Achieving Sanity

Since becoming a mom and talking to other moms since then, I have realized that every mom (especially those living in Utah during the winter) has to have something, or lots of "somethings", that she does on a daily basis in order to achieve sanity. Lately I have been thinking about what those "somethings" are for me.
Here are a few of the things that I do daily to achieve sanity :

1. Working Out



I find it funny that one of the things that helps me to keep sane lately is called "insanity." About the same time that we started doing our family pizza night I started working out with my friends Jolynn and Shauna doing a workout called "Insanity". They were so nice (or not so nice, considering the hard workout) to invite me to work out with them in the mornings while our kids play. Not only did it come at a good time given the extra calories I was consuming due to pizza night, but it also has given me a time to interact with other adults during the day and given Haken a chance to play with friends on a daily basis. We don't follow the workout "to a T" and I admit that sickness and laziness has made me a bit of a slacker, but it is nice to know that someone will notice, besides me, if I don't work out. Although it is a super good workout, it will be refreshing to replace it with a classic jog around the neighborhood with my friends on occasion once the weather warms up.

2. Naptime

Jack being sick on and off since he was born has really thrown my milk supply for a loop. A wise and experienced mother that I know gave me some advice that I have really appreciated: Eat oatmeal, drink root beer, and lay down for 30 minutes a day. Although some of these things may be mere 'wives tales,' I have found the laying down (aka: nap) to be my solace during the day. Not only does it boost my milk supply, but it has also helped me to earn a premium refund with our health insurance because I working on my goal of "resting my body." Some days I don't take a nap and I just end up laying there, other days 30 minutes is not nearly long enough, and then there are those days where my kids are not conducive to it at all. However, Haken is quickly learning that mommy needs her nap, even if he doesn't that day. Nap time (or "quiet time" as it some times becomes instead) has become a sacred time of the day for me.

3. Social Networking



So it's probably no secret that I was a "social networking virgin" before the first of this year. Since we didn't have a computer at home with Internet access, it just wasn't something that I did everyday. Now I see it as my window to the outside world at times when I am stuck at home with sick kids, need parental advice, or are just dying to have an adult conversation for two seconds. I used to make fun of those people who updated their Facebook status 10 times a day and let everyone know their every move, but as I have come to find out there is something about it that becomes therapeutic. Although I haven't found the need to update everyone on what I am doing every second, it is good to know that I have somewhere I can go to get away for a few seconds if I need to at any point during the day. Thank you technology.