Getting the Most Juice From Your Squeeze

It's been a few....months. Some really long ones too. Some really pregnant ones where I just didn't feel like sharing my ...learnings in motherhood.

But one thing I have learned best for navigating mommyhood is to be in the moment... getting the most juice from your squeeze. Here are some ideas that have come to mind of why I haven't made time to blog.

1. When the kids are playing, play with them. Whatever that looks like for you. I sometimes play on the floor with them, but sometimes, it means just being in the same room working on something while they are working on something.

2. Working together has also been a blessing. Freddy and I folded four loads of laundry the other day and listened to Disney music as we folded. We talked about whatever he wanted to and he listened as I shared experiences about working with my family when I was younger. He whined a little, but I think he liked the one-on-one time he got with me.

3. It also means putting your phone and computer to the side to be with them...to be present. So thus, I haven't had time to blog. I use my time to write when I can, but my free time is limited. And that's okay. One day it won't be and I'll long for these days.

4. I also have found it extremely helpful to sleep while they sleep. They suggest this when your babies are younger, but my son is six and still takes a nap...so most days, I do too. They have way more energy than I do, so why wouldn't I need a power nap to catch up to them.

The other night, we made a summer bucket list and Freddy helped come up with a bunch of activities he wanted to do for the summer. We are of course going to do learning time, but I am going to squeeze in as many experiences as I can. I want my kids to look back on their younger years and remember their childhood with fondness, not all the times I yelled at them or argued with them. There are plenty of times we have that, but I am hoping that I can outweigh the bad experiences with the good. Well, that's my goal.

Here's to a summer full of fun! We're going to get the most of our squeeze.

Fight the Blur

It's funny how mommy life is kind of a blur sometimes. One day rolls into another...and the next after that. Soon you don't know anything about what has happened in a day's, week's, or even a month's time. That's how people see years past by and are not sure it really happened.

The Mysterious Blur...

Since the holidays, I have felt my world turn into this massive blob where I get out of bed, give rides, teach Chinese students, cook, clean, write, work out, eat, and occasionally watch a show with hubby. Getting alone time is like squeezing an orange dry...have you ever tried that....it's hard!

And the next day looks exactly like the first one. Wash and repeat.

Wash and repeat.

And then this Mysterious Blur seems to start taking from our ability to keep functioning this way. We were not meant to go through mundane tasks. Even your body needs a variety of exercise. If you were to run on the treadmill the same amount of time and speed, every day, it would eventually stop challenging your body and would cease to give results. But throwing in a new exercise, a hill climb, a faster speed, or even a prolonged time will be healthier for your body.

Marcel, one of my favorite people, and the head of the lunch department at Venture Academy, even said something along these lines. Your body needs healthy food. But an excess of one food is never good, even if it is healthy. Eating an apple a day might not be as effective the 346th time you eat it. Your body needs a healthy variety to really get the nutrition it needs.

So what does that have to do with being a mommy? Well, surely a mundane schedule cannot be
healthy for our minds. It is hard taxiing kids around, feeding them at scheduled times, cleaning the same clothes and dishes week after week, and essentially going through the same motions every week. We need a variety.

But going out costs money and effort... yes...and so does keeping your mental sanity. You get out what you put in. What does that mean for the people who really struggle with mental illness and can't physically get out? Change up your routine around the house. Visit a friend, call a friend you haven't talked to in a while. send them a message on Facebook, write them a letter, journal, do a craft or hobby, try something new. But the key is do something different that throws a kink in your schedule. It may be uncomfortable...but being uncomfortable allows for growth, and for anyone who is in a blur...growth is good.

My kids have also fallen in the blur a time or two. You think they like watching the same TV shows? Okay maybe they do. And reading the same books...okay again they do. We underestimate a kid's adaptability for blurs. :) But teaching them to change up their schedule is good for them and teaches them coping skills for when it will happen.

So this week, do something to change your blur. Try something different. Go somewhere unexplored. Talk to someone you haven't in a while.

But fight the blur. And we'll all be fighting it with you.