Taking Care of Your Children's Biggest Asset

Imagine your child has one asset to his or her name. This asset will help, protect and love your child unconditionally. If your child's life becomes unraveled, they know they can count on this asset to see them through. It will also be there encouraging your child. It will feed your child, sing to your child and help pay for college. Now if you knew your child had an asset like this, you would take very good care of it, wouldn't you? Well, if you haven't guessed yet, your child's biggest asset is YOU.

Time Outs for Mom

When you have a “bad mom moment” and you need to calm down, give yourself a time out. Lock yourself in the bathroom, let out the tears, take deep breaths in and out and regroup yourself before facing your kids again. EVERY mom has times like this, so do not feel despaired or like a failure. By giving yourself a time out, you are taking control of the situation and not being reactive.

Sleep

The best gift you can give to your children and to yourself is adequate sleep. Most moms have a bigger tendency to crack when they are exhausted. We know how it goes though: You finally get the kids to sleep and of course you want to stay up and enjoy the peace for a while. Like kids, mom needs her sleep too or she could be irritable. A message to kids everywhere: Go to bed early and sleep through the night, so your mom can sleep too. There, everything fixed. Now go get some rest.

Friends

Moms need friends. Maybe it's connecting with an adult that makes this so important, but moms need to talk to other moms, neighbors, family and friends. Nurture these relationships and “get the kids together,” so you can have a play date too. Share, compare notes and laugh. It's healthy for a mom to connect with other women.

Daybook, Blog, Journal

Writing can be a very healthy outlet for a mom to express her thoughts, feelings, anxieties and just plain humorous moments. It's also a great way to journal your progress as a mom and to write a history for your children. Blogging is the new hot trend for moms or writing in your Daybook for ceoMoms. You can write about the happenings in your life, post pictures of your kids and let Grandma and Grandpa check in any time from their computer. Also, when you know you are going to write about your day, all of a sudden you notice things you may not have otherwise. So blogging makes your day more fulfilled in many ways.You can also follow the topics given by ceoMom 101 to inspire and discover the best of life. Watch her Daybook entries and catch the vision!

You

What made you unique before you had children? Maybe you loved to play softball, play board games or go for long sweaty runs. Make sure you keep that part of you alive after you've had children. Making time for your interests and hobbies can be challenging. One ceoMom switched Saturdays with her husband. She and her husband would trade off every other Saturday for four hours. During this time, they could each do whatever they liked or wanted to do with their free time. He typically golfed and she went to her yoga class. Figure a plan, so you can have at least a few hours to maintain the things you love to do (and have a break).

Get Out

Staying home all day – day after day – can be challenging to a mom's psyche. Sometimes it's hard to break the cycle, but getting out for a walk, to the park or to the grocery store (even with the kids) will bring fresh air to a mom. One ceoMom made it a point to go out for an outing with the kids every day. Sometimes just to the store and other times to the zoo, but every day she went somewhere. This broke up the day and helped the kids not fight so much like being home all day can cause. It also helped teach her kids how to handle public situations, so going grocery shopping didn't end up like World War III.

Appearance

Just about every mom lets herself go at least a little for so long after they have children. We just give everything to our babies, even our salon shampoo and our designer shoes. One ceoMom said after her first baby was born she didn't shower for days at a time. Most of us have been there. Then we wear the same old clothes, so we can buy our kids cute outfits with matching leggings and Mary Jane shoes. We miss our hair appointment because our children came down with the flu and so our hair looks like an un-groomed poodle. The tragedy goes on. But you have to remember you are still you. You are important and deserve to feel pretty even with pee on your leg and ketchup fingerprints on your back. Looking your best will inspired confidence and that teaches confidence to your children.

Exercise

Don't roll your eyes at this one. You know you gotta get some exercise to be the best mom possible. Exercise releases chemicals in your brain known to solve depression and give boosts of energy to moms everywhere (and we need the energy, don't we?). Get your heart rate up for 30 minutes three times a week. You can do that! Plus, you need to teach your children about the importance of exercise and there is no better way than for your children to see you do it. Exercise will be part of every day life as they grow and develop into an adult. Or you can teach them to be couch potatoes.

Yoga

An amazing workout for moms that not only tones the body, but teaches the mind to focus and relax is Yoga. Yoga is an ancient practice originating in India that teaches the importance of breathing and focusing on the moment at hand. It trains both the body and the mind. If you have not tried Yoga before, consider Ashtanga Yoga, a system of Yoga that involves synchronizing the breath with postures that result in improved circulation, a light and strong body and a calm mind. There are places all over offering Ashtanga Yoga – and even better if you can find a location set with an inspiring atmosphere. "Namaste."

Food

Simple as this: Eat healthy and so will your kids. Don't buy junk food, so it is not in your home to tempt you or your kids. Bring in a variety of foods now, so your children will not learn to be picky or be dependent on not-so-healthy food. Teach your kids that sugar and processed foods are bad like stepping in dog poop. They will learn to monitor their own intake. Cook your own meals as often as possible and get your kids involved in the process. They tend to eat more of what they get to prepare. Eating healthy is super important, mom. It's what is making those little bodies grow and what keeps your body strong and energized.

Health

You make sure to take your kids to the doctor for their check-ups, so remember to do yours as well. See your doctor every year for those fun “women” exams. So it's not really all that fun, but it's very important for your health. Make sure to do self-breast exams every month and have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. Also, it is a good idea to have your iron levels checked too as low iron can really make a mom feel sluggish. Take your vitamins and watch Dr. Oz on Oprah!

Help

Many moms feel unbelievable amounts of pressure trying to raise a family. It's tough work. If you ever feel uncontrollable urges to hurt your child, throw your child down or if you feel simply out-of-control, please seek help. Kids will push your buttons, especially on the days when you are tired, hormonal or extra worn out. You've got to start every day prepared to handle the challenges of motherhood. If you should ever feel less than that, please talk to your doctor. You could be suffering from depression or another serious condition.