What do other moms do to keep their sanity?

• • I want to know, don't you?  So I asked several moms the question: "What is one thing that helps you keep your sanity during the day?"  or if your kids are grown, "What is something you did to keep your sanity when the kids were young?"  Here's what they said:

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  • Time with The Lord first thing in the morning before the kids got up. It set the tone for the day. -Michelle C.
  • Sanity? I think I lost that about 5 years ago!  -Lori W.
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    Other young mom friends kept my sanity! We went through things together! We went to the park together etc. Also, having a wonderful husband helped a lot but he couldn't always be there! We had play dates with friends before it was called that!  -Joy L. 

    
    

    What Joy said! I agree!  -Jeanette S.  

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  • Right now, being able to get outside with the girls. In the winter we were cooped up so long I don't know how I didn't go nutty. We go out several times a day now. The sun and fresh air make a huge difference for myself and the girls.  -Ashley G. 
  • Diet Coke and chocolate  -Melissa B.
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  • I'm not a mom but I do "mother" some of my coworkers and employees! Lol! 5- 10 min yoga breaks are a life saver at times!  -Rachel F. 

  • I also agree with all the other comments, except I use tea instead of coke! And for the most part I only have to make it til 6:-)  -Lori W. 

    
    
    

    I used to take mommy time outs in my closet just until I could face my children with a new attitude and a happy heart.  -Gina L.

  • I get up an hour before [my daughter] gets up and do yoga or go for a run if [my husband] is still home. Helps me clear my mind and have some quiet before the madness.  Coffee has superpowers too. Lol  -Megan W. 

    
    
  • "10 minute pick-ups" When then house was a mess I found it hard to keep my sanity. At least once a day I would happily announce to the kids we were going to pick things up and put them away as fast as we could for just 10 minutes. I set the timer and they saw it more as a game than a chore. Afterward we all felt better. -Fawn B. 

    
    
  • Working out. Humor--I could be so aggravated and then they would do something cute. It also gets easier as they get older. I don't think I have as many insane moments.  -Karen C. 

    
    
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    The morning is my time to get up before anyone and have time to spend with the Lord, extra loads of laundry, getting ready for dinner and planning the school day if needed. If you are a "night owl" all that can be done the night before... My favorite thing to do in the middle of the day to calm everyone down is to read together... I use that time to read to them and not have them read to me... It can make a huge difference in the afternoon attitudes for myself and them. Even if I have housework to do it can wait until my relationship with them is good again.  -Jennifer D. 
  • Join Flylady.net for no fees she sends you a daily agenda to help you keep up with the house which us hard with or without young kids!!! Her mottos have helped me greatly -- such as " if you make it FUN it will get done!"...  "You can't organize clutter" ...PS - She's called the FLY LADY standing for "Finally Loving Yourself" and I think she also coined how to overcome 1 step at a time to overcome "CHAOS" - Can't have anyone over syndrome!!    -Mary Anne J. 
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    My sanity saver is definitely the am! I am an early riser and feel like a better mom when i get alone time with the Lord, exercise and even some fun reading time to myself in... I try to involve the kids in my world instead of making it just my thing... I love running so I have tried to get my kids involved in some races... I even read thru the Bible for fun with them and try to make it not a structured thing every time... I used to only read my Bible in my quiet time alone before they got up but realized that if they never saw me read it, how could i teach them to want to themselves.  -Tiffany N.  

    
    

  • Light a candle ...it gives kind of a serene feeling and they say that scent is calming to the soul.... And some quiet music playing in the background  -Linda M. 

    
    
  • One thing that always made a difference for me was showering, getting dressed (not just throwing on sweats), and putting makeup on. I would tend to feel better when I looked better, I was much more productive, and I wouldn't avoid people if I ran into them at the store or car pool line.  -Faith B. 
  • • Take them to a park... One big thing I am really strong for young mothers is structure and saying NO a lot.  It will help you beyond belief when they become teenagers... say NO  -Ruth V. 
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    Thank God all day long, even for dishes. I am blessed to have dirty dishes, I had a great meal to eat. I am thankful that my eczema is not bad & I can wash my own dishes. I am thankful that I have the privilege to homeschool my children, and share lunch with them. I am thankful for all the messes they make, because God gave me the gift of children. You can't be thankful and depressed at the same time, God designed our brains to make that impossible. Another, super easy pick-me-up, is music. I'll put on God Rocks!, 1 Girl Nation, Britt Nicole, Press Play, or some other Christian music that just makes me want to dance and sing. The whole atmosphere in the house can change from one song.  -Misty O. 

    
    

  • Totally agree with the fun dance music! today, we were making smoothies for the kiddos, turned on Brit Nicole's "GOLD", picked up a banana (as my microphone) and started rockin' it in front of the kids… then my daughter picked up a banana too and we rocked it out together! Love those moments! Be silly, have fun, and "let it go"… that's another fun one to sing along with too!       -Sarah W.

    
    Thanks so much to all the ladies who contributed to this blog!  You are full of wisdom, creativity and good practical ideas!  Let me learn from all of you!  -Rachel :-) 
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Best Mom Movie EVER!!!

If you haven't had the chance to see the movie "Moms' Night Out" yet, do everything you can to go see it this weekend!!! It was THE BEST movie I have seen in a really long time! And if you like this trailer (which I know you will), you seriously are going to love this movie!

Watch the Trailer For Moms Night Out

Even when there's chaos all around me...

...by chaos I mean screaming kids, cheerios all over the floor, mail all over the countertops, leaking diapers, and for me, because I'm homeschooling right now, I've got the clock breathing down my neck, and all I can think about is, "How am I ever going to get my thousand hours in and finish these books before the end of the school year???"  

So, to keep my sanity, I try to check my email or facebook or sometimes I find myself getting sucked into that bottomless pit of everything that's adorable and amazing (aka Pinterest)...and I hear them yelling for me.  I have to confess, sometimes I just tune it out.  I know I should go figure out why they're screaming and who did what and go divvy up the appropriate consequences, but please...can't I just finish writing this email for goodness sakes?!

A dear friend of mine sent me a text the other day telling me about a blog called: www.babyboybakery.com.  The blog is written by a mom named Jacqui who makes amazing sweet treats but with more natural ingredients (like organic 'nutter butters').  But about 3 weeks ago, their entire world changed.  Ryan, their 3 year old little boy, was taken from them in a tragic accident.  One moment they're enjoying the perfect day at Disneyland, and then hours later they're having to say goodbye...without any warning.

This is the kind of thing we moms can't bear to even think of.  It's far too painful to let our minds even go there.  And if we start to...it's emotionally paralyzing.  

Jacqui wanted to write the eulogy for her son's service.  I know that God must have given her the grace and strength to be able to write this and then share it at Ryan's service. Here is part of what she shared: 

On a typical day Ryan would wake up before Dan and I. He would creep into our room to make sure we were sleeping and then grab his little iPad. He stayed quiet for a few minutes then he would crawl into our bed and yell “Its get up time!”. Dan would get up and I would take forever to get out of bed. As soon as I was in the kitchen making coffee, Ryan would come in and start grabbing things from the fridge to make his morning smoothie. He loved eating the frozen fruit and his favorite was picking out a colored straw. “I’m gonna have a geen one today mom.” he would tell me. Getting Ryan dressed for the day was my favorite and we would take photos of his outfits everyday. Dan always picked him up from school, and Ryan loved riding in “Daddy’s race car”. Those typical daily moments are what we will miss most.

she concludes: Together Dan and I stand here still a family of three. We have a three and half year old son. His name is Ryan Cruz. And we ask you to please, please continue to remember how incredible our child is. Promise that you will Live loud, live wild…Live like our Ryan Cruz. 





you can read the rest of their story at: http://www.babyboybakery.com/  


This story did something for me--it stopped that clock that was hounding me.  It froze time and made me think about things differently.  This mom and dad would give anything to have just one more day with Ryan.  One more chance to do something ordinary...with Ryan.  Those little things like teethbrushing, eating breakfast together, strapping them in their car seats while they tell us about Lightning McQueen or whatever toys they're into...these moments are gifts.  EVERY moment we get to spend with our little ones is a perfect gift from God.  Even if the moment is stressful, crazy, messy, sleep-deprived, whatever it might be, it's what Ryan's parents would give anything to have just one more of.  And I want to start enjoying these moments more.  

My friend who told me about the blog is someone in my life who lives out this very thing I'm talking about.  In fact, she shared one of her favorite quotes with me by framing it with a picture she had taken of our oldest son.  It says: "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."  

I want to do that.  I want to slow down and take in the moments.  Even if I'm tired, even if the kids are being difficult, even if I'm cleaning up messes from them and the dog, I want to appreciate the fact that I get to even have these moments. I want to love on these little ones and treasure every moment, because even when there is chaos all around me, I'm so thankful to have them all around me. 

-Rachel 

He Picked YOU!

I love how in the movie Moms Night Out, we're reminded that God chose us to be the mommy of these particular kids (or kid).  God could have chosen any other mom on this planet to raise those little ones...and He picked you.  

He picked YOU!

try to let that sink in....

I'm so excited that you've come here!  I'm really looking forward to this being a place that we can refuel as moms...sort of like a Mommy Gas Station...wait, that doesn't sound right...okay, a Mommy Filling Station (they used to be called that). Speaking of words we don't use anymore, has anyone ever heard of a countertop being called a "draining board"? Seriously, my dad calls it that.  He's got my son even saying it. 

Hope your day goes very well.  And I hope you get a moment of quietness today so you can think and really reflect on the fact that God picked you.  

-Rachel :-)

A little note to me...

Earlier this morning I was on the phone with my sister and this got put in front of my face.

Translation: "I'm sorry mom I accidentally drawed on the table."

Gotta love a kid who is honest enough to confess it...thankfully the "drawed on" part blended in with our table.  :-)

We're on the Moms' Night Out website!

Check out an excerpt from this blog on the "Moms Night Out" movie website!  Just go to the main movie site and click on "The Mom Factor" (it's the May 20th post).  Here's the link:

http://momsnightout.tumblr.com/post/86381143576/moms-night-out-and-the-mom-factor-are-overjoyed

While you're there, check out some great resources they offer!  I need to look into the one called "Clutter Jail" :-)

http://www.momsnightoutmovie.com/resources/moms

I need a vacation from my laundry...

yep, my laundry. I can not seem to get on top of it.  No, I mean literally. If I were to pile all the dirty laundry upstairs with all the clean laundry strung out in my basement right now, I would have to climb it like a mountain. Seriously. And even if I have a good week where I'm keeping up and everything seems manageable, it's only a matter of time before it's all out of control again. I understand now why we had the "big bin" growing up. It was a large sectioned off area next to our washer and dryer in the garage and when laundry came out of the dryer, it went into the bin.  Makes sense. Not a bad idea, Mom and Dad. Yes, I need a really, really, big bin.

But it's not just the laundry. I wish it was only the laundry. But it's the dishes, too. I went to Target today and bought all kinds of little kitchen helpers. You know, paper plates, paper bowls, plastic spoons...I do this sometimes when I'm feeling really overwhelmed. I bought extra this time.    

Laundry and dishes, no big deal in the grand scheme of things. In fact, they are just things, right?.  These are inanimate objects for crying out loud, so how is it possible that they get to me so much? They can't say a single word, but somehow they make me feel like a complete failure. I think to myself, "If I can't even keep up with my laundry and dishes, what is wrong with me?" 

Okay, so I know my identity and value are not tied to whether or not I have clean (put away) laundry and dishes. I know that I need to buckle down and get some better systems going to keep up with things since I function best when the house is clean and organized. But even still, why do I feel like I never measure up to what I should be as a mom?

Last night I saw one of the best movies I've seen in a long time: "Moms Night Out." Absolutely hilarious!!! Every mom needs to see this movie! It is SO GOOD!!!  It hit home even more than I had expected it to. I guess what I really loved was the fact that I didn't feel alone. The main character, played by Sarah Drew, is absolutely overwhelmed. On one hand, she is living her dream of getting to be a wife and mother of three precious children. But she wonders, "Why do I feel this way?" She feels the way I feel...like a failure. And when you feel this way, it's not much fun. It's not that I feel like a failure every minute of every day, but I've been feeling this sense of not measuring up quite a bit here lately. I wonder how many other moms out there are in the same boat?  

If you've ever felt that way, then I think you'll appreciate the encouraging words given to the mom in this movie: If God chose you to be the mommy for these children, then He didn't make a mistake. Just be the person He created you to be...He'll make up the rest.  

I think as moms we all feel at times like we're not enough. I see so many things in my life that don't measure up. But maybe I need to take their advice and stop beating myself up for all the ways I fall short and instead focus on being who God created me to be and trust Him to do the rest. Maybe one day I'll get it together and even write a blog about how to conquer Mt. Laundry and slay the Dish Dragon. But even if I never do, I know that I'm where God wants me and He will give me what I need to be the wife and mom that He's called me to be. And when I feel like I'm not enough, I can remember that He truly is more than enough. And that gives me great hope!  

-Rachel :-)