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| Will and me |
I am an organized person, so much so, that my husband calls my monthly subscription to Real Simple “Katie Porn”. I get a rush just looking at a wall of coordinating bins with everything put in its place. I feel uncomfortable if my e-mail account has more than 10 unread messages, and even more uncomfortable if there are more than 5 already read messages.
I was a kindergarten teacher for 6 years, and you’re probably assuming that there is no possible way I carried this obsession into the classroom with me. You’re wrong. My classroom, believe it or not, was impeccable. Everything on my desk was perpendicular to one another. Co-workers thought it was quirky. For me, it was survival. When I left the classroom to start a family, I was voted the person most likely to “have a baby in 6 months with a plan for the next 18 years”. True story.
So, when I was preparing for my first born, despite my elation, I was also mourning the loss of my organized life. My mom friends were all but drumming their fingers together (ala Mr. Burns) in anticipation of the extreme culture shock I was inevitably going to find myself in once our little bundle of joy arrived.
Arrive he did, but the culture shock did not. Of course, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that my life remained the same, because that, my friend, is impossible. My son changed my life, but he didn’t change me. This blog is about how I was able to enjoy my first year of motherhood, but also keep it neat(ish) and organized, just the way I like (need?) it.
I'm also not going to pretend that this is the way every new mother should operate; I have seen other successful new moms thrive using other less structured methods. I am not a doctor, and I do not condone one particular method of raising a child over another. My blog is not about helping a child making it through his first year; it’s about YOU making it through his first year. I’m just sharing what worked for me, a left-brained, well-prepared, order-hungry, Martha Stewart wannabe.One final tidbit: no matter how well you plan, plot, design, mold, encourage, conspire, beg or plead, the kid is the one running the show. I’m just handing you your ticket to enjoy it.
-Kate
