Friday, March 16, 2012

Guest Post: From Mrs To Mama

Are you a reader of From Mrs To Mama? If not, your missing out. She has a great blog that I'm sure you'll all enjoy.

Here is her great advice for a new mama...

Hello, my name is Becky, and I blog over at From Mrs to Mama. I have an amazing husband named Andrew, whom I have been married to for a wonderful 2.5 years. And we have been blessed with a beautiful, loving, sweet precious little girl named Elliana. She's now 15 months old and the light and fire of our life.


I fell in love with Eliza's blog instantly when I came across it. Seeing the pregnant belly just brought back so many memories of what that time was like for me when I was in her shoes. The last month of pregnancy. The labor. The birth. The "newborn" stages. Oh, I can just close my eyes and relive it as I speak of it.

And therefore, one of the things that I love to do most is give other new moms advice. Only when asked for, of course. Advice on what to buy. What not to buy. Where to shop. How to time manage. What worked for us. What didn't. And balance, balance, balance.

Finding a balance in your life can be complicated. Stressful. And at times overwhelming. But you will get there, trust me. We all do. Sometimes it comes sooner to some than others. But we all find that common ground. We all get there at some point. One way or another.

Kind of like the preemies. They catch up to the rest of the kids by age 2. They all kind of mesh together.

But I promise you... it won't take 2 years. I hope.

So balance. Finding balance. Easier said than done. Here's what worked for us.

1. Find time for yourself. Something you love to do, something that you enjoy doing. Whether it is photography, crafting, cooking, or BLOGGING. Everyone has a little something that makes them happy {outside of our family}. Find it, and do it. I try to take at least 1 hour of my day to devote to those things that I love. In my case, its all of the above.

2. Get organized. Find a planner that works for you, or a calendar that you can put on your desk, anything that can help you keep track of your day-to-day. Everything. Not just baby related. I suggest the Erin Condren life planners. They are very detail oriented, and literally don't miss a thing.

3. Date nights. Very important. Try to do them as much as possible. The husband needs attention too, and this is a much needed balance in your life. With a new baby in your life, there is no more "get up and go." Things like this need to be planned out. Sitters {grandma's} need to be set up. Even if you just get out of the house to run to the mall. Or run an errand together. It's nice. Believe me. So get out those calendars and plan ahead!

4.Call your friends. Or text. Or email. But preferably, get together with them. This is where I failed big time, and I am paying for it 15 months later. Granted, my closest best friends are out town, but I still could have made that extra effort. Believe me, it's important to have that "girl time." Or girl gossip.

5. Prioritize. Pick and choose what must be done, and what can wait. Sometimes? It's okay for the folded laundry to sit, not put away for a day, or week. That's okay. Sometimes? It's okay if you have to order in so that you can have that 1 hour "me" time that you would have used making dinner. You can't be super at it all... choose each day what is most important. And go with it.

I could go on forever. Just little tidbits. But most of this stuff we already know. Most of this stuff? We can hear over and over and over again. But it won't actually mean anything to us until WE do it OURSELVES.

However you do it, whatever you have to do, someway, somehow, find that balance in your life.

Sure, not every day is going to be smooth sailing. But that's okay, because the final destination? Is more than worth it.

Thanks for having me Eliza!

2 comments:

Thank you for reading my blog! I love love love reading your comments. They really do make my day!

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