Here's the image that comes to my head. Yes, it's very stereotypical. No, it's not meant to be offensive.
Minimal or no make-up.
Yoga pants.
Hair in a pony tail (or top knot/sock bun if you're a blogger mom).
Some sort of spill on your outfit - food, breast milk, bodily fluids, snacks, etc.
Screaming kids attached to your legs.
Some sort of caffeine in the cup holder of your stroller - Starbucks or soda perhaps.
Sounds attractive and desirable, right? ;) Sometimes it's just real life, though! In reality, most of us want to be Super Mom, right? We want to do it all and look great while doing it!
I think it's possible (and not that hard) to find a happy medium between super mom and stereotypical-exhausted-rundown mom. Although it is okay to be the stereotypical tired mom, we all deserve days where we aren't using our super powers!
Here are some of my tips to FEEL like Super Mom without actually having to BE Super Mom:
1. Get dressed every day (or as often as you can). By getting dressed, I mean put something on besides your pajamas. Some days getting dressed may mean workout/comfy clothes. That's ok!
2. Spend a few minutes on yourself in the morning (or as soon as you have a minute). Every day I take a few minutes to run the flat iron through my hair and throw on some mascara and lip gloss. I cannot tell you how much it effects my mood. That might sound shallow to some of you, but if I look good (or decent), I feel good!
3. Plan some sort of activity for your child(ren) every day. I'm not saying you need to go spend a ton of money every day. You don't even need to leave the house every day (although I enjoy getting out at least once a day, especially in these warmer months)! I'm talking about anything planned. It could be a trip to the library, a park outing, finger painting, chalk in the driveway, etc. When you PLAN ahead and carry out your plans, you will feel successful!
4. Clean something every day. When I first started staying at home, I would feel SO lazy on days that I didn't clean at all. Even if we were out to 4 play dates, grocery shopping, getting the oil changed, etc. I still felt lazy. I'm not sure why, but cleaning makes me feel accomplished! I created a chore chart for myself so that I have 1-2 small things a day that I can easily get done before Carson wakes up in the morning or during nap time. Having the chore chart may sound juvenile, but I'm a list maker and like crossing things off a list so it works for me!
5. Meal plan! I can't believe I didn't start doing this sooner. Every Sunday evening I sit down at my computer and recipe book (aka Pinterest) and plan our meals for the week. I usually try to stick in a new recipe every week or so which keeps it exciting. After picking out what I'm going to serve for the week, I make out my grocery list. (My meal planning often goes along with my couponing and weekly deals at my grocery.) Planning our meals saves me so much time during the week and helps me to make sure that we will have a home cooked meal every night. I've found that we try so many new things this way and I know we're getting a good variety!
6. Take some time for yourself! I totally wish I was one of those moms that went and got weekly mani-pedis or shopping adventures. Unfortunately that's just not what happens 'round here. (Although I won't complain if someone wants to push me out the door....) When I say "you time" I mean any time you can get to yourself that is relaxing. Maybe you need to have a glass of wine after bedtime, maybe you want to lay in bed and read your book, maybe you want to have some time to write your blog posts. Whatever it is, make sure you get your you time! Since my husband works fairly late, my "me time" is usually during Carson's nap or after he goes to bed. For example, it's currently 12:20am and I'm blogging while everyone else is in bed so I can have "me time". It's that important to me. :)
**Please note: these are tips geared toward SAHMs but can also apply to working moms. Working moms are even more super in my eyes because they have mastered the juggling act!
I found this lovely gem on Google Images. Let's all aspire to be this Super Mom!
I'm linking up with Becky today:
I agree with all of these! Getting ready for the day definitely affects my mood, too. I really need to try the meal planning soon. Visiting from the link up! :)
ReplyDeleteI love all your tips! I agree that if I'm dressed and have a little bit of makeup on I feel more like a human. I also have a chore chart for myself and get something small done every day. Planning things for us to do is also very important because I get stir crazy if we're locked up in the house for too long! And of course, me time, so hard to come by but when it does happen I'm blogging or reading.
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