Easy Ways to Take Control of YOU!

As a work at home mom, with a husband, two kids, and two small businesses, I get asked all the time, "How do you do it? How do you keep the house clean, food on the table, businesses running, a everyone happy? Do you have a full time nanny or babysitter?" No, though there are times I wish I did!
Truth? I DON'T do it all, hardly ever. I do A LOT though. I'm constantly working, and after awhile, if I don't get it break it can really take a toll on me. If you're in a similar situation, I'm sure you can understand.
So what do I do when I start to feel overwhelmed by not being able to do it all? Or when I feel like I need just five minutes to myself before I crack?
I just tell myself to make a change. Change my attitude, change my thoughts...you get the idea!
Along with the mental pep talk, here are some of my tried and true ways to take back control of that overwhelmed feeling.

Take Care of Myself, Too! This is the NUMBER ONE thing to do! If I'm going to be on top of my game for my husband and kids, I need to take care of myself. So I make it a point to exercise at least 4x's per week, whether it's Zumba, an Insanity class, or just doing my own workout at home. If I go more than two days without exercise, I feel jumpy. I also really strive to eat right and keep my nutrition intake up. For the past 15 months I've been very consistent in taking my daily multivitamins. I've seen a great improvement in my overall energy and I have been sick only once, which is great since I'm chasing two active boys all day!


Cut Myself Some Slack I'm not perfect. No one is. It's hard being a grown up with kids. Heck, sometimes it's just hard BEING! In today's world of social media and everyone posting only the good things about their lives, it's easy to get caught up in that and think you're not doing enough. You are. I am. And I have to remind myself of it almost daily. No, the kitchen isn't always sparkling. In fact, it's pretty darn messy right now. No, the laundry isn't put away yet. No, my kids aren't perfectly behaved all the time. Sometimes money is tight. But that's ok...I am doing the best I can and that's enough!

Get the To Do List Under Control I'm a list maker, but when I write out a list of 20 things to accomplish in one day, I get too overwhelmed and end up getting nothing done! I have my basic to do's that are what keep my home livable at any given time. If I can accomplish that list everyday, then I feel great. Special projects are ongoing and I just have to work on them when (and if) I can during the week.  I have a small planner that I keep next to my laptop in the kitchen. It's easy for me to jot stuff down as I think of it or check off my list.

Schedules, Schedules, Schedules Working at home is rewarding, but challenging. Until recently, I would do work throughout the day, but didn't really have a chance to focus on what I was doing. At the end of the day, I felt like I hadn't done much work at all. So I made a change and have declared the boys quiet time to be my work only time. Ya'll, it has HELPED so much! I'm able to focus more and I get a lot more done than I used to. Having a set work schedule, mine is 1pm-2:30pm, will help you feel in control of your day!

Those are my top must-do's for getting that in control feeling back. I hope this helps you if you're feeling a little off! Let me know what you think!
I'd love to connect with you in my Facebook community!

Three Day Mini Cleanse | Day Two

I'm checking in with my day two of the mini cleanse I'm doing! Today was much easier than yesterday! I didn't have any sweet cravings, which is my downfall. We frequently have homemade chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar, and they're so easy to grab and munch on as a snack. But today, I didn't even think about them. Woot! I was only able to get in about 10 minutes of HIIT because the boys were all over me today. No worries; I'll try again tomorrow!
Breakfast Sweet potato juice with added Instant Soy Protein. We like to add the protein to our juices because...well just juice doesn't have enough protein to get me through an hour, let alone til my mid-morning snack!
Lunch Chocolate 180 Smoothee with homemade almond milk
Snacks (one in the morning; one in the afternoon) 1 c fresh strawberries 1 organic string cheese 1 c popcorn/rice cake things
Dinner Penne pasta with roasted corn, poblano, bell pepper, and grilled chicken (recipe coming tomorrow!)
Water 64 oz Not bad! Just one more day and I'll be mini-cleansed!

Lunch in 30 Seconds?? Yes!!

Hi everyone! Today I'm vlogging...yikes! Here's how you can make a nutritious, filling, YUMMY Shaklee 180 Smoothee in about 30 seconds!

The Day I Dumped My Purse

If you're a woman, you probably have a purse. If you're a mommy with more than one kid, you probably have a gigantic purse/backpack/diaper bag.

And if you have one of those, you probably reach into it several times a day and bring out the exact opposite of what you were expecting. Crackers, crumbs, wipes, pacifiers, receipts from 6 months ago, melted chocolate, 4 nonworking pens...you get the idea.

I dumped my purse a few months ago in a desperate attempt to get organized and stop getting sticky fingers every time I dig into my bag. Ya'll had fun with it and I loved reading your comments and comparisons!

So here I am again, in another desperate attempt to clean and organize. Here's what was found today. (Note: my bag is a good sized Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag. It holds a lot. I think it holds too much though)

Let's get started on the madness, shall we? The day I dumped my purse I found:

• 6 receipts from 6 months ago
• 1 hand sanitizer
• 1 empty pack of tissues
• 2 empty bottles of lotion
• 1 FULL bottle of lotion (it's my favorite...smells amazing...and works!)
• 1 bottle of sunscreen (this stuff works...no nasty parabens)
• 1 hairclip and 7 clear hair bands
• 1 bottle of Hyland's Teething Tabs. (my children are not teething, so...)
• Various melted candies and cookies
• 2 unopened McDonald's toys (Yes, I do McD's in moments of desperation.)
• 1 snack cup, which was empty, thank goodness
• My bag of essential oils
• Wallet
• And an iPhone 3S. It doesn't work. I'm not even sure whose iPhone it is because I have a 4S and hubs has the 5. Um...

So I have all this stuff in my bag but what I don't have are the two things that are crucial to a mom of a toddler...wipes and diapers. How long I've been driving around without those things and haven't needed them is beyond me!

Your turn! What odd things do you find in your bag?

Have you joined my Facebook group yet? It's growing quickly and we're having lots of fun!
 

Oh, Gracious! | I'm Having a Giveaway!

Ya'll, I'm feeling so blessed at all the love I've received from everyone lately. My family, friends, and even my neighbors have really embraced my two work-at-home businesses and for that, I'm so thankful! Sometimes I feel like I've taken on too much, but I get such a thrill out of helping people achieve great health naturally and also helping people find fun, trendy jewelry at affordable prices.

I know...the two are so different! But, they're what I love to do and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to be able to do what I love!

Enough gushing.

I'm hosting a giveaway on my Oh, Gracious! Facebook page! My goal is to get to 1000 fans by the end of the month. Once I get there...one lucky winner who participates in the contest gets a $20 credit for any item we have available! Hooray!

Here are the details! Like it, Share it, and Comment on it to enter! Thank you and good luck!

Oh, Gracious! Facebook page

The Mommy Wars - iPhones and How I'm Missing Childhood

So, if you've been alive the past few weeks, you've probably seen several Twitter and Facebook posts about a few mommy bloggers and their judgments towards other mommies daring to use their iPhone's while at the park. One mommy blogged to a mommy all the wonderful things she was missing out on while she was on her phone at the park. She did a darn good job at throwing down the guilt gauntlet and shaming her.  The other mommy blogged in return about why she's on the phone at the park and her reasons for it. Mind you, these blogs were not writers attacking someone personally or calling out names...they were written to the general mom blog population.

I'm tired of it.

I'm so sick and tired of the mommy judgment, the mommy guilt, the assuming we know what's going on in someone else's life based on the fact that they are on their smartphone at what WE deem an inappropriate time.

Judging other moms because of what you see of their lives in 5 minutes is wrong. Have I done it? You bet I have. Am I proud of it? NO WAY. Do I think I'm a better mom because I DON'T sit at the park with my head in my phone? NOPE.


(I've experienced first hand a mom who DID choose her iPhone over participating in her daughters field trip. Read about it here. Maybe it is judgmental to you, but I'm sticking by it.)


Isn't there enough pressure to being a parent without these silly mommy wars? I know that I put myself under a lot of pressure to be the perfect stay at home - work at home mom. I struggle to find a way to do it all...perfectly. That kind of pressure is more than enough for me. I don't need the mommy wars. I don't need the eye rolling, the finger pointing, or the whispers about how I'm not doing it right.

Instead of writing posts about what someone else is doing that you disagree with, why not find something they're doing that you do agree with? I mean, as moms aren't we all in this together? Don't we all have the same goal in life? To be the best mom that we can be, with what works for OUR family?

Thoughts? 

The Day I Dumped My Purse

OK, so what I carry right now isn't really considered a purse per say. It's a very pretty, trendy looking diaper bag. I have two kids, one of whom wears diapers. Said kids constantly need water and snacks, snacks and water. So my bag needs to be big enough to hold their junk and mine.

The bag is deep and has lots of pockets. Things get lost in it. All the freaking time. I can never find my lip gloss...ever!

So the other day, I was at home looking in the abyss for that blasted lip gloss. I found my lip gloss, along with these items:

• About 5 other lip glosses. Clearly, I have a problem
• A pink pacifier. Yes, I have boys and I know his paci is pink. We had an emergency one evening and pink was the only color the store had. Whatevs.
• Every single hair clip I own
• Two diapers (No wipes though. This is not good.)
• A packet of sanitizer wipes
• A measuring spoon (1/2 teas to be exact)
• A bottle of Thieves essential oil
• Receipt after receipt after receipt (aka: trash)
• A dog leash. What the what??
• Energy teas 
• Snack bars

So tell me, what kinds of odds and ends do you find in your bag?

On Being a Preschool Mommy

Our oldest (4 years) has been going to a wonderful church preschool for the past two years. We love it and so does he. You know they're doing something right when he asks if he can go to school!

Anyway, I'm not friends with any of the moms in his class. We say "hello" in passing and make small talk when we happen to stand next to each other during pick up times. I believe most of the families that attend the preschool also attend the church. So it makes sense that a lot of the moms know each other and have lots to talk about. Sometimes, I get a feeling of being an outsider when I see small groups of moms chatting and laughing, but I'm not in that mix. I'm pretty shy, so I'm certainly not going to walk up to them and join in on the conversation.  Ugh, feelings of middle school start popping up. Don't get me wrong...when I do chat with these ladies, they are all super nice.

However, the things I see going on there make me question whether I'm a good enough preschool mommy.

Sound crazy?

It is. But it's true.

There is pressure to being a preschool mommy.

I have no idea what preschool was like when I was four back in 1981. (There, you now know my age!) I assume there was the usual birthday party invitations, bringing snacks for the class, having a Christmas book exchange.

Well, let me just tell you what goes on nowadays. It stresses me out. It has made me question myself. It has made me a bit angry, too.

At my son's school (and let's face it, this probably happens at most schools across the country) I've seen mommies this:

• When unable to attend another kids birthday, they bring a gift for said child. OK, while I think it's sweet and thoughtful to bring a birthday gift for a child, is it going a little far to bring one for the kids that you don't know on a personal level? Where you and your child's only interaction with them is at preschool? Am I being unreasonable? 
• Speaking of birthday parties, these parties for 4 year olds that cost minimum $300 just for the party (not including cake, decorations) just drive me crazy! What expecation is being set for next years party? Why do we need to invite every child in the preschool class? And what happened to having a fun party at home with just simple cake and ice cream? We did this last year with our oldest and it was a huge success. We invited his three closest friends, they played inside and out, ate cake, hit a pinata, and opened gifts. It was so much fun! 
• And lastly, as I dropped him off Thursday for the last day before Christmas break, I caught wind of at least 3 moms who brought Christmas 'gifts' for each child. OMG, am I now supposed to bring gifts for 16 kids?? 

Please hear me: I LOVE TO GIVE. I'm HAPPY to give. I LOVE being involved in my boys' preschool class. I get such joy out of seeing him learn, participating in Zoo Days, Fireman visits, etc. But I don't feel the need to buy 'things' all the time. We don't have the money for it, and even if we did, I'm not sure I would spend it on those kinds of things.  

I guess I don't understand the reasoning behind it. Is it out of true kindness? Is it out of a sense of wanting your child to be well-liked (or wanting to be well-liked yourself)?

Those scenarios mentioned above are what stress me out about being a preschool mommy. And make me question myself as to whether I'm doing it 'right.'

On Thursday, as I was stressing to my husband about whether I should've bought gifts for all the kids in class, I was tagged in a Facebook post with a link to this article: Why You're Never Failing as a Mother

It was a true reminder that I don't have to be the 'perfect' mommy and bring Christmas gifts to each kid in my son's class. I'm doing a great job just being a mommy in general. I love my boys, I spend all my days with them interacting, baking, creating, singing, playing, reading...you name it. That's good enough. That's more than good enough.

Are you a preschool mommy? Do you ever feel pressure in the preschool classroom? I'd love to hear your thoughts!