I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
2013 was a joyous year. We started the year off welcoming our third son into the world in January.
But it was also a rough year for me in a lot of respects. Little Z had a rough time gaining weight. I, determined not to throw in the breastfeeding towel, became all consumed with the daily feeding struggles. It was such a struggle that I began having anxiety. To top the mom struggles off, Little Z is my neediest and naughtiest child. Struggles this year were exacerbated by the fact that my husband was gone several times during the year–twice were for 2 months at a time.
Saying goodbye to Daddy as he left for two months.
I know that I’m not alone in my “mom struggles”. I also know that my struggles were relatively mild compared to what many moms experience as they raise their children and try to provide a loving safe environment for their children. But I also know that whether our struggles are great or small, they are REAL. They are our own. Just because you have a friend who is going through some great trial doesn’t make your more minor struggle any less real.
It was during the months my husband was away that I really had to become an Unstoppable Mom!
Often times we moms find ourselves comparing our parenting, our housekeeping, our craftiness to that of other moms. One night as I was lamenting over the phone to my husband that I just could not keep up with the housework he encouraged me to just let it go.
So now I encourage you to STOP for a second. Take a breath. And Let It Go!
Once you learn to do that, you’ll become an Unstoppable Mom!
1) Let go of your pride and don’t be afraid to ask for, or accept, help! Find a good support system: church, playgroups, neighborhoods are a good place to start. Ask friends if they are willing to help out when you need it, and let them know that they are welcome to call on you when you need a hand. I have a very amazing friend who came over to my house on multiple occasions when my husband was gone and helped me clean my kitchen after a long day.
2) Don’t be afraid to let go of the housework…just a little bit. Having a filthy or cluttered house isn’t good for anyone’s physical or mental health. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if we’re spending our day cleaning, tidying, and making sure the house remains spotless at the expense of time with our kids, if we are stressing out and getting on our kids cases for putting their hands on the walls (*gasp* fingerprints!), pulling a bunch of books off the bookshelf, or doing other kid-ly things in the name of curiosity and fun we might need to reevaluate our perspectives a bit and just Let it Go. It is okay for your house not to be spotless all the time. A family lives here, a family plays here. It is okay just to Let It Go. I know that one day my house will once again look put together on a regular basis, but today is not that day…and I’m okay with that.
3) Let go of the idea that Mom has to do it all. Mom’s responsibilities outside of raising her family have increased over the past several years, but for some reason mom’s responsibilities at home haven’t proportionally decreased. Oftentimes moms are holding down a job and holding down the fort at home. They are responsible for their job, raising the kids, and doing the housework. Can we say burn out? Part of being an Unstoppable Mom is being able to talk to your family members, let them know you need their help, and assign them tasks to help out around the house.
My husband played a big part in helping me learn to Let It Go (just a perk of being married to a Psychologist!). It sounds counterintuitive, but learning to let go of the housework a little bit has been the number 1 biggest reason I consider myself an Unstoppable Mom!
What household tips do you have that have helped you become an Unstoppable Mom?
Head on over to the Motrin® Facebook page and share the tips that help you be an Unstoppable Mom. Check out the most recent tips and share yours! For each tip you share Motrin will donate $1 to Safe Kids! You can also enter the Unstoppable Moms Sweepstakes with weekly drawings for $100 gift cards!
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C., 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 11:59p.m. ET 12/28/14. Sponsor will donate $1 for each approved Submission made as part of the promotion, with a minimum donation of $30,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000. For Official Rules, and complete details, visit www.unstoppablemoms.com. Sponsor: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide visit safekids.org.
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom
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