Day in and day out, I constantly feel as if my wheels are spinning. You've all seen a car stuck in the snow, where the tires keep spinning and spinning and never seem to get anywhere. Being the only adult in the car, you hope if you keep giving it enough gas, you'll magically just get out of the rut you're in.
Oh, mothering is so much like this analogy!
Most days we just keep going through the motions and eventually we hit that rut and we just tell ourselves that we can make it through-- if we just hit that gas peddle a bit harder. However, when I do just that, crazy psycho mom comes out. I'm thinking I should give a name to that side of my split personality. ;)
I just saw in the news where a young mom glued her toddler's hands to the wall and kicked her until she landed in a coma! Initially I am just shocked, but as I think, and if I am truly honest with myself, I see a tiny bit of that crazy mom in myself. Of course I would never harm my children, but sometimes I can just feel my the grasp on my emotions just slip away. Those are the moments when my children will get an extra spanking, extra time-out, etc when maybe they just needed more mommy compassion. I think if we all could just take a step backwards sometimes and put the laundry, dishes, floors, cupboards; everything on hold, we could be better mothers.
Well, I'm resolving to take a little bit more time for myself in the winter months to come. I'm going to squeeze any moment of me-time into my family's schedule that I can. I know it will be mostly done during nap time or after the kids go to bed, but so be it. I have also spent years grooming my kids to have quiet time in their bedroom so I can even have 10 minutes of sanity. That comes especially handy in the evening when everybody seems to have such a difficult time.
If you have young kids, start practicing putting them in their rooms for a few minutes and every day just add a few more minutes until you get up to 20-30 minutes. Start by explaining that every day after morning playtime or after lunch will be quiet time. The rules are, everybody gets to have quiet time-- including mama! Of course, make sure their room or playing area is safe and free of hazards. Pretty soon, you could add a few breaks into your day and everybody will be happier for it in the end!
So what are some ways that you can save take a break? Breaks that are productive in furthering myself seem to replenish me the most because it makes me feel like somebody other than just a mother.
*Read a chapter in a book ( I like the Kindle on my iPhone because my kids know it's off limits)
*Take a bath
*Take a nap
*Get on the computer to socialize, educate yourself, or just play a game
*exercise (get a few DVD's that have 10-20 minutes segments so they're quick and in the winter time it's a great way to warm up if the house is a little chilly)
*Call a friend
*Start a devotional
*Journal or blog
* Enjoy a cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee
*Write somebody a hand-written letter
*Do a craft off Pintrest
*Pick a subject and learn a little each day (i.e., countries, math, science, etc)
I created a jar to pick one out.
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| Mom's Time-Out Jar |
As I tell my child mommy is picking her time-out task, they can pick something from the Fun Cup and I will do it with them after the time is up. The red sticks are for things that will take approximately 30 minutes or more and the green one is things that will take 10-20 minutes. So you can say, "We're going to pick a green stick today."
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| The Fun Cup |
Hope you find some mommy inspiration! Blogging is what I chose today. :D
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