Tag: mom life

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Time for Yourself: 3 Tips for a Busy Mom

asleep by nine

asleep by nine

Are you taking time for yourself to recharge, to just breathe? Probably not, well we are here to tell you that it is ok to make time for yourself! We see you running about doing all your mom things but when was the last time you did something for you? We all know that you do a thousand things in a regular day (sometimes an hour) for your family but what about you? You are just as important as anyone else in your family, in fact, maybe even more so! Your family counts on you to keep everyone on point. You keep the pantry stocked, make sure they have clean clothes to wear, schedule dentist appts, soccer, play dates, plus a hundred other tasks that you do without complaint (giggle….ok maybe a complaint or two here or there). You keep everything organized so it can all run smoothly and on time (if you are anything like me then we can use that term loosely if you would like). So, what about you, where do you fit it? As busy moms we often feel guilty for taking the time to do something as silly as get our nails done, go to the beach, lunch with a friend, because we are just thinking about all the things that still need to get done. Well make sure there is time allotted for you to recharge because if you burn out then who will take care of everyone? The old saying “You cannot pour from an empty cup.”, is so true.

3 Simple ways to get some alone time

1.) Schedule it. You thought it was going to be more profound than that right?! Sometimes it is as simple as getting yourself in the books. Don’t just schedule it though, keep it! Write it in pen, you deserve better than to just be penciled in!

2.) Steal it. Whether you are in between errands, softball practice or running to the store, just pull over and sit for 10 minutes. Turn off the radio, no cell phone, just take a minute to look around at everyone else running and gunning. Just breathe.

3.) Set your alarm. My favorite alone time is early in the morning. Every day I get up before my family and the sun and have my coffee in peace. To some it may seem crazy to get up so early but the peace I feel from this hour of solitude is worth getting out of bed for!

As you can see this isn’t some grand scheme to score a week away from your family and all your responsibilities or to convince you that a weekly 2 hour massage needs to be your norm. Consider this more of a starter kit for your alone time. Quick ways to steal a few moments for yourself that WILL help you relax a little and see things differently. Give it a try!

Want to hear more tips? https://asleepbynine.com

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5 Tips for Mom to Enjoy A Snow Day!

snow day

snow day

 

You just received the call that school is closed for a snow day today, again. There is an initial relief that you can relax a little and don’t have to rush to get everyone out the door, but then reality sets in. They are home ALL DAY, whether it is with you, your partner, or a babysitter, someone is going to inevitably be “bored”, “hungry”, or fighting with a sibling. So there are a few things you can do in advance to make the next snow day a more enjoyable one for everyone.

Here are five things I have found that make a snow day more fun:

1.) Check their snow gear BEFORE the snow day! – Nothing ruins a snow day faster than when boots or snow pants are MIA or don’t fit! This is a BIG one because it gets them OUTSIDE!!! Everyone wins!

2.) Frozen cookie dough – silly right? So I really stumbled upon this gem by accident. My kids started selling cookie dough at the beginning of each school year as a fundraiser. I bought a couple boxes not realizing they would be my new BFF. My kids love having warm cookies after being out playing in the snow, (I mean who doesn’t right?!). That had always meant getting everything out and making them from scratch for the kids to enjoy. I love it, but I didn’t always feel like doing it. Frozen cookie dough to the rescue! Pop them in the oven, I look like the hero with minimal effort. Even if you aren’t a fan of pre-made products you can still make your own and freeze them for the occasion.

3.) Emergency game/toy stash – kids get overloaded with gifts at Christmas and birthdays frequently. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, usually drop a toy store off in your living room each year so take a few of those games and put them away into a secret stash! Pull one out and again, you look like the hero. Nothing occupies them (for at least a little while) like a new game/toy!

4.) Always have popcorn on hand! – There is something magical about popcorn that turns a movie into something exciting! Even a movie you have seen before becomes an event when you add a big bowl of popcorn to the mix!

5.) Just roll with it! – I know you weren’t planning on them being home today, maybe you had a bunch of things that you need to get done, but just like their youth, snow days won’t last forever. There will come a time before you know it when they aren’t little anymore, then they aren’t home anymore, and you won’t have any snow days again. Build the snowman, make the cookies, play the board games. They will remember those things a lot more fondly than, “mommy got her list done”, (which ironically is never done….EVER).

When all else fails mom, there is a bottle of wine in the dining room.

Want to hang out with other moms like you? Come join the fun! https://asleepbynine.com/jenny

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10 Things I’ve Learned Being A Mom To Twins

“OMG are they twins?!”, “I always wanted to have twins.”, “Do twins run in your family?”

Twins are hard. Twins are like life consuming hard. Unless you have lived it then there is no way to truly understand how much twins change everything. Its more than double the pleasure…it’s a lot of work!

We already had three children when we found out that I was pregnant for the fourth time. Our youngest was only 1 year old so the pregnancy was a already a big deal then…. SURPRISE….TWINS! Carrying a twin pregnancy to term was the most uncomfortable feeling I have ever physically felt in my life but it was totally worth it to have our fraternal boy/girl twins come home three days after being born with no time in the NICU. Life with twins certainly hasn’t been easy. I’ve learned a lot in the last seven years and if I can help someone newly entering the world of twins or someone who is already buried in the chaos then my blood shot eyes will have served a purpose.

1.) “Be there in 20 minutes”, you will never utter these words again unless you are already loaded up in the car and heading towards your destination that is less than 20 minutes away.

2.) Someone is going to have to cry and there is nothing you can do to stop it. When you have a single baby, even with older children, it can be easier to appease one while you tend to the other. Twins don’t have the “it’s your turn to cry” thing figured out. Maybe they get on the same feeding schedule (actually this is ideal) or someone is hungry at the same time the other fills their diaper. It’s ok, you are a great mom. Twins are hard.

3.) Talk to other twin moms! Sometimes they have information about some sanity saving service that you haven’t heard of. I learned about an online delivery service for formula and diapers that eliminated my weekly runs to the local bulk food store and in turn saved my sanity because with three kids under 2 years old I was going through copious amounts of both!

Side note: I exclusively breastfed our twins for three weeks until my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer and I had to help him recover too. I only say this because I was a “breast is best” mom and felt very guilty for giving up breastfeeding so early. Formula or breastmilk doesn’t determine whether or not you are a good mother, love does, period.

4.) Laundry is your new BFF. You won’t be done doing laundry for approximately 20 years. Embrace it and accept it.

5.) Getting groceries is your new quiet time. Enjoy it. Do not take the kids, let your partner hold down the fort while you slowly peruse the aisles imagining all the amazing healthy dinners that you are going to make for your family. Then grab the chicken strips and the frozen veggies taking your time to complete your more realistic shopping list.

6.) What you just bought at the grocery store will last for 12 seconds. Head back to #5.

7.) Sometimes popsicles are dinner. It is ok. Of course you want to eat a healthy dinner but one has to get to swim lessons and the other has art class, but we have to finish everyone’s homework before we go…..so go ahead, have a popsicle, just eat something. Twins are hard.

8.) Embrace the chaos. One day your house will be so quiet, it will feel eerie (So I’m told. We aren’t there yet). I see it with our two oldest who have already started their adult lives. Every day your little ones grow older and yes your house is a mess, and the laundry pile is frigging huge, and you need a shower BUT one day sooner than you think they will get their own breakfast, then it’s don’t kiss me in front of my friends, and before you know it they won’t need you as much. As much as the chaos drives me crazy, I’m not looking forward to that day. The day you realize that they are all grown up. I already cried the day I realized that we no longer could shop in the baby stores, so when my hubby and I are staring at each other over coffee trying to figure out what to do with ourselves, it will probably hit me hard.

9.) Remember that the twins entered your life. Maintaining your relationship with your partner is extremely important because not only are they your support system (and the only other adult you have backing you up) but they are also why you started growing this little family in the first place. Seeing your healthy relationship is vital to your children’s view of what they should expect from a partner in the future and the only way to teach them is to show them. One date night a month is like the old adage for good health, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, well “A date night a month keeps the other “D” away.”.

10.) Take care of yourself. It is so true that you cannot pour from an empty cup and if you are not going to the gym, getting a mani/pedi, or hitting the yoga mat like you always did before then you are doing your whole family a disservice. The dishes, laundry, and household tasks will always need to be done but you will feel a lot better doing it if you had your time to yourself. Your mental health is vital to a healthy family, take care of yourself. Twins are hard.

Want to meet more fun twin moms? http://www.lularoejenniferwilliams.com

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A Mom’s guide for how to be sick

 

A Mom’s Guide for How to be Sick

Hey mom, did you forget how to be sick? Are you feeling under the weather from that virus your cute little walking petrie dish brought home from school? The one that everyone else in the house has had and you have taken care of them through it? Don’t forget that you need to take care of yourself too!! Here are 5 must follow tips to being a sick mom:

1.) Call out of work!! Take a day at home to yourself and don’t use it to catch up on housework, laundry, or any other tasks that “need” to get done. They can wait or you can ask dad to do them! You will have to let go HOW things need to be done. Let others help you, it will be good for them too.

2.) Tell dad you need rest….that’s right Mom…YOU NEED REST! You need to take some down time and give your body time to rest and recover from this just the same as everyone else in your family did. Dad can handle everything while you take a break. Will it all be done exactly like you would do it….no probably not….but that’s ok because you aren’t doing yourself or anyone else any favors by not getting better quickly. So grab a book, your Ipad, or just your pillow, and GO LAY DOWN!!

3.) Drink your fluids! Especially if you have a fever, please drink water, tea, a sports drink, something that is hydrating and refreshing! Even soup broth is good, especially if you are congested or not really eating anything else.

4.) Give yourself time to recover. As mom’s we always put our husband and children ahead of ourselves, this is a beautiful trait of being a wife and mother, but we have to remember that there is no medal for doing it all and driving yourself to the point of exhaustion without giving yourself the break. We feel guilty for sitting down and taking time off, guilty that the dishes are in the sink or that our mother-in-law is taking the baby to swim practice. It’s ok, mom, in fact necessary to not only take care of others but let them take care of you as well. If gives them a sense of purpose and it let’s them remember just how much you do around here!

5.) Don’t be afraid to say “NO”. You are just finally feeling a little better when the “insert group name” is calling about an event tomorrow that someone else cancelled on because they are sick. “Can you help?”, you CAN say “NO”, in fact you should. You aren’t out of the woods yet and even if you followed all of these steps, its likely that you didn’t take enough time and get as much rest as you truly needed. Not only can you not do it all…..you don’t have to. Cut yourself some slack.

Now that you have taken a day or five, whatever was needed, and are feeling like yourself again then you can get out there and tackle the world once class project, family budget, and board meeting at a time like the super mom that you are!

 

Looking for other moms to connect with? http://www.lularoejenniferwilliams.com

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Beautiful Mom Life

mom life

 

Mom life can be breathtaking!

Sometimes mom life gives us moments, moments that grab you by the heart and make you realize just how amazing this journey is. In that moment between all the chaos and the clutter, you stop and feel your heartbeat in your chest as you watch your little person master a skill, conquer a fear , or display a random act of kindness. It can be overwhelming or it can be quiet, subtle. Either way, in that moment, you are in awe of this little person in front of you, this little person that continues to grow, and learn, and advance in ways that you never knew was possible.

 

Want to join other mom’s having fun? http://www.lularoejenniferwilliams.com

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3 Simple steps to tackling your kid’s clutter!

Tackling the clutter!

Kid’s are messy, I think we can all agree on that. My kid’s seem to find ‘beauty’ in every piece of scrap paper, fruit snack wrapper, and empty box. I see other mom’s posting pictures of their house and it looks like a magazine is coming over any minute for a photo shoot! My house isn’t like that….ever. Our house isn’t big, our girls share a bedroom so that room is especially troublesome but I have had enough! I’ve decided that it was time to regain control and my sanity by organizing my kid’s rooms to optimize their space and control the clutter.

First step is the PURGE!!! This step is cathartic all by itself. You will probably need to do this when the kids aren’t home for the most successful purging. Broken toys, games missing pieces rendering it unplayable, clothes that no longer fit, etc, all need to go. I know its not the ideal way to spend a Saturday that the kids are at their grandmother’s but trust me it will be way more productive if they aren’t crying and trying to save every thing you try to toss. The feeling of shoving all those ‘art’ supplies in a plastic trash bag is therapeutic to say the least, and I think you are still going to enjoy your Saturday. YOU will feel better after this step alone! Also, a little word of warning, there is a good chance that you will find things that are…ummmm how do I put this….things that are gross. Like not, ewww this is kind of gross, but more like “choke, sputter, GAG, WTF!?” gross depending on how long their room has left in its natural state. Hang in there!

Side note: Toys, books, and clothes that still have some life in them can be donated to your local mission, church, or day care center for an added bonus of good karma!

Next you will want to consider how you are going to organize the remaining items. Whether you use baskets, bins, shelves, doesn’t matter as long as it is something that both you and your kids will find aesthetically appealing and functional. You will want something that your children can understand the concept of. Bins with labels can be helpful for children who are learning to read, shelving for books, tubs that fit under the bed, and a dirty clothes basket are all helpful items to keeping the room neat and tidy.

Lastly, and most importantly, MAINTAIN this sacred space!! You worked very hard to get this room into a state of tidiness so its important to not let it backslide. Regular purging whether daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your schedule is imperative to keeping up and not letting it go back to its former state. Incentivize kids to participate in the cleanup, something small because let’s be honest, they shouldn’t get rewarded for something they should be doing anyway.

I found that once I tackled this monster and got their rooms back in order that they spent more time playing in there. It seems like maybe the clutter bothered them too without them even realizing it (or maybe it was just so bad they didn’t have room to play in there), whatever the case may be their tidy (I still use that term semi loosely) room is much more enjoyable for all of us.

My kid’s room is a disaster!