MUMS keeping it REAL - Special guest blog with The Yogic Housewife!

MUMS keeping it REAL
Special Guest Blog with Nicola Garcia 

5 Steps to Happiness

I am so very excited to share a very real and inspiring guest post today with The Yogic Housewife, Nicola Garcia. I just LOVE it when mums, especially really inspiring ones like Nicola share their wisdom and experiences in a very real life way.
It is like a breath of fresh air on motherhood.
It makes for advice you not only can actually follow as a busy mum, but want to follow too.
Below is such an honest and moving post, one that will help you feel better and feel somuch  happier especially on those days when you really need it the most!
Be sure to follow Nicola's BLOG and Facebook page for more of her inspiring wisdom, and stay tuned for her new book!

Five Steps To Happiness

A short introduction to me (before you get the wrong idea), I am a happiness guru, a positivity pusher, a believer in the Universe and everything coming at the right time. I love to do things that make me happy, spend time with my kids, go on dates with my husband and love my life. But….there are some days when it is just so good to get your grumpiness on….and know that this is not the end of your happiness, but a blip on one day.

Below I share my story of such a day and give you some inspiration for making those days better….

Yesterday, for me, was a long tedious blur. Mantras were not working. 

“I am happy and fulfilled” was not cutting the mustard. I did not feel happy, nor fulfilled.

I woke up in a mood and the rest of the day stretched out in front of me, bleak and full on with two little people to look after.

Let’s just say their behaviour was tipping the wrong side of abysmal.

When my husband, who’s been over-committed to social occasions lately, rolled out of bed, I listed my gripes and that helped release some tension.

I then decided to put my black energy into something constructive.

I tackled the mess that some would call a playroom. I couldn't see the floor. There were toys littered, puzzle pieces in random boxes and cars under my feet.

This gave me the right to provide the evil eye at any person (small or large) that came within my vicinity.

Nobody helped me.

In fact a couple of times I was hindered, but I kept on.

Satisfied when the room was ordered and gleaming, I moved on to the bathroom cupboards and started de-cluttering. As I got to get rid of some of my husband’s things, this provided me with a glimpse of happiness and my mood improved.
I decided to give everything I was putting out to a Women’s refuge: cue feel good moment and a new intensive purpose. My wardrobe was attacked and it now looks stream-lined and healthy. I parted with things I didn’t think I could.
A good cause will make the decision easy.
By midday I was done. I made a vegetable-heavy mince for Bolognese and got mean satisfaction from watching my family chow it down.
Ditto with the risotto I made for dinner.
By 5pm I looked back over my day and was so pleased that my mood turned around.
Fun Mum and Happy Wife came back.

So, my tried and tested steps to happiness are:
Yell At Husband
Tidy and Throw Out Things
Give To Good Cause
Hide Vegetables in Children’s Food
Re-live steps 1 – 4

I would love to know if any of this works for you. Don’t tell your husband or kids that it was me who gave you the ideas!
Xx

Nicola Garcia has two children under four and blogs about health and motherhood over at theyogichousewife.wordpress.com  She has an e-book coming out in June, How To Become One Healthy Mama. You can catch her on facebook (she practically lives there) www.facebook.com/theyogichousewife or tweet her @yogichousewife. 

Mother Guilt

Are we our own worst critics?

Mother Guilt

Does 'mother guilt' stop you from leading a healthy, active lifestyle?

There can be a real resistance to doing things for yourself once you becme a mother. The days of spoiling yourself with an indulgent massage, shopping spree, movie with girlfriends, long hair salon appointment, day at home cuddled up with some tear jerking dvd's or evening out can seem like distant memories.

Let alone, spending money on special items or specific foods for yourself or allocating a time each day for exercise, relaxation or a taking a class.

As mothers we tend to put our families needs and wants first every time as we forever strive to be the very best mums we can be and ensure that our families are happy and all taken care of in every possible conceivable way..

We become so busy looking after everybody else that we forget to take care of ourselves too. Whether we are a stay at home or working mum are lives seem so exhausting at times we might even look back and wonder how we did it all.

We can all too easily forget that as the loving warmth of our family we are so important and by not taking care of ourselves we can overdo it, we can run dry of energy, we can burn out.

The guilt you can sometimes feel as a mother, especially when your children are very young for even considering taking an hour to yourself to do something that is solely for your own benefit or pleasure can be intense. You could even just be to exhausted at the mere thought of trying to find an hour in a day, let alone be able to relax in it.

We can sometimes find it hard to ‘justify’ to ourselves that it’s really OK even if our families are supportive of the idea.

Are we our own worst critic's? Do we as mothers push ourselves too hard and expect too much from ourselves? Do we often see as ourselves as the last priority of the day?

We need to remind ourselves that we are so important to our families, our babies our children so we should be important to ourselves too and this includes looking after health. Our mind, body and soul.

We are worth the effort and we do deserve to feel vibrant and full of energy each day.

For lots of great ways to relax, exercise with your baby and children, eat better as family, boost confidence and even unleash your creative side check out my book, The Pram Diet.
Buy it here