole closet of vests for all occasions?  Inquiring minds need to know!!

#vestupson #vestlife #vestsFTW

Munich on my mind

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Ya’ll, we are heading to Munich and Nuremberg soon!  I’m very excited.  There is still a lot to do.  I need to get to work on a game plan and picking restaurants.  But I’m stoked.  Things I am excited about, in no particular order:

The Christkindlmarkts  A main reason for the trip.

Gluhwein  I’ve tried making my own mulled wine at home, but it is never as good.

Gebrannte Mandeln Those sweet, street almonds are my jam.

Seeing Henry’s face at BMW Welt

Seeing Henry’s face on the planes and trains

German beer  I heart wine.  And I’m giving Italian beers a shot.  But I’m pretty excited for some German beer.

Seeing if I remember any German  I did a year of study abroad in Germany, but this was ages ago.  My German was never that great, but I got around.  Now with Italian, I get frustrated because I feel like I can say all these things in German.  Time to put my money where my mouth is . . .

I am less excited about:

The Cold  Although you’d never know it by looking at the Romans wearing sweaters, scarves, and puffer coats, we’ve been enjoying temps in the 60s here still.  Munich, not so much.  It will probably be closer to the 30s.  I think it does make the Christmas markets special when it is actually cold, but we’ll have to be prepared.  As long as it doesn’t rain, I promise not to whine too much.  The forecast calls for “ice pellets” on one day.  Gulp.

Sharing a hotel room  We looked at some airbnb, but eventually opted for a hotel that claims they will give us two cribs and that they will both fit in our room.  This could be interesting.

Anyone been to Munich lately?  Any recommendations??

Lessons from a (failed) NaNoWriMo

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At the start of November, I proudly announced that I would be participating in National Novel Writing Month, a project where you endeavor to write 50,000 words in a month.

And like the last time I announced a goal to all of you, I failed.  I blew it.  Instead of 50K, I clocked in at just over 10,000 words.

So why did this happen?  Why can’t I carry through?  I promise, I’m not usually like this.  Get off my back, internets!!  Sorry, sorry, just feeling a little defensive.  But I do have some thoughts and things to try differently next time.

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail

Without heeding my boy, Benjamin Franklin, I did not put together a writing schedule.  The first day (a weekend), I cranked out more than 2000 words.  This will be easy, I thought!  Look at me go!  I’ll just spend a little less time surfing the internet each day, and I’ll be fine, teehee!

Well.  It got harder.  The words did not just magically flow from my fingers.  And I realized that (hopefully) two hours of nap was not enough time for me to eat lunch, respond to a few emails, draft a blog post, and write 1700 words.

So to make it work I would have to (A) cut back on my blog posting, something I did not want to do, or (B) carve out time in the morning or evening to write.  Option B should have been palatable, but I just couldn’t stomach it.  I realized . . .

I’m still fighting feeling too scheduled

I wrote before that my favorite thing about being SAH is the breathing room.  I don’t feel rushed all the time.  Before, it was get Henry up at this time, feed him and dress him and spend time for X minutes, and get him out the door or James would get stuck in traffic.

Now I enjoy the flexibility.  I like feeding Mac and knowing we can just stare at each other.  Granted, there are other interruptions *cough* Henry *cough* but the time just feels different to me.

I absolutely could have made time in the morning or evening and still had plenty of time to stare at Mac.  I just didn’t want to.  I’m rebelling against schedules.  The pendulum was very far in the scheduled direction previously and now I am enjoying being way in the other direction.  I’ll get back to the middle eventually.

Mornings with Mac are still unpredictable, but they are getting better.  In the not too distant future, I’d like to have mornings where I get up, exercise, and spend some time writing before the kids get up.  And when I do, I’d like to . . .

Focus on writing time and not word count

NaNoWriMo picks 50,000 words as “a difficult but doable goal, even for people with full-time jobs and children.”  The idea is that you write words without focusing on your inner critic.  A crappy first draft is better than no first draft.

And I get that.  I agree that there is value in silencing your inner critic.  But I felt like I was writing just to get words out.  Flinging them onto the page to meet a tally.  I’d like to spend a little more time.

The word count also made me discouraged.  Once I got behind, it started to feel impossible to catch up.  I’d like to try more of the Jerry Seinfeld approach on motivation.  Don’t break the chain.   Eventually, I’d like to have a daily writing goal, even if it is just for 15 minutes.  That doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up to more than 90 hours a year.

So we’ll see.  I’m not there yet.  Maybe I’ll try NaNoWriMo again.  Maybe not.  I didn’t get into the Berlin marathon like I hoped (sad face), but at least you guys won’t have to hear about failed running goals anytime soon.  Right now I’m going to just keep trying to blog every weekday.  This seems to be a good goal for me for now.

Did you NaNoWriMo?  How’d it go?