Giving up the excuses

Somehow today is Ash Wednesday. Didn't February just start? Seriously, how are we approaching March so quickly?

For Lent, I think it's important to make sacrifices. I usually give up some kind of treat and try to be nicer to others. Chocolate, baked goods, soda, and gum have made a steady rotation on my give-up-for-Lent-list since I was a child. But this year, I need to try something new.

Since becoming a mommy nearly 3 (!) months ago, I've gotten into a horrible habit. I make excuses for everything.

Issue: My house is a mess.

Excuse: It's OK because I have no time during the day to clean.

Issue: I rarely cook dinner.

Excuse: It's OK because I can't cook while holding a baby, and he doesn't have a predictable bed time. So I'll continue to live off of peanut butter sandwiches.

Issue: I'm barely following my half marathon training plan.

Excuse: It's OK to not do my Smartcoach-prescribed workouts because I have no one to watch baby while I run.

Issue: I do my freelance work in the middle of the night.

Excuse: It's OK because I went without much sleep for 9 weeks, so surely it's fine if I only clock 4-5 hours each night now.

Issue: My jeans are no where close to fitting.

Excuse: It's OK because I just had a baby. How long can you say you "just" had a baby anyway?

Issue: I'm eating way too many sweets.

Excuse: It's OK because I'm breastfeeding.

Issue: I am drinking a ridiculous amount of coffee.

Exactly: It's OK because I need to be alert to care for my baby.

It's time for the excuses to stop. I'm giving up using the baby/ my role as a mom as an excuse. Most other new moms accomplish way more than I do during the day. Is it because they have perfect little angel babies? Nope, their babies are no different than mine. They just have better attitudes and don't make lame excuses.

So it's settled. When Wyatt naps, I need to actually put him down and clean. I can bring his bouncy seat into the kitchen so I can cook dinner. I can get a babysitter so I can get my freelance projects done during the daylight hours. I can follow my training plan fairly easily if I leave him in the (gasp!) germ-infested gym childcare. Cutting back on the sweets will help me fit into my jeans. And switching to decaf for my third (and fourth...) cups of coffee certainly won't jeopardize my ability to care for Wyatt.

Of course, my excuses aren't all going to stop overnight. Small changes are best for lasting behavior changes after all. And I'd like my excuse-free living to last way more than 40 days. I'm going to make sure I avoid one excuse each day though.

Just for good measure, I'm also giving up Coffeemate. I usually only have it when the gingerbread flavor is available, but I've been downing the French vanilla lately.

I'll report back after Easter!

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