Last week I got excited. I was thinking about my health, and honestly, I tried on a pair of jeans that fit nicely not two months ago. They now wouldn’t go over my hips. This wasn’t a matter of washing machine shrinkage and the timing of New Years was purely coincidence – promise. It had more to do with the brie and crackers I was consuming, pretty much daily.
I remember it very clearly, it was my sons 100th meltdown of the evening (or it felt like it anyways) and I was exhausted. He needed more from me than I had energy to give him. He was clearly reaching out…he needed his mom. My tank was empty. We put the kids to bed and I sat down on the couch and just stared out in front of me. My mind was racing; there was still dishes from dinner to do, lunches to make for the next day, laundry piled on the couch and I wanted to order groceries to save myself a trip to the store. Not to mention thinking of the to-do list I still had left at work. There was just so much to do.
By Kinia Romanowska
People will tell you that a year on maternity leave goes by quickly.
You may have scoffed at the idea, like I did. Especially when you’re sleep-deprived and have not had a shower in a few days!
But time does fly, and it’s never too early to envision a perfect return to work after baby. Did you know that fewer than 4% of new mothers indicated that taking maternity leave had positively impacted their career?
It doesn’t have to be that way. Taking the time to think about what you want is one of the first steps to plan a more positive transition.
Have you considered putting ink to paper and planning what that would look like?
“This retreat is like Summer Camp – For Moms!” ~ Maria, Mom of 2
I joined a few friends last year at the Summer Breathe, Women’s Retreat. The retreat took place by Winfield, Alberta at Pure Awareness, about an hour and a half west of Edmonton. To say this place was beautiful is an absolute understatement.
In general, I avoid pills. I have my whole life.
Vitamins fine, but I even avoid taking Tylenol for a headache until it’s really bad. I have no grand health conscious reason behind not taking pills other than fear. I have to admit that I’m a bit of a control freak and I worry about how medications will affect me. Beyond that, my family history predisposes me to addiction so that makes me nervous as well.
Have you heard of Willey West? I hadn’t before my Husband came home and asked if I wanted to take the family there for a RVing camping trip. I’m ALWAYS up for camping, especially now that the in-laws have a motorhome we can borrow. We left Friday evening last weekend, once the storm had calmed down!
Looking back at them just hanging out took me back to my childhood trips RVing with my grandparents. It made my heart so happy! But, I digress.
I spend a LOT of time in my car. Driving to work, then from one place to the next and so, I have the opportunity to listen to things like podcasts. Specifically parenting-esque podcasts because who doesn’t like a little learning when it comes to this “job”. There’s no manual and you can take the advice or leave it. For me, I feel that I’m getting a free injection of optimism, point of view and some general tips. Often it’s even just knowing that other people have gone through a similar situation.
There are all kinds of challenges being a mom.
Whether you’re a SAHM, have a part time job, full time job, or are self employed, doesn’t matter. The biggest ones for me working full time, are balance and self care.
I have been lucky enough to become accustom to having a whole lot of free time to spend with my kiddos in the summer but this summer will be different. I have full time care for my kids Monday to Friday so I’ll be working a lot. I’m still working though, its not a break. And while my plan is to absolutely make the most of my weekends for family time, I’ve also had the opportunity and forethought to plan some me time.
We’ve hit an impasse. My partner, our pediatrician, even family members have all brought up the idea that it is time for Nova to move into her own room.
This is a tough issue – many suggest that co-sleeping (same room, separate beds) should happen until 12 months. On the other hand, our own doctor has suggested that Nova’s health, feeding, and capacity for sleep all would do well if she were to be in her own room.
Why am I fighting this? I absolutely could not tell you. You would think that as I lose sleep every night either staring at this beautiful girl or waking up to every small cough or sniffle, I would be pushing the crib out the door myself. In truth, I could have kept her in the bassinette until she was sixteen years old. Once she outgrew the bassinette I asked my partner if he could move it downstairs to storage while I was out doing errands because it brought me to tears that she would no longer be right there.