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Is there even such a thing?
It’s no secret that 99.9% of our day is spent giving to others, particularly when we are tending to the needs of our littlest children. Oh, of course, our big kids still need us, just in different ways than our littles.
Life of a Mom is Never Finished
When we finally wrangle everyone into bed, finish that last bedtime story, get that last drink of water, all we really have the energy to do is drag ourselves to our own bed. The light gets turned off only to get up and do it all over again the next day.
Between the meal prep, homeschooling, laundry, and constant demands for our attention, how do we ever find a moment of peace?
There are different seasons in life and if you are in a season of a mulititude of littles, please don’t compare yourself to a family filled with mostly school aged children. Life filled with diapers and sippy cups is vastly different than in a home where a majority of children can use the bathroom independently and put on their own shoes.
I have no magic formula, only that an attitude shift makes a world of difference.
The more we think we “deserve it” – the me time – the more we resent not getting it. The more we view serving our family as a chore rather than the gift that it is, the more annoyed we will be, thus the more we feel depleted and over-stretched.
An Attitude of Gratitude
That isn’t the life that God had in store for us, even in the largest of families. Making time for prayer, spending time with our Lord, cultivating an attitude of joy and gratitude, {believe me I know that’s not always easy!} makes the biggest difference.
“Accept the fact if you are alive there will be messes.” Sally Clarkson
Practical Tips for Mom Me Time
*Get up early – start your day before everyone else is ready to start theirs
*Quiet time – gives a bit of a refresher for all in the afternoon
*Get help – share/trade off with a friend, my hubby will do little {big!} things like take the kids to run a couple of errands on the weekend
*Regular bedtimes – establish a regular bedtime routine, my younger kids are normally asleep between 8:00-8:30pm each night, the two older boys are usually up a little later.
Helpful Mom Books
Here are a few books that have been helpful and encouraging to me over the years, perhaps they will do the same for you:
Amazon.com Widgets
Ever read a post and think that it was written just for you? This was it for me today. My girls are older and I have nothing to complain about. Yet, I have been feeling like now that the days are shorter and darkness comes early, I have had to give up a few things that I really enjoy because my girls don’t like to stay home alone at night and I could not enjoy myself knowing that they are not comfortable. I have been trying to carve out a bit of time for myself during the day. No matter how tired I am, I start early so that I can have at least an hour of computer time in the quiet of my home with the dogs curled up at my feet. Thank you for this. (I ordered Small Steps for Catholic Moms to keep in my purse).
I need an attitude of gratitude more than anything. But realistically, some days are just too tiring. It is a constant juggling act. And as I type (wanting to have a few moments to myself after a busy day) my toddler just came up and hit the key board. I have now publicly recommended this post! LOL Is that karma or what?!
Read Pollyanna to your children. I love the book and it is such a gem for a mom struggling to not only have an “attitude of gratitude” but to also teach that to her children. Blessings!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Small Steps is a great little book
Tell Miss C thanks for the recommendation!!
Thanks for the tip!
I try to go out by myself once a week when I can. I love movies and I’ll just go and watch one all alone – it’s bliss!! There are seasons when I’m better at this than others. Thank you for reminding me that I need an “attitude of gratitude,” but also need to carve time for me!