Holding Onto Yourself and Managing Life in the Midst of Motherhood

If you're a mom, time management is a skill you pretty much have to have. If you don't, your life will most likely be a chaotic mess. Well, that is my life 70% of the time. As much as I try to stay organized, sometimes it just doesn't happen, and that's okay. As a work from home mom, a lot of the time my house is a wreck, laundry stays in baskets for days (or weeks, lets be honest), dishes pile up, and dust accumulates on the floor. That's just life.

When I first had my son I basically never did anything except hold him, feed him, and change him and that is what reality was like for the first few months of his life. It took me a while to establish a routine so my house didn't look like a circus and so I could take care of myself. If there's any advice I could give a new mom it's that it is okay for dishes, laundry, cleaning to be put on hold. Hold your baby, embrace those moments, because soon enough your little one won't be so little anymore and you'll miss the moments where all you did was sit on the couch and cuddle your baby.

With that being said, we know life doesn't just stop after you have a baby. Work eventually continues, we have to leave our houses again, we start hanging out with friends again, we go grocery shopping, take Target trips, etc. It's a lot harder to do all of these things with a baby on your hip, but it's possible. I want to share with you some tips i've implemented into my every day routine to make life a little bit easier. First, I try and get up at 5:00 am every week day. I know you're probably thinking "Yeah that's gonna be a no from me.." but, hear me out. I've been doing this for the past two months and it has truly changed my life. I get to have "me" time (which if you're a mom you know this is a rare occurrence). Having that time to myself to read my bible/devotions, get some work done, get ready for the day, have my coffee in peace (hallelujah) has really set the tone for my day. I'm up before my baby gets up and I get my priorities done before the day with my little one starts and that has changed the game.

Before, my son would be my alarm clock and I would immediately go into "mom mode" without having a second to myself to even use the restroom and wash my face before going to get him, nurse him, change him, etc. So, I challenge you to try this. Get up at least an hour before your baby/kids and see how it changes your day. I promise you will feel so much more productive and you'll have your cup filled up so that you can be the best version of yourself for your family.

It is important to have different versions of yourself. I know that might sound weird, but think of it this way. Being a mom is not your only identity. You are still you. Who were you before you had kids? Did you enjoy going to the gym? Taking dance classes? Hiking? Painting? What makes you happy? It is important to be your own person. Yes, being a mom is the absolute best job in the world, and its my favorite version of me, but I know that in order to be the best version of myself in all areas of life, I still need to do the things that light my soul of fire. I need to do things that separate me from being a mom.

Us moms have to take care of ourselves. It's so easy to get caught up in the everyday routine and forget about doing anything else besides change diapers and clean the house. We are going to have days like this, and most days you probably are going to put everyone before yourself and that's amazing. Moms are so selfless and caring, but try and choose to do at least one thing per day that makes you happy. Make a good cup of coffee and listen to your favorite podcast, write in your journal, watch an episode of your favorite TV show, put on some makeup, take a trip to Target. Do SOMETHING that makes YOU smile and that is for YOU and no one else. It's small, but it's important.

Don't lose yourself in the midst of motherhood. You are still you, just a different you, but that doesn't mean you can't still be the person you want to be. You're a rockstar mom no matter what!

Much love,

Rachael

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