Home With Baby- What I've Learned and What Helps Me.

I've shared on this blog before that one of my greatest dreams for my life was to be a wife and a mommy. Well now I'm here in the beginnings of this beautiful, challenging, and incredibly rewarding season; and I want to share some of what I've learned so far, and what has helped me along the way.

I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with Ezekiel. I love spending every day with him and watching him grow and learn in big ways, but it's been a huge learning experience for me too. When Ezekiel was born I had a lot of help. My husband was home for three weeks, and my mom stayed with us for a month to help. For that time period, pretty much my only job was to feed the baby (side note: I wish for all mommies to have this kind of support post-partum! It was a true blessing and I'm so thankful. I cherished this time of new motherhood.) My awesome husband and mom would take shifts during the night, so that I only had to get up to feed him, and then go back to sleep. I'm not saying I never had any sleepless nights, because I definitely did, but they made it so much easier on me!

When Ezra went back to work and my mom went home to Virginia, it was just me and Ezekiel. Just me and him for the night feedings. Me and him for juggling doing laundry, dishes, paying bills, etc. It was daunting at first, and I could feel myself beginning to try and find my worth in how much stuff I could get done during the day. Stay at home moms are supposed to always have a clean house, a delicious meal on the table, and happy babies! Right? Well all of these responsibilities along with a baby who nurses frequently, countless doctors appointments, and dealing with migraines, it's needless to say I was feeling like I wasn't doing that great as a wife and mom.

Ezra often tells me to rest. To not wear myself out, to try to relax and take a nap, and that it doesn't really matter how much I get done during the day (I love him!) And he's right, so why stress out- staying at home is about our baby, and not so much about housekeeping.

There are a few things though, I've found, that help me feel organized, rested, and content with my days at home.

1. Get up early.
This sounds crazy, especially when us moms are notoriously sleep deprived. I used to get back in bed after feeding the baby early in the morning, around 6:30, and kind of just lay there while Ezra got up and got ready for work. Now I stay up, and the early mornings are my most productive part of the day! I feed and change Ezekiel, put on a pot of coffee, start a load of laundry, and straighten up around the house. Plus I get to be up and see Ezra off to work. (Note: All of this is thrown out the window if Ezekiel slept terribly the night before. I totally get back in bed then.)

2. Get Dressed
I'm at home all day, minus some errands and playdates, so really it would be fine to just stay in my sweatpants all day. But honestly, that just makes me feel sluggish. Putting on a pair of jeans and a little concealer does wonders for my energy levels. Who knew?

3. Make a Meal
Sometimes it can be hard to find the time to sit down and enjoy your cup of coffee, or even a meal at home with a baby. Ezra and I joke about how I usually heat up my cup of coffee a million times before finishing it. Caring for Ezekiel and trying to eat can be a challenge sometimes, not to mention I usually just do not feel like making another mess in the kitchen. But making a good, nutritious meal for myself is so worth it! So instead of always having a bowl of cereal, I like to make some things that I can refrigerate and eat through out the week. One of my favorites is a sweet potato hash:

1 sweet potato, cubed
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 pound of turkey breakfast sausage
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add sweet potatoes and cook until tender. In a separate pan, brown the turkey sausage until cooked evenly. Drain grease from pan and add sausage to the sweet potatoes. Add vegetables and cook until tender. Crack both eggs onto the mixture and let them cook on top, or scramble them to mix it all together (thats how I prefer them.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

This will usually be my breakfast or lunch for a few days, served with a side of toast. Yum :)

4. Do Something for Me
I've found that its important for me to keep doing the things I love, that don't revolve around being a mom. One of those things is the book club I am a part of. Right now we are reading Redeeming Love and we get together every two weeks to discuss the book, and of course enjoy some treats together! It really refreshes me to get together with the girls.

Doing craft projects is super fun for me as well! During the Christmas season some mommy friends came over and we made some adorable salt dough ornaments for our families. And I did a few dollar store crafts to decorate the house for the holidays.

I also enjoy running, so when Ezra is home on the weekends I try (PNW weather permitting, of course) to get outside and go for a run. When Ezekiel is big enough I'll be able to go during the week with the jogging stroller, too! For now he and I just stick to walks :)

5. Being Gracious to Myself.
Some days just will not go as planned- and that's okay. Maybe Ezekiel is not feeling well, or is just extra fussy and wants to be held all day. I'm going to cherish that, because I know that someday my little baby is going to be a big boy who doesn't want to be held anymore.



So, Moms, wether you work or stay at home, what are some things you do to keep your sanity? :P

-Sammie Marie