Mommy-ing

Being a mom is a tough job. I've always wanted to be a mommy. When we were growing up, we used to play "house", well past an acceptable age I'm sure. Me and my sisters (and sometimes friends) would divide our basement into sections and each section was a home. We would carry around these baby dolls and would play for HOURS. We also always used to fight over who got Ben from 7th Heaven to be their husband. If you don't know who that is, google him and then you'll know why. ;)

Since having our daughter, I've been struggling to find my purpose. You get swept up in caring for a baby that you forget to care for yourself. I was in a dark-ish place and felt like I didn't fit in. I didn't fit in  with the mom friends I had and I didn't fit in with my single friends either. I was lost. I was a mom but I didn't feel like one.

I had just moved from Maryland with all my friends I had made there... to moving back to Ohio where my childhood friends were. We had been living in Maryland for about 4 years so I wasn't as in touch with my friends in Ohio as I thought I was. I hoped moving back would be like it was when I grew up here. Luckily we had our families. That was our number one reason for moving back in the first place. Anthony travels so much for work that I wanted to be close to them with a new baby when he was gone.

I was so caught up in this endless circle of not sleeping and caring for the baby that I felt like I couldn't leave the house. All the "mom" places to go to and groups to be a part of were in the mornings. I could hardly get to church on time by 10:30 am. There was no way I could be a part of those groups. I was trying to get back in shape and could only workout or shower when the baby was sleeping. I was looking at all these mom's and wondering how in the world they have time to get back in shape, feed the baby, shower, get dressed (be presentable), and be somewhere by 9 am? All while only getting a couple hours of sleep. It's so hard.

I'm here to tell you... it gets better! You start to get into a routine and time clears up. I had to change my mindset and move things around but we are finally on a schedule that is working for us.

Here are some tips that are working for me!

• I try to only work out 3 times a week and not to stress about working out on the off days. I like to eat a little healthier on my non-workout days to ease my mind. It's one thing to have people tell you "you look good" or "don't stress you just had a baby."  To me, all I hear is "it's ok you're fat, you just had a baby." I know that's not what they are saying but the mind is tricky. 
• Tell yourself something you like about yourself or something positive. I constantly have to remind myself to do this. The world is hard enough on us, we don't need to be any harder on ourselves.
• Ellie currently is napping twice a day. This makes it very easy to get things done. I'm typically guaranteed 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon to shower, clean or have some me time to drink the coffee I've reheated 3 times.
• Join the mom group! If your church or a local church has a MOPS group, I highly recommend joining! It's once a month and you can pull yourself together for 1 day a month. We have breakfast and coffee with lots of moms going through the same things you're going through and the kids are in childcare. Finally eating a hot meal when it's hot! We also do a craft! A cute mom craft too, not like the piece of paper you take home that your kid drew to put on the fridge. This months craft was so cute! It's an easy DIY mug that I will show you how to do!
• If the mom group isn't your thing, then at least do something for yourself that you love to do! Whether it's getting your hair and nails done or a massage. Do something you enjoy doing!

We all love our kids but you need to make time for you also!

Items you will need.

• Plain mug
• Oil based paint Sharpie markers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Letter sticker

[1] Wipe mug with rubbing alcohol.

[2] Once dry, apply letter.

[3] Add lots of dots in color(s) of your choice.

[4] Once dry, remove letter sticker.

[5] Let mug dry/ sit overnight.

[6] Place in cool oven.

[7] Preheat oven to 360 degrees, once preheated leave mug in oven for 30 minutes then turn oven off.

[8] Let mug stay in oven until cool (about 2 hours).

[9] Enjoy your mug! (hand washing recommended)