There's this quote online that says " I was the perfect mom, before I had kids" and it is soooo true! I always thought of it being so easy I mean at least my mom always made it look that way.
How did she manage to never look tired is beyond me! But as a mom now I know exactly how tired she had to be taking care of a house, 3 kids, a husband and working!
How did she manage to never look tired is beyond me! But as a mom now I know exactly how tired she had to be taking care of a house, 3 kids, a husband and working!
At the beginning of my parenting journey I felt so defeated at times as if I was chasing this dream of being the "perfect mom". I am such a clean freak and germaphobe... well I was until I had a baby and that baby became a toddler who ate grass and fought me to take showers! I still have this need to keep a very neat home. I can only let the mess of toys go by for so long before I go crazy cleaning and yelling at my oldest to put her toys away or they'll end in the garbage. The daily routine of work, cooking , cleaning and keeping kids alive can be extremely exhausting!
There are days that I wake up before dawn get my work done, dinner started sometimes even finished, breakfast ready and my oldest up and out the door on time for school. Then there are days the alarm goes off 5 times and I can't seem to get up. Days when multitasking seems Absolutely impossible!
And here's how I've managed to get through those days that can sometimes turn into weeks of stagnant energy, sleepiness and beating myself up because I'm somehow not being the super mom I have this need to be.
Are you getting enough Zzzs
Here's a question for you mommies; Are you getting enough sleep? Before you leave my blog laughing at me... hear me out... as a breastfeeding mom I still wake up at night after a year to breastfeed. My oldest has nightmares and asks me to sleep with her sometimes. I know all about not sleeping. But a sleepy mom makes a cranky mom. Your body needs rest to recharge and in order to do this you will have to put aside certain task and cut back on the OCD like my need to clean and do it all. This has been so hard for me because I feel as if I sleep or lay down and rest I'm just wasting time and the mess will only get bigger. But I noticed that if I was tired I would clean and it only felt like the mess increased anyways because all I'd did was run around in circles never fully completing one task. I know it's hard to find time to sleep when you have kids who refuse to nap or are too old for naps but making time to do so is vital. So now When I feel overwhelmed and tired. I leave the toy mess and take a nap with my little one. (By the way I'm not a napper never have been. I seriously cannot sleep for more than a few minutes or hours in a day and that's if I'm really exhausted or I'll wake up feeling nauseous and with a headache. so to say I've actually been napping during the day is because exhaustion has hit me strong.) So now I nap.. or lay down for a while..Even if that means dinner won't be getting cooked on time or at all by me. It's OK to make mac and cheese or order in. It does not make you a bad mom it makes you human.
I'm such a coffee addict and feel as if I could totally survive off caffeine. There's days where my husband gets home from work and I've realized that coffee and a handful of my toddlers yogurt melt is all I've had to eat all day! It's like I'm telling myself when I finish feeding the baby I'll eat. But then I get dinner started and say when I finish dinner I'll eat something . I pick my oldest from school and then eat, but that doesn't end up happening either. And I don't notice it but I do get Hangry when I haven't eaten. The kids notice the hubby notices and it just not healthy! My fix...I keep snacks that I know I'll eat like strawberries, bananas, granola bars easily accessible to me. I also make sure to have a big breakfast to last me at least through lunch.
Be yourself.
Remember who you are and that you're doing A great job! Do not compare yourself to other moms. Remember that comparison is the thief of joy. Your life is different and so are your kids and they need you not the mom you see on Instagram whose life appears so put together. Having friends to talk to ...someone who can relate and advice you always helps. I feel that often after I talk to my sis about how my daughter did something that frustrated me she'll tell me something my nephew did and then we will just end up laughing it off because we realize we're not alone on this mom journey. We're all trying our best ! I hope you're able to take care of yourself and when you feel like you're running on empty it's cause you probably are. I know taking care of our self comes as a last priority to us moms but it's a must if we want to be healthy, happy and function properly !
-Love
Mirtha Johnson
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