We all get tired

We all have those days when motherhood wears us down. We have days when we are overwhelmed and need a break.  It doesn't mean you are not a good mama. It means you are tired....Take care of yourself. Get the breaks you need. Have fun with friends and family. Especially go out and have fun with your husband. Do not talk about problems but just laugh. Have a healing mama day!

If your oxygen mask drops..........

When a flight attendant does her little speech when you first get on a plane she tells you that if your oxygen mask drops to please put on and adjust your own mask before assisting others. What if you were in an emergency and you ignored this instruction? This is a great metaphor for mom's. We tend to take care of the needs of others and ignore our own. How do we balance this with Biblical teachings? The Bible says we are to be the servant of all. Jesus was our example by washing the feet of the disciples. We do love our husbands and children so much and will do anything for them. No where in the Bible does it say to love others means you have to be an over weight, haggard exhausted mess who can no longer function.

When you are over worked can you still have a serving attitude? It is very difficult. It is easy to become resentful and weepy. Maybe that is just me. I'm not talking about spending a bunch of money you don't have. I'm saying take 30 minutes a day to walk, read, sit down with a cup of coffee, or take a quick nap.

Date your husband. It is good for both of you. When we didn't have much money I'd drop off the kids at a friends and come home and fix a nice meal just for the two of us. Go out for an ice cream cone. The simple things are sometimes the very best. When our kids are at youth group on Sunday night my husband and I go get groceries together. He pushes the cart and I go through the list. Even though it is just a chore I look forward to the time to talk.

There is also the point of what we are teaching our children about how to treat their wives. My boys open the door for me. They are not to walk in front of me, but next to me. They are to speak respectfully to me or the conversation is done.

Please put on your oxygen mask before assisting those around you.

Expert Moms

I do so appreciate those of you who have emailed me privately. What a brilliant group of moms. (not for emailing me, but because of what you do for your children) God knew what he was doing when he gave these particular kids to you. You share your ideas and ask for mine. Sometimes I have them. Sometimes I don't. One mom recently shared some of these nurturing ideas with me. I thought they were so excellent I asked her if I could share them with you.

"I do recommend the High School Musical CD as excellent adoption music, as is the Mamma Mia CD. Country music lyrics seem to catch him too, because they transmit emotion well. (I should try him on my old Def Leppard anger music sometime.) Rocky Balboa bop it bags took some serious abuse. Watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition every Sunday is good emotional work. Raising foster kittens a few times over decidedly stretched his patience and ability to empathize and see things from another's perspective. Swimming is great because you can punch and kick water to your heart's content without hurting anything. LOTS of physical activity and back to nature stuff assisted the sensory issues that were very evident at first. We like watching the Monster Trucks crush things. Yoga balls help. Horseback riding lessons seem to be a hit (Imagine my glee when after the first lesson they decided that ***** needed a more stubborn horse...). Kid Nation was good too. Cooking helps the math and lets you show off a good thing to the neighbors, plus there is that smelling and tasting thing. Snow, mud, slugs, worms....baseball and basketball with one half of the neighborhood and bless the little girls across the alley and their hours of imaginative make believe - they don't know it, but they are helping him fill in voids. "

I know there are many of you out there with ideas of your own from which all of us would benefit. Please feel free to leave them in the comments box or email me at radmoms@hotmail.com I will only share what you are OK with. I will not share any personal information.

thanks,
Brenda

How are you?

So how are you feeling today? What are you doing today to take care of yourself? Are you taking some time for a quiet time? I would love for you to share with me what you are doing for yourself today. I am meeting a friend for lunch. This evening when I drive the carpool to swim team I am meeting a friend for a latte at Starbucks. These things are not "extra". We need to take time to fill our cup with joy if we want to keep pouring ourselves into our families. We tend to think we will take some time for ourselves AFTER all the responsibilities are met. I say we can take better care of our responsiblities if we are emotionally charged FIRST.