5.40am Subconsciously doing backflips because at the very least I won’t be waking up in the death hour of any time beginning with 4.
5.41am Little hands slapping on my face. “Mummay what’s inside woodlice?”.
- Inward groan and realisation that I’m going to have to actually dissect some woodlice so he’ll quit asking me this same question every day.
5.42am Drift off pondering where one finds woodlice in our neighbourhood.
5.43am “Mummay I have poops”.
- Yes, motherhood gave me spidey-senses, I can smell them, I’m acutely aware of the poops in your diaper Nixie.
Silence.
5.51am “There’s poops on my fingers and DADDY, where’s my breakfast?”
Repeat 7 days a week except for those days that start at 4.40am, Nixon’s other favourite wake-up time.
Ethan was away on school camp this week so there was one less mouth to feed and lunch to make at 6am, but otherwise it was business as usual; the kindy run, work, housework, washing, life admin (I saved $300 per year on just one vehicle’s insurance today! BAM!), I ran 5km, had a playdate, spent 3 hours at the rugby club facilitating registrations and I have a deadline tomorrow so am still working.
I can’t remember the last time I actually thought to myself “That’s not going to happen, there aren’t enough hours in the day, there isn’t enough coffee, I haven’t had enough sleep, I just can’t do it”.
Can’t isn’t really in my Mummy Lexicon unless we talking about running 10km in which case I’m totally stuck in a 5km rut and I CAN’T run through it lol. Doing ALL the things (whether we want to or not) is how many of us survive and thrive. Limitations of what it was possible to achieve in a day flew out the window as soon as Ethan was born, and though, I undoubtedly would like a few more blank spaces on our family calendar, the last 12 years have taught me that everything and anything is possible and I can, in fact put one foot in front of the other (over and over again) and make it all work.
The catch-phrase of the moment, particularly applicable to Mums, is ‘self-care’. I’m not good at this. Giving myself a ‘break’ and letting the washing or the dishes pile-up does my head-in and any benefit to be gained from relaxing and not doing chores is instantly negated by mess-induced anxiety. For people like me, who are active-relaxers, a run or an exercise class is a perfect way to take some time out and practice some of that self-care we hear so much about without the associated guilt of “doing nothing”. Finding a way to take care of your Unstoppable Mum-Self and recharging your batteries is so important, but we all do this in different ways so if you’re not a zen yoga goddess every Sunday morning don’t sweat it, just find your own mummy-mantra and practice it. Regularly!
My kids are the ones that drive my Unstoppable Mum Life, they are the sole reason why Dave and I can get out of bed at 4.40am with something resembling a smile and look forward to the day’s routine, domestic schedule. Each day will undoubtedly be similar to the day before and will recognise tomorrow but it needn’t be mundane or boring.
As I am undoubtedly a YES person, the people I meet through throwing myself into MumLife and Yessing my way through the weeks, are the ones that remove any smidgen of boring-ness from the sometimes l o n g days – and equally long nights…..with Nixon! Getting out and about in your community, doing, volunteering, meeting and helping other parents have a better day will give you more and more positive momentum and help you become the Mum you really want to be.
I recently discovered a little message on the sole of a new pair of winter boots from Ziera;
“Stand your ground”.
I love little details like this! I’m picturing myself on a dark, cold night at the rugby club, waiting for Ethan to finish training, dealing with the minutiae of rugby committee life, my mental to-do-list rapidly overflowing as I remember (not to forget!) that it’s bike day at kindy tomorrow and that Ethan needs money for his school bus card so we can’t go straight home after training, that the truck’s RUC’s have run out and I still need to get the tyres balanced……..
Breathe. Smile. I am unstoppable.
Do something amazing today!
We’re ALL unstoppable right? Here’s your chance to recognise a woman that inspires, empowers and motivates you every day……..with a little help from Ziera!
Ziera is searching for unstoppable women to win one of five prizes of $2,500 plus five pairs of shoes to give them a helping hand towards achieving great things. You can nominate as many unstoppable woman as you like. Each time you nominate, you’ll go into the draw to win one of 100 pairs of shoes, one for you and one for the person you nominate. Achieve the extraordinary every day. Be unstoppable.
Submit your nominations here and make a positive change in the life of a deserving woman, just like you!
Win with The Best Nest & Ziera
Because Ziera are all about YOU and supporting unstoppable women, I have a $250 voucher to spend with Ziera for one of you! Head over to Ziera, pick your favourite style (mine are the Zorro) and let me know which shoes you’ve fallen in love with in the comments below.
Competition closes Sunday 2/4/17, NZ residents only.
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