Calm for Moms – The 11 Minute Nap Review

June 27, 2012 By 23 Comments

Calm for MomsThe 11 Minute Nap? Calm for Moms Makes It Happen!

Every mom needs a little break every once in a while, right? Yeah, admit it. You are not Super Woman, although sometimes it can feel that way when you’re juggling 50 different activities in a day!

I recently had the opportunity to review a newer CD called The 11 Minute Nap. The CD is part of the Calm for Moms portion of the Live Well Series, created by Janet Montgomery and Jeff Gold. I have to say, it was a welcome product to review for a mom like me. Why? Well, let me explain my typical day…

I wake up, usually to my son (age 3) telling me, “Mommy, it’s time to get up. I want you to get me some Chocky-milk in my Pirate sippy cup!” This is usually followed by several more attempts to stir me from my bed. No, I am not one to wake up with a little birdie sitting on my shoulder tweeting a song that leads me to believe that it’s a beautiful day. I’m the type that wants to pull my bedcovers over my head to block out the light and go back to sleep; however, I am also unfortunately the type that can RARELY get back to sleep once I’ve been woken up. I’m certain that this has something to do with my schedule.

There just aren’t enough hours in the day! Seriously.

I get up, let the dogs out, make my son some chocolate milk, make myself a Chai latte, turn on Nick Jr. and sit down at my computer in an attempt to map out my day. It never works out the way I want it to, so I don’t know why I bother, but it’s my routine. Once I have a little schedule in place, I get up and make my son breakfast. Sometimes I even make something for his dad, sissy and myself – if they are up. If not, dad and sissy fend for themselves. Hey, the early bird gets the worm!

I then start to work on whatever needs to be done first. I work and eat at the same time. Once I start to get into whatever it is that I’m working on, my son usually makes a mess with his milk, juice or food and insists that it be cleaned up prior to him being able to finish his “bites”. I then go back to work for about ten minutes. Once that time has elapsed, he needs to go potty. Most of the time he insists that I sit on the side of the tub and wait for him so that I can help him pull his pants up and wash his hands. It’s generally around this time that I let the dogs back in and get them fresh water and food. I make myself another Chai latte, toss some laundry into the wash, try to decide what I’m going to make for dinner, do some stretches and breathe.

At some point, I get back to work. I am interrupted countless times throughout the next few hours until I feel like I’m just going to give up and watch cartoons with him, read him books all day or just play with whatever toy he is focused on for the day. Why? Because it would be easier than being interrupted 50 times in a two hour period and maybe, just maybe I would feel like I’ve accomplished something. Then my thought process is jolted back into reality when I look at my schedule for the day. I’m already behind by an hour.

Usually around 10 am, I get on Facebook to catch up with my blogger groups. I have responsibilities in a couple of the groups, so I don’t get on Facebook just to play or chat with friends. It’s not wasting time, it’s helping others, improving my blog process, networking with like-minded individuals that I can learn from or teach. It’s also practically my only adult conversation throughout the day. After I have completed whatever tasks I must on Facebook, I get back to working on my blog or working on client projects. There’s always something and there is NEVER a time that I don’t have something I should be doing. In fact, when I have an hour or two free, I have to clean my house. Fun, right? Yeah, not so much, and even that is interrupted.

By noon, I’m telling my son to go wake up my stepdaughter. It is so unnerving to have a 16 year old at home that sleeps three times as much as you do, but maybe I’m just jealous. Regardless, I either have my son wake her up or I wake her up myself and tell her that it’s noon and I would appreciate her getting up to help me out with him. After all, we do pay for her ridiculous cell phone bill, wash her clothes, feed her dinner, give her her own room with cable television and internet service and taxi her around to wherever she needs to go! Have you seen the prices of hotels lately? Yeah, and they don’t feed you, wash your clothes or drive you wherever you need to go. Get up and help me so that I can make money to pay the bills already!!!

By 1pm, my son has annoyed her enough for her to no longer attempt to keep him away from me and he is trying to climb up in my lap or pull me away from the computer for one reason or another. I’ve accomplished something within that 45 minutes to an hour that she’s occupied him, but I probably don’t even remember what it was because I am now concerned with all of the other things on my list that I have to accomplish in the short amount of time that I have to focus on them. I make him lunch and send him back to his sissy, walking him into her room and giving her the, “Please don’t make me ask you to do this again because I will totally lose my cool” look. And this is only during the summer – I have practically no help during the school year!

Nearly every day is the same. I get up, I work, take care of my son, I make our meals, I talk to clients, participate in my groups, clean what little I can of my house, taxi the kids around, answer the phones, play nurse for the inevitable daily boo-boo and it doesn’t end until about 2am when all of my energy has been exhausted and I’m about to pass out.

Ahh…the life of a mom!!!

Now do you understand why I was so excited to get something that’s made PRECISELY with moms like me in mind? Yeah, it was a Godsend!

When I popped in this CD, I have to admit, my expectations were not that high. I love music and it does make my day better when I can listen to it, but these days it is drowned out by the sound of my toddler, my stepdaughter, the dogs, the phone, the television or my significant other. Working at home might seem like a fantastic opportunity, but it is not all that it’s cracked up to be when you’re the mom of a busy household. Yet, I was really surprised by the results of Calm for Moms: The 11 Minute Nap CD. It really helped me to unwind a little and take some time for myself – even if it was only 11 minutes!

Ahh…but how did I achieve this feat of listening to this CD without any distractions? Ear buds and 11 minutes that my toddler was preoccupied playing tug’o'war with one of our dogs!

The CD is a combination of calming piano music and soothing hypnotherapy prompts from Janet Montgomery, who is a certified hypnotherapist. So what did I feel? CALM. For me and for a lot of other moms, that’s a great feeling! That 11 minutes of calm, practically quiet time to focus on nothing but me made me feel a whole lot better about taking on the remainder of my day. Who knew that something so brief could make your whole day seem so much easier?

The best part? There is more than one disc in the Calm for Moms Series. The other discs in this series are:

  • Bounce Back – Unlock Your Inner Resilience
  • Live Well – Manage Your Daily Stress
  • Love Well – Reconnect with Your Partner
  • Sleep Well – Achieve Better Rest

If you would like to learn more about the Calm for Moms Series, you can visit the website HERE or follow them on Facebook HERE.

For those of you that would like to have the chance to win this super-calming CD, stay tuned for our Summer Bloggers Birthday Bash, where you will have a chance to win this and a WHOLE LOT MORE!

Would this CD help you relax? Why or why not?
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This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Moms Living Thrifty – 30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 03

August 26, 2011 By 2 Comments

Well, I’ve made it three days in a row! For that alone, I’m thankful. I seriously started to doubt myself the other day, but I shouldn’t be telling you all that! So, let’s get on with the post for day three…

The question:

What are your top five pet peeves? 

 

Ugh…to be honest, I’d rather not answer. I have so many pet peeves that most of you would probably think that I’m suffering from all kinds of mental disorders if I listed them all. However, I promised myself that I would do this, so here we go…

My first and likely my biggest pet peeve is bad parenting. I don’t mean an occasional oversight or caving in when your child cries because he or she wants something. I’m talking about downright terrible parenting. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen walking along a busy road with a toddler 20 feet or more behind them, not paying an ounce of attention as they plug away at the keys on their cell phone (I’ve witnessed a lot of this from the windows of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis).

Worse yet, I’ve seen parents that are at the hospital to visit their children, but instead of spending quality time with their child, they are laying in the child’s hospital bed talking about the huge party they went to the night before and how drunk they got. Come on people. Really? Your child is in the hospital and you’re out whooping it up – then you are going to come to the hospital to brag about it in front of your sick child? Get a grip and learn how to be a responsible, caring parent or one day I might lose my cool and give you a healthy dose of reality.


My second biggest pet peeve is having clean hands. You all might think I’m crazy, but I wash my hands so much that lotion can’t keep them soft and supple anymore. It doesn’t have the chance to stay on long enough! My knuckles suffer the most, as they are often dry and cracked. I’m trying to get control of what I freely admit is leaning towards (if it’s not already) obsessive compulsive disorder.

My third biggest pet peeve? Telemarketers. If I could get a list of every company owner that employs a group of sarcastic telemarketers, I would happily call them (and hire others to do the same) between the hours of 5pm and 9pm every single evening to ensure that I interrupt their family time with some ridiculous rant about how they can make money from home with a small investment in my program. When they tell me that they are not interested, my responses will be the following: Why not? Are you poor? – Oh, I understand, you don’t want to help your family by making extra money at home with a great home based business. – Your husband/wife doesn’t like the idea of you being the breadwinner? – You mean you can’t afford $379? Don’t you know how to save your money? Grr…the list of what I would really like to say just can’t be published in good faith, but you get the picture.

My fourth biggest pet peeve? Rudeness. I don’t care if you are unhappy with your day, your week or your life; I don’t need your negative attitude ruining my day. So, if you don’t have anything nice to say, stay home and don’t answer your phone…unless it is to be rude to a telemarketer!

My fifth biggest pet peeve? Spelling. Everyone has the occasional spelling mistake, but I feel that this new trend of texting has resulted in making our nation more ignorant. U no wht i mn? LMAO! Really, I don’t mind if you text, but for goodness sake, don’t you dare send me an email or  professional message using abbreviated words and expect me to take you seriously. Just don’t.

 

What are your pet peeves? I know you want to share ;-)

 

 
Filed Under: Laugh a Little, Mother Creative's Corner, Time for Mom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Making Big Decisions

August 26, 2011 By 1 Comment

I have very recently quit my job. It was an agonizing decision in a lot of ways, and it was certainly one of the biggest decisions my husband and I have ever made. Nevertheless, despite the magnitude of the decision and all of the complicating factors and the deep sadness that accompanies this change, I know at a very deep level that it was the right decision.

How wonderful it is to have a pervading sense of peace permeate a big decision and its aftermath. There have been several factors that have paved the way for that peace, and I want to share a few of the major ones.

The time was right. I don’t know all of the factors that contributed to our sense that this was the right time to make a change, but my husband and I both felt deeply that this time, the time was right. This was a decision we had considered several times in the past, and the time never was right before. As we sat with our decision for 24 hours and then 48, etc., never once did either of us have that sense of, “Well…maybe we should wait; maybe this isn’t a good decision.” Having that sense of certainty and also agreeing with each other in that certainty helped us move forward with confidence.

Mutuality was a big part of this decision. It wasn’t primarily my decision with my husband playing a supportive role, nor was it his decision with me merely conceding. No, it was a decision we made together, feeling the same amount of certainty in moving forward. As we have made our plan for how to move forward as a family, we have been 100% on the same page, and on the same team.

This was a decision that will positively affect our family. One of the big changes that came with marriage, and now again with parenthood, is the reality that decisions cannot be made by one person alone for the benefit of one person alone. What I do for a living has consequences for my husband and child, and even sometimes for my larger family. We are all connected. If my job has me stressed 100% of the time, then I will not have the capacity to be patient or nurturing towards my daughter or to be able to contribute to my marriage relationship. The same goes for my husband.

The reality is, my chosen career path does not work so well with raising young children—at least not for me. The good news is that my husband and I had eyes to see that a few years back and have been working towards a more peaceful lifestyle ever since. Our daughter arrived before the “five year plan” came to fruition, and that was all right. It just meant a career change earlier than we expected. Our decision, then, was not made on a whim; it had the backing of several years’ consideration, discussion, and reflection.

Our decision was not irresponsible. We have lived on next to nothing before, and now we will need to again. Fortunately we relish being a thrifty household! Financially speaking, this wasn’t a decision we would have had the luxury of making a few years ago, nor would it have been possible if we had already purchased a home. But, here we were—needing to make a change, and finding ourselves able to do so. Again, it was good timing.

For all the looming decisions in your life, I wish you peace, wisdom, and joy as you move forward.
Filed Under: Home & Family, Time for Mom, You're Not Alone Tagged With: , , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Summer Family Fun: Sprinklers and Tea Parties

August 18, 2011 By 1 Comment

My three year old daughter and I have been enjoying our summer evenings together this season. This is my first summer as a mother, and it is even more fun that I had imagined. Our little girl loves summer, and that helps me through the really hot days. She loves nothing more than to throw on her bathing suit and find the nearest source of cold water.

Early on in the summer, we didn’t have a kiddie pool, so we decided to improvise one really hot day. We took a large, plastic tub and filled it with water from the hose. We let it sit in the sun for a few hours, and I even added a teapot full of boiling water so it wouldn’t be so ice cold. Then my husband and my daughter climbed in. They were hilarious to watch. He was more affected by the cold than she was, and she delighted in dumping buckets of cold water on his head. He also looked really funny all scrunched up in the tub.

On a more daily basis, our regular garden watering ritual now doubles as a time to hose down our little girl with the sprinkler. She shrieks and laughs when I unexpectedly divert the water from the tomatoes to her. She runs all over the yard trying to get away from me and then intentionally running into the direct path of the hose.

A few weeks ago on a particularly hot day, I decided to try out the sprinkler for myself. As I sprayed down the garden, I suddenly realized just how hot I was even at 8:30 at night, and without a second thought, I directed the hose directly above me and let the spray rain down and cool me off. My little one thought that was even funnier than me spraying her. She was delighted, and I was refreshed.

More recently we have been enjoying some very mild August days. To celebrate these wonderful evenings, my little girl and I have been having some picnic tea parties. It all started when a good friend dropped by bearing gifts of tea: honeybush and “calm.” Both of these are caffeine free, and therefore kid-friendly.

After I put the water on to boil, my little one helps me scoop tea into the infuser, and then I pour the tea into a little tea pot to let it steep. Meanwhile, we stir in the honey, pack our picnic basket with some mugs and occasionally a little treat, and then we carefully make our way out to the back yard. I pour our tea, and while it cools, my little one enjoys her new sand box.

This new ritual has served the dual purpose of spending quality time with my daughter and also creating a little space for self-care. I love to sip my tea and enjoy looking at my garden—especially our gargantuan, volunteer sunflower, which is now about twelve feet tall and boasts five blooms.

Summer fun and mommy time have coincided at our house lately, and the added bonus is that all of this fun has been free.
Filed Under: Cheap Family Activities, Family Fun, Fun at Home, Home & Family, Laugh a Little, Other Ways to Save, Remembering Yourself, Saving Money, Time for Mom Tagged With: , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

What Went Right: Reflections on a Great Family Vacation

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The last week in July, my family and I joined my extended family on a trip to Colorado. Those present were: my mom, my dad, my two sisters and their husbands, my baby niece, and two family pets. I know this style of vacation is not for everybody, but for us, it was a dream come true!

A few years ago, my sisters and I broke the news to my mom: “Mom, we really don’t need all these Christmas presents anymore; we’re all grown up!” But Mom would not hear of it; saving up lots of money for Christmas gifts is a family tradition, in her mind. So, my ingenious husband thought up a compromise: What if my parents saved their Christmas fund and every other year it could be used to contribute to a big family vacation?! Everyone was on board.

This year’s trip to Colorado was the first big trip like this that we have done. There were several factors that made it idyllic; here are just a few of them:

  • We had a cabin way up on a mountain. Not everyone was thrilled with the bumpy ride up and down the mountainside or the 25 minute drive to town, but I loved it! With no cell phone access and nowhere to escape to, we simply enjoyed each other’s company and the beauty of the pine woods all around us.
  • The weather was fantastic. I have lived my whole life in the mid-west, so I had never really dreamed that there were places that weren’t humid in July. Our cabin didn’t have air conditioning, and it didn’t need it! Every day we lived with all the doors and windows open, and no one ever broke a sweat. This one-week reprieve from the record-setting high temperatures we’re having this summer was a sweet relief.


  • Having so many beloved adults around was an incredible gift to my three-year-old daughter and to my husband and I. Our little one requires a lot of attention; so vacation has not seemed very vacation-y as of late. Not until Colorado, that is; the aunts, uncles, grandma, and grandpa were more than happy to take turns entertaining her!
  • This leads me to my next item: solitude. I am a creature of solitude. I need it just about as much as I need good sleep and food. As you know, solitude can be hard to come by for the working mom (or any mom). Having lots of babysitters on hand all the time meant that I could slip out on to the front porch, smell the pine trees, and soak in the absolute stillness of the mountainside. My soul was renewed.
  • And, last but not least, one big contributing factor to the great vacation we just had was the Family Variety Show. On the last night of vacation, we staged a show. Everyone contributed (except for my baby niece and my dog).  There was a little bit of everything—stand-up comedy, vocal solos, duets, quartets, dramatic readings, and excerpts from my daughter’s music program. It was hilarious, and we had so much fun entertaining each other.

I hope some of these ideas will be inspiring to you. I wish you many happy vacations to come!
Filed Under: Cheap Family Activities, Family Fun, Family Vacations, Home & Family, Remembering Yourself, Time for Mom Tagged With: , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Soul Fatigue

August 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What a wretched lady I was today. Despite the gorgeous day (I hardly noticed), despite the joys of motherhood and relative youth, and everything in the world I’ve got going for me right now, I was utterly wretched.

And I was utterly wretched to be around. All day I looked at my poor little girl and felt unutterably sorry that she had to be around me. All I could feel for her all day was sheer aggravation—I’m ashamed to admit. It’s also true that she is a very wretched person these days: another of her best friends has just moved, she has to adjust to a new schedule and she had her first day at a new school Monday. All of this is sudden and all at once. She has been impossible in her broken-heartedness.

And I guess between that and our very intense situation at work right now, I have just reached my limit. The words “compassion fatigue” floated into my consciousness from somewhere in my past this evening. I may be overly dramatizing what’s going on in my life right now– compassion fatigue is often reserved for people living and working in the inner-city or medical personnel in disaster/crisis relief situations– but nevertheless, I think I’ve got a light case of compassion fatigue right now. I can’t FEEL anything but irritation. I can’t enjoy anything or take delight in anything. I’m beyond running on fumes in my soul; I’m stalled on the side of the road.


While my little one took her bath, I escaped to the living room to enjoy my Madeleine L’Engle book and a cup of tea. I couldn’t believe the change I experienced in my inner self after only 25 minutes of self-care. I could smile, I could laugh, and I could play with my little girl and read her a book and cuddle her to sleep. None of that was possible at any other point in the day.

Always remember, an investment in yourself is an investment in everybody else around you, too.

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Filed Under: Remembering Yourself, Time for Mom, You're Not Alone Tagged With: , , , ,
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Time Management Tips for Moms Who Do It All

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Work at home moms are the busiest people I know. They’re also the happiest when they become experts at managing time. It’s getting from point A to point B that drives busy moms to the point of exhaustion, and for some to mental burnout. The quicker you can hone these skills, the better it will be for you in your work at home journey. Here are some tips for moms who do it all: [Read more...]
Filed Under: Legitimate Work from Home Jobs, Time for Mom Tagged With: , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page