I KNOW taking time out for yourself might seem like a far fetched luxury or selfish as a mom with young kids.
OR, you might fall prey to thinking no one else can take as good of care of our babies as you can.
This type of thinking, though, leads to mommy burnout – and the grumpy mommy syndrome super fast. And as your sister further along, I sooo want to save you from the mistakes I made!
SO I want to invite you to start seeing this time as VITAL for the health of your family!
While I am a rockstar at taking care of myself now, I had to go through two post-partum episodes, years of insomnia, a divorce, several years of odd illnesses and more to get where I am now. The last 10 years as a mom have shown me that if I don’t take care of myself ALL Month long – and especially when I am bleeding – then my family will suffer, not just me.
So, how do you as a mom of young kids find 15-20 mins a day to yourself for 21-days and avoid my mistakes?!?!Here are my top suggestions. If you start now – you will be able to find the time you need before the course begins:
- CUT OUT THE FAT: If we are honest with ourselves, we could all find more than 20 mins a day of time by cutting out the fat from our lives. This might mean cutting our time on Social Media doing nothing much, cutting out 30 mins of TV at night or during nap time, making simpler meals, stop reading about the celebrities, etc. You know where you like to waste time – and I’m not saying this is a bad thing! Yet if this time could be used for self-care that will pay off huge dividends in your family life, then look there first.
- ASK FOR HE..HE…HELP! Yessssss, I am inviting you to allow help into your life – even if you are the primary caregiver. And I know so many of us have what feels like blocks around asking for help, and the best way to move through that block is to practice asking for help. A burned out, grumpy, sick, depleted mommy does her children nor her partner any good. And generally, people LOVE to help out – especially new moms. Here is a short list of people I can think of to help you create the time:
*the partner, parents, in-laws or other family
* hire a mother’s helper/babysitter
* trade with a friend or ask your childless friends
* ask the local church, school, community or 4-year colleges nearby, community center if they have any babysitter options
* check/post on Nextdoor.com and craigslist for help
* check local moms groups (google for these in your town)
Have other ideas? Post them on the FB so we can benefit from your wisdom!
OTHER IDEAS to pull TIME out of hat:
* Get up 20 mins earlier than kids – which might require going to bed earlier, which might require cutting out some TV.
* Use the playpen or nap time
* If you are a night owl, share with your partner you are doing “work to make yourself more sexy” and need some alone time in order to do so. How can he argue with that?? (OF course I encourage total open communication on what you are doing in your life – and this approach can certainly be a great conversation starter!)
* Print the daily emails first thing in the morning and take them with you in your binder and use time at doctor’s offices, when waiting during lessons, or planning to arrive at pick up early. Some time is better than none, no matter where you get it!
Once you have found your way to create your 20 mins a day, make it known to the group on our FB page. Something MAGICAL happens when we vocalize our commitment to others…it is much more likely to stick!
This post is for all those Radiant Mamas who are or are thinking about taking the Frumpy & Grumpy to Foxy & Radiant Mama 21-day online course. Click here to learn more if you are not already enrolled!
