The swoosh of a child whizzing by your leg as they run circles around the room. You do a slow shuffle, kicking toys out of your way, as you make your way to the kitchen to start dinner. You realize in the moment, as you caught a glance of yourself in the mirror, that you still are still in your ‘uniform’ of yoga pants and a t-shirt and your messy bun has brought on a whole new meaning to ‘messy bun’.

 

You might feel frazzled, tired, like a complete failure. How can little people make you question who you are so much?

Everyone will tell you to make sure to take time for yourself. Cough cough… Easier said than done!

 

You see we don’t live near any extended family, my husband works long hours, and a babysitter… Well that is also easier said than done!

 

I am lucky most days to shower without little people popping their heads from behind the curtain to see what I am doing. It’s hard at times for mom to find the time or the energy to do something for herself.

 

My therapy used to be running. An hour after work where I could turn off my brain and turn up the tunes. The simple fact of turning off my brain helped me unwind after work and reboot my batteries.

 

Ok no judgement but in college my therapy was tanning. Twice a week I would lay in that bed of heaven and relax. It was like meditating for me.

 

Now I know better than to go tanning, and running in the Minnesota winters with two kids in tow is out of the question. So how do I find the time to relax?

 

It’s sneaking those moments throughout the day. Those brief moments, where the kids are busy and you can take a breath.

 

I have found myself pounding cookies in the laundry room, not my proudest moment, or taking an extra moment when flipping the dish washer to cruise Facebook. You have to take that brief moments when the kids are busy watching Daniel Tiger to take a breath!

 

My favorite is long car rides! They sleep in the back seat and for an hour and it’s quiet. I don’t dare turn on the radio in fear they wake up. However, I make lists in my head, think about what I need to buy for Easter baskets or just take a breath and relax!

 

I also have my therapy time as I nurse the baby at bed time, and the toddler has just fallen asleep after the millionth round of ‘wheels on the bus’. I can look at Facebook, shop on Amazon, write (yes on my phone), or I just take in that sweet baby face as he slowly relaxes and drifts to sleep. It’s my favorite part of my whole day!

 

In the dim light of the night light, the sweet slow breathing of two amazing sweet babies, and the silence of the house…. The best moment of the whole day .  I could sit there for hours just taking in the silence.

 

As moms it’s important for us to take care of ourselves, it makes us better moms. But why do we have such a hard time doing it?

 

We may not always have the opportunity to leave the house for a massage or to get our nails done. We may not be able to sit under tanning lights or take a hour after a long day of work to relax. However, we can find those little moments throughout the day, to take a breath and regroup. It may just be a moment, but take that moment to do something for yourself!