It's not a "lifesaver" in that it doesn't save me time, but I wanted to say that I still just LOVE the "my day snapshot" here on WIM. It's such a great way to stay motivated, and then go back later and see little snippets of my life as a working mom. LOVE IT.”
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This may sound a little silly but my husband bought me a ROOMBA automatic carpet cleaner and I first I thought, "this is probably a piece of junk with shiny buttons...there's no way it can clean a carpet!" Well, much to my surprise ROOMBA actually does work. I love that I can turn it on, close the door (block off entries that I don't want it to go in or under) and let it do its thing. This saves me time and I think it's worth the purchase. Thiema
Be aware of your own emotions and energy levels. It's nigh on impossible for many of us to take a day or even a whole hour to ourselves so make of list of small activities you can do in 10 minutes that recharge you. It could be you sit for 10 minutes reading before going into the office, go for a walk around the block at lunchtime, schedule a 10 minute chat with a friend - whatever it is that sustains and rejuvenates you. Then when you can feel yourself in need of a quick pick me up - do one of your 10 minute recharges. try and work up to fitting in 3 per day - that's 30 minutes to yourself! Find creative ways to do it - come on, we can all find 10 minutes!
I am fortunate enough to have a best friend who's been in my life since I was five. Our mothers went to nursing school together, we attended the same small neighborhood church and went to the same school from Kindergarten through high school graduation, and were in each other's weddings. She knows me better than anyone else on the planet and vice versa. The kind of soul mates who can abbreviate an entire explanation using a single word or name from the past. But she lives 90 minutes away. So, every six months we meet in the middle for dinner to celebrate our respective birthdays. Just the two of us...no husbands, no kids, no interruptions...just two best friends laughing about the good times, crying about the tough ones, and swapping secrets. No matter how broke we are or how busy we get, we make this night happen twice a year. When I know I've got that on my calendar, I can get through just about anything!
When tired, sleep. Just sleep - turn off the phone, leave the dirty dishes, just sleep. I am now way past mommying (my daughters are 38 and 42 and new moms themselves) but this is what saved me when they were young. I was in a way fortunate in that I could not function with not enough sleep, so it was essential for me. Pretend it's essential for you too. Because lack of sleep is bad for your face and bad for your health.
"Never Say Die Attitude", lots of energy and positive thinking.
I see my son part-time so I prioritize, especially when he is around. He is older now, so I let him know ahead of time if he needs to make plans while I am working or at an important function. I spend quality time with him every other Sunday when I make a nice breakfast and/or dinner. He is quiet, but I make sure to engage him in conversation for at least twenty minutes to keep up with his life, and let him know how important he is to me. I de-stress with music I enjoy, seeing live bands play out, laughing with friends, dancing around the house, a hot bath once in a while, incense, candles, meditation, yoga, etc.
A good stress reducer for me is blogging. Writing about whatever is bothering me helps me process what's really going on vs. how I feel about it. It helps me keep a cool head about things that might otherwise make me explode. I just have to remember to make posts about my family "private" so I don't end up accidentally making my life more stressful!
Making small rounds at my baby's day care in between work and catching glimpses of beautiful smiles of the children there and being around my baby whenever I want to see him..
A diaper emergency kit in my purse and in the glove compartment -- save your bread bags and a pack of almost-empty wipes, pack two diapers and the wipes into the bread bag and twist tie the top. You can use the bread bag to politely dispose of a smelly diaper. Voila -- Diaper 911!
