Happy Moms

Family Volley is a blog that I've been following for a while, and really enjoy the uplifting posts and ideas on how to make family life happier and run smoother!  Here is a recent post about Happy Moms that I really enjoyed:

 

Being a mom is tough. Being a mom is even harder when we are miserable.

Being a Happy mom not only makes our lives better, but it makes our families happier also.

Here are 8 things that Happy Moms have in common.

1. Happy Moms Avoid Comparisons
As mothers and women we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. If we want to be happy, we have to stop. We are usually comparing our weaknesses and shortcoming to someone else's strengths. It is not a fair comparison. And, when we compare, we foster feelings of jealousy and envy. Those feelings will make us miserable. There will always be someone skinnier, with a cleaner house and with kids that seem more behaved. Always. SO what...comparing will not make us skinner, or our house cleaner. Don't waste energy on comparing.
It is the same with our children. Don't compare our kids to others. When we do, we miss all the magic that is in each of our own children. We overlook how wonderful and unique they are. And we put unfair pressure on them.
When we find ourselves longing for someone else's life, sit down with a piece of paper and pen and start listing all the things you are thankful for. List all the blessings in your life. When you feel yourself starting to compare again, get out the paper and re-read all that you are thankful for. We will quickly realize how blessed we really are.
The other thing we can do to stop the comparing is to serve others. Serving others brings humility and helps us recognize our many blessings.
Lastly, we have to be careful with social media. It is easy to read about all the recipes and refinished furniture and beautifully sewn cloths and feel inadequate. Just because we don't do all those things, doesn't mean we are less. Nor should we compare ourselves to all the "ideal" posts we read.

2. Happy Moms Stop Worrying
I am very guilty of this. I am a worrier. It causes stress, and then I am not happy. It will take practice, but think about it this way: If you can't change it or control it, then there is no need to worry about it. Instead think about what you can control and put your efforts there. The other thing we can do to stop worrying is to turn off the news. I watch the news filled with all the negative and horrible and I worry more.

3. Happy Moms Recognize Their Worth.
There comes a time when we have to accept ourselves, as is. We need to love ourselves. Instead of wondering what we are good for, we need to know that our role is THE most important role. We are raising and influencing future generations. We are primarily responsible for nurturing little human beings. It doesn't get more important than that. Even if we don't have children of our own, there is nothing that compares to a women's loving influence.
Take a minute and write down all the things that you are good at. Don't be shy, write them down. Maybe you are a good friend, patient, a talented seamstress, or creative. Own them, find strength in your strengths and use them to help others. The sooner we can recognize our true worth, the happier we will be.

4. Happy Moms Have Faith and Pray
The act of being faithful, in and of itself raises our spirits and gives us hope. Hope is happy and healing. Couple that hope with prayer and the sun will shine happy rays. :) Even on the worst of days, having faith that we are trying our best and that tomorrow will be better, can help us feel happy today.
Prayer can help us lead happier lives also. It gives us a chance to express gratitude and ask for help. When we pray, be specific. Yesterday I prayed that I could be more creative with our 3 year old. Lately she has wanted me to play zoo, and make animal sounds. Sometimes that is hard for me, so I asked for help. Pray for more time with your family, pray for stamina to get through a long day. Sometimes my prayers are that I can get through the next 15 minutes. Happy moms have faith. For me, faith helps because I know that I am never alone.

5. Happy Moms Choose Good Friends.
We are quick to preach this to our children, but do we realize how important it is for us. We need to surround ourselves with people who lift us up, who believe in us, and who support us. Avoid relationships that are one sided and draining. We want friends who don't compare, who revel in our successes and who believe in lifting others up, not putting others down. That is also the type of friend we want to be for others.

6. Happy Moms Make Time For Themselves
As mothers and women, we tend to take care of ourselves last. I have caught myself more than once saying "when the kids are older then I will have time for....". We need to stop thinking like that. We should find some time for ourselves to cultivate our gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn to do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. It is not selfish.

7. Happy Moms Simplify
We need to clean up and clear out. Take a look at your schedule and make sure it is not too full. Don't over schedule our kids, or ourselves. Juggling a million things doesn't make us better moms with cooler kids. It just stresses us out. We are not happy when we are stressed. Our kids only need one or two extra activities, same with us as moms.
We should simplify our homes also. Too many clothes and toys in our homes and cars add stress. It can become overwhelming to manage so much stuff. Simplify. Cut down to what is manageable and spend less time keeping up with all the stuff, and more time with those you love, doing things you want to do and being happy.

8. Happy Moms Laugh and Smile
Laughing and Smiling naturally brings happiness. Let your face light up and let out a giggle. In fact, smile at someone else and watch their face light up. We can get so rushed and serious that we forget to be happy. So even if you have to force it at first, smile.

ARE YOU A HAPPY MOM?
DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH ANY OF THESE?

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU ADD TO THE LIST? 

I would like to add a few things to the list:  

Get enough SLEEP!

Exercise regularly

AND

Eat right - be healthy so that you have the energy/stamina to take care of your family!

Have a great week!

XOXO,  Shari

the birth story

I am finally getting around to posting pics and the whole birth story! Hooray! I know some of you out there have been patiently waiting to see pics, and so here ya go!

First of all, I want to give a little recap of the weeks leading up to delivery day... At 37 weeks I had an ultrasound to estimate the size of the baby. When a woman has gestational diabetes, it increases the chances of having a big baby. Well, that is all relative considering the fact that I NORMALLY have big babies...(i.e. Jakob: 10lbs 1.4 oz; Joshua: 9lbs 8oz; Drew: 8lbs 12oz.) So, I was worried that would mean my baby could end up being a 12 pounder! Anyway, at that ultrasound, they estimated the baby's weight around 8lbs, 4oz. Ummmm...with 3 weeks to go, that had me a bit worried. So, at my 38 week appt., my Dr. says, "Well, we don't want this baby to get TOO big, so at your next weeks appt. we will talk about scheduling induction."

UH-OH. I felt like I was having deja vu. That word, "INDUCTION," had been mentioned to me before...by 2 other doctors, with 2 other pregnancies...and guess what? Yes, I was induced...but not EARLY...it was only because the babies were a week late! So, I had a really hard time believing that THIS Dr. would actually follow through and induce early.

So...week 39 appt. comes along, and guess what? Dr. says that since I'm not progressing at all, we will wait one more week and to make sure I schedule an appt. 1 week past my due date to make sure I don't go too far OVER DUE.

SERIOUSLY? I wanted to punch him in the face. Even though I think he's a rad guy, I was NOT happy with that decision. Oh well. Nothing I could do.

So...I go to my 40 week appt...and this time, I see a different doctor. She says she is really surprised to see me still pregnant at this point! I start to see a glimmer of hope, that maybe she will schedule the induction! Then, she checks to see how far dilated I am and then says, "OOPs! Your water broke!" Ha ha. She totally did it on purpose! Love her for that! So, we went home, got my bag and made arrangements with my mom and for the kiddos and then headed to the hospital.

Here is a pic of the family right before we left...the last picture of us as a family of 5!

Brad and I were completely shocked that she broke my water in the office...we never would have imagined that being a possibility, but needless to say we were pleasantly surprised! That was all around 2:30pm... we made it to the hospital and I was in my bed around 5 or 5:30...not exactly sure.

I was put on pitocin at about 6pm, and that really got things going...they took me off of it at about 7pm and the contractions just kept coming harder and stronger.  Thankfully this time, the epidural was placed in time -- well, I mean at least it helped take the edge off the contractions, and then a few minutes later it was time to push!  OUCHIE!  Let's just say he didn't fly out like JOshy and Drew did...but definitely came easier than Jakob did!  We were all blown away when they called out his weight... 10lbs, 7.2oz!!!!! 

I never thought I would have a baby bigger than Jakob!  Holy cow!  I am so thankful that the dr. broke my water...because he very easily could have been 11 or 12 lbs if I had gone another week!!!

I love that they encourage skin-to-skin contact right after birth...it was so sweet to have him lay on my chest and give him a kiss!!  (I know you're all jealous of my sweet tan lines, ha ha!)

Proud Papa and Mama...

The calm before the storm...

Definitely NOT digging his first bath!

All clean...what a chunk!  Look at that double chin!

Proud Grama!

Proud papa...

Proud mama...

 

The boys were so cute when they first came to meet Aleks...they were fascinated by him!

They brought me treats... Peanut M&Ms (which they ate 1/2 the bag!!), spider earrings that Joshy picked out, and a cute "lil' Devil" hat and bootie halloween bootie set...  Those boys crack me up!

The whole family!  I can't believe we have 4 sons!

Sweet, sleepy baby...

And another Proud Papa pic...

Looking at these pics I realize how much he has already grown and changed in the past 2 weeks...  I have attempted a few photoshoots with him...and let's just say, I much prefer photographing OTHER peoples' babies!  I have found that I remain much more calm when it's not my kid!  :)  So, hopefully I will have some really great photos to show you soon...keep an eye out!

We have been truly blessed to have my mom stay with us and take care of all the cooking and cleaning and driving kids around, etc...that was wonderful!  She left on Saturday and now that it's been a few days, I am starting to feel more confident in taking care of things on my own with the kids and baby.  Brad is also a great help, and steps in whenever I ask.  We have had lots of friends bring us meals...and that has helped tremendously...just not even having to THINK about cooking takes a huge load off of me!  So, thank you to everyone who has helped out and sent kind messages...it really means a lot to know we have such an awesome support system!!!!!!!  

And now I must sign off...it's feeding time again! 

xoxo