My friend Amy Potkonen started a new weekly series called “What Are You Working On?” and I figured I’d join her this week. Be sure to share in the comments what you’re up to as well!
Body: Doing pretty well, especially since it’s Passover. Another 2.2 pounds gone. Where exactly do they go???
Eating: Lots of oranges and broccoli.
Watching: Is this supposed to be about tv? Besides the Disney channel, no tv for me. I have been watching flowers bloom in the back yard and I definitely enjoy watching the squirrels hang upside down munching from my bird feeder. They are hilarious.
At home: We are at a point with my daughter and certain behaviors where it gets worse before it gets better. For a few months now, we have made some changes in our expectations of her. Long story short, she has had too much power for too long. To get there, we’re working with a therapist to acknowledge her feelings, offer specific choices calmly, and to follow through. My daughter’s confidence has dramatically increased over the past three months and school morning separation has gotten much easier, but just when she began to sleep all night in her bed and play more on her own, she has regressed. I’ll spare you the details. This momma is tired and trying to do the right thing to remain consistent and firm.
Reading: As usual, my reading reflects where I am emotionally and mentally.
- Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down
by Peter Walsh. I still haven’t gotten to the 6-week plan part yet but I’m enjoying this book so far.
- Out of Control: Why Disciplining Your Child Doesn’t Work and What Will
by Shefali Tsabary. I loved her book, The Conscious Parent, and am looking for reaffirmation that the old-school, authoritarian, fear/control-based discipline strategy doesn’t work. Children learn based on how we relate to them, not by doing what we tell them to. We want resilience, not defiance.
- The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson. Oh so good! I started this one because I saw it on Goodreads and I was looking for something fun and quick. It’s sort of a Sliding Doors type situation… a young woman who seems to have two different lives and she has to reconcile them and make some choices.
- I just finished Ken Jennings’ Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids
. “Feed a cold, starve a fever.” “If you crack your knuckles, you’ll get arthritis.” “No swimming after eating.” A very humorous look at the veracity of these and many other claims. (BTW, those three are false.)
- I’m enjoying Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto about eight famous female photographers of the twentieth century.
Joking: This was a fun April Fools joke in my daughter’s lunch box:
Learning: Patience. Also learning to listen to my intuition. Sometimes I notice a feeling of being uncomfortable with a decision but I act on it anyway. I need to stop panicking and rushing and PAUSE to listen. Not having personal space or time for several days in a row (my daughter was sick last week) severely cut me off from listening to my innate wisdom.
Appreciating: my time alone now that my daughter is back in school. Also appreciating the weekly trash pickup, the dishwasher, and air conditioning.
Wondering: Do I tell people how much I admire in them? Do I complement enough? In working with my daughter, I am using very specific praise so she knows exactly what behavior is encouraged and repeatable. Sometimes, I think people only communicate their judgements or criticism. That’s true for me too. Maybe they think I already know the good stuff? It’s nice to hear thankfulness when you do something for someone else… or just because.
Loving: Mr. B. He rides my monthly hormone waves like a true surfer. He’s a wonderful partner.
Thinking: I need to do more of this:
Anticipating: The big 4-0 next month! I think it’s awesome that my daughter wants to have a party for me. So sweet. I have lots of ideas about how I want to spend the next 40 years, but I honestly can’t believe I’m that age. I feel that I’m about 27 inside with some unexplained stretch marks and eye wrinkles.
OK that was fun! I may do it again sometime. 🙂
Love your napping cat photo. Cats have so much to teach us about being sovereign and in bliss. Wishing you lots of ease as you navigate your relationship with your daughter, and congratulations on the continued weigh loss. Sounds like you’re doing lots to tweak your life into fabulousity.
Deborah Weber recently posted…Fool: L is for…
Hi Naomi,
I love the way you’ve made this your own. I loved the Oreo/carrot thing. Wondering how that went over? Heehee. I am excited to study The Conscious Parent with you next month. Have you ever read Children the Challenge? That is a good one, too. I find that it is a challenge to strike a balance sometimes with what you need with what they need, huh? Especially when they are five. Or is she six now?
As for the cat, I am amazed at how cats have so much to teach us about taking care of ourselves. Have a great week, Naomi. Thanks for playing. Can’t wait to read whatever you write about in your working on posts!
Amy Putkonen recently posted…2: What are You Working On? #wauwo
What did she say about the carrots? Oh, please do tell! I LOVE what you’re watching!!! My favorite thing to do is sit out on the deck and just watch the trees leaves blowing in the wind and then the squirrels jumping from tree to tree. The best ever!
I second the motion of doing more of what your cat is doing. Reminds me of Garfield? Remember him? He was always looking for the ray of sunshine to take a nap. 🙂
I always say, “We are all young at heart, and that’s all that matters!”
Great post….
Elda recently posted…5 Signs Avoidance Is Indeed Affecting Your Life
Great share! My favorite is the oreo package with carrots in it! That’s awesome. I’m playing along with Amy as well and just about to put my post up on her site 🙂
Michele Bergh recently posted…12 Steps to Taking Control of Your Life Today
No swimming after eating is false? Really? I have to get that book! I know how hard it is to be firm and consistent all the time, I hope you’re getting lots of help with it. xx
Tat recently posted…When you need to let go of the old to make space for something new
Oh my goodness….little ones can be a handful, especially when they are so determined that they are right and you…well, you can’t possibly have any idea what you are talking about….LOL! Congrats on the weight loss too! As to turning 4o, like Kelly I passed that milestone a loonnnngggg time ago!
Debbie Goode recently posted…Rosie Marie and a very special Thank you……
Love Weight Watchers and thank you so much for the nudge to get back on the band wagon. As for your April Fools joke – did you stuff the carrots in the oreos bag?
Happy Birthday to you, Naomi. I honestly am having difficulty remembering my 40th. Yep – it was a lonnnnngggg time ago. You’re just a pup. Lucky girl.
Kelly L McKenzie recently posted…Top Ten Tips For Surviving Fourteen
I’m going to check out the book Eight Girls Taking Pictures! great post – yes – it is a good look at your life. I reached a big milestone this year – hard to believe it – I feel age is just a number – nothing to be afraid off. But – my knees creak at times now – self care of more important than it has ever been!
Ooh, it’s so good. It’s based on real lives, but it’s fiction. The choices women make with careers and motherhood are so different than those of men. Let me know how you like it. And yes, my knees make noises too! 🙂
Naomi, I’m meeting the big 4-0 a month after you are. I can hardly believe it, either. I also feel 27 inside! Except I feel FAR better about myself now than I did at 27. Hallelujah!
It was fun to experience these little slices of your life. And that kitty in the sunshine! I’m putting “nap” on my to do list. (Is that your kitty, btw?)
Harmony Harrisonh recently posted…Loose Kitties of the Night, and Other Weird Stuff from My Studio
That is so true, Harmony. I have much more confidence now than I did at 27. Yes, that kitty is Mo. He’s a sweetheart.
Lovely! I am sorry you’re going through a rough spot trying to be the best possible mom. I expect that will improve dramatically in a few years, but I don’t have any useful advice to offer. I am with you on the TV, because I don’t have one. For me, the big 4-0 was an important milestone. My husband gave me a car (!). It was my first (only?) new car, and now it’s got more than 210,000 miles on it. His car was 20 years old, but he wanted mine to be the new one, and he figured we needed a new car to drive to our newly purchased land in southern Colorado. He was right, about 2/3 of those miles have been driving highway 285 in between Denver and Del Norte. I think I am healthier and happier than I was then. Age is a mysterious thing. My favorite musician says that chronological age is irrelevant, what matters is how you feel. If you look around you, you can see examples of people who have made the effort to stay strong and healthy, are doing thing they love, and have aged remarkably well. In a few decades, you can aspire to be one of them. 🙂
A few YEARS? No no no! I actually decided to take control of the situation today and am setting some boundaries that we know she needs. Your car story is so funny. I agree that chronological age is irrelevant. I want to feel good, which is why I’m doing Weight Watchers. You are so right. 🙂