STRONG LIKE A MAMA

DSC_5045

DSC_1730

OH, THE STRUGGLE OF BALANCING IT ALL.  It’s taken me a while to figure out what works for my little guy and I, and what doesn’t.  We’re on a great routine by staying active and healthy.  Keeping up with Oaks, working from home, finding the time for date nights, nights out with friends, family time… the list goes on.    But before any of those, it’s my FIRST priority to stay active and healthy, so I can keep up with all of life and it’s fun and hard times!  It’s a choice of ours to make it a MUST. 

 

DSC_1663

DSC_1722

OLD NAVY TOP / OLD NAVY PANTS

I’m finally at a great place in my life, physically, emotionally and mentally.  So I wanted to share with you 5 things I do that keep me that way, day in and day out.  OH, and you also know that I have to have the cutest gear while doing on the things!  Old Navy’s activewear line is on POINT. Fitting, cute, comfortable and MAJOR bonus–affordable 🙂

  1. WORKING OUT.  Must get my work out in first thing in the morning.  Sets up my day just right, and gives me energy to stay strong and focused throughout the day.  When I do it first thing in the morning, it puts me in that flow state all day, where I just keep getting things done!  Click HERE to watch the work outs I do!  You can also download LOVE HIIT BODY GUIDE for my daily work outs.  And some days, I will just take Oaks to the park, find a bench and do box jumps, high knees, crunches and jump squats!

 

DSC_5293

DSC_5327

OLD NAVY TOP / OLD NAVY PANTS

OAKS TOP / OAKS SHOES

  1. AFTER WORK OUT SMOOTHIE.  When I start out with a nutritious smoothie, that also sets up my day to stay on track and always reach for the healthy option.  I already chose great so why not keep choosing healthy, so you can end your day on a good note.  When I do this, I have energy and brain power to focus and keep up with all of the motherhood roles!  And another HUGE bonus on the shake is Oaks loves it too.  But I add in banana for him.

PROTEIN SHAKE RECIPE

  • 1 cup water
  • 5 ice cubes
  • 2 handfuls of greens (I chose spinach & kale)
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp chia seed
  • 1 scoop chocolate planet based protein
  • BLEND IT UP!

 

DSC_4994

 

3. PLAY & DANCE WITH OAKS.  Guys- don’t take life SO seriously.  HAVE FUN with those kiddos. Put on some music & DANCE around, be silly.  It makes life so much more enjoyable and it’s so good to interact and have fun with your kids.  

Oaks LOVES throwing balls down stairs!  It’s his favorite activity.  In fact, he loves it so much that we could do it all day long.  This is a win win for mama and Oaks because he has fun, while I am running up the stairs, leaning over to pick up the ball etc… It’s a work out! 

 

DSC_5045

DSC_5086

DSC_5121

OLD NAVY PANTS / OLD NAVY TOP

4.  GIRLS NIGHT/MAMA TIME.  OH my goodness, you don’t think you need a girls night out, until you’ve had one.  It’s nice to go and relax and talk about what girls talk about, without any distractions.  I find this so theraputic.  Once I am home, I miss my baby and ready to play and live in the moment with him without feeling so overwhelmed and frustrated.  What I always say is, you gotta take care of YOU in order to take care of them.

 

DSC_5447

5. SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKS/NATURE WALK.  I talked about this in THIS POST here, and it’s helped me out so much lately. Take a break from social media for a few hours at least, everyday.  This will help you to live in the moment and not feel so drained from the “comparing train”.  Save that energy to be with your family, and use that energy towards something more positive everyday.  Like going on a walk with your family and living it at home, or going to the park and leaving it at home.   Just leave it somewhere and be outside in nature.   It feels so good to do so.

 

DSC_5265

Go check out Hey Mama to see my full story, plus a work out video!

 

BALANCING LIFE

_DSC0868-Edit

_DSC0997-Edit

_DSC0840-Edit

_DSC0822-Edit

_DSC0904-Edit

_DSC0873-Edit

_DSC0970-Edit

_DSC0936-Edit

_DSC0868-Edit

_DSC0992-Edit

_DSC1021-Edit

SWEATER / PANTS 

OAKS OUTFIT

TOP / PANTS

I am still trying to figure out this motherhood thing every single day, so if it looks like I have it all together all the time.. I don’t! ha.  I think I have said that in so many posts, but it’s the truth. I really try and show that through my snapchat and instagram stories. The hard times and the good.

I have had a few of you ask if I could talk about how I balance life. Work, mom, wife, household keeper, etc.. you get it.  

Truth is, I have had to really figure this out from trial and error and each stage of Oaks life is different, so I have to adjust.  I have finally figured out such a great routine for everyone.  

First off, if your baby is past 6 months and isn’t sleep trained.  Girl… you don’t know what you’re MISSING.  I am telling you.  HUGE life changer for me.  Ever since Oaks was 6 months he has slept perfectly, with obviously an occasional bad day or two.  But he is the BEST sleeper which I am so thankful for.  Babies and mamas needs their sleep to function!

Anyways read about how I sleep trained him in the post I did about it.  

Now that he’s been on a great schedule, I have been figuring out how to schedule things around him.. because everything revolves around those little humans.  

First off, I started doing my work out FIRST thing in the morning just recently, but used to work out while he napped with my LOVE HIIT BODY GUIDE.

I time block all my time.  So each morning I work out for an hour, then we eat breakfast, clean up and play, sometimes run errands, or take him to the park.  But between 8-12 it is ALL Oaks time.  And I really TRY my hardest not to do any work related things, unless it is just a quick post. I want to make sure I am living in the moment with him while he is awake.

When he naps from 12-3, that is MY TIME to work work work. I put my head down and do  Emails, answer questions on all my social platforms.  I really LOVE talking with all of you daily.  It is really what keeps me going and why I love doing this so much.

That time while he naps is my only time I do that.  So I really have to schedule out what I am going to do when he is sleeping so I don’t get distracted by it, while he is awake.  It can be SO distracting and really take me out of the moment with him.  I have learned this the hard way, and I am sure you guys can relate to this as well.    Social media can really suck the life out of you sometimes haha.

Obviously I snap a little while he is awake,  but mostly focus on him and play with him.  

Once he is asleep it is back to him and we have some more fun together!  Then its dinner.  Once he goes back down to sleep at night, which used to be 7pm, but lately it is 8-8:30pm, I get in some reading and more blogging and work.  

So really, it is all about time blocking.  Plan your day out, and set your timer and focus on that ONE thing for that hour, and nothing else.  Turn off your phone if you have to.  When I clean I will put my phone in the other room and set my timer for an hour and clean like a mad woman until it goes off.

It will help your mind feel less cluttered and less stressed.  Trust me, give it a try!

Figure out what is most important in your day, and do that thing first thing in the morning, because we tend to get less motivated as the day goes on.  If you haven’t noticed that in yourself haha at least for me. 

Trust me I am still learning how to balance it all.  There isn’t a lot of time in there for my hubby and I to have alone time as you can tell, so we REALLY have to do date nights once a week.  I think it is so important.  it can be so easy to get caught up in work and kids.  

You have to remember that it all started with the two of you, and to pick one night out of the week and go do something alone together and go back to just you two for one night..  A little tip – try not to talk about the kids or work.  Helps so much!  

anyways, I wrote a post about this SELF PLANNER that has helped me schedule out my days!  It is amazing.  

These moments with my sweet boy I NEVER want to forget.  It is unreal how fast they grow up.  I am so shocked everyday at how fast he is growing and learning.  It is very surreal.

How do you balance mom life with work, and your relationship? Tell me!  Share your advice in the comments! 

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read my posts.  means a lot!

xox,

Sara Lynn