As I get ready to celebrate my 13th Mother’s Day I have been reflecting back on my journey up until now.  It has been full of a lot of ups and downs and more lessons than I can begin to list.

If I had to sum up my experience as a mom with 1 word it would be BALANCE.

As moms we balance a lot of plates!  Number one being motherhood, but there are so many more things going on.  We are wives, friends, and daughters.  We work from home or out of the house.  We volunteer.  We carpool, we clean, we cook.

Then it seems that with each of those plates there is a separate balancing act going on.

We struggle between being a “hover mother” and missing something important as we try to let go.

We struggle with kicking ass in our career and missing out on school plays, baseball games or dance practices.

I struggle with letting Type 1 diabetes or ADHD take over our lives or being too lax and risking complications.

Is the house too clean leaving everyone feeling like they live in a museum or is it a hot mess?

Am I expecting them to eat too healthy or am I letting them eat too much crap.

Am I too busy trying to make everything perfect and missing out on just making memories.

Should I let them fall?
Should I fix everything?
Will I be there to catch them?

With all this going on in our lives and in our heads, it’s no wonder that the one important part in this balancing act, the thing holding it all up, get’s lost in the shuffle.

So what is a mom to do?

Treat your body well!  You need to create time in your daily grind for at least 30 minutes of exercise and you need to take the time to fuel your body with good nutrition. Listen, momming is hard.  It’s even harder when you don’t feel well.

Take time for your mental well being.  Take time to read and learn about something that interests you.  Take time to rest.  Take time to meditate.  Surround yourself with others who will lift you up.  Treat yourself to a manicure or a massage every once in a while. Enjoy a night out with friends.

Care for your spirit.  You are a small part of an amazing universe.  No matter your belief’s, it is important to tap into the greater good.  To find your gifts and to live your purpose.  You were put onto this earth for great things.  Believe that.

Lastly, treat yourself with grace and forgiveness.  Somedays you will find that perfect balance.  Other days the kids will be late for school with messy hair, your shirt won’t be ironed, you’ll run out of gas and dinner will be a disaster.  It’s all part of the dance.

Be strong enough to take care of yourself.  Realize that when you are your best, all those balancing acts will be that much easier to manage.

Over the last 3 years I have had the pleasure to meet and connect with hundreds of moms.

I am thankful to the coaches I work with who lift me up, encourage me and make me believe.
I am forever thankful to the community of Type 1 moms who offer me their support, expertise and unconditional love.
I am thankful for the moms who put their trust in me in order to let me help them create strong pillars for their families.
I am thankful for my mom friends who let me be me!  Who laugh when I laugh and cry when I cry.

I am a better mom having known you all.

Happy Mother’s Day!