finding the “me” in mommy

This guest post was written by Denise Hart, aka The Motivation Mama!

“Hello son. Hello daughter. I know that I’m your mother, but can I please remind you that I’m also me.”

Okay, I know we can’t really say that to our kids because it sounds a little too much like a Step-Ford-Wife, but I’m sure you get my drift. Sometimes us moms feel like doing a little whining of our own, ya know? Because some days it feels like we’re putting EVERYTHING into our kids and if that’s true, than when do we feed our own souls assuring that what we pour into our kids is the right quality? Not good quality, but right quality. The difference is that good quality can apply to any family, but the right quality is specific to the quality of development, learning and transformation you desire to example to your children.

To often mom’s lose themselves when they get into mommy/mother/wife mode. And most of the time neither son/daughter nor husband is going to pull them up and say hey, don’t forget about you. So who does that leave it up to? Well, yes, you’re right: You!

I’ve been an attentive, loving mother for 16 years and one thing I’ve learned the hard way is to be mindful of (gasp) self care. But, honestly you have to take care of you if there’s going to be any real degree of controlled chaos in your household.

Over the next several weeks I’ll be offering my insights, solutions and self care tips to help mom’s maintain their motivation mojo.

Ponder- Think about what you want and where you are. What’s the reality of your situation? If you have 2 children and you and your husband both work outside the home than you’re going to need to be patient and creative with the expectations of yourself, your family and what you want to achieve. Practice the reality check, acceptance and future planning.

Prioritize – Make yourself a priority. Talk about your desires (of course not incessantly) but when it’s naturally reasonable. For example, depending on how old your child is you can make it into a fun conversation: Mommy’s so excited that she’ll be working on writing her book for 30 minutes. High five to mommy for going after her dreams!” Practice speaking and thinking of your self as separate from yet inter-connected with your children and husband.

The bottom line is that staying motivated can be a real challenge, but moms have to get in the drivers seat on this. Your kids won’t naturally identify you as having a life separate from them. So, that leaves the responsibility on your shoulders to create the kind of environment that shows your family that when mommy practices great self care the family gets the benefit of right quality results!

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Denise Hart, aka The Motivation Mama! is a mom to her now very tall 16 year old son and runs 3 businesses in addition to being a tenured College Professor. Her specialty is coaching Mompreneurs, Solopreneurs and women to Create, Transform & Thrive in their lives and their business!  Visit Denise’s blog, Solutions from The Motivation Mama! at www.motivationmama.com.

Other Posts by Bizzie Guest Bloggers:

• 5 affirmations to boost you when business isn’t booming