This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Diaper Genie® Elite and Babies R Us for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Dear moms,
Have you noticed how motherhood is just kindof an all and nothing type of gig? Like, you take care of the kids, all the way, but then sometimes you are left with nothing.
It’s like we feel guilty if we need a moment to breathe. A moment without a child on the knee or a night with sleep that was not interrupted by an adorable, yet screaming, infant.
And then sometimes you will come across things that tell you “it’s okay to take care of yourself, because if you don’t you won’t be able to take care of the kids…”
I can’t tell you how much I love the first half of that and totally cringe at the second.
It’s okay to take care of yourself.
Period.
Why? Because you matter. You deserve care too.
Sure, when we become parents our priorities change. Sometimes there will be choices that must be made and if it’s a choice of something that’s really bad for me or something that’s really bad for my kid, I’ll choose the better option for my kid, every single time.
But taking care of yourself isn’t bad for your kids. In fact, it’s quite good for them.
- It teaches them that they are not the center of the universe.
- It shows them that you matter.
- It demonstrates to your daughters that they will grow up and matter, and have an identity beyond the roles they play for other people (although those roles are SO VERY important).
There are so many more reasons I could give why it is emotionally healthy for your children for you to take care of yourself. But this article is meant to be about you. To let you know that taking care of your kids and caring for yourself are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. You can be fantastic at both!
Take care of you for you. and take care of your kids for your kids.
Sometimes that means having a conversation with your spouse about who will be watching the kids when. It can mean organizing some time out of the house for you if at all possible, even if you just walk around the mall and don’t make a single purchase.
Another thing you can do is enroll yourself in the Mommy Time Rewards offered with Diaper Genie products. Check out the Diaper Genie® Elite at Babies R Us when you purchase Diaper Genie products you can register them and earn your way towards amazing rewards like egift cards to restaurants and places like sephora.
While you are earning those rewards you will also be stocking your baby’s nursery with a hygienic diaper disposal system. It’s simple and hands-free! Remember what I was saying about taking care of you AND baby? Diaper Genie TOTALLY gets that too! The refill technology makes everything so much easier and quicker… which means more sleep for you during those middle-of-the-night diaper changes and so much less frustration because your nursery can smell sweet and non-diapery.
I love relaxing at home drinking, coloring (i know, i know…) and watching Doctor Who. In fact, every week a friend comes over and we do nails and watch our show, and color! While we do this, our husbands meet at their house and they do the same (less coloring and nail painting and more movie-watching, but essentially the same none the less). It’s a great way for us all to take care of ourselves AND have fun together!
How do you make time for YOU? Do you ever feel guilty about taking care of yourself?
Krista says
This is so true! It took me a long time to realize how much I need mommy time, but when I did it made so much difference!