A Mama's Intentions for 2022
Happy New Year Mama!
Wow, what a year 2021 was, and what a crazy start to 2022. As I write this, I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my third baby, and setting some intentions for the year. The last time I welcomed a new baby home was in February 2020, right before the pandemic began. Having a newborn and toddler home with me for 24/7 nearly broke me. Or maybe it did break me, and I made it back from the depths of PPD and the struggles of motherhood resilient.
Two years later, and we are still in uncertain times, but I have hope and for what 2022 will offer, and some intentions to help get me through the postpartum phase as the pandemic stretches into a new year.
My 2022 Intentions
1. Practice gentle parenting. This is one that remains on my list. I continue to try and show patience, empathy, and a firm calm with my children. This isn’t always easy, and a few times a year I lose my cool and yell. In those moments, I feel awful immediately. This year, I will try and do better to manage my own distress: ask for help, breathe, step away when the situation is too emotionally charged.
2. Organization & Scheduling. My oldest especially thrives under structure. Without structure, she has a hard time with self-directed play and can become anxious. We do have part-time preschool 3 days a week, but on those days we are home together, I spin my wheels as to how to keep the girls entertained and engaged. As a working mama, startup founder, and someone who values flexibility, I’m not an organization whiz, it’s challenging for me to create and insert a rigorous schedule into our lives. However, I had an epiphany while sitting in triage the other day: setting up the structure and rhythm for the girls will create space for the freedom that we all enjoy. We are going to use these Daily Routine Cards by Little Folk Printables on Etsy.
3. Journal. I’ve started and stopped this habit throughout the past few years, but this is the year! The benefits of journaling will benefit my postpartum and really lifelong journey: self-awareness, positivity, mindfulness, reduced stress - all of which I will need in 2022. I'm loving Cleo Wade's Heart Talk Journal, which offers thought-provoking journaling prompts, and I just love Cleo Wade's poetry work which is woven throughout.
4. Be present Motherhood has grounded me in the present like no other experience, but during the pandemic, through quarantines the days are long. There are times when I can’t wait until bedtime so I can rest. I intend on being present with my girls, during the little joyful moments, and the hard ones. The happy moments are what make a happy life, not pining away for times to get easier or better.
5. Practice daily gratitude. This one I’d like to stack with journaling, but even pausing to mentally note what I am grateful for each day will be a win.
6. Speak my truth. I grew up in a home where confrontation was avoided. Real emotions were expressed privately, and conflict was bottled up. I’ve always cared deeply about others’ opinions of me. This year, I want to find even more freedom from the “likeability trap” (which happens to be an enlightening book by Alicia Menendez) and step into my own truth.
7. Explore creativity daily. The creative process brings me so much joy. This year I intend to practice creativity everyday, both professionally and with my children.
8. Read for pleasure. During my second pregnancy, I rediscovered my love for reading. I love reading books on business, marketing, science fiction, and most of all - books on self-discovery and personal growth (currently reading Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection). Reading got me through some dark moments during my current pregnancy, and I intend to continue to make the time to read in 2022 - even during the demanding newborn phase while chasing after my two other little ones.
9. Practice yoga. For most of my life, fitness was a way to push my personal boundaries. I trained for several half marathons, a marathon, an ultra-marathon. I had to push myself to the limit to feel a sense of accomplishment and release from a workout. My relationship with wellness and fitness has changed. Now, it’s about balance: mental and physical. I appreciate the stillness, strength, and stability that I find in yoga. I intend to practice more regularly in 2022.
10. Be curious, accepting & gentle with myself during the postpartum stage. I pushed down and judged my postpartum struggles in the past. This time, I intend to acknowledge and address the postpartum challenges with curiosity and acceptance. To let the feelings and needs as they ebb and flow.
I’m sharing and sealing these intentions with this OAO Mama community. Thank you to the mamas who have joined our us in our launch year. I have incredible gratitude for the support and trust you have shown to our fledgling brand as we hustle to bring innovative styles to help make it a little easier to tackle motherhood in functional comfort. Sending you love, health, and strength into 2022! xo, Candice, Mama to Adalynn, Ellery & Expecting Baby #3 CEO, Of an Origin 
