What I Do to Keep Sane - Part A

There are certain things that I do to maintain a certain level of sanity. I am not always successful, but I try really hard. When I had Liam, I never took care of myself. I try to do that now. In parenting magazines they tell you to nap when the baby naps. What a joke! Seriously, are there really moms out there who actually do that? I can see how some moms might be able to do that when they only have one child if they don't care about healthy meals and a somewhat clean house and clean clothes. And that's ok not to care about those things. I am not able to not care about these things but I respect that some people simply don't. But with two children, you really don't have that luxury. So here is a partial list of the things I do to try to remain sane:

1. I make sure to take a shower every morning before Scott goes to work. It gets tricky when Scott is away on business though.
2. After showering I put on real clothes and make-up even if I don't intend to leave the house that day.
3. I try to eat healthy meals. I cook on weekends and freeze stuff so that me and my family have healthy meals to eat.
4. I try to get out of the house if not every day then every other day. Even if it's just taking the baby and going to the grocery store. I didn't do it with Liam and it contributed greatly to my depression and anxiety so I am making sure not to repeat that mistake.
5. I give myself a mini-manicure once a week on the weekend when Scott is home.
6. I try to get a pedicure every so often when it is needed.
7. I let Scott do some things around the house that I would have never let him do before. I actually let him sweep the floor and get laundry out of the dryer.
8. I do a load of laundry once a day so that laundry doesn't pile up too much.
9. I go to a breastfeeding support group that meets every other week. I regret not having done that when I had Liam so I try to go every time they meet. It's a wonderful way to meet other moms and support new moms in their choice to breastfeed. It isn't always easy to be a breastfeeding mom. It takes a lot out of you to exclusively nurse so it's nice to be able to talk about the challenges with other moms.

More to come...