Forget the flowers this Mother's Day.  Let mom take a nap!    Check out this funny video about what a mom says in 24hrs.  Are you ready to laugh?

watch video Video Description "The Mom" song, sung to the William Tell Overture, by Anita Renfroe. What a mom says in 24 hours, condensed into 2 minutes and 55 seconds! Hilarious and talented! Lyrics for "The Mom Song" is given below. (Thank you BelleFlower15!) "The Mom Song" Get up now Get up now Get up out of bed Wash your face Brush your teeth Comb your sleepyhead Here's your clothes and your shoes Hear the words I said Get up now! Get up and make your bed Are you hot? Are you cold? Are you wearing that? Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at? Grab your coat and gloves and your scarf and hat Don't forget! You gotta feed the cat Eat your breakfast, the experts tell us it's the most important meal of all Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at 3 today Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon so you must play Don't shovel Chew slowly But hurry The bus is here Be careful Come back here Did you wash behind your ears? Play outside, don't play rough, will you just play fair? Be polite, make a friend, don't forget to share Work it out, wait your turn, never take a dare Get along! Don't make me come down there Clean your room, fold your clothes, put your stuff away Make your bed, do it now, do we have all day? Were you born in a barn? Would you like some hay? Can you even hear a word I say? Answer the phone! Get off the phone! Don't sit so close, turn it down, no texting at the table No more computer time tonight! Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up Where are you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home? Saying thank you, please, excuse me makes you welcome everywhere you roam You'll appreciate my wisdom someday when you're older and you're grown Can't wait till you have a couple little children of your own You'll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly But right now I thank you not to roll your eyes at me Close your mouth when you chew, would appreciate Take a bite maybe two of the stuff you hate Use your fork, do not burp or I'll set you straight Eat the food I put upon your plate Get an A, get the door, don't get smart with me Get a grip, get in here, I'll count to three Get a job, get a life, get a PHD Get a dose of, "I don't care who started it! You're grounded until you're 36" Get your story straight and tell the truth for once, for heaven's sake And if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you jump, too? If I've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before That you're too old to act this way It must be your father's DNA Look at me when I am talking Stand up straighter when you walk A place for everything and everything must be in place Stop crying or I'll give you something real to cry about Oh! Brush your teeth, wash your face, put your PJs on Get in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with mom Don't forget, I love you And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends You don't need the reason why Because, because, because, because I said so, I said so, I said so, I said so I'm the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom!! Ta da!!!

It’s all about balance when it comes to happiness.  Equal time devoted to a wide range of tasks, experiences and goals.  But how do you find it amidst the chaos of motherhood and work?  See if the following tips help.

 1.  Set the clock.

 Set hours for different parts of your life: work, children, spouse, activities, and YOU.  If you work from home, especially, you need to set your office hours.  Commit to from 8 am until 1 pm if need be, but then walk away and close the doors to your office.  Likewise, plan for time spent with your children.  Reading time is from 7 pm to 8 pm or homework time is from 4 pm to 5 pm if they require assistance.  And don’t forget about YOU.  From 9 pm until 10 pm you will be in the bath and then giving yourself a pedicure. 

 2.  Are your social events fun or obligations?

 Everybody loves a party, but if you’ve found yourself tied up at someone’s dinner party every weekend, you might be over doing it.  It’s good to spend a weekend at home from time to time and catch up on household stuff or just relax and have some movie nights.

 3.  Are your kids balanced?

 You can’t be balanced if your children aren’t.  If you have your kids in dozens of activities, you may as well be in them yourself!  Pick and choose wisely and decide what’s really necessary or perhaps what’s more fun.

Live fully,

Mia

Do you need to slow down?  Are you smelling the roses in your life?  This week let's talk about the signs of doing to much. 

Life presents us with many choices and opportunities to partake in as a buffet.  We often get to choose the work projects that we will tackle next, the family events that we prioritize, extra curricular activities for the children to participate in.  Life gives us many opportunities to choose.  Many times, as we live our lives we forget that we can choose to enjoy each and every event.  Enjoyment is a choice also. 

My past week, was jammed packed with loads of personal and professional commitments.  Last week, my 6 year old had a project for school that required my assistance, my 9 year old needed bake goods for a school activity that I had signed up for back in September.  My 3 year old's school was having a silent auction this week and I was coordinating this portion of the event.  In addition, to these personal commitments, my professional commitments had greater requirements.  Also, my Toastmaster organization had a contest for the region and I was the club contestant.  Just to name a few.  Are you as tired as I am sharing this?

I found myself by the middle of the week moving quickly without much reflection on what I was doing.  I felt rushed, pushed, pulled and out of sync with my values to savor the gifts in my life.  Upon this relevation, I did the following things to realign my life.  They are:

1.        Before taking an action, I asked myself, "Why is this important to you?"  Why have you chosen to give this gift (service, time, resource) today?"  This simple question made me smile, as I thought about what and why I had chosen to spend my time on.

2.       Before moving onto the next task, I stopped and had a cup of tea or paused by closing my eyes for just 5 minutes.  I practiced being still so that I could better feel the new experience instead of rushing along.

3.       Delegated! I asked my husband to help me with some of my commitments.  I arranged for my three year old to visit grandmom for a few hours to free up some time to work.   I got my children to make brownies thereby relieving me of one more activity.  I considered ways to scale down.

This will be a much lighter week for me but I know that we all have weeks that are extraordinarily busy.  I hope that something I have shared with you will help you to choose differently in your own life.

 Live fully,

Mia