Every mom needs a place of her own. When everyone demands so much of you, and you give so much of yourself to your family, you need a place to recharge your batteries. That can be a time to walk, a place to meditate, escaping via the TV, a relaxing bath or just closing your eyes with your favorite cup of tea.
My new mom buddy, Crystal Tewes is learning this first hand as she takes the 2010 Clean Start Challenge. As a first time mom to a six- month old baby girl, Crystal is finding it hard to juggle the many demands of motherhood while finding time to exercise and learning to become domestic diva in the kitchen. Check out her latest video blog and don’t forget to vote for a chance to win $1,000.
When I met Crystal, I shared with her a few words of comfort and advice. First off, she is not alone. Every first time mom experiences the how-will-I-do-it-all anxiety of taking care of house, hubby and a fresh-from-the-hospital bundle of joy.
Take heart, Crystal. Somehow millions of moms before you have found a way, stumbled along, found their stride, or faked it until they made it. My best advice here is to set a low bar. Truth is, you probably won’t be as productive as you used to be. Accept it. Embrace it. You have a beautiful little one who demands a lot of your time and energy. Do things in small doses. You may have to start making dinner right after breakfast, just to pace yourself to get it done by the evening. And, oh yeah, two very important words that are the best friends to any new mom---Crock. Pot. Throwing some meat and veggies into the crock pot in the morning and letting it cook all day, is an easy way to have a great meal without a lot of pot minding and prep time. Check out these faves at allrecipes.com and bettycrocker.com
Also, try cooking a large meal on the weekends or whenever your partner is home to give you a hand with the baby. And when you do cook, think repurposing (Sounds more efficient than leftovers!). Let's say I make a big pot of meat sauce on a Sunday night, and serve it with some capellini. On Monday, the leftover sauce is mixed with some ziti and mozzarella, and popped into the oven for a yummy baked ziti. Or by the third night, I add a few cans of kidney beans, chili powder and other seasonings for a lovely chili over rice. That means I’m not cooking fresh again until Wednesday. Hello crock pot.
As for shedding the baby fat, I always tell moms, it took you nine months to gain the weight, so don’t let these celebrities convince you that you need to be thin again in nine days. Give yourself time. Again, start small. Taking the baby out for a 15-20 minute walk everyday is great for mom and baby.
Along the way, create your own place to recoup, renew and renergize. Use candles, pictures of relaxing places or surround yourself with reminders of your accomplishments (especially on those days when you feel like you are missing the mommy mark).
At the end of the day, the best advice I could give Crystal, and all moms, is that slowly and surely, you WILL find your way.
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