Time for You

• Use Your Free Time Wisely
  So often when we do find a few moments we spend it on some mind numbing activity such as watching TV. Devote some time each week to doing something that enriches your life. It could be finally finishing Johnny's baby photo album (even though he is 10 now), learning a foreign language or reading a bestselling book. You'll feel more satisfied if you spend your free time doing something other than watching Law and Order reruns.
• Resolve to honor yourself!
  To energize your life, quite simply you must take good care of your body, both inside and out. For the inside, carve time out for simple pleasures, like a cup of tea or an early morning meditation. Create a peaceful corner in your home with candles and treasured objects as your own personal haven to recharge yourself easily. Your peace of mind and soul will radiate effortlessly having filled your cup with emotional reserve to face what lies ahead. For the outside, resolving to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep is as basic as they come. You are a role model in everything you do and a healthy parent makes for a healthy home. Make fitness a family activity by taking nature walks at local parks, winter swims indoors, or joining in family sport nights at a local YMCA. When you spend recreation time together, kids benefit from the chance to enjoy their parent in their world of fun and exploration. What a great bonus for both your mind and your body!

• Schedule Personal Time
  Find a neighboring teenager to baby-sit every Saturday night for a weekly date with your partner. Swap one morning each week with another mom of compatible kids. Take that time as you please, whether it be to paint your toe nails or watch the morning talk shows…do it guilt free. Schedule time every day to exercise. You are your child’s first role model, and taking care of yourself emotionally and physically is a responsibility you can’t deny.
• Simplify
  To simplify your life, take inventory of your schedule and scale back on activities. First, make a dream board. Using pictures and words from old magazines, make a collage of all your dreams and wishes for your life as mother, daughter, wife and friend. This will help you visualize whats in your heart. Encourage family members who are old enough to do the same to identify priorities and suggest choices that allow them to enjoy their time and grow. Transfer these dreams and wishes into reality by looking at the year ahead to create a family schedule. When possible, limit family members to one or two activities and always honor family principles first, such as attending a place of worship weekly or enjoying dinner together nightly. By spreading out each family members activity levels over the course of the year and managing the busier times with additional support systems, the entire family can have a year of dreams and wishes come true.