The Motherhood Mix Issue 001
I hope this finds you well! I don’t know about you, but I’ve really been beating myself up over the last few weeks. I can never seem to “do” enough. I feel like I can’t teach my kids in the way they need to be taught. I feel like I can’t do enough work to justify my salary. I feel like I should be taking advantage of all of the “extra” time (hahaha) to do the things I’ve been telling myself I don’t have time to do. (Like make smoothies and healthy snacks and maybe I could even finally start exercising and lose some weight.)
The truth is, though, we need to breathe and, probably, sleep. Our kids need us to be happy (or at least ok) more than they really need anything else. They need to know that we’re ok so they can feel confident and be “ok” during this big change. Rather than beating ourselves up for things we could do better, we need to be proud of the things we are doing.
Whatever you’re managing to do right now, know that it is enough. I hope, above everything else, that you take care of yourself.
❣️ Jessica
P.S. – I really want you to be happy when you see this email in your inbox every week. My goal is to provide useful information and make you feel like you’re taking a few moments for yourself when reading it. ☕️ If there’s every anything you’d like to see more/less of, please hit reply and let me know.
This Week's Top Pick
I really struggled with finding something positive in all the noise out there right now. After a couple of hours of searching, I stumbled upon these 7 excellent reminders as we find our way through this strange new “normal.”
My favorite and the one I am trying to forgive myself for needing the most: “Give Yourself Space. It’s OK to prioritize your own aloneness. This isn’t a need to feel guilty about but rather a vital tool in your toolbox to remain grounded, strong and content with what is.”
Motherhood
You may have already seen this floating around on social media. If you haven’t already, I think it’s worth a try. My 5-year-old had a great time and asked to do more. My 2-year-old wasn’t so enthusiastic. Although, that may have been because her sister freaked out when a caterpillar fell out of a tree. 🤷♀️
Materials needed: painter’s tape and sidewalk chalk. Fair warning: our artwork is still on the fence even after a couple of rainstorms.
If you’ve been searching for a good kids book, both of my daughters have been loving this one lately. I actually get a kick out of it too. Although, it has the word “pee” in it. 😊
Relationships
So many people are going through things they probably couldn’t have imagined two short months ago. Here’s a piece that points out why things may be bubbling up to the surface right now and gives some strategies to manage conflict. I also found it interesting that “69% of conflict in relationships is perpetual. It has no resolution because it is based on lasting differences in personalities and needs.”
Career
No, working parents are NOT ok! Finally, someone acknowledged how it really feels to try and work from home with little ones. But, we will keep going, because that’s what we do.
Taking Care of You
I read this and thought, crap, everything I thought I knew was wrong. Apparently, real self-care is really kind of boring. 😔
Quote of the Week
Laugh of the Week
