Here is my
top 10 ways that help me find balance as a mom of three little blessings!
- Spend time with my Jesus daily
Everyone knows that this can be
challenging, remembering that His grace is new each and every day is what keeps
me going. If I fall short one day, I continue to try the very next day to give
God my best.
- Being present with my kids
You know those times when you have a
million and one things on your mind. Then your little one asked you to play and
you go through the motions but don’t really feel that you are present. I strive
to be a mom fully present with my kids leaving my to do list on the counter and
my dishes until nap/bed time.
- Keeping a schedule/routine
Any time you have responsibilities I
think it’s important to keep a schedule and a list to make sure things don’t
get missed. Most kids do the best when they know what to expect and what is
expected of them. We consistently try to keep things the same from day to day
with naps, playtime, meal times, and bedtime. It is also great when I leave the
kids with grandma or a sitter for bedtime because the schedule is already in place
and easy to follow.
- Getting out of the house
When I went from one kid to three it
was a pretty tall order to make it out of the house by myself, but the more you
do it the easier it gets. Finding time to get out to the park, library, and play dates help everyone get fresh air and a change of scenery. I also love to get involved with things during
the day like early childhood classes, a mom group through my church, library
story hour. I find that it makes it
easier to get out when you have something concrete on the calendar once a week.
Don’t forget to find time to get out of the house without the kids, this always
help me be a better mom when I am with them.
- Perusing your passions
After the girls were born I spent
most of my days home with them and quickly found that I needed an outlet. I
shortly begin getting involved in with things I am passionate about on a
regular basis. I love that God has not only called me to be a mother but also a
nurse, mentor, friend, encourager. I encourage you to truly press in and find
out where your passion and call is in your life. Many are called but few are chosen
Mathew 22:14
- Do a little cleaning and laundry everyday
I have definitely learned to embrace
the chaos and mess that comes with having small children. It is not realistic
for me to be able to just clean my whole house top to bottom in one day while
caring for my kids. I have learned to
clean a bathroom and do a load of laundry each day, and then it feels a little
more manageable to me.
- Making my marriage a priority
Everyone knows that after a baby
your partner can take a backseat to the new little bundle. We definitely felt this way after the girls
came, with three kids we felt that even if we spent the day together we hardly
had a chance to say anything but a few words to one another. We started by
making a once a month date night, and remembering that as much as life may
change my husband was first and I don’t want to choose to do life without him.
It is worth hiring a babysitter so you can get a little bit of kid free time to
refresh. We have also gotten good at having date nights in, where we put the
kids to bed and then spend planned time together.
- Know what’s for dinner
I was blessed to marry a man who
likes to cook, so cooking has always been a shared responsibility. Since I am
home it just makes sense if I can get something going before 4pm it helps
everyone. Having a plan for what I will make for dinner a week in advance helps
me tremendously. Before I would spend all morning scouring pintrest looking for
something to make for dinner not present with my kids. I also prep dinner
during nap/quite time that way I can fully focus on the task at hand and not
feel like I am ignoring the little ones.
- Learning to say No
When I started getting involved in
more things during the evenings to get out of the house, I suddenly found
myself away from home 4 nights a week. Like I said before you need to get out
and pursue the passions that God has given you but also find balance. This has
come through really praying and listening to his voice on where I need to be
spending my time away from my family. Saying “no” or “not at this time” is an
importance piece to finding balance in my life. If this is something you
struggle with I recommend the book Boundaries.
- Give Grace
This life can be hard and giving myself
an ok to not be perfect is important. Knowing
that I will never be a perfect wife, mother, and friend helps me be who God
created me to be. I know that I am insufficient
in so many ways, and this is why I put my hope and trust in the Lord because
thank you Jesus you are all sufficient. Therefore He will help me where I fall
short as a wife, mother, and friend. Not forgetting to have grace for my kids because they are also learning.
Wherever you
are and whatever God has called you to do, do it with your whole heart.
Complete the race before you, this in and of itself will be your living example
to your children.
And whatever
you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
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