My Sanity

So one of the most important lessons I've learned because of motherhood is, to take care of myself.  I have not been very good at it.  However when I made this move to Korea I decided that there were a few things that needed to change in my life and my family's lives.

First I need to be a better house keeper.  Keeping the house clean is my job.  DH goes to work everyday for 12+ hours I need to treat my house like a job.  So I've made a house cleaning schedule, Thursday is sheet day, Friday is bathrooms, everyday is 1-2 loads of laundry, and I make sure that my kitchen is clean before I go to bed.  I take one day per week, per child to help them get their room clean.  We make beds everyday.  Generally my house is cleaner more often than it's dirty.

Second, I needed to get my kids out of the house more often.  I'll stay cooped up in the house if I don't make plans for us.  So we get out of the house everyday. Monday is playgroup, Tuesday is tumbling, Wednesday is an off day, Thursday is library day, Friday is mommy and me art class.  The older 2 boys also do Taekwando Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  The boys like getting out of the house and getting out has helped me meet people and make new friends.

Third, do a better job of taking care of myself.  These guys can make my life crazy and turn it upside down in less than five minutes.  So taking care of mommy is important if I don't want to freak out on my children.  I had to make a plan, planning by the way saves my life, I decided to start working out 5 days a week.  I know this sounds like work, but I get to listen to music (thanks Santa for my iPod) shape my body, release loads of endorphins, and mostly ignore my children for one hour.  I have more energy.  I like the way I look.  I have tried working out at home, but it doesn't work because the boys crawl all over me and I start thinking about the housework that needs to be done.  I also don't want to get a babysitter for two hours everyday, it gets kind of pricey.  So my solution, thanks to the Air Force, is to take my boys and myself dow to the PAC, or Parent and Child gym.  My boys get to play, and I get to sweat.  It is also a great place to meet other moms.  I have gone Monday through Friday for the past five weeks and while I've had one breakdown, it's only been one.  Which is pretty good considering the high energy kids I have.  Also the day I had my crying fit was the day I didn't make it to the gym until the evening.  Coincidence? I think not.

The other thing that I have done for myself since moving out here is taking time to be by myself.  By having a girls night or just leaving DH with the kids for a few hours.  Reconnecting with me, the woman that I am beside a mother and wife, has helped ground me.

Lastly, and most importantly in my quest to ground and center myself I have been making time for the Lord in my day.  I read my scriptures daily, I pray, I think of Him often and ask for His help in my daily life.  I feel the difference when I take the time for my own testimony.  When I ask for and allow the Lord to guide my life things work better, I stay calmer.

I wanted to share this with you because there have been some posts where I feel like I'm drowning, but I want you to know that most of the time I am safely in my little boat with a life jacket on.  When life gets overwhelming to good things tend to fade away and I wanted to share part of the good stuff.