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.

Continue reading]]> Well this is the last week in month 4 of my parenting plan. I’ve been working on listening to my kids more and the results have been absolutely incredible. There have been a couple times I failed and I had to apologize and ask my kids to repeat themselves because I was tuning them out.  That’s not an excuse for me to tune them out, it’s just breaking a bad habit takes some time to master.  Overall, though I have been very pleased with the results and even after only a few months time, my kids seem happier and more secure.  And I’m happier and more secure as a Mom.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s really amazing to me how clearly I can see results each week and how I just have a desire to change and be better and it’s pretty easy for me to follow through with.  It must be by some pretty powerful fairy magic that good changes happen in our family.  Thanks good fairy!

Look closely, you might see the good fairy in the background :).

Continue reading]]> This week has been a really good week and while it has been very stressful and filled with many activities, I have been able to stick to my goal of being more patient with my kids.  I’m really surprised by how easy it has been and how much I have learned and improved in just a few short weeks and without trying that hard honestly.  I feel like i have been blessed on many levels because I have done this.  Most of all, my girls have a much better relationship now.  I have noticed them being patient with each other and enjoying being together again.  It’s amazing how much a Mom’s influence affects her children.  What a great responsibility we have!  Please comment on what you are doing to improve as a mother, I’d love to hear from you.

Disclaimer: **All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

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Well, week 3 of the parenting plan went smashingly!  I find that the first and second weeks are the hardest and then after that, the better qualities that I’m working toward become habits and they become much easier to accomplish.

I am feeling a lot more patient and less stressed out too.  I have some health problems that interfere with my energy and a lot of the time my energy is like a roller coaster.  I have a lot sometimes and none the other times.  However, I felt as I was more patient and calm it reflected in my health and the energy I have.  This month I’ve had a lot of energy and have felt really fantastic.  I don’t know if it’s because of the Parenting Plan goals I’ve been doing, or just a fluke, but I’ll take it!

Another bonus is my kids are more patient with EACH OTHER.  I haven’t seen much bickering between them this week.  It’s been a big blessing in our home!  Our girls are enjoying each other again instead of butting heads or arguing.

If you are working on becoming better or are doing a parenting plan, please comment and let us know what you’re up to!

Disclaimer **All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

Continue reading]]> School started this last week for my kids.  All 3 are going to school this year with the youngest being in half-day kindergarten at a local charter school.  I love watching the kids grow up and achieve great things and become leaders and scholars in their respective classes.  However, I always get a little emotional when I drop them off at school on that first day.  I miss them so much when they are away at school!  I think the separation is healthy for us as when the children come home from school, we are all elated to see each other again.

This week has been literally life changing for me.  I read this book called The Myth of Stress.  I almost didn’t buy it because the price tag was relatively expensive, but I’m so glad I did.  Reading this book has helped me in numerous areas in my life, not just with stress, but also in my relationships and defining what is important.

I think this week of the parenting plan was probably the most successful yet (this month I’m trying to not yell and not act annoyed when my children ask me things).  I have been a much calmer Mom as I have tried to control my temper and my actions.  I feel so much better about myself and my relationship with my kids this week. I have tried really really hard not to raise my voice, be too busy to talk to my kids, or feel annoyed with barrages of questions that kids sometimes have.

I think my kids feel more loved and listened to and I feel more patient.  Our home had a different feel about it this week and I like it alot!  I am enjoying participating in this parenting plan and sharing my experiences with you.  Please comment if you have any similar experiences or advice.

**All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

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Sometimes my kids make faces at me like this one because to be honest, well, let’s face it, I have a house to clean, errands to run, dinner to make, laundry to fold, kids to raise, volunteer hours to log, money to make, and many other responsibilities that cannot fully be listed in one blog post.  I get stressed out!  And when I get stressed out, guess what I do?  I get annoyed.  That means when my kids ask me a question (which very well may be the 100th question I’ve had that day and it’s only 8:30 am), I start to tense up and use a tone of voice with them that I’m not proud of.  I think it sends the message to them that what they have to say is not of value and that I’m not really listening.  It also sends the message that I get angry and stressed out when they come to me with an issue, problem, or even a simple comment.  I can see why they feel this way, because it’s true!  I think part of positive parenting is seeing our weaknesses as parents and working on them a little at a time to try to improve.  So, that’s what I will be working on month 2 of the Positively Mommy parenting plan.

I will post next week about how it goes!

Please comment if you struggle with the same issues I do and what you have done to become better.  I would love to hear from you!

**All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

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My Family

As I have said before, I am one of those super busy, stressed out, distracted Moms and I wish there was somewhere I could turn for advice from a real-life person going through the same things I am.  I want to improve and I want to be the best Mom I can for my kids.  And…  to be honest I feel like I’m failing miserably at it right now.

I am working on a monthly parenting plan based on my own personal experiences to help me be more engaged with my kids.  I will post about what things work and what things don’t in my family. But, most of all, I’m just excited to spend more time with my kids in which I’m not distracted in a million different ways.

GOAL FOR MONTH 1:  Spending one-on-one time with my kids every day

I know this sounds ridiculous and I’m embarrassed to say I spend lots of time with my kids every day (driving them around, answering millions of questions, helping them get things done, doing daily chores, eating dinner together), but really next to none one-on-one time.  I take them on a monthly “date” somewhere special, but I don’t feel like that’s enough.  I’m even more embarrassed to say that yesterday I had a conversation with my 8 year old that went like this:  “Mom, do you like it when we go to birthday parties?”  Me: “Yes, why?”  My daughter: “Because then we wouldn’t be bothering you”.  I was floored and frankly sad that she felt like she was a bother to me.  Something has got to change and it’s not my kids!

So, I’m going to move on from that conversation and do something about it.  I’ve decided for the next month (until July 15) I’m going to spend 15 minutes of one on one time with each of my 3 kids every single day.  I don’t plan on doing anything necessarily structured, I just want to be spontaneous, and in the moment with them.  I want them to know I love them and want them around.  Right now, it kind of seems impossible to carve that much time out of my busy schedule, but if I can’t carve 45 minutes out of my day for my children, something is wrong and I’m not being the best Mom I can be.

I will post on my experiences weekly, so stay tuned!

**All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.