Monday 15 January 2018

Looking after myself

I implemented the 9am rule, it's working well. It means I have to be ready to face the day by 9am, regardless of whether I'm actually going out or not, it also doesn't matter whether I have a full face of make up on and my hair done or even if I go and have a lie down. I'm not timetabling and scheduling my life I'm just motivating myself to make sure I don't get stuck in rut, which leads to boredom, which in turn, from experience, leads to depression. 

My 9am is now in it's 3rd week, it goes out the window on weekends when my husband is home, he is my motivation then, and it is going well. I've almost completed the whole 'to do' list for January and been getting to bed early.

But there are another few things I need to work on, but this needs co-operationkio from my husband. He works, he is the one with routine, the length of time and order in which he does things in the morning, when he comes home from work, the time in between entering the front door and when he's ready to eat and what time he is ready to go to bed. I don't have a problem with this, however this doesn't suit me. I need to eat earlier, I need to eat less carbs. Peter doesn't always start/end his routine at the same time every day and I find it difficult to get up and start mine or eat earlier knowing I'll have to cook twice or he'll have to eat his warmed up or cook his own, or go to bed earlier without him, as he will travel away often during the week and with me spending so much time in the UK without him, our time together is precious.

I feel selfish if I do my own thing, but it's self imposed and I need to just get over it. Not feel guilty if I go to bed early, eat my main meal at 4pm before he comes home, go to bed early, spend the evening in a another room as due to a bad neck I can't spend hours sitting on the sofa watching TV, as much as I'd like to.

I've always batch cooked, we have 5 kids, I always made enough for 7/8 meals and froze the rest, now I cook for 4 every meal time and freeze 2/3 meals in individual pots. Peter will cook several meals over the weekend and freeze them also. Every morning I'll take a pot out the freezer for him and I'll make myself something fresh each day. This means I can cut down on the amount of carbs I eat, have increased my intake of fruit and veg and dairy products and actually eat less and have stopped snacking as much during the day. 

The mornings are sorted I get up and get on with things downstairs, dishwasher, walk Bob, etc after Peter brings me up a cup of tea to bed every morning. It's just the evenings. Peter showers, cleans his teeth and goes to bed. I can't help doing a million and one taks on the way to bed, followed by bathing, removing make up, moisturising etc which takes far longer than his shower and teeth cleaning.

Thankfully it's winter here in Dubai and both Peter and I love being outdoors. We have bikes, but rarely go for a bike ride at the same time, but we do like to walk the dog together  We like to get outdoors as much as possible. We've recently moved to a new house, 15 minute drive from the beach and we visit it at least once on a weekend, whether it's for a paddle, walk, coffee or all three. We used to live 1km from the beach, but hardly went there, why? because it was at the end of the road, so we could go there when ever we wanted, so we just kept putting it off. We also have a lovely garden, it's small, but more manageable, we've had it landscaped and in the process of having it fenced off, for privacy and so we can leave the dog outside without fear of him jumping the wall. We've also got two balconies, but we only use the one off the bedroom, it means I can sit out there with my tea in the mornings if I choose without having to get out of my pjs first and on a saturday, you'll find us out there, sitting in silence for most of the morning. 

It'll be too hot soon for the outdoor life and we'll have to look at other ways to get out of the house. I'll be spending the bulk of summer in the UK, it's just too hot for me here with nothing to do all day when temps are in the high 40's. Peter will carry on working and have a couple of trips over to visit me. It's fairly typical of what most expats do out here.

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for linking up again this week with #BestBootForward and glad to hear that the 9am rule is going well for you, and becoming part of your routine. I can so relate to the mismatched routine issue. I have the same with my other half and his ridiculous work/sleep patterns and my need to have normality for the children's routines which mean I'm either permanently exhausted or never see him. Like you say, it does though make you appreciate the days off you have together. Breakfast times spent in the garden sound perfect.

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    1. as time together is limited we try to make the most of it, even if we don't do anything

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  2. You give such an interesting insight to life our there. I am with you on rut going to boredom threatening to descend into depression. Again, as I have said to you before, I think it is a downside of high intelligence. I think some women including me really are very responsible and try to make their relationship just right when perhaps they and their partner would be better off with a bit more relaxation about the whole thing. So pleased you are putting your Best Boot Forward with us and I think the 9am thing is such a great idea.

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    1. I used to have routine when the kids were at home, even when I wasn't working, it just seems so simple to get back into a routine by following a deadline

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  3. My nearest and dearest is in bed by around 9.30pm and rises at 9.30am (fibromialgia) I rise at six am and retire at around 12pm We are totally out of sinc on our sleeping patterns! If your really watching carbs the only thing you can do is if you eat together have no carbs or have your dinner separately I guess? But you could still sit together. It's difficult when we have different patterns. Living near the beach sounds wonderful though! xx

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    1. we do sit together for meals regardless of who is eating, it's something we did with the kids, even if Peter and I were eating later we'd sit at the table with them for family time

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  4. I have a 9am rule by force here. School run! I think when my children are older and no longer need me in the mornings I might struggle. It's far too easy to lounge around in my pyjamas!

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    1. that's what happened to me, the kids left home, i didn't work and I started having the odd lie in which led me down the path of depression, another house move has seen me getting motivated again

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  5. I think a routine is important to keep the mind busy, otherwise it can dwindle and with your Hubby working long hours I'm sure it's enough to drive you stir crazy without one!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week!

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    1. my 9am rule went to pot a few days and it took ages to get back on track

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