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Over the last year, I’ve kind of lost myself. I’ve been on survival mode homeschooling the kids, having very little time to myself, running the house at a very basic level, and only doing the essentials to keep my blog up and running.

Unfortunately, I know I’m not alone. This last year has taken a toll on everyone, especially moms. We’ve had it dang hard, with navigating distance learning, staying home with kids all day, and even working from home.

DANG HARD.

Moms always have a lot on their plates, and it’s easy to put yourself last and forget to do things you enjoy. And if you’ve been mommin’ hard for a few years (or more), you may not even be sure what that is anymore.

If you’ve been wanting to pick up a hobby but aren’t sure what kind of hobby you want to try, this post is for you. I talked to some friends and have put together some ideas that make great hobbies for moms. Bonus: they’re all pretty easy to pick up!

25 Hobbies for Moms

Houseplants

Every heard of a plant mom? Well I have fully become one over the last year. And I’m planning on writing a post with some of the easiest houseplants for beginning mamas, too!

Brush Lettering/Calligraphy

I’m lumping these two together, but I know there are slight differences. Learning how to do brush lettering has always been on my to-do list, and I may have to actually take it up some time! You can do so much with it!

Crafting

This is a pretty general term, and it can include so many different things. You could even start selling your own little crafties!

Journaling

If you’re not a frequent journaler, you may not thing this can be considered a hobby, but I assure you, it can. Journaling doesn’t just mean writing “Dear Diary” and recording your latest crush. Promptly has great journals for beginning journals, and if you already know what kind of journaling you want to do, a blank one from Scribble & Jot is my favorite. You can even keep memory journals for your kids!

Yoga

This one’s not for me, but if fitness is your thing and you want a hobby that helps you stay healthy, yoga is perfect! There are tons of free videos on YouTube to get you started.

Baking

I do love this one. There are so many different things you can bake, and if you bake a lot, you can share your treats with neighbors and friends! Everyone loves the friend who brings them treats!

Cake Decorating

Cake decorating is a great hobby for moms. It’s a great artistic outlet that has a bonus of being delicious. You can do it from home and even make your kids’ birthday cakes if you want. I love Cake by Courtney for cake recipes, and I get lots of my decorating inspiration from Instagram accounts.

Gardening

If indoor houseplants aren’t your thing, maybe try gardening! Fresh vegetables from the garden are the best way to eat vegetables, and there are lots of things you can grow that are pretty foolproof and hard to kill. We used to have a huge garden at our old house, and now we have three garden boxes with cute little garden markers I made myself. Even if you just start small with one tomato plant, it’s so satisfying to harvest food and flowers you grew yourself!

Watercolor

Another one of my favorite hobbies is watercolor. If it sounds intimidating, it’s not. I’m mostly into abstract paintings, and I’ve got several things I’ve done hanging in our house. It’s a pretty forgiving art form, and it’s a lot of fun to try! I have a set of Prima tropical watercolors and I love them.

Embroidery

This is a great hobby for moms because you can just sit wherever you are and work on it! Plus, supplies are pretty cheap (embroidery hoop, fabric, embroidery floss). I embroidered one of my favorite quotes a few years ago and I still love it.

Quilting

Quilting isn’t just a grandma hobby! You can make quilts for your family and friends, or even donate them to shelters or hospitals.

Card Making

I know this also sounds like a hobby your grandma might do, but it can be so fun to make and send handmade cards in the mail! And who doesn’t love getting a handmade, handwritten card in the mail? (Side note, the Cricut Joy & card mat make card making SO EASY)

Pilates

Another healthy hobby, pilates is great for moms who want to work on strengthening their muscles and looking good! I was really into pilates after my first son was born, and it was great for me!

Running

Remember when I was really into running and then there was this pandemic and everything came crashing down? Me too. Anyway, running is a great hobby, even if you’re super slow and not in it for the competition. You can even listen to podcasts or audiobooks while you run!

Knitting

Another hobby that I’ve never learned, but I know some people love it! And since it has minimal materials you can do it on-the-go!

Crochet

Crocheting is pretty easy to pick up, and also different than knitting! But another great one to take on-the-go.

Sourdough Bread

If you haven’t tried to make your own sourdough starter yet, now’s the time! Since the pandemic, sourdough has risen in popularity, and the internet is flooded with delicious sourdough recipes!

Reading

One of my newly-renewed hobbies that I forgot I loved so much is reading. I love reading and being pulled into a story. And it can be a free hobby if you get a library card!

Paint by Sticker (or Number)

Paint by Sticker is one of our family’s newer favorite activities. It’s basically like painting by number, but instead of actual painting, it comes with stickers for each spot. The pictures turn out amazing, and it’s kind of soothing! Or you could always go with the classic paint by number, too.

Coloring Books

There’s a reason adult coloring books have risen in popularity, too. They’re an easy, calming hobby and something you can do while listening to a podcast, music, or an audiobook.

Procreate

I’m not very artistic, but I think Procreate is so cool. You can create all kinds of digital art, and when I asked my Facebook friends what their favorite hobbies were, several mentioned Procreate!

Diamond Painting

Another hobby that a few mama friends mentioned was diamond painting. It’s described as a mix between cross-stitch and paint-by-number. I saw someone doing it at the rec center last month and it really did look cool!

Stamp Collecting

One of my secret hobbies is stamp collecting. I don’t have very many, but I think it’s so fun to track down stamps that have a special meaning or tie to somewhere I’ve been or something I like. One of my favorites I have is an old Walt Disney stamp from the 1968.

Puzzles

Puzzles are another pandemic hobby that’s taken off the last few months. We’ve done a few, and my kids have even helped a few times. If you can make a space in your home to set up a puzzle spot, it’s worth it! Even a small little card table works.

Lego Sets

My kids love Legos, and it wasn’t until one of my best friends showed me the Lego set she had gotten for Christmas that I realized Legos can be a hobby for adults, too! I even got my own set (Harry Potter Legos, what else?) for Valentine’s Day, and it was a blast to put together. If you have somewhere you can keep them up, Legos make a great hobby!

Being a mom is a busy, full-time job, with no breaks, no holidays, and no weekends, and this last year has been ROUGH. But despite all that we have on our schedules, it’s important to find things to do for ourselves.

Hobbies allow us to do things we enjoy, just because we want to, which is something we don’t often get with all the little people in our lives.

Pick one or two of these hobbies for moms, try them out, and if they aren’t for you, try something else. You may even find something you’re passionate about and can enjoy for years to come!

The post 25 Hobbies For Moms appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Over the summer (and honestly, the last few months of the 2019-2020 school year), we didn’t have any sort of routine. We woke up whenever, we got ready whenever, and we left the house whenever. It was exactly how summer should be.

When we made the decision to homeschool this year, I knew that things were going to have to be different. We recently had our first day of school, and I’ve tried to really be purposeful in our mornings before we start school so that our day starts off as good as it can.

It’s hard to focus on school when there are things in the back of my mind that have been left undone! Because of that, there are a few things that we always do in the morning to make sure that we can give 100% to school every day.

7 Things Moms Should Do Before School Each Morning

Breakfast

Obviously, we have to have breakfast before school! Everyone knows it’s the most important meal of the day, and not only do my kids need breakfast, but I do, too! We all function a lot better (and nicer) when we’ve got full tummies!

Brush Teeth

Naturally, after we eat, we have to brush our teeth. I let the kids all brush their own teeth in the morning, to help them learn. After I brush my own teeth, I also use LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash. It’s available at Walmart (you can even get it via Walmart Grocery Pickup), so it’s easy to buy a bottle when I order my groceries every week.

I’ve used other mouthwashes before, but this one is by far my favorite. Not only does it freshen my breath, but it helps reverse signs of early gum disease like red, bleeding, and inflamed gums (something my dentist has warned me about). It cleans below the gumline where brushing can’t reach, and LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash, which is ADA accepted,  can lead to 4x healthier gums in 3 weeks versus brushing alone.

The older I get, the more I realize that I really need to take care of little things like my gums, so I’m glad I’ve got such an awesome and helpful mouthwash on my side!

Click this photo above to add LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash to your Walmart.com cart!

Get Dressed

Last year during distance learning, I noticed a big difference between days that we wore pajamas all day and days that we got dressed. So now that we’re homeschooling, getting dressed every day, even if my kids complain, is a must. They focus a lot better if they are actually dressed and ready for the day!

Get Myself Ready

This mostly just entails doing my hair and makeup, which are both pretty minimal. My hair holds a curl well, so I only have to curl it once or twice a week. And as far as makeup, a little mascara goes a long way!

Make Beds

While I’m upstairs, I make my bed, too. I can’t stand going through the day passing by unmade beds. My kids know they have to make their beds before we start school, too!

Open the Blinds

Our house has a lot of natural light, and I take full advantage of it! Opening the blinds every morning makes such a big difference, and it helps me feel like I’m ready for the day ahead!

Unload the Dishwasher

The last thing I have to do every day is unload the dishwasher. We run it every night, and I feel a lot more focused if the sink isn’t full of dirty dishes when we start school! Sometimes I enlist the help of the kids, but sometimes I just do it myself!

Our days usually start off a lot better when we get all these things done before starting school. We’re all focused and feel like the day has begun. Especially now that we’re homeschooling, we need all the good vibes that we can get!

However school looks like for your family this year, these 7 things moms should do before school are sure to help start you off on the right foot!

The post 7 Things Moms Should Do Before School appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I’ve been journaling ever since I could write.

My first journal was a Little House on the Prairie journal where you wrote about your best friend and what you liked to do together. It had a purple plaid border on it and a picture of sisters Laura and Mary Ingalls on the cover. I’m pretty sure it even came with a locket.

Over the years I’ve filled several notebooks, diaries, blog posts, and journals with my thoughts and feelings. My parents still have them all in a box in their storage unit! I love journaling for lots of different reasons, and I’ve gone through periods of writing every day to more recently, writing every few weeks. Keeping a journal has always been a big part of my life, and I honestly love doing it!

There are lots of reasons I enjoy journaling, but I’ve narrowed it down to my top five reasons I love to journal, and why you should journal, too, and I wanted to share them today! If you’ve wanted to get into journaling but haven’t ever felt motivated enough, this is a great post to help you get started!

Five Reasons I Love to Journal

1. Journaling improves my emotional and mental wellbeing

Sometimes when I sit down and try to process my feelings, I get distracted or quickly think of other things I should be doing (mom problems, am I right?). But if I sit down and write down how I’m feeling, I’m able to identify, accept, and process what I’m feeling, good or bad.

Sitting down and journaling also helps me get clarity when I’m trying to figure things out. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve felt lost at the start of a journaling session and then by the end, felt so much clearer.

Journaling helps me get perspective and recognize what exactly it is that I’m worrying about. It helps me both emotionally and mentally because it helps me understand and cope with the feelings and thoughts that I have. We all have rough days, especially as moms, and when we’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed or like we’re about to snap, sitting down and journaling helps a ton! There’s really nothing quite like journaling to regain peace and direction in your life!

2. Journaling is a way to document things for my posterity

I want my kids and my future grandkids to know what my life was like, what I went through, what I learned, and how I felt about different challenges and events in my life. I know very little about my grandparents and their lives, and I don’t want that to be the case for my kids and grandkids. Journals are such great records for posterity, and that’s one reason I love to journal.

I also have one journal for each of my kids that I call their “memory journals,” where I record what they’re like at different ages, funny things they do or say, and little updates about them each year on their birthdays. I know when they’re older and I give them to them, they’re going to be special treasures that they hold dear. And I love writing these things in journals because it makes them even more personal and unique gifts!

3. Keeping a journal helps me remember things

I am notoriously forgetful, and I know that if I didn’t write down how I felt during events in my life, I would definitely forget the details. Journaling is a way to help me remember the little things that mean so much to me. I love to write about the quiet moments when my kids have fallen asleep in my arms, how it felt to hold them for the first time, and what it was like when my husband and I first started dating. It’s fun for me to read these journal entries and have the memories come flooding back to me. There are some things you just never want to forget, and journaling makes it so that I don’t have to worry about that!

4. I’m a better writer than speaker and I get my thoughts down better when I write

As much as I would love to be a motivational speaker, I’d be terrible at it. Even sometimes in regular conversations my thoughts get away from me and things just come out a mess. I’m a much better writer and when I write, I am able to get my thoughts down a lot better. I don’t know if it’s taking the time before writing or making sure that I use the right words, but I’m definitely better at writing than speaking. So it makes sense that in order for me to get clarity, sometimes I need to write things down rather than talk them out with someone.

5. Reading my journal entries helps me see how much I’ve grown

Self-reflection is an important part of journaling, and I’m able to learn a lot about myself when I go back and read old journal entries. I can reflect on how far I’ve come, mistakes I’ve made and what I’ve learned from them, and really see who I am and what makes me who I am. I can also read entires right after I’ve written them and gain new insight and direction.

It’s important to journal so that you can go back and see all the challenges you went through and what you learned. Going back and reading old journal entries helps me remember past blessings I’ve received and helps me see how much I’ve grown, through high school, college, my early married life, having my first baby, all the way up to now.

I truly love journaling. It’s a wonderful outlet when I’m feeling stressed, it’s a great way to keep a record of my life, and it helps improve my emotional and mental wellbeing.

I also think that there’s really a way to make journaling enjoyable no matter who you are. There are so many different kinds of journals and pens to choose from, you can include pictures or old ticket stubs or even family recipes! There are even apps that can help you journal by giving you prompts or ideas to get started!

There are so many reasons why you should keep a journal. All you have to do is find what works for you and get started!

The post 5 Reasons Why You Should Keep a Journal appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Before I even get started with this post, I want to explain what I mean by “spirituality,” because it can mean a lot of different things. Spirituality, in terms of this post, refers to connection to something bigger than ourselves.

For some spirituality can mean feeling connected to God, a higher being, the universe, or nature. Spirituality includes the beliefs and values that guide you, finding meaning in your life, and having inner peace. It’s not going to be exactly the same for anyone because we all have different life experiences that shape us.

I’m including spirituality in my self-care series because I think there are lots of self-care ideas that relate to spirituality. I also think that it’s important to take care of our spirits, because when we don’t, we can feel lost and like we don’t have direction in our lives. Nobody wants that!

I also wanted to make sure that the self-care ideas I included for taking care of our spiritual selves fit for people of all beliefs. I’m a religious person, but I know that many people aren’t, and I wanted to include all mamas, regardless of what they believe.

Here are 10 self-care ideas for spirituality to help moms feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

Self-Care Ideas for Spirituality

Meditate

There is very little peace and quiet in a mother’s life, and sometimes that’s exactly what we need to feel calm and know what we’re supposed to do with out lives. So after your kids are in bed, while they’re napping or at school, or in the morning before you get out of bed, just sit in silence for a while. Take deep breaths, focus on your breathing, and try to clear your mind. It might feel weird at first, but if you keep it up, you’ll notice a difference in your spiritual well-being.

Practice mindfulness

I almost didn’t even want to use the word “mindfulness” because it’s so overused, but being intentional and mindful of what’s going on in your life, around you, and inside you is important. It can help you appreciate and recognize all that you have, and help you stay calm when things start to get chaotic. This podcast episode from Awesome with Alison is a good place to get started if you have no idea what I’m talking about.

Read something inspiring

What you read is totally up to you. It might be an uplifting book, scripture, a powerful talk or sermon, or a self-help book. Reading always helps me think bigger and is a great way to expose yourself to new perspectives and ideas.

Go for a walk

The key here is that you go by yourself, without headphones, so you can pay attention to what you hear, see, and even smell. Not only will you feel better just because you’re moving your body, but you’ll be able to clear your mind, think, and enjoy nature.

Get together with people who have similar beliefs

The most common way to do this is going to church, but if you aren’t religious, you can still find a local group with similar beliefs that you can meet up with. I love listening to people with the same beliefs as I do and hearing their stories and their perspectives on different things. It’s so eye-opening and inspiring.

Pray

Traditionally, people pray to God, but if you don’t believe in God, you can pray to whatever you believe in! Pray in a quiet place either out loud or in your head. Prayer is a great way to reflect on what you have as well as what you might need help with, and communicate those thoughts to the higher being you believe in. I know people who “pray” simply by asking the Universe for what they want! It really doesn’t have to be a big formal thing if you don’t want it to be.

Be grateful

Being aware of all the good things in your life and having gratitude for them is a great way to take care of yourself spiritually because it helps open your eyes to all that you have, which then lifts your spirits! Look around you at all that you have, big and little. You can even take it one step further and start writing in a gratitude journal. Even just sitting down to write one thing a day can help you see all that you have in your life.

Plant something and tend to it

It’s hard to match the fulfillment I have felt standing in my garden smelling the soil and eating fresh vegetables. There’s just something so unique about growing plants. Watching them grow really brings you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction! Sure, so does raising a kid, but unlike kids, plants don’t talk back.

Watch a sunrise or sunset

Want to feel connected to something bigger than yourself? It’s pretty much impossible not to feel that when you’re watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset. One of my friends recently shared that she’s been trying to catch the sunrise every morning and how it’s changed the way she starts her day. Now every time it’s clear enough to see the sunrise, I take a moment to really stand there and appreciate it. It’s such a simple thing to do for self-care, and it’s hard to describe why it makes me feel good, but it really helps me start my day with a feeling that I am not alone in the universe.

Sing

I’ve never been a great singer, and I don’t like singing in choirs or big groups, but singing hymns at church and at home is my one big exception. There’s so much power that can come from singing, especially when it’s about or directed towards a higher being. Song lyrics can be so emotional and heartfelt, and I love the feeling I get when I sing hymns. And again, if you don’t believe in God, the songs you sing to lift you up don’t have to be religious!

Being a mama is draining in all areas of our lives, and that definitely includes our spirits. Taking care of our spirituality can help guide us and help us find direction, meaning, and purpose in our lives. The times in my life when I’ve taken care of my spirit are the times in my life when I’ve been the strongest, even when hard things were happening around me. We need all the strength we can get in motherhood, no matter what we believe in.

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series
• Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Mental Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Finding Yourself
• Self-Care for Moms – Connection

The post Self-Care for Moms – Spirituality appeared first on Life With My Littles.

When we have kids, motherhood often becomes what we identify with. Our kids become our whole world, and it makes sense that our #1 roles are as mothers. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But after a while, we can begin to lose ourselves in all the diapers and crustless sandwiches. We don’t set aside time for our own interests or our own learning. Part of being a mom involves putting others’ needs before ours, and we get so good at it that after a while, we don’t even know what our own needs are anymore. Who you used to be before having kids might not be who you are now, and that’s okay.

Several times when I’ve asked what people want to read about on my blog, I’ve gotten responses related to not losing yourself in motherhood and how to feel fulfilled in areas outside of motherhood. It’s pretty common that once we become moms, the person we once were fades into the background (but she doesn’t disappear!).

So how do you find yourself? And why am I including that in my self-care series?

I think finding yourself involves getting to know yourself again. I think it means taking time for yourself and remembering that you’re more than a mom. Being a mom is amazing, but it’s okay to want to be more, too.

I also think that doing things outside of motherhood is self-care because it truly involves taking care of yourself as a person. It’s you focusing on you, and that’s the basis of self-care.

You might be thinking that you don’t have time to find yourself right now. You might have a needy baby or a whiny toddler. Maybe you have a few kids at home and just don’t feel like you can spend time on yourself until all your kids are in school, which might be years away.

I promise that you don’t have to wait to rediscover who you are. You don’t even necessarily have to have time apart from your kids. You can find yourself whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom or whatever kind of mom you identify with. You can do it!

I will say that finding yourself isn’t something that just happens. Finding yourself requires extra effort and you do have to consciously work at it.

So, are you ready to put in the work? Are you ready to find yourself? Yes? Awesome! Here are a few self-care ideas for finding yourself.

Self-Care Ideas for Finding Yourself

If you have any interest in something, try it

Always wanted to learn to watercolor? Buy some paints and brushes and try it out. You can learn lots of things from watching YouTube videos. Have a secret desire to grow your own food? Start with a small patio garden and go from there.

If you have even just a small interest in trying something, just do it. Read a book, watch a video, listen to a podcast, or take a class. You may have a hidden talent just waiting to be discovered! And even if you end up not liking something, you’ll have learned a little more about who you are and what you like!

Make a plan to work towards your dreams

Your dream can be anything you want it to be, but if you don’t actually take steps to achieve it, your dream will always just be a dream. If you want something, take steps towards making it happen! Even if your plan just has a few steps, sit down and write it out. You’ll have more clarity and know what you need to do to accomplish your dream.

Think about what you’re good at and what you’re bad at

Then work on both things! Work on improving your skill level in things you’re good at and try to get better at things you’re bad at. Of course, if the things you’re bad at aren’t things you enjoy, don’t do them. But if they’re things you’d like to improve on, practice!

Plan something for yourself without worrying if your kids will like it

Too often as moms we plan our days around our kids. We go to playgrounds and McDonald’s and kids’ movies. So plan something for yourself! Regardless of if your kids will be in tow, pick something that you’re going to enjoy. Go to an art or history museum, see a play or a concert, make yourself lunch that involves more than just crusts from your child’s sandwich. Even if they don’t like what you do or prepare, you will, and that’s what matters when you’re trying to take care of the woman who is more than a mother.

Say yes to things you want to do

Another thing we do as moms is say no to things because we have kids, even if it’s something we want to do. So start saying yes! If you want to go see a movie with your friends after your kids are in bed, do it! Find a babysitter if your spouse won’t be home to sit with them while they sleep. Stop finding reasons not to do things and start living your life outside of motherhood!

Get your kids interested in things you’re interested in

One of the things I’m proudest of is that my kids like things that I like. Being a mom hasn’t taken away my love of Harry Potter or dinosaurs, and I’ve transferred that love to my kids now! Who cares if the things you like aren’t necessarily “kid things.” Kids can like things you like, too, as long as they’re not inappropriate. You don’t have to put your interests on hold or in the closet just because you have kids!

The whole point of this self-care for moms series is to remind you and motivate you to take care of yourself as an individual. You have needs and dreams and interests, and it’s just as important to satisfy those things now as it was before you became a mother.

If you’ve lost yourself along the way, that’s okay. It happens to the best of us. But decide today to start taking back what you’ve lost. Decide to find yourself again. Find joy, find fulfillment, find out who you are right now, and enjoy being that person! You’re amazing, mamas!

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series
• Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Mental Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Spirituality
• Self-Care for Moms – Connection

The post Self-Care for Moms – Finding Yourself appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I’d like to argue that mental health is the most important part of self-care for moms.

We can take care of our bodies and feel like we have things going on outside of motherhood, have mom friends and feel spiritually fed, but if we aren’t taking care of our mental health, none of that is going to make a difference.

When we feel stressed or anxious or depressed or overwhelmed or hopeless, even if it’s just for a little bit, it impacts our ability to function and impacts the people around us.

We aren’t supposed to be stressed or sad or down all the time. Sure, it’s normal to have a bad day, but if you’re having bad days every day, something might be wrong!

Mental health can get in the way of doing everyday activities. It can prevent you from feeling up to getting out of bed, packing lunches, doing laundry, running errands, visiting with friends, and playing with your kids. That can be a problem!

Just like any other part of our bodies, our minds can get sick. It doesn’t mean you’re being punished or you did something wrong, it’s not a weakness, and it’s not your fault. Mental illness can happen to anyone.

One of the most important things to remember is that it’s okay to ask for help. In fact, sometimes things won’t get better unless you do. Mental illnesses also affect moms long after the postpartum period has ended. So don’t feel like just because you didn’t have a baby recently you can’t ask for help. You can.

I know it’s hard for moms to seek out mental health care. It took me months to finally go to the doctor for my PMDD. But one more day of suffering is one more day of suffering, and if you put it off, you’ll just keep suffering and feeling pain! The hardest part of getting help is taking the first step, whether that’s telling someone how you feel, scheduling an appointment for yourself, or even acknowledging that something isn’t right.

The only way things are going to get easier is to open up and talk about them. And not only can opening up help you, but it can also help others who are dealing with the same things.

Now I know that not everybody suffers from mental illness. And even if you don’t struggle with depression or anxiety or any mental illness that can be diagnosed, it’s still important to take care of your mental health!

And regardless of whether or not you have a mental illness, there are things you can (and should!) do to help you stay on top of your mental health.

Self-Care for Moms: Ideas for Better Mental Health

Take time to breathe, reflect, and sit still

This one is definitely harder said than done when you’re a mom, but it’s important. Sometimes we’re going so fast all day long that we forget to be still. It can help you feel more calm (obviously) and present.

Find an outlet

There are several things that could help you release any tension or stress you feel. It might be meditation (the Motherhood Unstressed podcast is a great tool for this!), doing something creative like painting or knitting, reading (fiction or non-fiction!), or journaling (the Dive Thru app is a really cool journaling app that gives you guided journaling exercises to help you take charge of your mental wellbeing-even after one session I felt more clarity and direction!).

Acknowledge your feelings

It might be hard, but you have to acknowledge the feelings that you’re having, good or bad. You’re allowed to have all feelings, and you shouldn’t feel bad or ashamed or deny the feelings you have just because they aren’t “good” feelings. Acknowledge your feelings, feel them, and if you can, move on. If you can’t, do more of these ideas!

Talk about how you feel

Once you’ve acknowledged your feelings and maybe even written them down, you need to talk about them. It might be with a friend, your spouse, a parent, a therapist, a doctor, or even someone anonymous. Saying the words out loud is harder than writing them down, but it can help you start to heal. And chances are, you’re not the only one feeling those things, either!

Read or display affirmations

And I don’t just mean things like “you’re beautiful” and “you are loved,” which are great, and you should definitely read those, too. But I think there are better affirmations to help your mental health. Things like “you can do this,” “this will pass,” “they’ll grow out of it,” “no one has it all together,” “don’t compare yourself,” and “I can do this.” Say one of those to yourself when your feeling like a hot mess and it might help you feel more grounded and like you have a handle on things!

Take a break from screens

I love me some screen time (Disney+ is my FAVE), but it can really help clear your mind and help you refocus on what’s important when you take a break from screens. Try disconnecting one day a week and see how it can help your mental health. I stay off of social media every Sunday and it’s honestly refreshing! If my business wasn’t done primarily on social media, I would probably do it more often! It helps me be present and connect with my family and friends more (which is of course good for your mental health!).

Find a way to keep track of your thoughts and ideas

One thing I struggle with is feeling like I’m going to forget ideas that I have. It might be groceries I need to get, ideas for blog posts or my kids’ birthday parties, or something I want to do for a friend. I usually get these ideas at night and lay in bed for hours feeling anxious trying to keep all my thoughts straight. Something that helps me (a lot) is writing these late-night ideas in the reminders section of my phone. You may want to do something similar, or use a notebook or planner to keep track of things. Mamas are BUSY and have so much to manage, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel anxious when you feel like you’re going to forget to do all the things you have to do!

Treat it

Sometimes doing these things isn’t enough. Sometimes, it’s not just a bout of sadness or a single panic attack. Sometimes, you need to treat your mental health. And when it comes to that, you can try natural remedies, therapy, or medication. Sometimes a combination of these things is what you might need. Everyone is different, so treatment looks different for everyone. And if you can’t afford therapy (because it is dang expensive), or you just want to do it from home, check out the app Bloom. It combines interactive video sessions with guided CBT journaling exercises to give users a new and affordable way to therapy and improve their mental well-being (even if you don’t have a mental illness, it’s great!).

Have a plan in place

Make a plan before things get bad, before you feel like you’re going to breakdown and lose it. Pick something you can do when you feel like things are getting too dark so when you get to that point, you’re not lost at what to do. It might be to call your mom or best friend, get outside for even just a few minutes to breathe, sit in your car and close your eyes, or go buy your favorite Starbucks drink and drive around for a while. Deciding beforehand what you’re going to do when you’re about to crack will make it easier when the time comes to do something positive instead of negative.

Whether you suffer from a mental illness or not, it’s important to take care of your mental health. Mamas, we need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of the people around us, and that absolutely includes taking care of our mental health. Fortunately, people are talking more about mental health these days, but there’s still so much more we can do. When we’re open and we share our struggles and successes, we can help not only ourselves, but others struggling with their own mental health, too.

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series
• Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series
• Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Finding Yourself
• Self-Care for Moms – Spirituality
• Self-Care for Moms – Connection

The post Self-Care for Moms – Mental Health appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Hey mamas! I’m so thrilled to kick off my self-care for moms series today with a post all about taking care of your physical health!

When I sat down and broke self-care down into five parts, the first one I wrote down was physical health.

Physical health is an important part of self-care for moms because it’s so critical to our overall well-being. If our bodies aren’t healthy and functioning at their best, we can’t take care of everything on our plates.

As moms we spend so much time taking care of everyone around us, but sometimes we neglect to take care of ourselves, especially our physical health. We make excuses that we don’t have time or we’re “too busy” or we have other priorities, but if our bodies aren’t healthy, we can’t do any of those things anyway!

I have a few self-care tips for physical health that I want to share today that are simple, but when implemented, can really make a big difference in your ability to function at your best. And yes, I know that some of these seem like “duh, of course that keeps you healthy,” but honestly, sometimes we just need to be reminded to do them!

Self-Care for Moms: Tips to Help you Keep Up on Your Physical Health

Go to the doctor

There are several appointments that we should be keeping up on in order to help our bodies function at their best. Think for a minute when the last time you had a physical was? What about a pap smear (unpleasant, but important)? When did you go to the dentist last or get an eye exam? Do you even remember?

It’s easy to schedule appointments for your kids, but so hard to schedule them for yourself because they often involve finding someone to watch your kids while you go. But if we don’t go to the doctor and make sure our bodies are functioning at their best, we may find out later on that something’s wrong and it might be too late to take care of it.

Along with this, keeping track of your medical appointments is important. Mommy brain is so real, and unless you write it down in a specific place, you probably aren’t going to remember when the last time you had all these things done was. So make a note in your phone, take a page in your planner, or draw a chart in your journal and use it to track appointments so you won’t get behind.

And if you can’t schedule out appointments months in advance, a good way to remember to schedule them is to put a sticky note in your planner or make a reminder on your phone when you need to schedule them. I use sticky notes and it always works for me!

Be aware of what you eat

Eating foods that are good for you is also important for your physical health and self-care because it can impact not only your energy level, but also how you feel. I’m not going to say to go on a diet or cut out sweets or anything, but just make smart choices, get the right nutrition, and listen to your body.

Get enough sleep

Are moms ever not tired? The jury’s still out on this one, but I know that when I get a good night’s sleep, I’m able to function so much better the next day. Obviously some stages of motherhood make it hard to get enough sleep (the baby stage, in particular!), but if you make an effort to go to bed at a certain time every night or wake up at a certain time in the morning, you’ll feel a difference!

Drink more water

It feels dumb to add this to the list, but drinking more water than soda or coffee is probably something we should aim for! Water helps your skin, energizes your muscles, keeps your organs functioning properly, help you feel more full (source), and prevents dehydration!

Exercise

Again, obviously this is going to improve your physical health, but have you ever thought of it as self-care? I have gone through periods in my life where I’ve exercised regularly and when exercise was non-existent, and guess when I felt better? Duh, when I’m exercising regularly! It not only helps me feel physically good, but also helps me clear my mind, take a break, and do something that’s 100% for myself.

I also recognize that exercise is hard if you aren’t already in a routine. The key to enjoying exercise is to find something you love to do or something you’re good at and do that. It might still be hard (I run 3x a week and it’s hard every time), but I guarantee you’ll feel good after it’s over! It might be pilates, yoga, cross fit, spin class, or even jazzercise, but whatever it is, figure it out and go for it!

Get ready for the day

Make sure you shower, get yourself ready (at least brush your teeth!), and do whatever you need to to feel “ready” for the day. For some this might include a whole makeup and hair routine, and for others, it might include dry shampoo and a top knot. Either way, just do you.

When you get yourself ready for the day, you’re not only taking care of yourself physically, but mentally prepping yourself for the day ahead. Shower (either before your kids wake up or after they go to bed), wash your face, brush your teeth, and get dressed (even if it’s just switching from your pajama leggings to your day leggings). It’s a small thing that can have a big impact.

Now you might be reading these six tips and be thinking that this post was not helpful, you already knew all of this information, and that it seems like a waste of time for me to type all of this out and for you to read it.

Sure, these things are all obvious things you can do (and should be doing). We get told to exercise and eat healthy every time we turn on the TV. But honestly, how many of these things are you doing? Are you really taking care of yourself physically? Have you gotten a physical in the last year? Been to the dentist? When was the last time you drank eight 8-oz glasses of water in a day? How often do you eat vegetables (my personal failure!)?

Yeah, it’s kind of silly that I wrote all these out, but these five things are the basics of physical self-care, and making sure we are taking care of our physical health is important even if you “seem healthy.”

So pick one of these things and work on it for a week. Don’t try and do them all at once, and don’t feel like you’re a failure if you’re not doing any of these things. Give yourself grace, recognize that we all have things we’re good at and things we need to work on, and decide to make a change! Prioritizing your physical health is an important part of self-care for moms!

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series
• Self-Care for Moms – Mental Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Finding Yourself
• Self-Care for Moms – Spirituality
• Self-Care for Moms – Connection

The post Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Any time I ask my fellow mamas on Instagram what kinds of posts they want to see or what things they need help with, self-care is always one of most requested topics.

Last year when I wrote my “New Year, New Mama” series, self-care was one of the topics that people wanted to see, and while I touched on it, it was just a brief mention in a bigger post.

I’ve been blogging for six and a half years, and I’ve never written a post about self-care. Why?

I truly believe that taking care of yourself is important, especially as a mama. The reason I’ve never written about it before is because it’s such a big topic; I didn’t know how to do it justice!

Over the last two months, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to think of everything that self-care covers. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s going to take more than one post to cover everything I want to say–six actually.

For the next few weeks, I’m going to be breaking down self-care into five parts: physical health, mental health, finding yourself, spirituality, and connection. There are so many parts of us to take care of that I want to really dive in deep and go through them!

One of the things I really feel passionate about is helping mamas enjoy their lives, and if we’re not taking care of ourselves, it’s hard to feel happy and fulfilled! This self-care series is really meant to help you figure out how to take care of yourself so you can feel like you’re at your best.

I do want to mention a few things before we start talking about everything self-care.

First, if you want to make a plan for yourself and work on improving your own self-care, start with one thing at a time. If you try and do everything at once, you’ll be overwhelmed and discouraged and possibly even give up. We definitely don’t want that!

Second, give yourself grace. You don’t need to strive for perfection because we can’t achieve perfection in this life. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, because we all come from different backgrounds and have different trials, strengths, and weaknesses.

Last, self-care is not optional. It’s not something you “should” be doing or something that only some people do. Self-care is something you have to do. You can’t drive a car on empty with low oil and flat tires, and you can’t function at your best when you don’t take care of your own empty tank, low oil, and flat tires, either.

My goal with this series is to encourage every mama to recognize how simple self-care can be and to make it a part of their everyday lives. When we take care of ourselves in all the ways we need to, we’ll be ready to take on the good, the bad, and the oh-my-goodness-don’t-put-my-keys-in-the-toilet days.

You’ve got this, Mama! It’s time to focus on you!

Check out the other posts in the Self-Care for Moms series:

• Self-Care for Moms – Physical Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Mental Health
• Self-Care for Moms – Finding Yourself
• Self-Care for Moms – Spirituality
• Self-Care for Moms – Connection

The post Self-Care for Moms – A Six-Part Series appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Being a mom is a full time job. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No days off, no sick days, and oh yeah, you don’t get paid.

It’s wonderful, but it’s also hard. And if you don’t take time for yourself, you can get burned out pretty quick.

Self-care and taking time for yourself are two of the most important things you can do to avoid motherhood burnout. But unfortunately, they’re hard, too.

Another one of the things moms told me they struggle with in my Instagram survey was taking time for themselves. Moms reported having a hard time finding time for themselves, taking care of themselves, and feeling guilty about the fact that they’re taking time for themselves. Does that sound fair to you?

Oftentimes when we become mothers, we put our goals or dreams on hold for something better. Our children are incredible, wonderful blessings, and it’s a gift to be able to raise them. They fill us up and bring us joy and happiness like we’ve never felt before. But they don’t have to be the only things that fill us up. We are more than just mothers.

Becoming a mother doesn’t mean you have to give up on yourself. You don’t have to stop dreaming about writing a novel or becoming a great painter or getting your degree. You can still find time to take time for yourself and not feel guilty about it.

First of all, let’s tackle the guilt part.

I already wrote a whole post about not feeling mom guilt in this series, and I want to reiterate something. Mom guilt comes from an impossible standard that you have made up in your head from everything you “think” a mom should be. So if the thing you’re feeling guilty about is taking time for yourself, I think the reason is probably because one quality moms are “supposed” to have is selflessness.

But who says that being selfless means you can’t take time for yourself? Who says you have to give everything you have to your family? You can’t give them the best you unless you are taking care of yourself and are happy yourself, right? You can’t fill everyone else’s cups up if your cup is empty.

The guilt you feel is all in your head. You aren’t doing anything wrong when you take time for yourself, and therefore you have no reason to feel guilt other than for failing to meet some made up standard you created in your head. It’s best for everyone if you take time for yourself and you continue to improve yourself and do things you love outside of motherhood, because that, too, will fill you up and make you happier and able to give more of yourself to your family.

Make sense? Good. Let it sink in before you move on because the next part is important, too.

I did a lot of thinking about this topic, because I know it’s one that a lot of mamas struggle with. I thought about what it means to “take time for yourself” and how I could help you figure out how to do it. I’ve decided that taking time for yourself can be divided up into three categories: taking time for your passions, taking time for your dreams, and taking time for self-care. Now you don’t have to do something from each category every single day, but I do think it’s important to do at least one thing for yourself every day.

Taking time for your passions means taking time to do things you love. It might be watercolor painting, it might be cake decorating, it might be pilates, or it might be fixing up old furniture. We all have things we love, and finding time to do them helps us feel more fulfilled and remember that we are more than just moms. And if it’s been so long that you don’t even know what you’re passionate about anymore, try a few different things. You might not be very good at something, but if you like it, keep practicing and don’t give up.

Taking time for your dreams means taking time to do things you want to do. Your goals, your hopes, your aspirations. You don’t have to give up on these just because you have kids. You might go back to school and get or finish your degree. You might apply to be a monthly contributor for a journal or blog. You might start training for a marathon or American Ninja Warrior. You have dreams, whether you admit them out loud or not. It took me over a year to admit to myself that I wanted to write a book, and it took a lot of work, but I did, and it’s one of my proudest accomplishments and something that brought me great joy. You have dreams. You have goals and things you want to do. Sit down, break them into steps, and start working on them. Even if they take a long time, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up on them.

Taking time for self-care means taking time to unwind. Self-care looks different for everyone. For some it might be running, others it might be binge-watching Netflix. You might love reading or taking bubble baths or getting your nails done. You might relax by reading trashy celebrity gossip magazines or keeping up with the Kardashians. Just figure out what helps you relax and take your mind off of things and make sure you do those things more often. A relaxed mama is a happy mama.

“But Chelsea, I don’t have time!” you whine. Shut your beautiful mouth, Mama. You can find time. You can find time in the morning before your kids wake up, you can find time during nap time or while your kids are at school, or you can find time after your kids or husband go to bed. And if you really feel like your day is jam-packed, you or your husband are always working, and none of these times will work for you, I 100% support getting a babysitter and getting out of the house for a few hours by yourself. Don’t feel guilty about it, because it will make things a lot happier at home.

Taking time for yourself is one of the most important things you can do for yourself (obviously) and your family. It helps you feel more fulfilled, helps you remember that you are more than just a mom, and gives you more to look forward to than just bedtime each day.

Find a little bit of time every single day to do something for yourself. It can be something small, it can be something big, but I promise that taking time for yourself can change how you see yourself and bring your life more joy.

You’ve got this, Mama!

P.S. The goal worksheet in the photo above is from The Alison Show‘s incredible newsletter she sends out each week (sign up here)

Check out the rest of the New Year, New Mama series here:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Taking Time For Yourself appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Before my son was born, I made the decision that I was going to breastfeed. I knew it was what was best for him, and I wanted to give him the best start I could. I originally planned on breastfeeding him until he was at least one-year-old, but in the end, I only breastfed him until he was eight-months-old. I just wasn’t making enough milk, and when we started supplementing with formula, he just sort of weaned himself off.

With my daughter, I wanted to try and breastfeed her to a year, too. But between her checkups at four and six months, we found out she just wasn’t gaining enough weight. We decided to supplement with formula so she would grow, and then after she figured out the bottle, she refused to breastfeed anymore.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that right now there is a huge push to normalize breastfeeding and to make sure every woman knows that breastfeeding is the best way to feed your baby. I feel like some women get pressured into breastfeeding, and then when it’s not all sunshine and butterflies, they feel super guilty and like they are doing something wrong. Yes, we should support women who breastfeed, but shouldn’t we be supporting women who don’t, too?

Some women, for a variety of reasons, just can’t breastfeed. Some women don’t make enough milk, some women suffer through a lot of physical pain trying to breastfeed their baby,  some babies end up being intolerant of their mother’s milk because of food allergies, and some women work and pumping is just too much for them (which I’m with you, pumping is the worst). THAT IS OKAY.

It’s okay to stop breastfeeding.

I have had multiple friends tell me that they felt extremely pressured to continue breastfeeding even though it was incredibly difficult and painful for them. It can be frustrating and emotional when your baby doesn’t want to breastfeed. And if your baby isn’t getting enough to eat from you, it might be too much of a stress to try and do every possible thing to try to increase your milk supply. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work. And you shouldn’t feel bad about that.

If your baby screams and screams every time you try to breastfeed him, don’t feel like you are a bad mother for stopping and switching to formula. It’s okay to stop breastfeeding.

If you have been breastfeeding for a few weeks and it still hurts after trying different positions and using multiple tubes of lanolin, it’s okay to stop breastfeeding.

You are definitely not a wimp for quitting breastfeeding. On the contrary, I think it takes someone very strong to realize what is best for them and their baby.

I know that some people are completely against formula, and I know that I probably will get people telling me I’m wrong for writing this. But someone has to say it. Yes, I am going to try and breastfeed my children as long as possible, but if something is wrong or if it’s not going the way it needs to, it’s okay to switch to formula. What’s not okay is looking down on people who give their babies formula. We have no right to judge other women for their mothering decisions.

Formula has been used for a long time and a lot of people have been solely formula-fed. In the 40s and 50s babies were primarily formula-fed, and they accomplished a lot and grew up to do a lot of pretty awesome things. Formula feeding your baby is not going to limit their potential, I promise.

I used to feel like I had to explain to people why I stopped breastfeeding my babies before they were one-year-old. I don’t anymore. Because it’s okay to stop breastfeeding. Formula exists for a reason, and it’s made so babies can still get the nutrients they need. Yes, there are benefits to both, and people might still give you the evil eye for pulling a bottle of formula out of your bag.

But guess what? They don’t know you, and it’s your decision.

The post It’s Okay to Stop Breastfeeding appeared first on Life With My Littles.