Better Me Better Mom one

Honestly this past week has been a record breaker on the stress-o-meter at our house so finding time to better myself has been a little hard to come by. 

But, on this Friday am I did have an epiphany on something I have tried to keep up on that helps me feel better. 

EXERCISE. Cheapest therapy around and best way to pull me out of my funk or help me have a handle on my life. Sweating out your troubles is better than any med I know. Just do it, big or small those calorie burning, stress squashing minutes are worth it! I rely on this method often and my body and mind love me for it. 

So matter what you do or what you have time for, squeeze some exercise in. The mental benefits almost outweigh the physical. Happy Friday!

-- Brit

Life in the Carpool Lane

Three pm hits, frantic mothers everywhere pull up to school ensuring the ideal carpool spot and hurriedly shuffle their children into their minivans. Backpacks check, homework check, all children accounted for, check. And they are off! 

Off to after school snacks and getting home work done. Running them to dance, soccer, piano, baseball; these amazing mothers do it with a clockwork like finesse, despite the often harried look in their eyes. Three to six pm becomes the "witching hour" for moms everywhere who cram, micromanage and transport their beloved children. It is simply a beautiful, crazy thing to watch. 

Mothers out there, you are not alone. As I look in the rear view with my car full of kids, some not my own, rushing off to dance, then gymnastics, then back home to make dinner, I get you. I know the harried look, I know the exasperation yet happy busy joy, I am one of you. I understand life in the carpool lane. 

Who knew as mothers we would find ourselves immersed in our children's busy schedules and agendas? My four year old has more entries in my day planner that pertain to her needs than I actually have for me. Times two more busy children and I often feel overwhelmed. I sincerely wish that we could add a few more hours in the day to accomplish everything on the to do list. How satisfying that would be?!

Yet sometimes we need to slow down. Our children will survive if they have a day after school where they don't have an activity to go to. In fact they might thrive even more. I am the queen of extracurricular activities and loooove letting my girls try new things. However I admit I have learned this lesson the hard way. It is perfectly ok to be busy and perfectly ok to have calmer days. Make sure it happens in your house. You all need a day to regroup. 

So mothers out there finagling your minivans into the carpool lane... giving everything you've got to get to the front of the school pick up line. Chill. Our kids will be ok. They will still get where they need to be and your blood pressure will thank you. I have often looked in my rear view with my van full of giggling girls and it has made stop and smile. Motherhood is so busy. Let it be a little less. That might turn out to be a surprisingly wonderful thing too.  -- Brit

Better Me, Better Mom

Do you ever feel like your mommy reserves run dry? Like you are running in so many different directions, solving everyone's problems, mending sad hearts, cleaning up spills, running the carpool, cleaning house, helping with homework,  making dinner etc. etc. (the list is endless)... And in the meantime NOT taking care of YOU? This is totally, definately me. 

Wait, some moms get a shower everyday? There are moms out there who read, meditate, do yoga, take a class, have alone time, go on dates with their husbands regularly, read a magazine once in a while, what????? I feel like a different species from "these moms" sometimes and I know I am not alone in feeling this way. 

So here it goes. I am owning up to it; recognizing that I need some nurturing, a little care, and have decided to create a weekly blog post dedicated to just that. My mission is to combine the daily tasks of motherhood with some mix-ins of good stuff. A "Better Me, Better Mom" is born!

Visit me weekly to find out ways I am improving my self a little at a time, a moment at a time. Taking care of ourselves shouldn't drain our super powers of Mommyhood, it should strengthen them! 

I plan on including many topics- health, fitness, yoga, pampering ( yippee), good books, good eats, natural remedies, fabulous finds, relaxing places, snippets of goodness. The possibilities are endless! 

Mom's out there, what is your feel good Mommy superpower? Because let's be honest, the old saying rings true.. " If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" Enough said. 

-- Brit