Accept the limitations of the day:<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s so easy for me to start my day with big expectations. I want to finish that project I was working on the day before, or finally get to scrubbing out that tub or tackling the laundry. And then the baby wakes up with a fever, or I get a terrible headache around lunchtime, or a toddler needs extra attention from me. I think the hardest limitations for me to accept is anything that involves my own health. \u201cI\u2019m fine!\u201d<\/em> I tell myself, \u201cI can push through this and still get through everything I planned for this day!\u201d<\/em> And on the rare day, it works out. And that fools me into thinking that I can always ignore the way I am feeling and meet my own expectations.<\/p>\n \u00a0But it\u2019s not true, because most days that I completely ignore the limitations of the day, I end up yelling at my kids, frustrated that I didn\u2019t get something done, and feeling overwhelmed. It is so much easier if I just recognize from the start that each day has limitations of its own. If I can learn to accept and love others despite their limitations<\/a>, why not accept and love myself despite my own limitations.<\/p>\n Appreciate yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n We do so much as moms. Being a mom is a full time job! Why am I tempted to ignore that? Somedays I get to the end of the day and whine that I got \u201cnothing\u201d done. My husband will point out that I made dinner and I will protest that I never intended to make spaghetti again, I was going to make homemade chicken pot pie. How many times do I discredit the amount of work I\u00a0have<\/em><\/u> done, because of all the work I supposedly\u00a0could<\/em><\/u> have done. One of the commenter\u2019s from last week pre-empted me by saying \u201cappreciate yourself\u201d, much like my recent post on appreciating our kids<\/a>. <\/p>\n Appreciate what you do, stop looking at what you\u00a0could<\/em><\/u> have done, and notice what you did. Maybe you didn\u2019t get to washing the floor like you\u2019d hoped, but today children were loved and dressed and fed and read to. Maybe you didn\u2019t clean the whole bathroom, but you did wipe down the mirror and the sink. Celebrate what you do! You\u2019ve heard the saying \u201c you don\u2019t need to be perfect, just do your best\u201d, sadly that wasn\u2019t encouraging for me. In my perfectionist\u00a0mind I\u00a0never truly\u00a0did my best, I know now that \u201cmy best\u201d was unachievable. Now I do what I can<\/em><\/u>, and I let it be enough. And surprisingly, most of the time it is more than enough! <\/p>\n My goal<\/span> is that these \u201cdaily\u201d ideas are things you can fit into your day without any need to plan ahead. You know, the little things we\u00a0are tempted not to\u00a0bother with because we are waiting for something better, but in reality they are often all we have time for.<\/p>\n Now don\u2019t get overwhelmed, I don\u2019t mean that all of these things should happen daily! Pick and choose! Many of these ideas won\u2019t speak to you, or you may try one and not really get anything out of it. It takes time to figure out what you enjoy. Alot contributes to what makes you feel re-charged, personality, goals, whether you are introverted or extroverted. In the end, you should be able to hone in on what helps you. <\/p>\n Alot of this will also depend on how busy you are, if you do not have time to do 3 of these little self-care moments each day, you are over committed, it is time to cut back. I feel like I am just scratching the surface with these ideas, but these are some of the things that rejuvenate me and I\u2019m sure that you will have some other ideas for things that rejuvenate you! Remember, these little daily moments should not require any planning ahead, and if you are not attempting to cover the basics of self-care<\/a>, none of these moments will do that much to help you recharge.<\/p>\n Make yourself a Hot drink or Smoothie:<\/strong> Nothing hits the spot for me like a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate. And I happen to love banana-blueberry smoothies.<\/p>\n Paint your toe nails:<\/strong> I say toe nails because with dishes and laundry my fingernails last all of 3 minutes. Plus it can be dangerous to have my hands out of commission even for a few minutes to let the polish dry! (Bonus: Your kids may love to get their nails painted too!)<\/p>\n Have a special snack:<\/strong> Too often I skip making snack and eat something quick and processed, or worse yet, don\u2019t eat anything at all. One of my favorite snacks is Celery with peanut butter and raisins or chocolate chips. It doesn\u2019t take very long to make it, and it feels so much better than a junky snack.<\/p>\n Devotional time:<\/strong> I used to put this off until I \u201chad time\u201d to read for at least a half hour and pray alone! Plus I felt that the more the better when I was reading God\u2019s word, so I was never content with the amount I read. I should be able to finish my chapter! Why couldn\u2019t the kid leave me alone for long enough for this to be edifying!<\/em> The result of my frustration was that I rarely got around to devotions. Now, I read a verse or two (literally) while I nurse the baby. It never takes me more than five minutes, an if I get more time than that\u2019s a nice bonus. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I\u2019ve been blessed by my consistently snatching a devotional moment.<\/p>\n Computer time:<\/strong> You have to be careful with this one, actually writing or reading of blogs takes planning, and that\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about here. I mean the moments where you are about to pull your hair out because your baby just dunked another beanie baby in the toilet. (beanie babies are machine washable and dryable so you know) Instead of causing hair loss, I\u2019ve found that getting on Twitter or Facebook\u00a0for 5 minutes (careful, no more than that!) to read about the craziness in other mom\u2019s lives and maybe post a tiny vent of my own can help me to laugh and find my center again.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_q6xr29KDh2g\/TL4MwhlajcI\/AAAAAAAAAgc\/IlpMAsTLn6o\/s200\/hot-cup-of-tea.jpg\")
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