Continue reading]]> This is me on the treadmill at the gym! For month 5 of my own personal parenting plan, I have been working on going to the gym 3 times per week so that I have more energy to be present for my kids and more energy to hang out and spend time with them. I did go to the gym 3 times this week, yahoo! I am pregnant and in my first trimester, so maybe that’s why I’m feeling so tired, but this week went pretty well. I found myself being more patient with the kids and yesterday we played games together and the day before that we made cookies together, which was really fun.  Every day is a bit of a challenge (energy wise) but I’m trying really hard to do what I can to make that better and trying not to make excuses.

Also, for now I am going to take a break from posting about my parenting plan weekly because I would like to have time to post more about my pregnancy.  Since this will be my last pregnancy, I want to document what it’s been like for me and since this will be a new experience (having a midwife and not an OB), I am excited to share with you what I am going through.  I will probably go to posting about the parenting plan monthly or so and then continue back up with it after the baby is born maybe.

Continue reading]]> Hey there!  It’s a great day here where I live.  We just had a snow storm come through and clear out the nasty nasty air we had been having for the last few weeks.  I can breathe again!

Well, as you know, each month I have been working on a new parenting goal to help me become a better Mom. I call it my parenting plan and I am working on my 5th month and my 20th week.  I post about my experiences each week.  I’ve had some successes and some failures.

I had kind of slacked off for a few years while I was going through some major health issues and then later working full time and I got into some pretty bad parenting habits.  I want to be better at what I consider the most important job on earth (and sometimes the most challenging job on earth).

This month I am working on getting healthy and getting my blood moving so I actually have energy to hang out and be present with my kids.  I am working on going to the gym 3 times a week.  I confess, I only went 2 times last week.  I don’t like making excuses, because they are pointless, but I had some good ones and some bad ones too (laziness).  I will be better this week and just got back from the gym a few minutes ago.  I feel  so much better when I make the effort to go, but it’s oh so hard to get myself dressed and out of the house so early in the morning.

I have found that going to the gym consistently for a couple months now has really changed my energy level (even though I’m in my first trimester of pregnancy – which is known for pretty severe fatigue).  I have found I don’t need naps as often, which means I can get more done around the house, which means I am less stressed, which means I can give more of myself to my kids and let go and have fun.  Win Win Win.

Continue reading]]> I can’t believe we are on month 5 of the parenting plan already and so far I feel like I have made so much progress if I look back to the first month.  Baby steps are so much easier for me and I have tried to set attainable goals for myself that I can actually accomplish without too much effort.  I’m a busy Mom of 3 (and one on the way) and I don’t have a lot of spare time, so I need something that is going to be quick, easy, and effective.

This month I am working on getting my body in shape so I will have more energy to be “present” and attentive with my kids.  Last week was pretty much an epic fail, mostly because of the pregnancy and those pregnancy hormones running amuck in my body.  I have been tired and restless, but this week I’ve been able to sleep which has been a much needed reprieve.

This week I am feeling better.  I’m glad I kept up with going to the gym and doing the treadmill for an hour 3 times a week.  I have had more energy and have been more patient and conscious when around my kids.  I didn’t even yell or get mad when my daughter dropped a glass of hot chocolate on the kitchen floor and broke my favorite mug.  Now, that’s restraint!

Anyway, I hope this kind of inspires you to keep going on your own goals.  There will be some good days and bad days.  That’s normal right?  Please post a comment if you have a goal you would like to share and how you’ve accomplished it.

Continue reading]]> Well, for my parenting plan, this month I’m working on going to the gym 3 or more times a week so I can have more energy to spend some extra quality time with my kids.  It’s a New Year’s Resolution of sorts.  Last week I went to the gym 4 times.  I haven’t found that I have had more energy though.  Maybe it will take more time and patience is not a virtue I was blessed with.

I had a rough day yesterday, I was really tired and grumpy.  I have found my kids don’t care.  They will crawl in bed with me or jump on the couch next to where I’m sitting and just want to talk, even on (my) bad days.  That’s why I love them so much because they are so forgiving.  I have such a long way to go to becoming better and I’m constantly aware of that.  I do feel better when I’m trying.  Not every week of this parenting plan has been a success for me and I’m sure there will be many in the future that bomb big time, but I’d like to keep trying despite failures and look forward to successes.  I’m going to keep up with this and I will let you know how it goes next week!

Please post a comment if you have any suggestions for me!

Continue reading]]> I took it upon myself to have a social media and blogging break while my kids were out of school for Christmas break.  It was wonderful and I feel more centered, but it’s also good to be back as I love writing about my experiences as a Mom and I love to keep trying to get better.  While we’re talking about getting better, it is the time of year where we think about resolutions and goals and how we would like to improve.

I have 2 resolutions for 2013. 

1. To exercise 3 times per week or more (at the gym where I just purchased a membership).  This provides me with an hour of undisturbed time to myself where I can zone out and watch the news on TV with no distractions.  I love it!  It’s my favorite time of the day.  The gym I go to is only $10 a month and no contract.  I can handle that!  I plan to go after I drop them off at school in the morning.

2. To spend more quality time with the kids.  I am around my kids a lot but I spend very little time doing fun things with them.  I would like to be more involved in their lives instead of just passing by each day.  We love to do things as a family and I would like to continue that.

I try to keep it simple and attainable with an action plan so that I can actually succeed at it instead of failing miserably at week one and before I’ve really started.  I have found that making a habit of my goals is what helps me to accomplish them.  I am by far no wear near perfect at it, but it does help to make a habit out of doing good things.  Don’t you agree?

I will work on the gym this month for my parenting plan, because I firmly believe that exercise will give me more energy so I can spend that quality time with the kids.  It gets my heart pumping and my blood flowing and all processes in my body (including my brain) just work better.  Have you noticed this too?  It does wonders for depression as well.

What are your resolutions?  If you would like to read a fantastic article about how to set and accomplish resolutions effectively, this one is a life changer! Click here for the article on establishing effective habits.  I hope this parenting plan is helping you a little bit.