What the heck was I thinking????
Now that I am the mama of a very
I used to blame it on the fact that I work part time. This is not a good excuse, as I had a gloriously long maternity leave and still didn't have enough time in my mind. I remember having a newborn and thinking, "I just can't get anything done". Again, what was I thinking!?!?! Emersyn just laid there, how on earth was she preventing me from folding laundry??
These are the top items that I wrestle with timewise:
1) Working out/healthy food & snacks prep. Recently I have become aware of some health issues that run in my family. Excercise is the best preventative medicine and I want to model a healthy and active lifestyle for Emersyn and so far, this is not an area that I am excelling in. :)
2) Making time for friends. I am blessed to have a LOT of amazing people in my life, people who inspire me and make me laugh, two very crucial elements of a quality friendship with me. :) I struggle with balancing my responsibilities at home, having quality time with Emersyn and my husband, working, etc . I am good at being social via my blog, facebook, etc. But I love having people over to our home and Brett especially appreciates this, as he is NOT social via blogging, facebook, etc. :) I love playing games, cooking and entertaining. Where this ranks on the PRIORITY list though differs between myself and my husband.
3) Reading. I LOVE to read. I love working on my Bible Study that I participate in at my church on Tuesday mornings. I love a good fiction book by Jodi Picoult. I love books on parenting, marriage, etc. BUT I get horribly distracted and find it is hard to make time for such activities. I think a lot of it would help if my husband didn't like to watch TV so much. But that is a big love language of his, cuddling and watching a movie. Me, I could live without the TV. Seriously. There are a couple shows that I would watch online, but other then that....buh bye. I can be home an entire day and not turn the TV on once. When it comes to being on the laptop though, that is probably a place where I waste a lot of time.
4) Being crafty. I am a realist. I will never be a crafty person by nature. But I still long to learn such domestic skills like sewing. In fact, I signed up for a sewing class with a friend in November. I am soooooo excited. I also made some cupcakes last week. There are two steps towards progress in my crafty/domestic quest I guess.
5) Chores, like cleaning, maintenance (touching up baseboards, deep cleaning) and the worst task of all.......Laundry!!!!
6) Quiet time with the Lord. (Also falls under the reading/bible study category). I know that the Lord doesn't judge me for not spending time with him, I think it is more my loss then His, for sure. I never regret spending time with my Savior in an intentional way, more then just praying on my way to work or while doing dishes. Even taking a walk could qualify as quiet time with the Lord. And it would help with number one on this list. Lord I love me some multi-tasking. :)
Those of you more experienced ladies/mama's out there, what have been your keys to finding balance in being a wife/mama/woman? Blog about it! Speak up! :)
If there is one thing I have learned in life, it's that you never arrive, you never have it all figured out. Therefore, I am not plagued by these issues in my life, just simply want to work on them, one day at a time. After all, I have a little girl who is watching me..... :)
And I am sure that one day I will be writing a blog, saying "I can't believe I thought I didn't have enough time with ONE child, what was I thinking??!" :)
7 comments:
Boy, you sure hit the nail on the head. Yesterday I folded a months worth of laundry that I'd conveniently not had time for. Ha!
My daughter is a little younger than yours (she's 9 months) and I deal with the same thing. I have started a baby Bootcamp exercise class, which is nic because I can take her with me. I do okay staying on top of the laundry, but I do have a heap of it to work on this weekend. I was getting most of my reading done while I was nursing, but my daughter now thinks she needs my undivided attention during that time ;-D.
I don't think I'm in a place to give great advice, but some things that have worked for me are:
- Make the most of nap and bedtimes. For example, going to bed earlier and reading for a while is a great way to relax.
- Look at what you have to do and decide what you can do while your daughter is awake. For example, I can usually fold laundry, do dishes, and pick up a bit while my daughter is awake, so I try to do that then and save other things I can't really do with her around, like vacuuming, for when she is asleep.
- Give yourself a break! People really do understand that your life is different now with a small child. You don't have to have a squeaky clean house...no one will judge you!
Hey I'm home all the time and I still find excuses not to do things. Exercising is the worst! I really want Wii Fit Plus but not sure we can get it. Good luck!
I don't think I can talk: I am way overbooked and am getting things done only out of necessity. :) However, regarding exercise: invest in a jogging stroller. (I am sure you could find one cheap on craigslist, and it doesn't have to be a fancy one at all) Start getting in the habit of going on walks with the stroller and Emersyn, and every 8 minutes or so - jog for 30 seconds. That's it. The hardest part is getting started, but you can do it! Just make sure the stroller has a rain/wind cover (again, not expensive). I bundle Ellie up, put her in the stroller with the cover, and she is completely protected from the elements. It may stink for me, but she loves it and laughs at the rain drops hitting the cover. For me - I just know I am getting the exercise in, I am water proof, and I can warm up with a nice cup of coffee when I get home. :) There you go, there's my two cents. :) (BTW - I am really passionate about this, so if you ever want to talk, I'd love it. Otherwise, I won't offer advice again!). :)
So true. My kids are grown and I did have more time on my hands. Now i daycare for my 15 month old granddaughter. Boy have things changed for me!!
Well, I think you are one incredible mama!
My advice would have to do with priorities. Literally writing down the order of your priorities... that way when you have to make a quick decision as to do this or that... you'll know what saying "yes" to means saying "no" to something else.
Another thing that helps me is in the evening determine what are the three things I would like to accomplish tomorrow. Make them attainable... and get at them as soon as possible. You can check it off the list... but leave the list out where you can see it so you remember... "Hey, I accomplished these three things today!" (I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten what I actually accomplished during the day... and ended up thinking I wasted the day away... when I really didn't.)
Much love to you!
Patti- I totally feel you! In some ways it has gotten easier as Jameson has gotten older (I think the 12-17m) was more difficult for me, because he got really active but still didn't want to entertain himself much. I take a few minutes and try to get something done (like unpack the dishwasher, but I know I won't be able to clean the whole kitchen until he sleeps). If I am having a day where I need to let the housecleaning go to revive myself mentally, then I do that and don't feel guilty. I am bad at exercise, but I always feel better when I get it done. I love yoga because it helps me center. A great workout is the "30 Day Shred" by Jillian Michaels, its 20 minutes so I actually feel like I can accomplish it quickly, but yeah its kicks my booooo-tay.
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