Putting the M-E back in Me Time #CleverRefresh

16, March 2011 By 3 Comments

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight

When my son was 6 months old I learned the importance of taking time for myself. But it wasn’t until my daughter was close to turning 4 that I realized this needed to be done on a daily basis and not just once every couple months.

I was suffering from depression and it was only compounded by the fact that my days were all starting to run into each other. Wake up, feed kids, dress kids, take kids to school if required, pick up kids, feed lunch, pick up house, prepare dinner, serve dinner, homework, clean up dinner, bathe kids, read stories, kids to bed, collapse into bed myself. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

cindys gym clever girlsMy health wasn’t doing well and I knew things had to change. So I joined a gym. Not just any gym. A gym that offers childcare.

I’ll never forget that first day. I dropped off my oldest at school then headed to the gym with my daughter. She easily went into the childcare area and I headed downstairs to figure out what to do next. I settled on the treadmill since it required the least technical knowledge. I walked for 90 minutes. In those 90 minutes it was like a switch was flipped. I walked out of the gym feeling renewed and truly like I was on the road to wellness.

Fast forward 12 weeks and I have never been better. I’ve been able to quit taking my anti-depressants, lost 20lbs, and ran my first 5K.

I’d like to think my parenting has also benefited from the 90 minutes I take each day just for myself. And on those days when I’m not able to make it to the gym, we have begun “quiet time” in which the kids play quietly in their respective rooms for 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes get chores done with breaking up fights, or even lounge on the couch and close my eyes for a few.

It doesn’t really matter the length of time, it just matters that I take it. Because no matter what I will always be a mother and wife first but as long as I take time for rejuvenation I will be the mom and wife I want to be.

How do YOU take time for yourself each day?

Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Filed Under: campaigns

I’m quick off the line..

7, March 2011 By 4 Comments

I have a HUGE pet peeve when it comes to my kids.

Ok so actually, when it comes to my son. It’s not a normal boy pet peeve like peeing on the toilet seat or the likes.

My pet peeve is having him roll his eyes at me.

Seriously, I can from 0 to Mean Mommy in about 3.2 seconds when I see him roll his eyes after I’ve told him he can’t do something that he wants to do. It takes every ounce of self restraint not to tackle him.

I’ve done everything I can think of to get him to quit this terrible trait, but nothing seems to work. So I come to you, my readers.

How can I break my son of rolling his eyes?!?

Filed Under: joys of motherhood

The Moments You Cry

25, January 2011 By 2 Comments

One thing every mother can agree on is that there are so many moments in motherhood that bring tears to our eyes. None of us can probably sit down and write out every single time a tear came to our eye while watching our children, but there are some that stick out and bring back a myriad of images to your mind.

  • When you first lay eyes on your child.
  • Seeing him/her smile for the first time.
  • Hearing “Mama” for the first time.
  • Your child taking their first steps.

All the normal milestones.

For me though, it’s the milestones that seem to be off the beaten path. Seeing my kids accomplish something that I loved as a child and can relate to now is more priceless than anything I can think of.

Tonight one of those milestones occurred.

See, I started reading at the age of 5. I was a bit of a geek, I know. But I loved books and wanted to read so badly that all it took was a bit of help and I was off and flipping the pages. So tonight, when at the age of 5, my son read his first sentence I cried. I had tears streaming down my face looking at how proud he was of himself. This is one moment that I will NEVER forget.

What was the most recent moment your kids made you cry?

Filed Under: joys of motherhood
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