Tag: mom

what is your purpose in life?

What is Your Purpose in Life?

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Do you ever wonder what your purpose in life is? Or, what it is that put you here on this Earth?

In life, we go through different phases. In the parenthood phase, for example, you change dramatically.

At one time, you were once this little girl, who was adventurous, loving, silly and so fun. You craved happiness, freedom, and friends. You had a creative imagination that knew no bounds.

And then, you go to school and you realize that there ARE bad things, and bad people in life. People that make you smile, and people who hurt you. That life is not what you suddenly thought it was, and reality hit you in the face.

Next is high school, where friends and peer pressure start to determine your worth. High school is a turning point from childhood to adulthood, and when you’re supposed to figure out where you want to go to college and what you want to do for the rest of your life.

Enter college. New friends, new responsibilities, new world. But you are still YOU. You haven’t changed one bit. There is a new superpower that comes about, called independence. ”

And then you meet “The One”… and make THE biggest decision of your life, by saying “Yes.”

Yes to the man who you will spend the rest of your life with, who you will share a home with, grow with, cry with, and fight ugly with. The man who will determine your children’s personalities, and who they grow up to be. The man who will either be your biggest supporter some days, or your biggest case of stress, and the man who will change your personality, who will change your friends, and who will change what others think about you.

But then, you become a mother.

A mother who found an entire new meaning of life after going through the hardest phase of life. A mother who endured so much pain, sleepless nights, fluctuating hormones, and suddenly has no time for friends, her husband, her home, or herself.

But yet, you found an entire new meaning of life through this thing called “motherhood.” You found how much you could possibly withstand. You found out just how tired you could be, without your body physically shutting down. You found a new husband through the growth you experienced together, and ultimately new friends who you could now relate to on an entirely new level.

And, you found a new self. A new, fulfilling purpose. A purpose of life that reflects being the best human you can possibly be for yourself, so that your husband and kids are happy. A purpose of loving those who you’ve not taken the time to love in the last few years because you were “too busy” (or, it just wasn’t a priority). Because those people who you love, you will learn, won’t be around forever. Sometimes they leave you entirely too soon, and you wish you had one more second with them. Just, one more.

And so, your purpose in life becomes not what you do, or how much money you earn, but how you leave people feeling. Are you making people feel loved? Are you taking the opportunity to make a stranger smile? Can you do better to others so that maybe they might also do better to two more people?

If not, question what your purpose in life is. Go ahead. What is it? If you were to die tomorrow, what would you wish for right now?

THAT is your purpose.

We only have one life. Let’s do good, be good, and keep chasing that purpose.

Week 1 No Sugar Challenge

Week 1 + “No Sugar” Challenge

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Well, the first week of the “no sugar” challenge is officially underway, and let me tell you, I FEEL SO GOOD. View the YouTube video here: Week 1 + No Sugar Challenge

I do not want to sugar coat anything (see what I did there?) and tell you everything is all fine and dandy. It’s not. The truth is, this is SO HARD. Dropping sugar from your diet means that everything you eat is either (1) produce or (2) protein. Yes, you can opt-in with “sugar-free” items, but I do not go for those. Why? Because they usually contain aspartame. You can read more about the dangers of aspartame here.

So, yes, for one week, I survived a fruit, vegetable, protein (eggs, beef, fish), and nuts diet. It was hard, but the way I felt every single day was worth ditching the “white stuff.” The hardest part was on Day 3, which is when the body truly feels that it is lacking all of those processed sugars. My body felt like it was addicted to something on this day, it wanted everything that came in a package, especially Skittles.

However, after I got through Day 3, I loved it so much, that I knew this would be a permanent lifestyle change.

Here are the best things I’ve experienced on this “no sugar” challenge:

  1. Less Brain Fog
    If you know me, or if you don’t know me, you know that I have two small toddlers, who also keep us up all night, every night. Also, being a full time working mom, with a husband who travels a lot, doesn’t leave me a lot of room for self-care. This usually results in excessive brain fog. After I started incorporating healthier foods, I could focus more easily, and also think straight! It was a miracle!
  2. Less Joint Pain
    Oh, the joys of joint pain. My knees, my shoulders, my back, everything started to hurt more after I started having babies. But, after I cut out sugar, all of my joints felt less inflamed and more juiced up. It’s almost like having WD-40 sprayed all over those bones and tendons. I can play with my kids without things hurting, and I can kick butt in my workouts without feeling it too much the next day.
  3. More Energy
    Imagine your body feeling 20 pounds lighter instantly because all of those little cells have the nutrients they need to function at their best. Imagine your digestive track not having to work as hard digesting those pre-packaged foods. You feel on top of the world!
  4. Meal Prepping Doesn’t Suck
    Yes. Don’t believe all of those drama queens that say “meal prepping is so hard, it’s so messy.” No, it’s not. It actually makes life easier, and your wallet loves you for it. If I am a full-time working mom, with two toddlers and a hubby who travels, take my word for it that it REALLY MAKES LIFE EASY. Say it with me… “1. Make your meal plan, 2. Grocery shop, 3. Prep said groceries, 4. Enjoy NOT having to wonder what you’re going to cook every day!”

If anything, I hope this little snippet gives you some hope that you CAN eat healthy, that you CAN feel better, and that you CAN start feeding your body LIVING foods, not that crap that comes out of a factory (… organic or not, a machine still created it. GROSS).

Stay tuned for Week 2!

exhausted overwhelmed mama

To the Exhausted, Overwhelmed Mama… You Are Amazing

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exhausted overwhelmed mama

It’s 5:00 PM, I walk in the door from work, completely exhausted, barely gripping my 1-year-old on my hip. Setting him down, he immediately starts to cry because he wants to go outside.

I have absolutely no energy to go outside at this point, and I already know what’s going happen.

He will want to run free, while I try to fight him from running down the cement driveway so that he doesn’t fall and scuff his knees. After a few minutes, I reluctantly give in, knowing he hasn’t been outside all day (and let’s be honest, I haven’t either). I want to be a good mom, and my child could use some Vitamin D.

At this point, my son is grabbing at the door handle and nearly in tears, dying to go outside. Mom guilt suddenly hits.

“OK, OK, let’s go outside, buddy.”

I just want to enjoy this moment with my son, soaking up the nice weather, but am dreading dinner time. What in the world am I going to make him? Do we have any healthy foods or vegetables to feed him? What can he eat to fill him up? He’s had ten sweet potatoes already this week, his face will turn orange soon if I give him another. Should I chop up those red potatoes and saute them? No, he can’t eat that, it’s too unhealthy.

Within five minutes, he breaks away, runs down the driveway, and scuffs his knees.

Good lord, why do I always do this to myself? My stress level sky rockets and I feel even more mom guilt at this point, cradling him in my arms, knowing I could’ve prevented it. I take him inside, and while he screams bloody murder before the neighbors start staring at me.

Finally, I’ve got him calmed down, washed up, and in his high chair, except I have no food ready, and he is starving.

I have approximately two minutes before we both have total breakdowns.

Desperate for him not to cry, I find a stale bag of Goldfish to give him, as I cannot bear to have him cry any longer.

I just need a break. I am so sick of doing this every single day. It seems like such a simple task but is so exhausting.

Digging through the freezer, I give up trying to think of something healthy and throw a frozen bean and cheese burrito in the microwave for his dinner. Hey, it’s Organic, so it’s kind of healthy. Right?

In the meantime, he also scarfs down some tomatoes and grapes, but the good Lord knows it will probably give him butt rash by tomorrow morning that I’ll have to deal with.

Sitting down, I realize I have no clue what I am going to eat, but to be honest, I am too exhausted to get up and cook anything for myself. This is my one moment to relax for the next two hours, and I am going to soak it up. I can eat after he’s in bed. Right?

Fast forward through dinner, clean up, bath time, story time and wrestling with him to go to bed, my night is finally over and I get to relax. Wow, my brain hurts. I just need to sit here and contemplate what I need to do now. Oh yes, eat… must eat.

I settle for a quick bowl of Organic cereal and almond milk because it is partially healthy, right? Don’t mind the sugar content. The quicker I eat, the quicker I get to lay down, the quicker I get to go to bed, only to repeat this all again tomorrow.

*sigh*

Does this sound familiar? Does this sound just like YOUR night too?

Mama, I am here to tell you that you are not the only one who feels exhausted and overwhelmed every single day. Just like many other mama’s, we are all in your same shoes.

Do not feel inadequate that you struggle through your day with your kids just like every other mama.

Do not feel like a bad mom that you were too exhausted to cook your child a healthy five-course meal.

Do not feel guilty that you couldn’t give your child the best version of yourself.

Because do you know what? You are still a super star in his eyes. He looks up to you like you rule the world. He sees you as his confidant, his protector, his comfort, and most of all, his sweet mama. He thinks the absolute world of you because you gave him life, and God chose YOU to be his mama for a reason.

So, don’t feel guilty for dreading dinner time. Don’t feel bad that you couldn’t protect him from scuffing his knees. Don’t feel bad for feeling like he’s not getting the best of you.

YOU ARE AMAZING because you’re a mom. And being a mom is one of the hardest, stressful, overwhelming and exhausting jobs in the entire world. It will test your limits every day and your job never ends. You work 90+ hours a week when your kids are awake to ensure they are happy, well fed and thriving through life. And that doesn’t include working full time, or spending long nights nursing a newborn, or comforting a teething a child who just needs to be wrapped in his mama’s arms at 3:00 AM.

Momma, you are enough. And you are doing an amazing job, so give yourself a big hug. You deserve it.