You know how they say on an airplane you need to put the mask ON YOU FIRST and then your child? I think we understand how important that is in an emergency, crash landing kind of way...but why is it mother’s can’t do it in the EVERY DAY?

I get it! You have a child (or a brood🤭) and they require, no, DEMAND a LOT of
attention and help! BUT, come on, how on earth are you supposed to manage running a family if you yourself are a mess (both literally and figuratively)?

Selfish?
Impossible?
Not necessary?
I call BULL CRAP.

You can do it and I PROMISE it will make a HUGE difference in how your mornings go and in how you approach the day.

I’m not sure when I started to put this into practice but I do remember how BIG of a difference it made in my mental state, my positivity, my sanity, heck-my ability to tackle the day.

Now when you have a new itty-bitty at home, AND it’s your first, remember you “only” have 2 questions to ask yourself at ALL TIMES. “Is my baby alive? Am I alive”? If the answer is YES then you are winning! Nothing else for you to do, to think about, to accomplish. That is ENOUGH. Because that is PLENTY. Babies are tough. Don’t put more pressure on yourself. BUT...

When you ARE ready-and depending on that little one’s temperament, ability to nurse/bottle-feed/, be content etc. I encourage you to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE and remember what fresh air smells like. This is necessary and of utmost importance. GET OUT-go for a walk around the block/to the park, go to the library, go walk around the mall, go to a coffee shop, SOMETHING ANYTHING. You’ll be thankful you did.

So how do you get up and out. Especially when there are more of them then you? DO YOU FIRST!

Don’t leave your bedroom in the morning until you are cleaned up (may just be a quick wash cloth under the arms LOL), dressed (no pajamas), teeth brushed and face washed and moisturized (your skin will be with you forever so don’t forget the SPF). Maybe throw a comb through the hair and pop it into a messy bun. Hats work too😉

You are NOT ALLOWED to leave you bedroom untill this happens. You don’t know what’s waiting for you once you step outside your room. The chaos of reality may hit you hard today and you need to be ready. You may never find the time to do these things again that day.

How do you do this? Easiest thing is to wake up a bit earlier than them. Many of my moms friends embrace this and love the ALONE time in the house before everyone is up. I, on the other hand, LOVE sleep. Getting up even earlier than they already were getting up was CRAZY TALK to me. So it took some work & training. I began to set out expectations with the kids early on. When they were old enough to get themselves out of bed, I bought them a clock and worked towards helping them understand that they needed to stay in their room until the clock says 7:00 (or whatever works for you). If they don’t know numbers or can’t seem to remember, tape a picture of what it needs to look like underneath so they can compare. When they are older, they can go find something to play with, read a book, watch a show (I had to teach them how to turn the TV on, find a DVD and play it) or grab something to eat. This takes TRAINING and clear expectations. Remember, lazy parenting isn’t easy but SOOOOO worth it once they “get it”.

Now that mine are older, they know
NEVER to wake mom. It’s a respect thing. I expect them to keep the house quiet until everyone is up and ready for the day. And I respect that with them. I let them sleep and try to keep the house quiet on the rare days they don’t have to be up early for a practice or school. It’s all about being a family and treating each other with kindness and understanding.

So ready???
Start small.
Get dressed.
Every day.
Before leaving your room.
You can do it.
I believe it you.

Now go get it done!
Xo