Being a Mom is hard. There, I said it. Not only is it hard but it literally influences everything you do. Every decision that you make is filtered through the lens of motherhood (even if unintentionally). Don’t believe me? Let’s see. If you’re a mom I’d bet you have had one, if not all, of these thoughts at some point:
· Can’t be too loud having sex, it’ll wake the baby.
· How far is the daycare/kids’ school in relation to this job?
· If I go out late with friends tonight, how early will I have to be up early with kids tomorrow?
· I wish that I could wear that outfit, but I can’t since I’ll have the baby with me.
· Such and such would be great for dinner but I’d still have to make something different for the kids to enjoy.
I could probably go on or ask you to join it adding to the list. But I won’t instead, I’ll chat a bit about the mom balance. I’ve maintained that when it comes to life, there’s really no such thing as balance. It’s all a mash-up and whatever is pressing most at any given time is what gets the attention. (For example, even if we are at work and get a call from the school, our body is present at work but our minds automatically shift to what’s happening with the child.) It’s been a few months since I left “corporate” and that puts me in a place of regularly being hyper focused on the children. Therefore, I have had to take a more intentional and active role in not letting the mom side of things consistently dominate every aspect of my life. And to be honest, I think I’m better for it.
Here are 5 things that I do to maintain my mojo as a mommy:
1. Be strategic about the activities that the children participate in (ultimately, I’m the one that’s going to have to drive them there).
2. Carve out individual time with both of my children.
3. Connect with other moms with children of similar ages.
4. Play!
5. Ask for help and take breaks.