last night as I lay in bed, silently I played the "put down the mom" game. You know, the one where you say..."I wish I worked out today, I wish I ate better, I wish I looked better, I wish I had more patience, I wish I hadn't punished my child today, I wish I HAD punished my child today...I wish I were a better wife....and on and on". So many nights I find myself wondering how I could have been better that day...and self-examination isn't a bad thing however self-doubt and criticism of said self is something that you (and I) need to avoid.
So I began to change my train of thought. What could I change for me tomorrow and what did I like about me today?
I decided instead of putting ourselves down, we should put ourselves up. So I thought. I realized I cuddled my girls (which is sometimes a challenge for me as I don't really love touchy feely emotions), I shopped for my children to provide healthful meals in the coming weeks. I made sure the house was tidy and picked up for the start of the week, and I made some goals for myself that could be a positive spin on the day, turning into the week, the month, the year...ah, my whole life.
So this morning I got up rejuvenated, with new confidence (even if I have to fake it a while til I make it for real). I got the girls dressed. The beds were made (thanks mom), got two loads of laundry in, taught the girls about MLK, made breakfast, cleaned breakfast, nursed the baby twice, put the baby down for a nap, set up a craft and worked out....and the icing on the cake, I actually LOST weight this weekend. I have no idea how but I am down another 1.3 pounds :) CHEERS!
Here's to put ups. Pump yourself up today. For you. For your spouse. For your kids.
What is your put up?
I really like this post, Ellie. I do tend to put myself down more than up - you're totally right. So, I thought I'd try to find three things that I like about myself or 3 things that I like that I did today. It was harder than I thought!! After much thought - here they are:
ReplyDelete1) I really like how much energy I have. I like that I keep moving and don't really stop - I think that it makes me really think about what I'm doing and I feel like I enjoy things more because of it.
2) I like my creativity with the kids and their art projects. We always do at least one fun art project a day, and I really enjoy that. Today we coloured pictures of MLK and made window hangings with them.
3) It was really hard to think of three!! But, I finally came up with the fact that I like my adventurous nature in the kitchen. All three meals today are ones that I've thought up or created on my own, and not only are they healthy, but they're yummy. I'm not afraid to try a new spice or ingredient, and I like that.