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VALERIE WOERNER: Beyond the first weeks

by Kari Walker

Getting past the "just making it" phase

It's been 14 weeks since Vivi arrived. We're definitely past the "just make it through phase. You know the one I'm talking about.

The one where you don't wash dishes or clothes and if you do, you DEFINITELY don't fold them.
The one where you eat an ungodly amount of fast food because you've got a baby to watch. Veggies will have to wait.
The one where you don't wash your hair or put on makeup for so long the dry shampoo is getting dirty.
The one where you don't workout except the work it takes to bounce your baby to sleep.
The one where you spend oodles of money because you don't have time to be frugal.
The one where all of these things are perfectly acceptable because "Hey! You JUST had a baby!"

Transition time has come to an end. My excuses are slowing waning validity.
It kind of just hit me the other day. We are no longer in survivor mode. We need to get used to life with Vivi combined with life in general. Vivi isn't a phase. She's the new normal.

This actually got me pretty motivated. It's like after a week of vacation (which just in case I needed to clarify, having a baby is NOT a vacation) and then going back to work really motivated. I'm excited to see how life will work with Vivi and I'm excited to figure out things that will help us. A couple of things I'm working on right now:

Plan to Eat - Have y'all seen this website? It's pretty awesome. There is some startup work that takes a bit of time but once that's done, it's an awesome timesaver. Planning meals is definitely harder these days. When it's time to hit the grocery store, I am rarely prepared. And preparation helps me spend less so, you see, it turns into a whole thing. Once you add your recipes, you can drag them to your calendar. Just pick one from your list. Then, it tells you what ingredients you will need in an itemized grocery list.

Simply Us/Hub App - This is an app for your phone. It's a way to share a calendar, to dos, even grocery lists with your spouse. I like to call this app the "No Nag." With a new baby it feels like there are a million and one more logistics that could consume me and Tyler's time together. I'm hoping this will cut down on that and let us just enjoy more quality time.

Sworkit - Another phone app that I'm LOVING! Hitting the gym is next to impossible these days. I do not in fact have a nanny "on staff at our residence" so ditching Vivi for a workout doesn't happen. And truthfully, if I had to choose playing with Vivi or working out, Vivi would always win. This app has you pick what muscle group you'd like to work out. Then you put in how much time you want to work out. What's cool about this app, unlike P90X, is that the intervals start as low as 5 MINUTES! This I can handle. Throughout my day, I can get 30 minutes in with just a few purposeful breaks in my day. Once I pick the time, it shows me the exercise to do and even includes a timer so I know how long to go for (and believe me, it's longer than you were planning) and tells you when to switch. I'm sore from a 10 minute workout yesterday so I'd say it's working.

Things - This is a to-do list app for computers, iPads and iPhones. I use this mainly for my business but I've added sections for personal and Vivi. The best thing about this app is, at night when I'm nursing or playing on my iPad, I can add things to my to do list that I think of. No more forgetting! I can also tag things like "phone calls" or "errands" so when I head out the house, like I will be doing this afternoon, I can see all those things that need to be done on the road.

1,000 Gifts - This app is based on the book 1,000 Gifts by Anna Voskamp. It's basically a place to list things you are grateful for. 1,000 gifts to be exact. Why is this app essential? Because there are a ton of opportunities to complain or think just how nice it would be to have a little "ME time." New moms, ok maybe just me, are just getting used to the idea that life doesn't revolve around me. I should have learned this a long time ago, but kids sort of have a way of forcing you to see it that way. Making a list of the things I'm grateful for is the fastest way to remind me of how blessed I am.

Artifact Uprising - I just bought some books for Vivi's grandmas through this website. I found that they have a mini-size booklet that's very inexpensive. I decided Vivi is going to have a collection, including by not limited to: quarterly books of instagram photos, her birth, her newborn session. I LOVE the idea of getting these photos off my phone or facebook and onto paper. If you knew how often I just go on Instagram and look at #vivimae, you'd know these will pay for themselves pretty quickly!

What's your helpful tools for a new mom trying to nurture a new mind AND get things done?

Running errands with my little shopper girl