Hey, hey, hey! Happy Friday and happy August!
I’m starting to feel that “winding down of summer” feeling and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. We’ve had a wonderful summer and I’m not ready to give it up yet!
My teenagers have been busy this summer working and running around with friends, which is just a sad reality of life, so I’ve enjoyed soaking up my three little kiddos and doing fun things with them! It’s been especially nice to not have a baby or toddler in the mix. I absolutely adore babies, but they do complicate things a bit. Ha ha.
A couple of days ago I took my little kids on a fun adventure. They rode their bikes and I ran alongside them with the dog. We ran/rode to the park and played for a bit, then stopped by the gas station to get some treats and then ran/rode home.
Yes, this picture is cheesy, but sadly it’s the only picture I took of us all together!
We had a great time and my kids keep asking when we can go again!
One of the reasons we went a couple days ago is that it was only 80ish degrees out! It’s been close to 100 for weeks, so we took advantage of the “cooler” weather. Sadly, it’s back up into the upper 90s again, so I’m not sure when we’ll venture out again.
I’m glad we seized the day though!
Oh, and here’s a pic of my sweet, happy, dirty dog. He loved our adventure and loved running around the park!
I’ve mentioned this many times before, but it’s been hard for me to watch my babies grow up, to realize I’m not a “young mom” anymore (and haven’t been for a while) and to just realize how quickly time flies!
It’s really crazy, but it’s also made me a lot more grateful for the people in my life, the precious time I have with them and for each and every day!
This picture showed up in my Facebook feed today…
This picture was taken exactly three years ago. My sweet baby was almost two. Now I’m coping with the fact that he’s almost five. 🙁 What in the world? I gotta say that he has been our most active baby/toddler/child by far! He is the sweetest and always so happy, but he is so full of energy and always on the go! He’s definitely given me a run for my money.
The funny thing is that he is also my snuggliest baby/todder/child as well! Many days he’ll just say “Mom, do you want to snuggle?” It melts my heart.
So, in that picture above, when he was firmly in his “super active baby stage,” I was so grateful he wanted to snuggle. I used to call his binki his “tranquilizer” because it immediately calmed him down. He liked to pinch the knuckles on my hand when he had his binki too.
I miss having a sweet baby, but I really love the age my kids are right now too. I’m really trying to cherish this time and not wish it away!
Oh, and this picture popped up in my email today too!
Oh my goodness! This was ELEVEN years ago! No wonder I’m feelin’ all nostalgic today!
Years ago I added a bunch of pictures to Shutterfly. They send me emails from time to time with pictures from “back in the day.” I love seeing the pictures, but it does pull at my heartstrings. Look how little my babies were!?? Kev and I look like babies too!
Yes, I’m a gigantic softie and things like this make my mama heart ache. However, I recognize that we’re not meant to just stay the same all the time. I know these kids were not meant to stay little forever. We are meant to grow, to learn and to live life!
When I feel that mama heart ache, I try to use it as a reminder to me to not squander the time I have. I need to enjoy my people every day and not mourn the past of fear the future. I also remind myself that one day I will look back on today and miss this time in my life as well.
Life is precious.
I also know that life is so busy and crazy too! It’s so hard to keep up with everything! Too often I find myself caught up in the “busyness of life” and feeling like I’m running in a hamster wheel. When I’m livin’ this way, I usually end up overwhelmed and exhausted. I know I’m merely “surviving” instead of “thriving.”
Such is life, I know! But I hate living that way. I’m constantly reminding myself to simplify life, to cut out things that aren’t necessary, to stop doing “all the things” and to focus on what really matters.
I know it’s so hard. It’s especially hard as mothers because we’re used to taking care of everyone and everything! I enjoy nurturing and loving all my people, but I’ve learned time and time again that I have to take care of and find time for ME!
For many years I used to feel guilty if I took time for myself. I felt like a slacker if I took a nap or sat down to read a book. Somehow I felt like I always needed to be “doing” and being productive.
Well, lemme tell ya….that is not a good recipe for good health or happiness! I guess sometimes I need to learn things the hard way!
Thankfully, that mentality sounds so jacked to me now. I’ve learned that if I don’t take time for me and if I don’t tend to my physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health….I will pay the price later!
I saw this quote on the internet the other day and it definitely resonated with me!
This obviously applies to all aspects of health!
I now try to do several things every day FOR ME that make me happy! I will share some of my favorite things that I try to incorporate into my daily life.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Get Enough Sleep
This is a hard one for me because I’m a “recovering” go-er and do-er! I’ve learned time and time again that life is sweeter and I’m so much happier when I consistently get enough sleep (7-9 hours.)
Sadly, in our world it seems like people take pride in getting by on little sleep! It seems like society wants us to think that getting enough sleep, sleeping in if you need to/can and/or taking naps means you’re lazy or unmotivated. NO!! It means you’re responsible and taking care of your health and essentially your life! I could write a whole blog post on this, but for now, I’ll leave it at that.
Exercise
This is obviously something that I prioritize in my life. Regular exercise makes me happier, helps me to deal with stress better, helps me to sleep better and makes life better. I love those endorphins after a good workout and I love feeling strong and capable!
I gotta say though….in the case of exercise it’s easy to get too much of a good thing! I try really hard to listen to my body. If I’m sleep deprived, draggin’ and overwhelmed in life, I skip the workout. I remind myself all the time that rest is just as important as exercise. In fact, I think it’s more important!
I know that exercise blesses my life and body when I get enough sleep! If I skimp on my sleep, exercise just adds more stress to my weary body.
Eating a Healthy Diet
I believe this is far and away the most important thing you can do for your physical health! We are what we eat…really! I’ve felt the effects of eating a healthy diet and I’ve felt the effects of eating a crap diet many, many times in my life. This one is huge folks.
I talk about this all the time on this blog, so I won’t go on and on. Just remember to fill up on good, clean, “real” food on the regular.
MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Take Time to Relax Every Day
I told ya’ll I struggled with this one for years. Now, I recognize that by taking time to relax, it not only blesses my life, but my whole family! Some of my favorite things to do are:
- Take a bubble bath with or without essential oils, bath bombs, whatever smelly and indulgent thing I have on hand.
- Read a book or a magazine
- Chill out on my phone. Side note: I know this one has to be controlled. I love to relax on my phone, but if I take too much time it can actually have the opposite effect! Cell phones can definitely be a time suck. I try to allow myself a little time to “veg,” but keep myself in check too.
- Do a crossword puzzle. Yes, I’m an old lady. I’ve always loved crossword puzzles!
- Watch a show on TV. I’m funny, but I don’t like to just sit and watch a show by myself. I like to either watch one with Kev or my kids (qualtiy time) or do something else productive while a show is running in the background. I know this is weird, but I just don’t like watching TV for the sake of watching TV.
Do Things that Make you Happy Every Day
Ya know, at first this seems like a no brainer. However, sadly in our busy world, most of us just “check the boxes” every day and don’t do things that truly make us happy.
These things can be the same things that I listed above about relaxing, but they can also be things that aren’t necessarily about relaxing! My favs are:
- Going on a walk. I don’t do this nearly as much as I’d like to, but I want to start doing it more! Nature is so therapeutic and always makes me happy.
- Going on a drive. Sometimes it’s nice to just drive for the sake of driving. It’s nice to think, pray or just enjoy the beauty of the world.
- Shop! Thankfully, I’m a picky shopper so I don’t usually buy much, but sometimes it’s nice to just wander around a store or even shop online. I’m weird, but I like to look for cute clothes online from my favorite stores, but I usually don’t buy them. Just looking is fun for me.
- Play with my kids. Too often, I don’t make the time to just sit down and play with my kids! When I actively take the time to do fun things with them, I’m always happier.
- Pamper myself. I like to paint my nails, do a face mask, wax my eyebrows, go get a pedicure, get a massage, do yoga, meditate….whatever! I don’t do pedicures or massages too often because $$$, but I love doing them!
- Eat some yummy, crappy (i.e. not healthy) food that you love! Yes, healthy eating is HUGE for overall health, but I believe that indulging a little from time to time (without guilt!) is HUGE for mental health as well!
Be Grateful
This one is simple, but the effects are huge! I find so much joy every day in just actively noticing and counting my blessings. Not a day goes by that I’m not humbled and grateful for all that I have and all I’ve been given. My life is not perfect, like at all, but I find it’s much easier to focus on the positives when I’m looking for them!
Whenever life gets hard or overwhelming, gratitude helps to keep me grounded and happy. Sadly, it’s never hard for me to find another person who is struggling more than me or who has it worse than me. That may sound weird to think that way, but it helps me to keep my life and my own troubles in perspective.
I know a lot of people keep gratitude journals and I think this is great! Anything we can do to remember all of the good things in our life will always bless us.
Help Others
The older I get, the more I realize that everyone struggles. Life is hard. It’s quite sobering and can really bum me out if I let it. Every time I’ve ever helped someone else, I’m always happier and better because of it.
It’s interesting how when we help others, we forget about our own problems. One of my favorite leaders from my church once said “Lose yourself in the service of others.” I love that. I know there is always someone who could use our help and friendship. I need to do a better job of getting outside of myself and looking for ways to serve others.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
Pray/Meditate
This one is different for all of us, depending on what we believe. I have a strong belief in God and have been blessed by the power of prayer so many times in my life.
The act of praying itself is helpful for me because it allows me to shut out the world and my troubles for a bit and just talk with God. I can express gratitude and use the time to identify my thoughts, feelings and needs.
I have also felt the strength from prayer and have had so many small miracles happen to me personally because of it. I am soooooo grateful for prayer in my life!
Reading Scriptures or Uplifting Things
Again because of my strong belief in God, the scriptures are so powerful to me. I have had so many answers to prayers through scriptures and I continue to learn so much as I read them.
I also gotta say that there are times in my life when I read my scriptures regularly and times when I struggle. I definitely feel the strength, peace and guidance when I make it a priority and I definitely feel the void when I don’t.
There are also so many other uplifting, spiritual books and things out there we can read that can bless our lives and lift our spirits!
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Well, I think that about sums it up today! I guess my message today is to live each day to the fullest! Enjoy our people. Enjoy life. Strengthen our bodies, minds and spirits. Make yourself happy! Cut yourself some slack.
Remember that we are not perfect human beings. We will always be struggling in different aspects of life. The key is to love yourself through it all and just keep trying to learn and do a little better each day!
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful weekend!! xoxo
Loved this Mel!!
Thanks Angie! 🙂