Balanced Family Life:
Kids. Amirite? They want us 24/7/365. Actually 366 because those little twerps don't even give us Leap Day on February 29th do they? Once those little critters start pouring out of your uterus it is almost impossible to get a minute to yourself. Even to poo. Not. A. Moment.
With kids hanging off you all the time it is easy to feel touched out and overwhelmed. Out of balance. Especially if you have other demands going on in your life like work, church volunteering, school, eating chocolate.... One thing that I've always had trouble with is actually putting the plans I make into place and working through them. Oh I'm TERRIFIC at making plans, just terrible at following through. Which is why I really loved this talk by M. Russell Ballard about establishing priorities and keeping life in balance. In it he talks about 8 steps we can take to create balance in our lives and families.
First we should think about our lives and set priorities. What do you envision for your home and family life? Write it down so you know what you want to work towards.
Set short term goals. Write down specific goals and how you want to accomplish them, then write down how you will measure your success. Give yourself a time limit for each short term goal so you are actively working towards them every day.
Wise budgeting. Control your real needs - food, shelter, transportation, communication, and measure those against the things that you want. I often want a candy bar, but what my family needs is nutritious food. Food wins out over candy 99% of the time.
Stay close with family and friends. Our loved ones help to keep us balanced and healthy. No relationship is ever perfect, but good relationships are founded on principles of love, forgiveness, and thoughtful communication.
Study scriptures daily. By immersing ourselves in the word of God we are able to feel the Spirit, draw closer to our Father in Heaven, and bring peace to our souls. One way that I like to get my scripture study in is to listen to it with my phone and headset.
Make time to relax, exercise, and rest. And shower. It can be so hard to find time to do anything for yourself - even to eat - when you have little ones, especially under the age of 3. It's an intense period of life because they need us so completely, but try to find some time every day. Take advantage of naps, do mother-baby exercise routines, go to bed with your baby at night if you're tired. Resist the urge to think you're too busy for a family vacation, even if it's just for a day trip! Repeat after me: We. Need. Breaks!
7. Teach your family the Gospel. Read the scriptures with them every day, memorize verses and songs together, do weekly Family Home Evening on a night when all of you can be available and use the opportunity to expand on a particular gospel principle.
8. Pray often. Prayer is how we unburden our souls to our Heavenly Father. We should always be thankful in our prayers, and it is of course always okay to ask Him for things that we need, but we should also pour out our hearts to Him! Tell Him what you are struggling with emotionally, physically, or physically. Tell him your frustration and pain. Heavenly Father loves us all, and wants to hear about our lives, not just what we like and what we want.
These can seem like pretty simple things, but by following these 8 simple steps we can better bring peace and balance into our lives and our families. As mothers we have a sacred calling and responsibility to set the tone in our homes, and it is hard to set a positive tone when we are out of balance ourselves! How do you bring balance and peace into your life?
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