Mom Confession: The Things I Do for Me.

I think we've all been there.  Dinner burning on the stove, the baby crying with a poopy diaper, and my 4 year old throwing an epic melt down because she can't have a cookie before dinner.  Yup, I have those days.  Being a mom is hard and sometimes I feel so burnt out and tired but there are a few little tricks that help me relax and refresh and I thought I'd share them with you.

1. EXERCISE

Okay, I'll be completely honest with you.  I HATED working out in high school.  I was a cheerleader junior year and I hated the workout class we were required to take.  Lifting weights was boring and running made me want to throw up a lung, so yeah, I avoided working out at all costs.  Then I got pregnant with my first baby and I ate as much crap junk food that I could eat and I gained way too much.  I was at a low point after my daughter was born.  I was completely smitten with her but I got a bad case of the baby blues.  I cried all the time and felt overwhelmed and unworthy of this perfect baby and on top of all that I hated what I saw in the mirror.  I decided to make a change and got serious about working out and eating healthier.  I found bodyrock.tv and it changed my life!  I started doing the FREE workouts in my living room every day and I started to see the pounds come off.  Now, I'm in the best shape of my life!  I've calmed down a bit and only workout 2 or 3 times a week and they are only ever 15 minutes or so long but I'm telling you, it makes a huge difference.  This is my time to just de-stress and not think about anything but what my body is doing.  I sweat out all my anxiety and anger or whatever else I've got going on and I feel so much better.  Sometimes I do a cardio/weight lifting workout and sometimes I'm more in the mood for some yoga.  I know people hate people that say "I love to workout" but I was the same way!  I hated it too, but now I get it!  That doesn't mean I always want to workout because I don't.  I have days where I just can't do it.  But I try again the next day because I know I will feel better after I've got my body moving.  Plus, who doesn't love wearing stretchy workout pants and a cute tank top?!  I've been dying to get an outfit from Fabletics.com!  I want to workout just so I can justify buying some new stretchy pants ;)

2. FIND TIME FOR YOUR HOBBIES
I love to read.  I was the nerdy girl that went to the library for fun and was so excited to carry home a huge stack of new books.  There was never a time that I wasn't reading something...and then my daughter was born.  Suddenly, I felt so tired that I just kept putting off reading my book.  At night all I wanted to do was veg out in front of the TV and go to bed.  I didn't even realize that I was doing it until my husband said, "Why don't you read anymore?"  So I started setting aside a little time during nap time or right before bed to read and I realized how much I missed it.  It was a part of who I was before I became a mom and I kind of put it aside.  Being a mom changes you completely and it should, but there are parts of myself that I really want to keep.  I'll probably never be able to read like I used to, but I can fit it in every now and then because it is important to me.  Maybe reading isn't your thing, but I bet there's something that you love to do.  Make time for it!  I say, hold on to those parts of yourself that make you..you!  I hope my kids will be inspired by my hobbies and make them excited to try it too or have their own!

 

 3. LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Probably one of the best things that I did after I became a mom was push myself to learn a new skill.  When the exhaustion of having a newborn wore off a little, I started being crafty and making things.  I thought it would be fun to make my daughter her own quiet book and so my husband got me my very first sewing machine for Christmas and I started learning how to sew...stitch by crooked little stitch. Sometimes it feels lonely being at home with the kiddos all day long.  It gets a little monotonous when all your conversations are about pony princesses and marshmallow mateys.  Learning something new gave me something to work toward.  Right now I'm playing around with watercolor painting, photography, and graphic design.  The thing about learning something new though is that you don't start out as an expert.  I still get really frustrated with myself that I'm not as good at something as I want to be but I remind myself of the progress I've made and it helps me to keep going. I watch YouTube tutorials and read books and articles and I'm just going at my own pace.  It feels good to challenge myself and get better and better at something.  Find something that interests you and learn how to do it!  It might be slow going at first but that pride in yourself when you learn how to do something new is awesome. 

My kids are my whole world and nothing will ever change that.  My first priority is making sure they are fed, safe, and happy.  I know that it's important to spend time with my kids and play with them.  Even when I don't really want to put together that puzzle for the 8th time, I do it because my girls mean everything to me.  I've noticed though that when I don't give myself a break and I let the stress of getting things done press down on me, that I take it out on my kids.  I start yelling and being grouchy and end up crying over them while they're asleep thinking that I'm the worst mom in the world.  I need an outlet.  I need to let myself just be me for a few minutes.  Do you want to know the best part?  A lot of times my daughters will want to paint with me or jump up and down with me when I'm doing my exercises.  Maybe it's OK to be passionate about something non-mom related because I'm teaching my daughters to be active and to try things too.  Maybe it's OK to be a mom AND a woman with different interests and goals.  Being a mom is a HUGE part of who I am but there's also more to me.  What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks for stopping by friends!