Motherhood is the GREATEST gift.
But I will be the first to admit - it's easy to put your kids first (or hopefully your husband and your kids first) and you fall way to the bottom of the pile.
I didn't see this happening .......but I find myself these days so busy with the girls that I feed them lunch and end up standing up shoving down a sandwich in the kitchen. Or eating way later after I get them down for a nap.
I have always been VERY prissy but these days you will find me almost always in sweats and no make-up. Who has time to shower and get ready every day? I would love to but that would mean getting up an hour before Hollis (who gets up by 6 often) or using precious nap time to get ready when I have a million other things that need to be done in those two hours.
I have things I'd love to get out and do but I find myself saying no to opportunities more often than not because it's just not possible to do everything when my family is my top priority.
And these are NOT bad things. I love that my family is most important to me. I WANT to put their needs before mine.
But just like on an airplane when they tell parents to put your oxygen mask on first so you can get the oxygen mask on your kids........I think it's so important to remember yourself in the shuffle.
So how do you do that?
There are a few things I'm working on. For the last few years - I have found it impossible to find time to exercise. So I finally joined a gym and that's been a HUGE change for me. My girls like going and getting an hour or so of exercise is a big release for me. It's amazing what that small change has done for me!
I'm also TRYING to make an effort to get fixed up at least most days. It makes me feel better about myself and I also hate for Scott to come home to a dumpy housewife every day. I want him to still be excited to see me. (Not that it's all about looks or make-up - clearly it's not - but I should do my part to keep marriage alive, right?) ha!
Blogging is MY outlet. One of the reasons I love blogging is it's something I do for me that I enjoy. For you it might be sewing or painting or cooking or running? We all have something that makes us feel like ourselves. Something that is just for us. If you don't have that thing - I think you should find it.
I stay connected with friends. I have people I can talk to who I can laugh with. I have people who mentor me. I have people who I can go to for advice or to pray for me or to cry to. I have people I can vent safely to. You need people in your life you can talk to and enjoy being with. Adult people. :-)
I'm a night owl so I stay up late after everyone is bed when the house is quiet and just have "Kelly time". Whether that is blogging or answering emails or working on a project or just watching Netflix shows - I need that time all to myself to decompress each day.
What about you? How do you stay YOU in the midst of this crazy thing called motherhood?
I hope you will link up and come back for the next topics we have scheduled!!!
