Where do all the hours go?  We fill our days with activities, commitments and caring for others and often – very often forget ourselves.

Making sure you get some breaks to do something nice for yourself is of utmost importance in order to be a happy, positive and well-balanced mom.

“The mother is and must be – whether she knows it or not – the greatest, strongest, and most lasting teacher her children have.”                 -  Hannah Whitall Smith

Carving out some “you time” to refresh and relax away from caring for everyone else is the fuel that keeps us upbeat rather than beat up!  It is our responsibility to nurture ourselves so we can be the best we can be – not only for our children, but for our husbands.

It almost seems backwards to say that taking time away from your family can in fact benefit them, but it is true!

When you do things for yourself to nurture your mind, body and spirit, your whole family will benefit.

The biggest struggle is finding the time – that is the number one issue that needs to be tackled when you are trying to carve out time to care for your own needs. It’s challenging to find time to do non-child-related activities. We find ourselves so busy with the tasks of motherhood and managing household chores that we are often overlooked completely.  But as I share with other moms, no one is going to serve you a nice “chunk of time on a silver platter”.

You need to make it happen for yourself.

Here are some of my favorite tips to find time for you:

Use nap time effectively

Even if your children do not take naps, they can have a quiet time set aside each day.  Nap time is the perfect time to spend time your way.  If you like reading, writing, listening to music, exercising or have a craft hobby, this is a good time to pick up a book or headphones without having your children badgering you!

Try to avoid using this time to clean up the house or do other chores, if you must – take only 10 minutes to tidy up. You can also enjoy a bubble bath, a long shower,  drink a hot cup of coffee or  even take a short nap yourself (*gasp*).

Have a different sleeping schedule than your children

If your children sleep until late morning, then make it a habit to wake up early. I have found that getting up earlier than my family is my sure fire way to get more accomplished, even if it means I take a 20 minute nap in the afternoon to refresh. You get more time for yourself and I find that I can be better organized to meet the demands of my day. If your children go to bed early in the evening, you can stay awake until later to enjoy some “you time”.

Plan your meals

Take time to plan your meals for the week and grocery shop well. Make a list of needed items for at least one week and purchase them all in one visit to the grocery store. This is a tremendous time saver. You will not have to worry about having things for your recipes and you will save time which you can have for yourself.

Find child-friendly shops

Many stores now offer supervised playrooms for children while you go about your shopping, ticking off items on your shopping list. When my kids were younger they LOVED going to IKEA to play in the ball pit!  Now there are many stores that offer a place to drop your children while you shop. One of my favorites is a local chain, Fred Meyer.  They have a play area you drop your kids at and have a coffee bar located inside the store.  I can drop my little one and go grab a coffee and get some peace and quiet.  I love this little secret!

Team up with other moms

You are not the only one who has to face these challenges of motherhood – who else can relate – other moms.  Team up with a few moms with similar aged children, plan outings together, or just have kids over for a  play date in your home.  By sharing the responsibility of caring for the children you will find mommy time for all of you! You can pick dates for each of you to look after the children, while the others get time off to spend doing whatever they like.

Try multitasking

You can mix “being mom” and “you time” at the same time.  Take your children out for a walk in the stroller while listening to an audio book on your iPod.  Or pop them in a wagon for a walk around the neighborhood, stopping at the local coffee shop for a treat. Do you have a bike trailer for your little one(s)?  Look online at places like Craigslist or Trading Cradles to find a used one and get moving.  Kids will love getting cozy inside with a snack, drink and a few books or even their own story on an MP3 player. You get some exercise and fresh air and your kids get an adventure too!

Have a “Me Menu”

Often times when I ask moms what they enjoy doing, they are left speechless.  It seems they have forgotten the things that brought them joy or activities they once enjoyed doing.  Take some time to jot down ideas of what you would like to do if you had 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour and several hours.  Keep this list handy so that if you happen to get 15 minutes of time, you can look at your list and make that time useful for you!

Spending time with your children is certainly one of the greatest pleasures of motherhood, but it is also important to spend some time relaxing and de-stressing yourself so that you can be the best mom you can.

How do you get time for yourself?

Photo Credit

Finding Time for Mom is a post from: The Confident Mom

Have you signed up for - "The Opening Act - Becoming a Calm, Cool and Confident Mom."

Tackling this daily task in the Weekly Household Planner:

Exercise

We all know how much better we feel when we get a little exercise.  Not only do we have more energy, but we sleep better and our mood tends to even out.  Our bodies crave movement, so if you are not tending to your body – here are a few tips to get you back on track to checking off that “exercise” task each day.

In-Home Workouts

If you can’t get outside the house for any extended period of time, then you need to make the most of what you got!  What can you do around the house that you would find ‘somewhat’ enjoyable (I use the word ‘somewhat’ because some of us just plain hate exercise – even though we know it is good for our bodies!)

DVD’s – a few of my favorites are Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  Choose between 3 fitness levels for a 20 minute workout that is guaranteed to kick your booty!  I love this workout – quick, simple and before you know it you’re done.

Wii Fit – I have to admit that I have never used our Wii Fit, in fact no one was using it at our house so I sold it! LOL  – but I know a lot of moms who use this and get a good workout in and are able to monitor their progress.  This can be fun to do with your kids too.

Treadmill – Yes, this is a luxury that only a few can afford.  If you belong to a gym and have found it hard to make it to the gym, then it may be time to turn in that membership and get an ‘in-home’ fitness machine to make it easier to fit in a workout.  When we became foster parents and knew our schedule would be limited taking care of little ones in our home, we ended our gym membership and purchased a treadmill.  This was one of the best decisions we’ve made.

Here are a few more ideas on getting fit in your home.

Get Outside

Walk – get out and walk!  Even if it is only for 20 minutes, it will refresh you and change your scenery.  If you have little ones, get them to come along too.  Either find a place to allow them to run around or pop them in the stroller and go.  When my kids were much younger I would go to the high school track and walk while they played in the middle grassy area.  I could keep my eye on them as I walked around and they had a blast with all the room to kick balls, play tag or have a picnic.

Consistency

This is perhaps the biggest challenge facing us all when it comes to working out. Staying consistent, especially with the ever-hectic lifestyle accompanied with having kids – our lives are busy.  But you deserve the time you need too! Try to set aside the same time everyday for your exercise.  If you are a morning person, get it checked off first thing.  If you need to carve the time out in the afternoon, make it happen.  It won’t magically appear – you’ll need to schedule it in just like you would any other appointment.

How do you fit exercise in each day?

Photo Credit

Weekly Household Quick Tip is a post from: The Confident Mom

Have you signed up for - "The Opening Act - Becoming a Calm, Cool and Confident Mom."