How often do we hear as moms that we need to take care of ourselves? I feel like I hear this all the time, and I am aware of the power in the statement, but actually putting it into practice is a whole other thing.
I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I have loved being a homemaker since quitting my job. I mean, I love taking care of my family and caring for our home! I actually enjoy making Ben's lunch for work, meal planning, and keeping our home clean. I have become slightly obsessed with making, and of course, checking things off my to do list.
The reality though, is that I am human, and a funny thing happens...I get worn out doing all these things! If I don't remember to stop and rest, or do something for myself, then I quickly become ummm, not such a fun person we'll say.
As moms, we are constantly pouring into those around us. We are figuratively, and literally, wiping bums all day right!? I don't know about you but I hit the ground running first thing in the morning. I try (really I do) to get up before every one so that I can have that time to refuel for the day, but it is so hard not to sleep in until the very last possible moment. If anyone has tips on helping me actually get up in the morning...please share! I have found that if I don't take time to care for myself, then it takes no time at all for me to be running on empty.
So I have made a list of things for myself to do to help me take better care of me...so in turn I can be my best for my family.
1. Already mentioned above...get up 20-30 minutes earlier than every one in the morning to have some quiet time. For me, this means reading my Bible and spending some time in prayer before the day gets rolling. Key here...actually getting up when the alarm goes off!
2. Rest when you can! This is a tough one for me. Afternoon naps are about 50/50 as far as both kids sleeping at the same time, but if they are both asleep then I should try to rest during that time too. The problem is that I try to tackle everything on my to do list at that time, and the truth is that there will always be laundry and dishes waiting for me so why not take the time to rejuvenate physically and mentally.
3. Staying active. I'm pretty excited about this one. I recently signed up for a 3 month "new mom" membership at a local barre studio and started taking classes last week. The classes have been kicking my butt so I can't wait to see the results at the end of the 3 months, AND it gets me out of the house for about an hour and a half which is awesome! After Lucy was born, I did all at home workouts with different DVD's which worked well for me then but now getting out of the house to exercise is a better option for me. I am committing to doing at least 4-5 classes per week.
4. Allowing myself a little ME time. This one could vary person to person. For me, I want to try and get out of the house by myself for one hour per week to do anything (this does not include my barre classes or errands). Just some time to drive in the car and turn the radio up really loud and sing along and go do a little window shopping maybe, or go for a run at the park, or something! Another thing Ben and I both do is take turns with "sleeping in" days on the weekends. His day to sleep in is Saturday and mine is Sunday. I don't technically get to sleep in since I'm breastfeeding BUT it means that when Lucy wakes up, Ben gets up with her and Ben either brings me coffee in bed before I go nurse Michael or I go make my coffee and get back in bed for a few minutes before feeding him. I just happen to really love drinking my coffee in bed before I really get going for the day. I used to always do this before we had kids and I could technically still do it but as I mentioned above, I have a serious problem getting out of bed early right now. This way, I have a day that Ben is home to help me with the kids and he can hold me accountable with this "ME" time.
So that's my list, at least so far, of steps I'm going to take to try and make time for me and take better care of myself. I want to make sure that my "pitcher" is full so I can continue to pour into my family and take the best possible care of them.
So, what about you? What do you do to take time for yourself?
Lindsey
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