One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to attend a Hearts at Home conference! And this past weekend over 5300 moms did just that! Wow! What an incredible weekend!
There’s about 24 hours left on the March contest for posting a tip on how you take care of yourself in the midst of taking care of your family. Right now, exercise seems to be one of the best ways most of us are taking care of ourselves. If you haven’t read the tips on the March 8 post, do so today. You will be encouraged!
My tip for today is to take a nap when you need to. If your kids take a nap in the afternoon and you need one, don’t hesitate to get a little shut eye. If you can take a nap on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon when Dad can watch the little ones, do so! I’ve learned that a Sunday afternoon nap is often what carries me through the week!
I have two hours each afternoon to myself. Even if the boys (ages 3 and 20 months) don’t nap (which one tends to not nap) they are in their beds for at least two hours! It’s the most relaxing part of my day.
I break it up and do housework for 30 to 45 minutes and the rest is my time to do whatever and not feel guilty about surfing the web, reading a book, reading the bible, talking on the phone…whatever!
Heather
I have two school aged children and one pre-schooler. Finding time for myself is not always easy, and I probably don’t do it nearly enough.
I have tried to make Fridays my day. I work hard throughout the week to get all the housework done so that I can spend Fridays doing something that I enjoy, such as quilting, basketmaking or just surfing the web!
Oh amen, sister! Don’t know what I’d do without my Sunday afternoon “Nazarene nap!” 😉
Hi Jill!
I would say taking a long hot bath (sometimes with bubbles but not always) after everyone else is in bed is my favorite thing to do to refresh. This way I can take as long as I want and even close my eyes and rest for a little bit in there while not having to worry about little ones knocking on the door in need of something. I did this often when we had a magnificant tub…now that we’ve moved and the tub is not so great (it’s VERY small!) I take my long hot showers at night so I can take as long as I want. There is something about that shower and not having to think about anything or being able to think about everything in there that just relaxes and calms me – ready for the next day.
Have a great day!
Rosie…….:)
I have 4 kids, 5 mo, 2,4,and almost 7. My ritual is that every morning, i don’t leave my bedroom until I have had my shower. We have our own bath in our room, and no matter what sounds I hear from outside the door, I shower before I answer the call. Sometime my kids think I wake up with wet hair. that way no matter what I run into, I don’t have to try to go back and squeeze that in.
Oh, and I get one weekend off a year in march for Hearts.
I regularly make sure that I get a “night out” by myself at least 2-3x a month. And on those nights I just do whatever sounds good….run errands, shop at one of my favorite stores, read books at the library, get a cup of coffee and read a good magazine, meet a friend for dessert, etc…it’s different every time but it definitely fills me up to have time out of the house without the kids. Love both my kids DEARLY but I whole heartedly agree with you that regular breaks and time to “fill-up” are SO important as a mom. Thanks for all you do for us moms, Jill! 🙂
Dana K.
Flip Flop season is getting close. I think it makes me feel refreshed and pretty to have my toes painted. On Sat. or Sun. afternoon let dad watch the kids. Close yourself in the bedroom put on some music or TV and give yourself a mini pedicure. Put on some fresh colored polish and some nice refreshing lotion and feel like a new woman. It’s a little bit of time that can make you feel like warm weather is closer and when you walk through the house barefooted you will have a smile when you look down!