I am constantly comparing myself to other mothers. I spend too much time at my computer writing. I pin more educational activities than I actually do with my children. I spend more time thinking about being a better mom, than I do trying to be one.
But the truth is that I want to be a better Mom. My children deserve the very best.
It starts with me...not my children. Sure, I can teach my boys to express themselves, and help my daughter to become a confident woman, but at the end of the day, if I do not keep myself happy, I am no good to them. They need me.
Did you hear me? Our babies need us. We need to keep our flow...our juju. We need to stay healthy, focused and well balanced. We need to remember that we matter and that we are separate entities from our beautiful children. Here's how:
But the truth is that I want to be a better Mom. My children deserve the very best.
It starts with me...not my children. Sure, I can teach my boys to express themselves, and help my daughter to become a confident woman, but at the end of the day, if I do not keep myself happy, I am no good to them. They need me.
Did you hear me? Our babies need us. We need to keep our flow...our juju. We need to stay healthy, focused and well balanced. We need to remember that we matter and that we are separate entities from our beautiful children. Here's how:
1. Rise and shine. Wake up before the children, have lunches packed, breakfasts ready and clothes picked out for the day. Be showered, refreshed and geared with your morning cup of coffee. Or two.
2. Energize. Coffee...absolutely. But be certain to energize with good foods to: an apple, a banana or some yogurt -- pick your pleasure. Take vitamins, drink water and remember that you matter. If you want to be around for your children's lives, you need to take care of yourself. Set a good example. And for goodness sake, take a minute to hear only the sound of your chews. It is pure joy.
3. Stay on time. Try to never run late. Running late equals a mean mommy. It means a disturbance of peace and chaotic children. Keep to the schedule, watch the clock, and stay focused. You can do this.2. Energize. Coffee...absolutely. But be certain to energize with good foods to: an apple, a banana or some yogurt -- pick your pleasure. Take vitamins, drink water and remember that you matter. If you want to be around for your children's lives, you need to take care of yourself. Set a good example. And for goodness sake, take a minute to hear only the sound of your chews. It is pure joy.
4. Don't sweat the small stuff. Messy faces and spilt milk won't matter 10 years from now. We have wipes, towels and the rest of our lives. Look around and find what really matters right now.
5. Stay active. Get up off your bum. Dance in the living room. Play tag in the kitchen. Go exploring outside. Act. Do. Be a participant in your children's lives. I guarantee you will have more fun twirling with your daughter than sitting on the couch. Plus, it keeps your heart young.
6. Unplug for dinner. No phones, no iPads, no disturbances whatsoever. Sit, talk, discuss, debate, question; and more importantly, listen. Listen to everything. The big. The small. The good. The bad. Keep your eyes up and your heart open.
7. Run on a schedule. Always be prepared for what is coming next. Know the drill. Hold your children to it. Life runs smoother when you know what to expect.
8. Go with the flow. I know, I know, I just said stick to a schedule. But sometimes, life gets in the way. If your child suddenly becomes interested in an insect crawling outside, get out the magnify glasses and join them. Take life as it comes. Enjoy it. Life is too short to always follow these rules.
9. Learn from yesterday. Hopefully there were ups, but certainly there were downs. Learn from them and move on. Just keep swimming.
10. Be ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is coming whether you are ready for it or not.






Beautiful, I needed this today. Thank you so much. :)
ReplyDeleteone of those days, huh? Glad I made it better if only for a minute. Thanks for reading Dagny (what a great name!)
DeleteGreat post! Thank you! My little one is only 9mths and I'm already questioning myself "Am I doing enough? Am I stimulating her enough? Is she bored?" etc etc...But then I realize that it's Ok to let her play on her own for a few minutes while I go make coffee...or put on some make-up :-)
ReplyDeleteAll great moms question themselves; we do our very best and cross our fingers. Just the fact you put thought into it means you are doing something right.
ReplyDeleteEvery mom needs to read this. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis was great! And something I needed to hear. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Sarah! I will be re-pinning this!
ReplyDeleteCan't get better than this... I believe n agree with all your pointers... That's how life was earlier so why not now... Wow. ..
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips. I just wanted to say that my oldest son died several years ago and what I treasure most are the memories of all the fun things we did together. We took long walks and played together and just had fun. I only wish we had done it more often.
ReplyDeleteTreasure your children. They really do grow up faster than you think. And the awful reality is that they can be taken from us in a moment. Enjoy them while you can.
And I also wanted to add that someone once gave me some very good advice. I was a young mommy then trying to be super mommy and keep my house immaculate. This older and wiser mother told me that what my children would remember me most for was not how clean my house was, but how I made them feel. Those words were priceless.
I love this so much. I'm a fairly recent new mom (I have a 9 month old) and this means a lot. :D
ReplyDeleteCaroline
http://chocolateandcarrots.com
Wow what a great reminder. Why are we (as women) constantly so hard on ourselves? Why do we compare ourselves to others?
ReplyDeleteI tend to get frustrated because our lives are so saturated with mommies, blogs, etc and it always LOOKS so PERFECT. When something doesn't go to plan, my first thought it, "Well, so-and-so makes it look so easy. Maybe I'm not such a good mom."
It's a terrible habit. I need to stop. Definitely following you - love for you to check out my blog!
Kaylynn
AmongTheYoung.com
I wish I could manage the Rise and Shine. I have an early riser who is awake the moment he hears even the slightest stirring in the house. And when he is awake he is READY TO GO! leaving me scrabbling to catch up nearly every day... I try to get as much as I can ready before I go to bed each night, but getting myself going in the morning can't be done the night before.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that I love seeing your posts pinned by so many people when I go onto Pinterest and just browse the "Kids" section. You should be so proud!
ReplyDelete-Ashley (Murphy) Leger
Great post!! Loved every word of it! So true and yet so easy to forget at times!! :) Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThis goes along with so many thoughts and feeling i've been having. Thank you for sharing and admitting that we need to take care of ourselves but also to not make than an excuse. Thanks you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great post. Every mom needs to remember these things. Im a mommy blogger too! http://casseruoladolcedellavita.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete#10 might be the most beautiful thing I've ever read. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeletethis is so so beautiful! do you do guest posts? i'd love to use this! heather.findingbeauty@gmail.com xo
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ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful list. Motherhood sure is a beautiful journey!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a beautiful reminder. I really needed it today!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I need each of these reminders.
ReplyDeleteFound you through Pinterest (HowDoesShe.com pinned you!).
Thank you for this post!! Was much needed today!!! Needed so much that it made me cry :-)
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