Whether you have a newly born baby, a teenager, or a child of an age in between, one thing is a given when you are a mom, and it’s that you will be busy! In fact, what with all the worldly responsibilities, and worrying you do as a momma, it can feel as if there is precious little time to dedicate to yourself! Happily, there are some tactics you can use to carve more time for your own rest and recuperation during the day. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Plan your days

OK, so regimenting your days down to the last millisecond is not likely to help you rest or recuperate more during the day. In fact, it can just add another load to your already breaking back. Instead when I say schedule what I actually mean is have a plan for what you want to achieve each day, even on weekends.

Of course, it’s probably wise to accept that it’s unlikely that you will get every, single thing done. In fact, it can be particularly helpful to highlight the three most important things and focus on completing them. Then, even if you don’t cross every on your ‘to-do’ list off, you have still kept the family afloat, and achieved something each day. Something that can make it much easier to allow yourself to take some downtime when you are in need.  

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Additionally, treating yourself to a cute planner, and keeping track of your goals, and appointments for the day can be a fantastic way of staying organized. In fact, you can use it as a place to plan out what you want to get done and to check in on your progress through the day as well. This being something that can make you feel much more organized and also help you to schedule in some downtime regularly as well as work tasks too.

Offload some tasks

Another smart way of making more time for momma each day is to identify some tasks that you can get someone else to do. Yes, I’m talking about offloading these jobs onto a professional, something that is not only legitimate if you are a busy mom but may also be a lot more reasonably priced than you think.

In fact, if you are super smart about it, you can offload the tasks that not only take up a lot of time but that you don’t particularly enjoy as well! Of course, cleaning the home, and doing the laundry tend to top this list, time after time. Happily, there are plenty of places like J & G Laundromat that will not only wash and fold your laundry for you but will pick it up and deliver it as well. Something that, for most busy moms will free up a vast swath of time in their week, if not every day!

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Don’t forget that you also have the opportunity to employ a professional company to come around and deal with the cleaning tasks in your home too. In fact, if you live in a sizeable property, you can save a considerable amount of time by doing this, especially if you ask them to do the more laborious and more time-consuming jobs such as washing and polishing floors.

Get the kids to chip in

Additionally, depending on the age of your kids, you may want to get them to chip in with the chores around the home as well. In fact, assigning chores to teenagers can be not only a great way of reclaiming a little more time for yourself but can also be a fantastic way of teaching them responsibility.

Of course, many parents also link their children’s’ allowance to the timely completion of their chores as well, which can provide the added bonus of helping them to understand the value of hard work. Something that makes this method a winner, all around in my opinion.

Prioritize social events (sensibly)

Time to be social with your SO and your friends is an essential part of taking care of your wellbeing as a mom. However, you must learn to schedule your social events sensibly, so you have enough time to recover and tend to your own needs in between. After all, if you spend all of your time looking after your kids, and then seeing friends, you will have none in which to rest and recuperate, something you will need to be effective and to enjoy the other two tasks.

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To that end, it’s very wise to not say yes to every single invitation you are given. Additionally, if you are feeling pressed for time and energy, you may wish to limit the social events you do attend to ones that truly matter to you, provide you with energy, or are associated with those to which you are closest. The reason being that while making new friends can be a lot of fun, if your life is already overflowing it may not be the best time for this.

Dial down the distractions

Finally, if you are a busy mom that is looking for more time to herself each day, it may be useful to dial back the distractions you currently use in your life. OK, so you won’t actually be freeing up any more time objectively, but what you will be doing is creating the illusion of more time, because you will have less sensory overload bombarding you.

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Basically, this approach is a form of mindfulness that will allow you to better connect with what you’re doing in the present moment, as well as ‘hear yourself think’, so to speak. It’s not too difficult to achieve either. In fact, you can start right now, but turning off your TV, radio, or device as you do another task.

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Then, once you get used to that, why not switch off your social media and email notifications as well? Then you will have fewer things to pull on your attention and focus as you do the tasks you have deemed to be necessary. You may just be surprised at the expansive feeling of time, and often calm that this can help produce as you go about your momma duties.

In order to keep yourself healthy all of the time, you need to be able to pay attention to what is going on in your own body as best as you can. This is something that some people find naturally easier than other people, but everyone can learn to do it as well as possible, and doing so is going to make a huge difference to your life and your health. There are specific symptoms which, if they present for an especially long time, you should make sure not to ignore too, and we are going to look at a few examples of these in this article today. If you find that you have any of these symptoms for an especially long time, then you will need to make sure that you are having something done about it.

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Headache

Everyone gets headaches, but a headache that you have had for a long time can be a sign of something much more sinister indeed, and it should not be ignored if you can help it. Chances are, you will find it hard to ignore such a problem, as headaches do tend to be particularly unavoidable when they are happening. If you had had a headache for a couple of weeks or more, then make sure that you go to see the doctor about it. While going to your regular physician might be enough, in some cases, they may refer you to an experienced neurosurgeon such as dr timothy steel. There is no reason to panic, though. Your health is of utmost importance, and you should do what needs to be done to take care of it. In the worst case scenario, it could be a symptom of something like a brain tumour or some kind of traumatic brain injury – in particular, if you know that you have hurt your head recently, make sure that you go to the hospital to have it checked out. You might need medical attention say the health experts at CAHI, along with the help of a law firm if you feel that that is relevant in your case.

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Cough

Again, when it happens occasionally and for a short time, a cough is nothing much to worry about. The vast majority of coughs are the result of a cold virus, and will clear up on their own within a week or two. But if you have a cough which persists beyond three weeks or more, you probably want to get it checked out. In the worst case, it could be that you have lung cancer or emphysema or a related problem. In particular, if you have smoked a lot in your life, you will find that you definitely want to get a cough looked at, just in case it is something severe which needs immediate treatment.

Shortness Of Breath

Sometimes your breath will become short if you are anxious, or if you are not getting enough sleep. If you have it for a long time, it can be a symptom of something wrong with the lungs, or even of a bad heart. In fact, it is one of the symptoms of heart attacks, although not if you don’t have any other symptoms at the same time. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you have shortness of breath for a long time.

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There’s no doubt about it; parenting is tough most of us are simply making it up as we go along and trying our hardest to bring our kids up as best we can.

When those demanding toddler years ended you probably breathed a sigh of relief and relished in the happy, kind, and caring child you were raising; then it happened – your baby turned into a teenager. Whereas once you were woken up bright and early by your child bouncing into your room, full of infectious enthusiasm for the day ahead, now you probably struggle to even get them out of bed to go off to school each morning.

The teenage years certainly aren’t the easiest of times as a parent, and while it is incredible to see your child grow into a young adult, and gaining their independence, it can also be a challenge to parent them. Although your teenager may look grown up, and act grown up a lot of the time, the truth is that underneath it all, they are still a child and you are still responsible for them.

Be a Good Role Model

No one likes a hypocrite, and there’s no easier way to wind up an angst-filled teen, than by adopting a ‘do as I say, not as I do attitude’ toward their behavior.

Instilling your child with values, and being clear on your expectations gives them boundaries to work within. However, if you are not modeling this behavior in the way you live your own life, you can’t then expect your teenager to take notice of your expectations.

Of course, no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but by doing your best to set an example of behaving with compassion, understanding, and fairness you will be parenting by example, and this should filter down to your children.

Pick Your Battles

There are likely going to be lots of things about your teenager that you disprove of, including both things that they do and things that they say. While of course, you don’t want to enable them to act as they wish all the time with no consequences, it is also essential to pick your battles.

By criticizing everything that they do, that you disapprove of you will escalate situations, and turn them into much more than they need to be. Calling out your child on absolutely everything is likely to leave them feeling alienated from you, and like you don’t understand them. Constantly battling with your teenager will also leave you feeling incredibly stressed and probably resentful of the amount of time that you spend shouting at them.

Freedom

Deciding when to let your kids out and about on their own is, of course, a completely individual one, and is often down to how mature the child is, and how comfortable you feel about the situation.

When your kids are going out without you, it is only natural to feel a little concerned and worried about where they are and what they are doing. As much as you may have tried to instill good values in them throughout their childhood, as well as trying to make them as street smart as possible, the worry can remain. One way to get around this is to have a cell phone tracking app added to their phone. The app will enable you to see where they are and where they have been. Having this kind of information will help to prevent arguments even starting when your teen arrives home, as you will already know where they were. It is a good idea to be open with your teenager about the app; that way, everyone is being honest and showing that no secrets are being kept.

Build Their Confidence

Self-confidence is something that everyone needs and is an essential part of being an adult that knows their mind, and feels comfortable in their skin. Building your child’s self-confidence doesn’t mean making them precocious, but it does mean that they are less likely to follow the crowd and do whatever their friends tell them to do, which could result in them getting into trouble. Having a teenager that is easily led by friends can often cause conflict at home, as you may not approve of their behavior. Having a child that is self-confident and resilient should help them to avoid being pressurized into doing things that they don’t want to do by friends, and be guided by their values and beliefs rather than succumbing to peer pressure.

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Self-care is important. It’s one of the most important things that any of us can practice. Self care also comes in many forms – be it a day at the spa, reading a book, or indulging in some Vapes N Smoke at the end of the hectic day. It could be that cutting off a negative social contact is just as healthy for your stress reduction than meditating for an hour each day. Recognizing a need for self-care isn’t always easy, however. It can often take us by surprise if we’re not fully equipped to handle and manage it.

But that’s not the end of the world. All we need to do is take a few moments out of each day to partake in a little ‘self-review.’ How are you feeling today? How are things going? What is troubling you most at the moment? Is there a chance you could rectify that issue ahead of time to prevent something from happening? If you do so, what would be the best means forward from here?

All of the above questions are worthwhile in their own way. But to begin with, you need to try and recognize how you feel. Otherwise, you’ll likely just be flying blind.

But how are you supposed to progress from this point on? Let us consider:

A Regular Issue

If something is bothering you on multiple days in a row, or quite frequently at least, it might be that further efforts in this direction could be worthwhile. A regular issue that you feel annoyed with is often a good indicator that something needs to change. For example, it might be that you always have trouble waking up in the morning at your set time. You get enough sleep, so you don’t know what the problem could be. But then you realize that your late-night social media usage, such as checking your phone upon waking, is leaving you feeling somewhat tired and strained when you wake up. A regular issue like this can leave its mark on you, and often feel quite tiring to deal with. Don’t be afraid to put a plan into action in order to rectify this issue.

Vices

It can sometimes be that you feel powerless to your addictions or vices. For example, smoking. It could be that you’ve been meaning to quit for some time, but after repeated failed attempts you just feel exasperated with the whole thing. This is where it might be worth alternating to something a little healthier, such as vaping starburst E Liquid or chewing on wholesome snacks to keep your fidgeting nature busy. Seeking help for an issue or replacing it with something healthier is always the best way forward. But be sure to be honest with yourself if you have a vice like this in your life.

You Know You Should

We often know that we should practice self care. But it’s not the easiest thing to take care of. If you know that you’ve wanted to lose weight for some time, or you’ve been meaning to go on that run for months, subvert that thought process. Just do it! You’d be surprised how this can alter your viewpoint and help you move forward as you have been intending to for some time.

With these tips, we hope you can better recognize a need for your personal self-care.

For a kid, nothing beats summer break. No more pencils. No more books. You know the rest.

But while you are planning a summer full of kid friendly beach vacations, you need to remember that summer will soon end, and your child will return to school in just a couple of months. Although it may be tempting to allow your child to bend the rules during the summer, it will make your job as a parent that much more difficult when you have to put your foot down in the fall.

You also need to be aware of what teachers call the “summer slide.” Talk with any grade school teacher, and he or she will tell you that the first several weeks of school are spent reteaching material that students forgot over the summer break. Make sure your child stays sharp and ready to learn when school comes this August. Encourage your child to learn during the summer, even while on vacation.

You may be rolling your eyes at the idea of doing schoolwork while on vacation. While you may not want to bring a fractions workbook with you for your child to do on the plane, there are several strategies that you can try, especially for younger kids, that will trick them into learning when they didn’t suspect it.

Say for instance, if you are going to Greece through Greece vacations packages or similar others, you can take your kids to the museums- Greece tends to have a lot of it. It might help them learn a few new things about Greek culture and civilization. Besides, you can also teach your young ones a few Greek phrases that may come in handy when there. This might also spark their interest in learning a foreign language. The goal anyway is to encourage learning and self-growth so they do good for themselves and for others.

Here are some more strategies to help your early grade-school-aged kids learn while on vacation.

Sing Songs

When trying to determine pre-reading readiness, reading specialists test children on their ability to rhyme. Studies show that children who can rhyme are more ready to read than those who can’t.

How do you teach rhyming? One fun way is to sing fun songs such as Down By the Bay, where kids are given a chance to come up with their own rhyming lyrics. Look up YouTube videos if you aren’t familiar with the song.

Even songs with set lyrics, or nursery rhymes, are excellent for children to predict rhyming sounds.

Singing a wide variety of songs and repeating nursery rhymes also increases your child’s vocabulary. What is this “pail” thing that Jack and Jill are carrying up the hill? Miss Muffett sat on a tuffet. What the heck’s a tuffet? You can use the opportunity to show your child that you are always willing to learn too.

Read!

Try not to let your child spend the entire car ride engrossed in Netflix or YouTube videos. Instead, listen to an audiobook that your whole family will enjoy. Grab a printed copy of the book so you can continue to read it before bedtime at the hotel. Or, you can also read from it to your kids that may help cultivate their interest in reading.

Take a break from media and encourage your child to look at the outside world. You could take them on a bike ride, renting a bike from Motorcycle Rentals West Virginia, Florida, Australia, wherever you are vacationing. As you ride, you can take little halts at different places, to familiarize your young ones with different signs or symbols. You may also make them read the street signs and billboards. Your children will gain confidence as readers as they read McDonald’s, Home Depot, and Target signs. Sure, they are probably not necessarily understanding the actual words, but understanding visual clues is a pre-reading strategy.

Read signs at museums and zoos – maybe not every sign, but make sure your child is given a chance to read about subjects appealing to him or her. If your kiddo loves giraffes, spend time at the giraffe exhibit. Read small bits of information, and then ask casual questions to determine if your child understands what has been read. They should learn that reading is an appealing task because it unlocks the mysteries of the world around us.

More than anything, parents should try to present the idea of reading as an enjoyable activity that brings pleasure. It’s not something that should be checked off your child’s daily to-do list, such as feeding the dog or taking out the trash.

Pay Attention to Nature

If you are traveling this summer to a location that is a separate region from where you live, talk about the similarities and differences of the birds, trees, animals, and weather from your home to your vacation destination. For example, if you have made the trip overseas to England and you are staying in a Yorkshire Dales pub with accommodation or something of a similar type, you will be surrounded by nature completely different to your own as well as sights that are specific to certain regions, so you’ll be able to see and do so much more that your kids can learn from.

As you enjoy the great outdoors, talk about how particular trees thrive in different climates. Discuss how paying attention to droppings and broken limbs may indicate that there is an animal nearby. Try to determine what types of clouds are in the sky.

You won’t know all the answers, but your child will learn to pay attention to the wonders of the great outdoors. If you spend all your time during your visit to a national park or a beach taking selfies and checking email, your child will not learn how to investigate their natural surroundings.

Enjoy your summer, and remember if you want your child to keep learning over the summer, you need to keep learning as well.