Self-Care Tips For Exhausted Moms Who Need A Moment to Refresh

This blog post is sponsored by Dove. All opinions and experiences are my own.

I’m sitting here trying to find the words to express to other moms out there that feel like I do - exhausted and overwhelmed. I’m trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel but it’s dim. I’m really relying on my faith these days to carry me through but if anything, I hope this blog post shares how we are ALL feeling the extra weight on our shoulders. It seems like it is coming from all sides so I decided to make a pact with myself and those I live with. In order for me to have some resemblance of a balanced life and sanity, I would need time alone to myself. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, and our family time used to be my favorite time. Now it just seems to never end. LOL. Let’s be real on this here blog ladies. No sweat, no judgment here. I’m tired of my kids and their cute little faces! I’m tired of seeing my handsome husband all day. I am not that wife that is gushing over all the time spent with these people. I want so desperately to miss them again. Anyone else? Am I the only one that would trade ANYTHING for a week-long vacation? I almost wrote two-weeks, but my mom-brain was like “now you know you would miss your kids too much?” Oh, the dilemma! 

I’m not sure when that day will come so as I stated previously I need time alone with myself. As you are probably experiencing this new world we live in, I’ve gotten really creative in creating a spa-like experience in my bathroom. Listen, mommas, you don’t need a large space or bath. Just a few key things and you’re in your own personal spa. I know, it’s not the same but we have to do a lot of things differently, and who knows when this will all end. So here a few tips I’ve done to create that stress-free spa-like experience at home: 

• Light those candles. Candles just set the scene for a relaxing moment. 

• Run a bubble bath or take a long shower

• Revitalize and refresh your skin with Dove Body Wash. I use the Pampering Body Wash, with a Shea Butter and Warm Vanilla scent. It is MY favorite! This is coming from someone who prefers flowery scents. I’ve been missing out. I love how it immediately relaxes me with the warm scent. 

• Give your skin some self-care as you indulge with Dove Body Wash. Did you know they have a Moisture Renew Blend technology? Dove Body Wash’s new formula is made with Moisture Renew Blend – a blend of moisturizers found in skin’s natural moisture barrier. After having children I’ve had really bad dry skin and almost nothing worked to restore the moisture, but seriously mommas, this works! Check it out by going here.

• Pour your favorite beverage. I have a slight addiction to sweet tea so that’s what’s in my cup right now. 

• Turn on nature music or a relaxing playlist. I love listening to the rain. So relaxing.

• Choose to be present, not trying to control your thoughts but just being present and enjoying a moment of peace and quiet. 

I wish I could say the overwhelming feeling would be gone forever, but many days after I come out of my self-care moment, the feeling slowly starts to come back. That is why this has to be on rotation for me. Everyone has to know when mommy needs a break it is an absolute must. Our home just doesn’t flow right when I’m not rested or given a chance to rest. I hope you take this advice as a way to just release it. I give you permission to not have it all done, to not have it all perfect but to just release for a moment. I give you permission to rest. Be well. We’re in this together. 

5 Ways To Make a Festive Fall Family Dinner Special (even the cleanup!)

This post is sponsored by Cascade Platinum + Oxi. All opinions are my own.

Dinner time is a special time in our home like most homes as we teach our kids the importance of gathering around the table, but for many reasons including the craziness that we all endured this year, we are valuing our time together in a different way. It’s not that we don’t have the time, actually we see each other almost too much. When it came to making our traditional Fall Family Dinner special, I did a little more than I usually do with some help from Cascade Platinum + Oxi. Keep reading to learn about how it can give your dishes that deep, hygienic clean you’ve been craving now more than ever.

IMAGE - Clean dish

Even though these were small additions, I will be able to look back on the photos and memories that I keep and see how every extra step was worth it. So if you’re like us and you are looking to make your fall dinners even more special, here are a few suggestions that we love and mommas, we didn’t forget the after-dinner process. We even included how to make the cleanup process MUCH easier. Just tell me thank you later. Okay, here we go!

IMAGE 2: CASCADE + DIRTY DISH

•Pull out the best dishes and make sure they’re getting a hygienic clean you can see and FEEL by using Cascade Platinum + Oxi. This one will be appreciated by the person that sets and cleans up after the dinner. I’m assuming that's you reading this. The ActionPacs have ingredients that break down starch and proteins from stuck-on food and leftover grease, cleaning what I can see, and that invisible food residue.  Even casserole dishes come out feeling clean with no slip or grit. Plus, I have a $1.50 OFF coupon for you! 

•Make it a technology free zone. We are all distracted when we bring our phones to the table and we even like to distract our toddlers with iPads hoping they won’t throw corn across the room. I get it, but for this moment, try to be in the moment and really teach them how to be in the moment corn kernels flying across the room and all! :-)

•Get those Fall favorite candles out. We like the candles that smell of candles, peaches, or baked bread. All are perfect for setting the atmosphere. If you have small children, use the plugs-in instead for safety. 

•Choose one dish you make and allow the other family members to make a dish that they love. This not only makes things easier for you, but it encourages the family team concept we so love! And don’t forget, you have #Cascade Platinum + Oxi so you can cook up the favorites and you don’t need to worry about pre-rinsing .

•Create a small agenda. I’m all for just enjoying the time and space unintentionally. Beautiful things happen in that space, but just for this moment, try to establish doing something such as prayer over the food, then each person going around sharing what dish they made and why they chose it. Another idea could be, one memory they loved from this year or even one thing they are looking forward to next year. 

10 Favorite Fall Books 2020

Fall is here!! There are so many things I love about Fall but most importantly it is the cooler weather here in Texas. Each day is a nice 80 degrees and it’s perfect for doing things outside. We have lots of fun things planned in our homeschool for the Fall and I wanted to give our top 10 favorite Fall Books of 2020. We love books and I’m almost at the point where I’m ready to completely redo our homeroom school to include more space to store and enjoy books!

I’ll also be uploaded a video on YouTube explaining WHY we love each of these books! Check them out below!

2020 Top Homeschooling Resources

One of the words my husband said describes me the most is resourceful. I agree. I never thought of myself this way but I know that word describes to the core. Ever since we started the homeschooling journey unofficially in March (due to COVID-19) and officially in July, I have been on the hunt on how to make this school year the best I could make it for my Kindergartener and Pre-schooler. Here are my top 10 favorite homeschooling resources:

1.) Counting Bears! This not only works for preschooler but elementary aged kids as well. The bears are in the image below and the worksheets I use with them can be found here.

2.) “I AM” kids bible Devotional found here

3.) Bob Books (Great for early readers)

4.) Mad Matter. We play with this once a week, and we will NEVER buy play-doh ever again. This stuff never drys out. For the mom win!

5.) What’s Going On Here Conversation Cards. I love these because it helps me see life through my daughters eyes. Very interesting what she sees versus what I see. Also it’s a great way to build word vocabulary.

6. The curriculum that we are using is The Good and The Beautiful but we LOVE Timberdoodle as well. We decided to mix the two together.

7. Khan Academy Kids. Its totally free and if your kid love watching things on the iPad (like my Olivia) this is a way to make sure its all educational. Another option is ABC Mouse.

8. Easy Peasy. FREE, FREE, FREE! A complete curriculum totally FREE! Check it out. Tons of resources.

9. CodeAcademy.com - If your kids are older, this teaches kids programming

10. “What Your (Grade Level) Needs To Know” This is a series of books that helps to make sure you are covering all the areas. Don’t let it stress you. Just a guide to help you along the way. We have the Kindergarten version.

I also recorded a YouTube video on the major changes I made recently in my homeschooling curriculum. Check it out below:

Homeschooling Mom: 5 Things I’m Doing To Stay Sane

We booked my moms flight right around my birthday because what would be the perfect birthday gift during this pandemic? A break. I’ve been going full-time with my kids since March and the break would have been refreshing and appreciated. But then our cases here in Texas started to rise and while everyone else got pandemic fatigue, we decided that the sacrifices that we made by staying home worked so we wanted to be apart of helping continue to decrease the cases instead of being apart of any rising cases. That meant no mom coming to Texas.

It also meant no break for me. While yes, I love my kids this one right here NEEDS a break. We have family close by but again we’re doing the most to keep everyone healthy. Even if that means sacrificing our own rest. Having my husband has been the saving grace. I give him breaks and he gives me mine. 3 hours a week, after they go to bed and when they nap are my downtimes. It’s not enough but I’m grateful everyone is healthy and hopefully we can keep it that way. Here are 5 things I’m doing to stay sane:

1) Home projects: This has been my saving grace! Keeps my mind focused on something else and makes the home better in the process.

2) Daily Quiet Time with God. Listen, I would not be sane without Christ. He shares with me where I am and where I need to be. He gives me peace just spending time with him. A daily must!
3) Get out the house! Even if it just for a drive or walk. Put the kids in the car and go! Roll the windows down and turn up your favorite music. Get ice cream or a smoothie but get out the house!
4) Find Fun and High Quality Educational Toys! Chuckle And Roar has been on our favorite found at Target. Listen, anything to give momma a quick break but also still keep them engaged with fun and educational play is always helpful!
5. Plan for the future. Truth is this pandemic won’t last forever. So when it ends, be ready to live your best life! Plan now! Also another great distraction.

What are you doing to stay sane? Share this with friends or family. You never know what someone may need to get through.