Re-fuel

Tomorrow our family has to leave early for the day. While driving the car tonight I realized that we didn’t have any gas, and if we had to get gas tomorrow morning, we would probably end up running late for our appointments. So, I decided to take some time this evening to re-fuel the car.

As I was standing at the pump, I realized that I am not much different than a car. I also need re-fueling from time to time in order to be a happy, healthy mom; the kind of mom that can keep running all day. We all need a little time to re-fuel on a regular basis.

I used to take a whole day each month for a mother’s day. On this day I would go to the scrapbook store with my mom and sisters and we would go out to lunch and even to a movie sometimes. Lately, we have fallen out of this tradition, but I think it is time to revisit it, I need to re-fuel.

When I would come home from these mother’s days, I would feel so light and happy. I would run to my children and hug and kiss them. I would be excited to read stories, and play games. I was energized. This feeling of renewal lasts for a long time.

If you feel like you are dragging all day, or that you just don’t have the love for the children or the patience to handle all the business of life, maybe you need a mother’s day each month too. What is really stopping you from taking one day per month? If it will make you happier at home, just do it. When you are re-fueled, then the whole family benefits. My husband sees this, so he makes sure that I get personal time on a regular basis. He even goes as far as to make sure that the house is clean when I get home, and he spends quality time with the children too!

Also, our bodies need sleep just like our cars need gas, to keep going all day. I met a woman today that told me she goes to her first job at 1:00 am and then goes to her second job at 2:00 pm until 10:00 pm. Her body is really taking a beating! It could catch up with her some day. Not that she is bad for working so much. I admire her for working so hard to provide for her children, but I worry that she doesn’t have any time to re-fuel. In the long run, she could have problems from being so out of balance now.

Make sure you get enough sleep. I have found that everything really will wait until tomorrow. My life is always great if I go to bed on time. If things are going wrong at home, I can almost always track the problem back to not going to bed on time.

I know this post in different than usual, but I wanted to remind you that, your health really does effect how everything feels at home, so treat it as a priority too!