I enjoyed my time on Twitter and have a lovely community of moms, entrepreneurs, bloggers, writers and people I’m proud to call my ‘friends’.

However, then, I started getting emails from many of you asking me to connect with you on Facebook and while I wanted to, I didn’t want to open up my personal profile to everyone.

So, I did what was best for the site aannd**drumroll** created a page for The Mom Writes. Yay!

And guess what, it isn’t overwhelming at all. In fact, it is a whole lot of FUN. Yes, I need to manage my time and schedule it, but isn’t that true for all our work-at-home activities.

Will You Join Me?

I’d LOVE to know you better, learn about your aspirations, goals and hopes and walk with you on the path to realizing them.

I’d be THRILLED to share my own li’l joys and victories with you and have you on my personal cheerleading squad.

I’d be GRATEFUL to have your support on this platform as on all others.

So, click over and join me and other work-at-home mamas (and papas!) on Facebook and don’t forget to share, chat, ask and answer!

See you there!

Photo Credit: Urs Steiner

Ever sit back at the end of the day and wonder where did it go? Or maybe just don’t want to crawl out of bed at the start of the day? Or wonder whether life really is better before you become a mom?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any or all of these questions, you’re not alone. Really. Honestly, all of these have ‘happened’ to me at some point of time or the other.

That is the sign that I need my ‘downtime’. Just like our kids get cranky and irritable when they’ve not napped or had enough active play, we, moms too, get cranky, irritable and depressed when we’ve not had enough rest, quiet time or fun to recharge our batteries.

Here are 5 more reasons why moms, whether work-at-home or stay-at-home, need downtime:

1. To give your ever busy mind a rest from all the thoughts that race around.

2. To indulge in a forgotten hobby or favorite activity. Reading is on my list.

3. To step away from everything that calls to your attention for just a little bit. It’ll help you change your perspective as well.

4. To not always be productive, doing something, crossing something off that never-ending to-do list.

5. To learn to truly, truly relax.

Don’t make your downtime into yet another opportunity to catch up on chores or finish off a project. Let it be a time that is pure relaxation of the highest quality ever. It could be sitting for 15 minutes in quiet meditation or a 30-minute stroll or reading session or even, a much-needed nap. Yes, your downtime should indulge you, help you to pause that constantly playing tape of ‘I need to get this done’ and refuel you.

Here are some downtime tips for busy moms, like you and me:

1. Schedule Your Downtime

Yes, I know. Schedule and downtime in the same sentence? But believe me, if you’re like me, you’ll just forget about switching off. Yes, it happens. So, everyday or each week, as you plan your schedule, make time for downtime as well. It could be as little as 10-15 minutes every day, but do it.

2. Focus When You Work

While I do multi-task at times, I work much better when I’m just focusing on one thing. For instance, when writing blog posts, I don’t hop over to Facebook or read blogs instead. Being mindful when you work helps you to get a LOT done faster and then, when you have your downtime, your head isn’t racing with things that you didn’t do.

3. Make A List of Downtime/Quiet Time Activities

Very often, when we do get chunks of time to ourselves, we don’t really know what to do with it. Chances are we’ll use it to fold that laundry instead of doing something we really want. So, sit down today and make a list of everything that YOU would love to do if you have 15-30 minutes to yourself every day. Go ahead, make it. And then, put it in a place where you can see it. This will also inspire you to schedule that downtime.

4. Know What Works for YOU

Maybe you have a small baby who’s nursing? Maybe you have preschooler-aged twins running around the house? Maybe your husband travels a lot or isn’t well enough to support your needs for downtime? We, all have our own unique situations, and only we know what works best for us. However, we also know that we need to recharge ourselves else we wouldn’t be able to care fully for those who need us – our family.

So, create space in your life for downtime depending upon what works for you in your unique situation.

Here are some more posts from our archives on finding space in your schedules for winding down and quieting the chaos:

1. How to Live Quietly in a Noisy World: talks about shutting out the noisiness that surrounds our modern day lives and instead, focusing on quietness.

2. Mommy Meltdowns: offers insights from moms across the blogosphere on dealing with overwhelm as a mom. SO glad I’m not alone!

3. Taking a Mom’s Time-Out: More tips on taking a quick dose of some ‘me-time’.

4. 40 Simple, Surefire Ways to be Happier and Stress-Free…Now:Yep, 40 super-simple but highly effective ways to create more happiness and reduce stress as a busy mom!

5. A Peaceful Daily Routine: 3 easy steps to create a peace-filled, intentional daily routine that nourishes you.

Regardless of what one may call it – quiet time, down time, ‘me’-time, the fact is that all moms need some ‘time’ to themselves to do what they love.

How do YOU find your downtime? What downtime tips for busy moms can you share with us? Tell us in the comments.

Photo Credit: Elliott Brown

Naturally, I was keen to sign up for the Litfuse Blog Tour of Mornings with Jesus 2012: Daily Encouragement for the Soul. A daily devotional compiled by the warm, compassionate and friendly voices of 7 incredible women, the message for each day inspires me to pause, reflect and come closer to Jesus and his teachings.

Starting Your Day Right

I’m a firm believer in starting the day on the right foot to set the tone for the entire day. Mornings with Jesus has quickly become a part of my morning routine of prayer and meditation.

Each devotion includes a Scripture verse to guide you, a personal and insightful reflection on the words of that verse and a Faith Step that inspires you to act and embrace that verse fully in your life.

Practical Inspiration for Positive Days

The reflections in Mornings with Jesus have been shared by women who, like us, are moms, wives, daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, professionals, entrepreneurs and most importantly, women who understand what other women go through.

The guilt, the envy, the tiredness, the despair, the joys, the compassion, the peace. You’ll find reflections that touch upon every aspect of living our many roles on a day-to-day basis.

The fact that these are passages by women who go through days just like ours helps to uplift and inspire us even more.

Words That Resonate With You

While I am certainly not through the whole book, since I am reading a passage a day as intended, there are several passages and verses that have struck a chord with me and I have to share them with you:

From Monday, January 30

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” Matthew 5:5 (MSG) with the accompanying Faith Step, “In which areas of your life do you experience the most discontentment? What would it take for you to be content?” In the same devotion, writer Keri Wyatt Kent shares how while she is content in many areas, in others the “contentment is incomplete”. She writes, “ Everything in our culture pushes against the value of contentment.” I can so relate to that. Can you?

From Thursday, February 9

“God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could have the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT) with Erin Keeley Marshall reflecting, “Perspective is a powerful thing, isn’t it? For good or bad, we choose how we see the world.” Wow!

Buy the Book

Win the Book

One lucky reader will get a chance to own their own personal copy of Mornings with Jesus. To enter, simply tell me in the comments what is the best part of the morning time for YOU.

Additional entries:

Sign up for The Mom Writes email updates { you get a FREE eBook as well when you do that!}

Follow The Mom Writes on Twitter

Join The Mom Writes’ Community for Work-at-Home Moms on Facebook

Open WORLDWIDE till 02/29.

Disclaimer: The Mom Writes received a copy of Mornings with Jesus for purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Naturally, when we partnered with SmartBaby India as their Blog and Social Media Managers, I was thrilled.

Why?

Here is a company that is the exclusive distributor of bumGenius, Flip and Econobum cloth diapers in India. These cloth diapers are well, the thing when it comes to cloth diapering.

However, since my daughter is out of diapers, I couldn’t really review it for them. So, I reached out to a neighbor with a 7-month old li’l girl.

The review that follows is courtesy, Tulsi Chaturvedi, mom to Nandini, 8 months old. She received a bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper to review.

Cute, Comfy, Convenient

Unlike regular cloth nappies, bumGenius diapers look adorable in their bright colors. I received a vibrant green diaper that looked adorable. Seriously, my daughter could go out in her diaper and look cute.

Plus, it was very easy to put on the bumGenius diaper with its snap closures.

Absorbent and Super-Soft

The bumGenius diaper is, I feel,  100% leakproof. The first day my daughter wore it, she pooped in it and I was pleasantly surprised to see that nothing leaked out. Also, I know that experts recommend changing a diaper every 3 hours or so, however, Nandini has worn it for close to 4 to 4 ½ hours without any discomfort or rash.

Moreover, the diaper and the inserts are SO soft and very easy to maintain. They wash easily and dry quickly, making my life SO much simpler!

Eco-friendly and Economical

Buying the bumGenius cloth diaper is a one-time investment. While I feel that the one-size diaper could come with 3, if not 4 inserts to make it even more cost-effective, I realize that the savings do add up. After all, you can just buy a stash of cloth diapers when baby is born and then, keep reusing them till she is potty-trained.

Thank you, Tulsi!

Well, I’m thrilled to see (and actually see) how cool, comfy and convenient cloth diapering can be. So, if you’re considering using a cloth nappy for your baby, head over to the Smart Baby India website to see the amazing range and choice of diapers for different needs and budgets.

Do YOU use cloth diapers? Have questions about cloth diapering?

You can connect with Smart Baby India on Facebook and participate in a monthly chat with cloth diapering experts. The next one is scheduled for the 29th of February and is with Rachel Chand, the CEO of Smart Baby India and a cloth diapering mom herself.

Disclosure: The Mom Writes received a bumGenius cloth diaper sample for the purpose of review.