I promise that this will be the last Mommy post for a while ...

I have no intentions of turning into a mommy blogger. Not that there's anything wrong with being a mommy and a blogger. I just don't intend for my entire life to revolve around De Chile.

But I've been reminiscing lately on what a good effect being a mother has had on my discipline. Suddenly I'm getting up early, washing clothes weekly, eating and finishing projects on time. My mother even told me that she's proud of how responsible I am, which is something she NEVER would have said three years ago. I wasn't a slob or a low life or anything. But I guess I just wasn't very disciplined. Why get up before 7 or 8 am if you didn't have to? Especially when you stayed up until 3 am finishing some work/chatting with Chef on the phone/liming at a wine bar with friends. My life really didn't HAVE to have any structure. I could get by with doing things completely differently every day. I tried to implement some, but wasn't always very successful, hence my parents thinking that I was in need of some maturing.

But now that I have De Chile to take care of, I have to be structured. And I've found that it really isn't that bad. I don't mind getting up early most of the time; it helps me to get stuff done without forgetting things or getting flustered just before I have to leave the house. Plus it's so great to walk into her room and sing, 'Good morning!' and get a big grin and hands lifted up to come to Mommy. We have a bath, we put on fresh clothes, have a feed and play before she goes off to daycare. And I love my mornings with her; they're priceless to me.

AND I end up getting plenty things done during the day ... more than when I used to procrastinate and put off until the last possible minute. I can't do that anymore. There is a certain amount of time I have to get things done before she comes home tired and screams for food or attention, so I've got to maximise it. Plus, since I'm going to be working soon, I won't have all day with her anymore. The hours that she's awake and with me should be spent with her, not on a overdue project.

I am not trying to push a baby on you, though, so all you childless folk, don't feel like this is the only way you can structure your life. I'm just saying that it is a very pleasant and unexpected side effect. And I'm grateful that my little girl has already taught me something so valuable.