Small Changes

I don't really make new year resolutions, but it just so happened that as the new year came around and we returned from our trip to Alaska, I made a little change in my day to day life that has ended up being such a good thing for me. The change?  I have barely been watching any television.  The first few months of this pregnancy, I was so exhausted I hardly knew what to do with myself.  The moment I would put Henry down for a nap I'd go collapse in front of the tv and watch anything I could find until I just zoned out and quickly fell asleep.  Fast forward to bedtime, and the same thing.  I'd make a run for the tv and just zone out there until I was falling asleep and able to peel myself up to go to bed.  It sort of bums me out, the amount of time I sat there doing absolutely nothing, but I guess that is just what I needed at the time.  There was no chance of me being productive, because I literally felt as though the energy had been sucked straight from my body.  Pregnancy will do that.  Zoning out seemed to be the only answer.  But as bits of energy came back, I was of course not very happy with the habit that I had started.  I felt lazy and unproductive, and somehow still found myself feeling like I didn't have time to get anything done.  No time to read the books I had been wanting to read, no time to clean, no time to blog or be creative, or just have quality time to myself. Since coming back from Anchorage in January, I have spent very little time in that room.  Instead, I've been spending nap time picking up the house, getting whatever needs to be done done, and then I retreat to the front room where the big windows let in lots of light and I can sit and enjoy my time... quietly.  No browsing through shows I don't care about, no commercials, no noise, and I have absolutely loved it.  I am feeling more energized, more inspired, and overall better now that I have given myself time to read and peek around the internet.  It may sound like trading one waste of time for another (the internet part) but to me it's not.  I would much rather browse pinterest for fun recipes and ideas that get me excited and inspired, or read other blogs that I love, than sit and watch shows I don't like just because they are on.  That doesn't mean I don't watch tv at all anymore, simply that I've cut out all of the mindless watching that I was doing.  I just go in there intentionally now, to watch the few shows that I still love and look forward to, and then I get right up and leave again and come out to the room that is brighter and makes me happier and calmer.  At the end of the day, I'm feeling happier and it's been a welcomed change.

I just finished reading a book that I found last year at an Anchorage neighborhood sale (for $.25!) called Little Earthquakes, by Jennifer Weiner.  I had heard good things about it, but it just sat in the untouched pile of books to be read.  Once I started it this last week, I was hooked.  It follows four new mothers along their individual journeys into motherhood as well as their friendship together.  While it may not have been a mind-blowing, thought-provoking read, it made me feel like I was sitting down with a group of friends that I could easily relate to, and that is such a great thing to find in a book, in my opinion.  I would highly recommend it.  Today I picked up Wild by Cheryl Strayed from the library, and I'm looking forward to diving into it!
I've asked on facebook and twitter for any other book recommendations, so if any of you lovely folks have something you've enjoyed, please share it with me in the comments!