Reminding All Mothers: Take Care of You!

Today I am 15 weeks and 1 day pregnant. While I'm past the morning sickness, my belly is starting to come in and have had a couple of complications. Nothing major, the baby is healthy, but just having to take extra care of myself is what is on my plate lately. Come to think of it, in the past 6 years of being a mom, my time is always spent making sure these kids are ok, healthy, and taken care of. Rarely, if ever, do I stop to think to take care of myself.

I forget that I am person to and having time for myself, time to recoup, and taking a time out to give my body a break, is something that needs to be on my to-do list. It is something that needs to be engraved in my mind.

Overall, while this pregnancy was a surprise, I have had time to reflect that maybe God wanted this pregnancy to remind myself that I need to be a priority too. I've found myself in complete overload the past year, and have been to the point of breaking and tipping over the rim. With the complications of this pregnancy, which have a lot to do with the stress I put on my body and mind, I have to completely avoid that if I want to continue with a healthy pregnancy.

It's strange the cards you are dealt and the timing of that hand.

Saying No

It's something we hear all the time, but seldom to we have the heart to say the word "no." People fear that they might sound offensive or dismissive, when really, people are more understanding that time is very important to you. At the beginning of the year, I was at my daughter elementary school so often, my volunteer badge was waiting for me at the door by the time I walked in. Now I know that I don't have to be there every week for my daughter to know she is important to me. I do pitch in, but not as often as I used to as I've found more time for myself in those several hours of the day.

Reading

In school I would read so much. I enjoyed libraries, book stores, and the smell of each page when you turned to the next. As a mother, I easily lost my love for books. Between adoring baby toys and burning macaroni and cheese, at the end of the day, I knocked out easily. Recently, I've been giving my daughter that stay at home with me, alone time for herself. Whether it's working on a project, coloring a page for me, or while she is eating, I will grab my iPhone and read a book on the couch or on my bed. Although I love the smell of books, I love having the Kindle app or iBooks app on my phone that allows me to read anywhere and anywhere without cramping my arm. Reading has been a nice way to slow myself down and escape into another world for half an hour. I usually fine myself getting the kids to bed on time, so I can finish a book. I've also found that after I have finished a book, I look up and really see the wonder and love in the world around me, especially in my family.

Splurge on Making Yourself Pretty

There is nothing better in the world that a brand new pedicure. You feel like you have to walk around the mall for an extra hour just to show off those puppies. While my finances could never afford indulging myself more than once a month, it's always a great thing to let someone pamper you. Whether it's a manicure, pedicure, new haircut or color, massage, or wardrobe. Doing something that makes you feel just a tad more glamorous than yo already are, is a great way to remind yourself that you are woman, and you can conquer the world.

Extra Tips

• Get some new candles or plug ins and scatter them around the house. My mood dramatically changed once I lit a couple of lavender candles in the living room while the kids were in school. I sat and enjoyed the space for once.
• Eat lunch with a friend once a week. Whether it's out or just making lunch yourself. Connections keep your spirit going.
• Getting plenty of sleep does wonder for your eyes and your soul. Getting in an extra nap doesn't hurt either.
• Asking for help. If it was not for my mother and my sister, who keep me balanced, I would have jumped this ship years ago.

How do you take care of yourself? I would love to hear your tips!

Challenge: Parenting By Example

I've had plenty of posts here about different reviews and different goings ons, but looking back, I hardly have written anything personal or substantial. I have not written anything that proves I am a writer, and creative being. The reason for that, is I have had tendencies to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of deadlines, payments, and getting my blog to pay my bills, that I've put on the back burner any blog posts that I have felt had any deep meaning to me.

The holidays are coming to an end, and this morning I find myself in a place of quiet. I've turned on my computer and for some reason, came straight to my blog and just felt like.... writing. We've all had time to reflect on the year's past, spend time with our children, and be grateful for everything we have while looking forward to new things we will achieve in 2013.

As part of this process, I've reflected mainly on how I have been raising my daughters. I've blogged before about raising my daughters, and my husband and I are very proud of what we have accomplished with all of the children so far, but whenever I feel the need to improve myself, I always look at them first.

*Pic taken hiking with the girls*

I came across a lovely quote the other day before I went to the store, "To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself every once in a while." I thought it was funny, and long, and continued to get read and head to Target. Truly started running from aisle to aisle like any other 5 year old, when I asked her for the 28th time to walk by the cart. She was not paying attention to me, so I yelled at her and asked her,
"Why is it so hard to pay attention to me?!" She gave me the look of fear that only a kindergartner can have knowing Mom is losing patience and held on to the cart like an obedient child. This obedience is always short lived, but it is nice for the 5 minutes it lasts.

We continued to walk through the store when I got a call on my phone. I answered the phone and chatted with my sister as I maneuvered the cart through the tricky lanes of Target. Suddenly, as I was laughing with my sister about something she had said, CRACK I slammed right into a woman in a wheelchair.

"Why can't you just pay attention?!" The old woman scolded me. Turning red, I apologized immensely and she rolled away with her daughter staring at me.

I looked at Truly, and I could tell what was going to happen. In a second she starts bursting out laughing, grabbing her side, over reacting of course.

"Why is it so hard to pay attention mama?" She finally said, laughing some more. I gave her another look and she was back to being my obedient girl.

"Just kidding" she said, and put her arms around my waist as we walked to the counter.

We hear all the time about having to lead by example, children watch us more than they listen to us. Every part of that is true.

• How can we tell our children to go for their dreams, while we never finished that bachelor's degree? 
• How can they learn to respect others when we fight with the receptionist at the doctor's office? 
• How can they learn what love is, when you fight with your husband about something as simple as the dishes?

You need to be what you want your children to be. If you want your child to travel on a road of integrity, you must have been there to show them the way.

As a parent, I've learned things as an "on the go" basis, like every other parent in the world. It seems as though our children are teaching us what we should do.

Needless to say, the cell phone now stays in the car at the store.