Welcome to the May 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Taking Time for Mom.
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. Oftentimes, Moms are so busy taking care of their families that they forget to take care of themselves. This month our carnival participants have written posts about what they do just for themselves.
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As a mother, I often forget about taking care of myself. So many other things seem so much more important – feeding my family healthy meals, planning out our homeschooling for the week, or scheduling the next playdate. When I get a break (usually between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am), I spend that time doing one of the above or blogging.
Can blogging be considered “me time?” I certainly enjoy it. It doesn’t usually involve wiping runny noses. But when I really think about it, it’s a job. It may not be a well-paying job but it’s more closely related to work than to taking care of myself (although it does instill a sense of self-worth and accomplishment, which are extremely important things).
So I am making a commitment to take care of myself more. Here are 5 ways I plan to take care of me:
1. Mindfulness
In a previous post, I mentioned my new commitment to mindfulness. Mindfulness is about living in the moment without judgment. And it is the perfect way to take care of yourself. When you can focus on what you are doing in the moment, rather than letting the stress of daily life distract you, you enjoy life more. I had a fantastic Mother’s Day because I focused on my beautiful children and being with family. I chose not to let tiny stressful events take over my day. I am going to continue to study and practice mindfulness.
2. Exercise
I need to exercise more. It is good for my body as well as my mind. And I might sleep better (when my daughter actually allows me to sleep)! My exercise plan involves walking and hiking more with my family, going to weekly mom-baby yoga classes and using the elliptical machine that is taking over our living room.
3. Eating Healthy Foods
I already have a pretty healthy diet composed of mostly natural and organic foods. We have very few processed foods in the house, and we never eat fast food. But I do have a sweet tooth. I don’t intend to eliminate sugar from my diet. I believe that depriving myself of something I enjoy will only make it worse. Rather, I intend to reduce desserts – I am going to aim for three times a week.
4. Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is pretty much impossible for me. I have an eight-month-old baby. She is still breastfeeding and we cosleep. So I have to wake up every two to three hours. Going to bed earlier just doesn’t work because I need those precious few hours when the kids are asleep to get things like blogging done. But maybe I will try to get in bed an hour earlier than normal. And take my husband up on his offer to let me sleep in on the weekends.
5. Get Out of the House
I am an introvert and a homebody. This means that I have a hard time getting out of the house. On the other hand, I love traveling (occasionally) and visiting local parks and gardens. I am making a promise to myself to get out of the house (for non-kid related stuff) at least once per week. I will also take my husband up on his second offer to watch the kids while I go out by myself. I haven’t been away from my baby for more than 2 hours for her entire life!
Hopefully, I will be able to stick to the above goals and, as a result, I will be a better and happier mom!
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Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed: