Tonight I bombed. I cooked a healthy taco meal that no one ate! Haha. It was a vegan fish taco in lettuce wraps, and I may have challenged one kid to take one bite, while another smelled it and ran! Haha! Luckily, I cooked a backup meal for my family (I’m stricter than most of them eating mostly vegan), and I don’t expect all of them to eat vegan especially Air Fried Heart of Palms from Tabitha Brown’s Instagram video! What is a heart of palm even! I mean what was I thinking! It was a weekday! I don’t cook new meals during the weekdays! I know better. My kitchen is a wreck and the heart of palms is starting at me AND even the dog won’t eat it! When a piece fell on the floor, she didn’t even eat it! Oh boy! But it’s ok! Because my kids are a bit older, we have meal time rules, and they complied with them, and it was great! Taco Night bombed. But we survived and laughed about it! But it hasn’t always been this way! Before, I did not love motherhood. I had 3 kids, 3 and under, and one older one and a traveling husband. It was hard. I felt isolated, depressed and alone, and most days I felt like a failure. That’s how I felt years ago, and with this pandemic, I know some of you may be feeling the same way I felt! The pressure of virtual learning, being home non-stop, and juggling work and e-learning. You will get through this time! So here are 5 ways to get through this pandemic, e-learning, working, or homeschooling with your sanity!
Keep it simple. No really, I want you to take a look at your schedule, and really see what you can eliminate, delegate, or save for later. We try to keep our homeschool days simple, finishing up most days by 12 and having the afternoon to do fun things! By eliminating, delegating, or saving for later, we really focus on what it is that’s important to us and our core values!
Have an hour to 2 hours of quiet time daily. Our kids are 5, 7,8, and 12 now, so they know the drill. Quiet time is usually from 1 to 2pm or 1 to 3pm depending on if I have an afternoon meeting! This is my saving grace! And theirs! Kids need time to think, be creative, be still. So if your kids are old enough, give them books, blocks, electronics if you want, and have a moment to breathe, get chores done, take a nap, or take a bath, or workout. This is your time to just be.
The Vegan Heart of Palms Air Fried Tacos that no one ate tonight! :)
3. Create a morning schedule, system, or routine that works for you and your family! Now some people don’t like routines, but my morning routine has become a game changer for me! I get up around 5:30, 6am, workout for 30-45 minutes, do my devotion for another 30-45 minutes, then ease into our day. Then we have breakfast, morning chores (brush teeth, wash face, make bed, get dressed for the day). Then Bible/Handwriting/Math. Then we have little cleanup before a break for outdoor play. That is our morning routine most days. When dad is off, we keep it light and fluffy to spend time with him. We may or may not get to homeschool because spending time as a family is more important than a strict schedule. My friend Kelly has a great morning schedule over on her blog!
4. Workout, take a walk, get outdoors daily! We usually try to take a bike ride as a family daily or most days! But I also workout in the morning because I’m a better mom when I take care of myself and my health! This has been my form of therapy! I love therapy! Love love love therapy. Went to it for years! Now, working out is a form of therapy and self-care for me. I don’t focus on the scale so much as my mental health! I want to be the best version of me for myself, my family, my clients, my community! So this is a daily must..
5. Do something that you enjoy EVERY SINGLE DAY! Often I coach and mentor moms or women who are burned out because they are giving to everyone else, but not doing anything that brings them joy. Read a book, sew a curtain, watch your favorite show, go for a run, start that blog you’ve been dreaming of. Do something for 20-30 minutes every single day that brings you immense joy! What are you doing that bring you joy in this season of life?
6. BONUS TIP! Connect with other moms or women! This may be my favorite tip. Connect connect connect. Isolation is not your friend! Connect virtually. Schedule a masked play-date. Have a friend over (take out your thermometer to check their temp if you’re nervous about Covid). Connect virtually or in person! It will do wonders for your mental health! And if you need someone, hey! I’d love to connect with you virtually or if you’re local, I love mom/girl dates!
In these uncertain times, I believe you can thrive! Is it hard!? Absolutely! Is life hard, motherhood hard, working as a teacher during this pandemic? Working as a nurse during this pandemic? Homeschooling during a pandemic. Trying to mom, wife, live life! It can be daunting! But I believe you can thrive! You can enjoy this amazing life that you have! I had the most awful awful TACO dinner tonight! I bombed taco night, but my kids will look back on these times, and know that I did my best to create a joy-filled, love-filled, grateful filled home! And so can you!
Until next time friend,
Shelly
I’ve connected with some amazing bloggers to share some blogs featuring tacos. Tacos, fajitas, nachos, and all things taco themed. Head to each of their blogs to check out what they are sharing!