Posts Tagged ‘resolutions’

Ditch the Resolutions in 2016

Tuesday, January 12th, 2016

ditch resolutions in 2016Every year we get a fresh start, a blank slate, to make this the best year ever. We make decisions to get in shape, lose weight, advance in our careers, buy a new car, save more money than last year. Whatever it may be, there’s something about rolling into a new year that brings with us motivation to do all the things we’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to yet. At least until the end of the month.

I stopped making new years resolutions a long time ago. The feeling of failure when you don’t accomplish the resolution you’ve been telling yourself you’re going to accomplish for the past five years just isn’t worth it. Instead I’ve opted for baby steps. Better behaviors that I want to incorporate into my life. Behaviors I’d like to see my family incorporate. No resolutions. No I’m going to lose 10 pounds and be a better mother this year.

What does that look like? Simple. Find some small things you’ve always wanted to do and just do them. Small changes don’t seem daunting and life changing but at the end of the day anything that improves your life for the better is life changing in the best of ways.  Here are some good ones to think about for this year.

Spend more time in nature. No matter what you do, make it a habit to spend time outside. We spend too much time inside and nothing connects us to the bigger picture of life than connecting with the physical planet we live on. Go for a walk, plant a garden, hug a tree. Just do something to get you outside.

Cook more. Eating home cooked meals is one of the easiest things you can do to keep yourself, and your family healthy. How many times do you cook dinner? Add one more dinner to the list and something and you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it will make.

Express gratitude daily. We easily get lost in all the material things we want and “need” it can be easy to forget all the blessings we already have. Take some time to look beyond all the “things” and focus what wonderful things have happened.

Jacqueline Banks is a certified Holistic Health Counselor focused on nutrition and green living strategies. She works with women in all stages of motherhood, from mothers struggling with conception, through pregnancy, lactation and beyond to ensure the best health and nutrition for both mother and baby.

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New Year, New Mom

Friday, January 8th, 2016

IMG_1410If you are like me, you make several resolutions each year as the New Year approaches. For example, last year I decided I was going to eat healthier for my family and exercise more. While I have exercised more, I still do not eat as healthy as I would like.

Here are a couple resolutions I would like to make and keep this year, not just for me but for my family. I hope you can relate. If not, feel free to laugh.

#1 Be more patient

Why is this one so hard? I want to be much more patient with my children in 2016, especially my 3 year old daughter. For some reason, I am not the soft spoken sweet mother I had dreamed I would be. Instead, I lose my cool. I get angry. I get short-tempered, and for this, I am embarrassed. Anyone else ever feel this way? I want to resolve to be more loving and gentle with my children. I want to aspire for that mom I thought I would be. The one who lovingly corrects her children, not acts like a toddler herself when things don’t go as planned. I may need more sleep and more Starbucks to achieve this goal.

#2 Cook healthier meals

As moms, we are the heartbeat of our family. We set the tone for mealtime. I stay home with my kids, so why is it so hard to cook healthy food? We regularly eat macaroni and cheese and fish sticks. (Yes, I trust the Gorton’s fisherman!) I want to try to incorporate healthier foods into our diets. I want my kids to love veggies and fruits. I want to try to make some of the cute little food recipes I see on Pinterest and scowl at sometimes. I want to offer healthy choices. I will work on a weekly menu and better food prep, so that my resolution doesn’t fail.

#3 Be more thankful

Sure, my pants aren’t as loose as I would like. Sure, my house isn’t as clean as I hope. But, I have much to be thankful for. In 2016, I am going to work on being more thankful. I am going to hang up reminders through my house. My bathroom will have quotes or scriptures hanging for me when I feel down. My kid’s artwork and smiling faces will be in my kitchen. I am going to (gasp), ask my husband to keep me in-check and correct me when I become selfish and forgetful.

So, moms, what are your mom resolutions? Whatever they are, I hope your 2016 is the best year yet with your children!

Karyn Meyerhoff is a mom of 2 in Northeast Indiana who really needs to work on keeping her resolutions this year.

 

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Who’s Who at Mom’s Milk Boutique: Meet Bry!

Friday, January 18th, 2013

One of the things Mom’s Milk Boutique is well known for is their lightening fast shipping. In part we have Bry to thank for that! Read on to learn more about Bry:

What is your role at MMB? How long have you been working there?
I have been working at Mom’s Milk Boutique for 8 months now, and my official title here is Shipping and Receivings Clerk.

 

What is your top favorite product at MMB?
My favorite product at MMB would have to be the baby carriers. I do not have a baby yet, but someday when I do I definitely plan on using them.

 

Who are the members of your family?
My dad’s name is Heath, and my mom’s name is Crystal. I also have a younger brother who is 16, his name is Braxston. My family is extremely important to me.

 

What do you like to do for recreation?
In my spare time, I love spending time with my family and my boyfriend and his son. Also, playing basketball is something that I have loved to do ever since I was a little kid. I still love to play it every chance I get.
Share a favorite family tradition:
A fun thing that my family and I always do every year together is take a trip down to Florida to watch the St. Louis Cardinals at their spring training. We have done this every year since I was 12, and it’s something that we will hopefully continue to do for many more years.

 

What are some of your favorite “me” time indulgences?
When I do have some “me” time, I love just sitting at home and listening to music. Country is definitely my favorite.

 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
If I could have any superpower, it would probably have to be the ability to read people’s minds. I think that would definitely be an interesting power to have.

 

What is one of your favorite quotes?
“When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile.”
 

What are your goals/intentions/resolutions for this new year?
My goals this year are to do great in school, and to just be the best person that I can be.
 

What kind of music to you listen to?
I listen to a lot of different types of music, but my favorite is definitely country. Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are a few of my top artists.

What are your career/college/future goals?
I am currently going to school at John A. Logan, and I plan to get into the nurses program there and eventually get my masters, and would someday like to be an OB nurse.

What is the last book you read?
I don’t read as often as I would like to, I just don’t ever have that much spare time, but I did just read Water for Elephants and loved it.

Thanks Bry! We are so happy to have you on board at Mom’s Milk Boutique and thanks for all your hard work!

-Sarah

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Making New Year’s Resolutions

Friday, January 4th, 2013

Finding stillness...being comfortable with silence...

As a New Year is upon us I have been thinking a great deal about the tradition of making resolutions. At first I was being a bit of a scrooge about it and was decidedly not going to make any resolutions. However the more I thought about it (I have been running a lot lately so have had a lot of time to think 😉 ) I figured this seemed like a natural opportunity to reflect on the past year and approach the New Year with intention. So I came up with a few basic goals/resolution/intentions for 2013…but ultimately they all felt somewhat generic. The list included things such as read more books, budget better for groceries, engage in more creative projects, be more organized with homeschooling, etc. While all of those are important to me, they are on-going efforts…things I already strive for. I wanted to approach this New Year with a unique purpose…I wanted something refreshing and novel in order to stay motivated about it. Then in a rather sudden and unexpected way the resolution came to me on January 2.

I had just completed a long race the day prior where I met people from all over the world (it was a really fantastic way to celebrate the New Year)! One of the women I met was there with her family which included 3 young boys. Of course having 3 boys of my own I felt an instant connection to her. We chatted some however she was a bit reserved in her demeanor; although not in an aloof type of way. She had a gentle kindness about her and I found myself really drawn to her. I assumed her introversion was because she was immersed in her goal of running 200 miles. We encouraged each other throughout the race and congratulated each other after the race ended.

The odd thing about an event like this one, is how intimately connected you become with the other runners. Friendships form almost instantly as you share in the experience together…even with very little verbal exchange. Such was the case with this particular woman and myself.

The day after the race I happened upon an article about her family…only to find out she had a young daughter who had died 18 months prior in an accident. Running was how she coped with the loss of her daughter…it was her therapy. My heart immediately felt heavy (and I regretted the numerous times I made comments about us both having 3 boys). As I read on it turns out she is a rather accomplished runner and has completed some grueling races (ie- Badwater) as a top 10 finisher. Yet, her presence at this race was completely humble…in fact she made no acknowledgement of her previous race experiences. Nor that she was running the race for a bigger puporse than personal satisfaction. She was raising money for a non-profit organization focused on youth. But perhaps I didn’t give her the opportunity to share these things? Maybe I directed the conversation by asking specific, close-ended questions. Or maybe I just jumped in with talking about my own running experience and goals?

In that moment I realized what I want to focus on this next year…the fact that everybody has a unique story to share. And I crave hearing those stories because there is great wisdom in them (even when they include the inevitable grief of humanity). However I must TALK LESS and LISTEN MORE in order to access this wisdom, including that of my children. So there it is…my intention for 2013 is to talk less and listen more. Simple as that.

Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? Would love to hear yours!

-Sarah

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“I Used to be a Fun Mom…What Happened?”

Friday, December 28th, 2012

This past week I have been drafting a few blog posts in my head related to making New Year’s Resolutions (and/or setting intentions) and participating in the 26 Acts of Kindness movement. Then today at Costco I saw a mother interacting with her child and my thoughts shifted… a lot!

My hubby had the day off today which meant I had the opportunity to run a few errands by myself…such a luxury! I made a quick stop at Costco. On the way out I walked past the Dune Buggy that is always sitting in front of the store. The same one my kids are always asking me if they can play on. The same one that typically makes me say “get off that and walk with me please” to my kids. Today as I walked past the infamous Dune Buggy a mom was sitting in it with her son who looked about 3 years old. She was pretending they were in a jungle and a tiger was chasing them. She was enthusiastically telling her son “quick, drive faster…he’s getting closer!”.  I stopped right by them pretending to focus on tucking my receipt into my bag, but really I was watching their interaction.

I thought to myself, “my boys would love if I did that with them”. That’s when I realized that I used to be a fun mom. I used to play and engage with them like that. I used to be silly and creative. I used to take time to explore their curiosities with them. Now I tend to rush them along and lack patience for their pokiness. What happened?

Am I experiencing *gulp* “mommy burnout“? Is it just an inevitable part of mothering? Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is I felt inspired by watching this mommy engage with her son. In fact I wanted to go home, grab my kids, and bring them back to Costco to play “tiger chase” with them in the Dune Buggy. I wanted to laugh with them and love on them. And that’s when it hit me: My 26 random acts of kindness need to be directed towards my children right now! The heart of the movement is to spread compassion and I feel as though right now my own children need a more compassionate mama (because to be honest for the past several months they have had a crabby, tired, and impatient mama).

I am excited to think about the 26 random acts of kindness I will bestow upon my children! And to think all I needed to get out of that funk was to watch a game of “tiger chase” and hear a child laugh joyfully! An unknown and even unintentional random act of kindness was gifted to me today by that mama at Costco…so wherever she is on this chilly night in the desert under the beautiful full moon, I thank her! 🙂

What has inspired you recently in your own mothering journey? Would love to hear from you!  

-Sarah

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