Adventures in Parenting

Have you ever had one of those days where you could barely squeeze in 5 minutes to use the bathroom?

At one time I had my 3 little ones in diapers, it’s a wonder my bladder didn’t explode! Or I could’ve used a diaper myself. 🙂

As a busy parent, we hardly have a moment to ourselves.

While parenting our children is undoubtedly the most rewarding job in the world, the joy can be robbed if we are overworked.

We cannot be at our best as a parent if we are short on energy and short on our temper.

Here are 3 Signs that you need a break:

1. You want to scream, cry, and throw something across the room all at the same time.

2. You want to gorge 10 pounds of chocolate at one sitting.

3. You want to curl up in a fetal position.

Don’t let yourself get to that breaking point!

The ideal situation would be to get a babysitter for 2 hours and have that time to yourself. However, we all know it is unrealistic to have that luxury everyday.

However, we can be creative in carving out some moments where we can give ourselves a quick lift. It will make all the difference.

I’ve found these 10 ways to rejuvenate my energy in the midst of a busy day. These work even with the kids around:

1. Get some fresh air. I know it can be an effort to get out of the house, but believe me, it is worth the effort. Pack the kids up in a stroller, take a snack and juice for them, and go outside for a short walk. Breathe deeply! Look up at the sky, enjoy the beauty of the day. Take a camera with you and take pictures of flowers or a butterfly. Have your children collect pebbles, leaves and flowers. That keeps them well-occupied. I love looking at the houses in my neighborhood while getting landscape ideas and criticizing weird choice of paint colors! Occasionally I’d find a neighbor to chat with. Going outside gives you a freshness in your day.

2. Make yourself a hot cup of spice tea. Sit down and drink it slowly. Sometimes I put a warm towel over your eyes for one minute.

3. Start making plans to do something for yourself. Call the babysitter, make a hair appointment, schedule a lunch with a friend. Having something to look forward to will lift your spirits.

4. Do jumping jacks or jump rope with the kids. A little exercise to get the blood flowing will actually give you more energy than sitting down. I have a very old Jane Fonda aerobics tape that I follow once in a while with my children jumping around along with me.

5. If you can’t get away to take a shower, the next best thing is wash your face. I like to splash my face with nice warm water for several minutes and scrub with a moisturizing cleaner. Once in a while, I’ll apply a mask. The laughter of the children at the way you look with a mask on is an added benefit! After that, put on fresh make-up, even if you’re not going anywhere. You’ll feel more alive when you look good in the mirror.

6. Call a friend to chat.

7. Turn on the radio to your favorite station. I like listening to talk shows to engage myself in the outside world. Music that promotes a calm atmosphere is good too.

8. Read a joke book or read jokes from a joke website – there are so many good clean jokes on the internet. Make sure you laugh out loud

9. Get food delivered. I generally prefer my own home-cooked meals, but some days, I don’t need the stress of having to cook. It’s also relaxing to eat out of the box so there are no dishes to wash.

10. This is the most important one – when your children take a nap, make sure you use that time to clean the house do something for yourself – take a shower, read a book, take a nap!

Photos by Rob Qld and adactio