Great Ideas

Tasha tagged me again. I'm always talking about the things I want to do or the plans I'm making, always taking on more and more and more. I've always been like this, but it seems its actually gotten worse since Isaac was born. Instead of taking on less, I seem to be taking on more (or, at least planning to take on more.

Tasha's theory is that, by writing it down and getting it out there for others to read, maybe I'll actually follow through with some of this. After all, I have the (three?) people who read this now to keep me accountable! So, I divided my list into two: things I want to do right now and things I want to do someday.

So, here goes.

Things I want to do RIGHT NOW:
1. Freelance for natural parenting magazines. On my list to query are Motherhing, Wonder Time and Parents. (Not a big fan of Parents because it always seems to promote formula feeding, crying it out, vaccinations, etc. and rarely focuses any attention on alternatives. I hope to write about the alternatives so that the many parents who read this magazine and not ones like Mothering will be aware of alternative options.)

2. Open a boutique that caters to women before, during and after pregnancy, the goal of which would be to show average women that natural childbirth and holistic parenting are options for everyone, not just an elite few. You don't have to be Superwoman to birth a child naturally. I'd like to open a place that will support any woman who makes that decision.

3. Become certified as a post-partum doula, childbirth educator and breastfeeding educator.

4. Make a line of re-claimed baby clothes (named ah-goo, after Isaac's first word) and sell it at Tulsa's Indie Emporium in October.

5. Plant a garden.

6. Start composting and collecting rainwater.

7. Go to church. I grew up in church, and though I have mixed emotions about some of the churches I attended, I would like to find a church home I'm happy and comfortable in so Isaac is raised regularly attending church.

8. Lose the baby weight. I know it's selfish, but I don't care. In theory, I'd love to play a sport or take up running, but again, time is a factor. I'll settle for just working out once in a while during lunch.

9. Spend more time with John.

10. Be a good mom. Spend as much time as I can with my baby and enjoy every minute of it. Stop myself before I get frustrated. Have more patience. Remember that Isaac's first year will fly by and I need to enjoy him as a baby while I can.


Things I want to do... someday:
1. Write a book. About what? I don't know.

2. Volunteer. I know this should be on my list of things to do now, but I'm so rarely without Isaac that I think volunteering would be difficult at this time. When Isaac is old enough, though, about five or six, I'd like to take him with me to volunteer regularly at area charities. I want it to be something that Isaac grows up around so that it comes naturally to him as he gets older. I want to raise a compassionate man with a heart for others.

3. Be rich. Not greedily so, but enough so that I can afford to spend excessive amounts of time with my son insteaf of at the office.

4. Be my own boss. I guess that's better than wanting to be rich. I want to make a life for myself that I can control, not one that is controlled by my work or my employer.

5. Visit Germany.

6. Visit everywhere, actually. I want to do a lot of traveling with my family. I want to have the freedom to take them to see places and do things I never got to do growing up.

7. Buy a house.

8. Finish my degree. Maybe get a master's? Something in social work, health, non-profit. Like Tasha, I want to always be learning.

9. Get John in on some of this.

10. Be a good mom.