Mommyhood

I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed lately. Between Mia, painting our bedroom, keeping the house clean, making 3 meals a day, and every other little thing that comes up in my day to day life I just have not been able to hack it. I have discovered that at a certain point something has to give. This blog for one has been put on the back burner. Also, I have been trying to let go of my need for my house to be spotless. I am pretty bad about that. I tell people my house is too messy for guests sometimes if there is a breakfast bowl on the counter and the base boards haven't been wiped down. My new goal is to let go a little bit. This has been really hard for me. It is important though. I am the type of person that wants to be the best at everything. I don't want to be good at something I want to be the best. Lately, due to my desire to excel and to fall short of perfection, I have been very moody. If you are my Facebook friend you may have seen this.
 I know that I am not the only one that feels this way. I know that other moms even if they don't have the desire to be "The Best Mom" beat themselves up for not making every day Pinterest worthy. Here are a few tips that are making my days a little bit easier:

• Limiting my time on the computer. Spending less time on Facebook has made me relax. I have been in the kind of mood lately that makes me want to delete my account. I am just tired of the things that people find news worthy. Limiting my time on helps to relieve that.
• 2 minute rule. Anything that will take me less than 2 minutes I do. That means folding the throw blanket on the back of the couch and straightening up the magazines before I leave the room. It has helped me to feel a little less overwhelmed when I walk into a room.
• Exercise. I can't stress this enough. I had a mini breakdown last week and I think that a contributing factor was that I hadn't exercised in a few days. I need that physical activity pretty much everyday to release a little stress.
• Make time for me. I went to see 2 movies in the last week! Amazing (I saw Les Miserables and Silver Linings Play Book in case you were wondering). It doesn't have to be something that big, but getting out for a run is nice or on my husbands days off I try to get out and do something alone, even if it is just going to Jo Anns.
• Meal Planning. This is my savior. I make a meal plan every week before I go to the grocery store. That way I have everything I need for every meal I want to make that week. It saves me multiple trips to the store and it gives me a reference when it is Wednesday at 3 and I can't figure out what to make. "Oh! It's on the list." I recently read something that said you should never go to bed without knowing whats for dinner the next night. 

Anyways, I hope these tips help you. Sometimes we just need the reminder that we can't do it all. At times we need to just play with our kids and spend quality time with the ones we love. That is when we are the most happy. Not when our house is clean or when everything is perfect.