So, here’s the deal. 9 times out of 10, I don’t get a moment to breathe. My son goes down for a nap just as my daughter wakes up from her nap. Then maybe an hour and a half later, she goes down for her next nap just before he wakes up from his. Usually, any chance I get to breathe is between tantrums, when I sneak out the door, or the 10-15 minute showers I get after I put the kids to bed.
I have to remember to actually take a breath sometimes. Especially when it feels like I can’t breathe. Take the moment you need, sometimes we don’t simply “get” it. We have to take it.
I was especially reminded of this today. Some days are just great days. I get the laundry washed and hung, breakfast cooked and all of us three fed, the kitchen tidied up, the dining area swept up and when I look at the clock, it’s 11:15! Today… was Not one of those type days!
Today was the kind where I slept till 8 because the babies did, Boy pooped out of his diaper and needed a bath first thing, Girl needed two outfit changes before 9;45am and I got around to eating my breakfast at 10:30am! I just could not seem to get it together today, and for some reason, as the day went on, things just got worse. Around 1pm Girl dosed off for her nap-time and I went upstairs with my son to put him in bed for his nap-time. We always say a little prayer before I read and sing to him. Today, before his nap, I lost it in our little prayer. It became more of a cry out, asking for help from God. A cry for strength and patience. I am being serious. I was bawling, feeling like a failure as a mom because I just can not seem to get Boy to listen to me or respect my authority at all. But, my little 21 month old baby boy just laid there beside me, not saying a word and placed his hand on my cheek. Moving from my cheek to my shoulder, such a strong, beautiful little man I have. But y’all, it’s freaking hard. If my husbands just looks sideways, Boy will do whatever is asked from him in a moment. I could beg, yell, threaten to pop, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, that’s a bit off topic. Let’s get back to TODAY because have mercy, it has been a day!
It ended with me trying to buy diapers at our local convenience store at 4:15pm when I had planned to be there before noon! Only to have the man behind the counter rake me over the coals for having an international card that I had to sign for! I’ve been here for hardly a month, of course I’m going to have an international card! Telling me I need to get a card connected to my husbands bank account with my name on it. Ugh. I mean Come On! Finally, when Love got home, he had picked me up the most beautiful flowers and they seriously brightened my mood so much. I love it when he does things like that, especially on days like today.
So, now that I’ve ranted a good bit, let’s get on with the tips for today’s post.
Here are a few of the ways that I have found that help if you just have to step away for a moment.
- Swaddle the baby and lay them in the crib, toddler goes in the high chair – 15-20 mins of ABC Kids TV isn’t going to fry your little one’s brain! Set up the monitor, if you have one, so you can keep an eye on them.
- Give your toddler some snacks and Veggie Tales.
- Boy loves Veggie Tales! If Girl doesn’t want to be swaddled or just isn’t having it in her day crib then I’ll sit her in her bouncer and sneak her outside with me. Sometimes she just sits there and watches me read or laughs while I dance to my song. Point is, I get to have a moment, Boy is content and Girl just chills.
- Now, GO. Go read, go drink a cup of coffee, go step out on the porch and listen to your favorite song.
- If you simply can’t think of anything else, sometimes I just snap. I mean snap in a funny, let it all loose kind of way. I will hold Girl or sit her in her bouncer. Grab Boy’s hand and dance around. Singing whatever comes to mind. Whatever we’re doing, whatever we’ve done that day, just put it to some kind of tune and completely wing it! I find this so fun and so does Boy. Singing out loud and doing silly dance moves, these are the moments of the day that I go to bed thinking about. This is probably one of my favorite ways to blow off steam because I’m doing it with my babies.
- After a long day, once the kids are in bed, a nice hot shower and a lovely smelling shampoo, deep conditioner, and body wash always makes the day seem like it was a little less hectic.
These are just some suggestions that work for me. I know that every Mama is different just as every child is different. Find what works for you and your family. You have to be happy, you have to fill your cup up even if it’s just a 5 minute coffee to break up your day a little bit. No one can continuously pour out for others from an empty cup!
However, if you do feel like you are about to lose it, simply Go. Just step away for a moment and gather yourself. You might surprise yourself with how much you can calm down in those few moments of peace.
-Vicki