Little Things that Make Me Feel Like My Own Human ;)

Since having the babies, my world revolves around them. Sometimes I’m just happy that way, and it really can be easier to lose myself in that than to snap out of it and do something for ME. I’ve found a few little things that help me stay sane and present, and make me feel good and human (and therefore better as a mama!) This might sound pathetic to some of you, but to someone chasing a baby/toddler (or two) around, I think they are good little reminders ;).

Get dressed. And ready. And go somewhere. Anywhere. Most of the time I’m either working from home or home with the babies. I have a babysitter that I try to have come once a week or once every two weeks so I can either work away from home or schedule meetings. She made a joke that when she comes here she gets to dress comfortably, and I made a joke that on the days she comes I get to wear real clothes! We both laughed about it, but while I love wearing sweats at home it really does make a huge difference to get dressed and get out! The photos below were actually taken that same day we joked about getting dressed. I had a meeting that day, and I went big and threw on some heels! Even when I don’t have a sitter, I try to get dressed and throw on some mascara and take the babies somewhere – even if it’s just to the grocery store or to the bay for a long walk.

DSTLD Black Silk Blouse | Womens Destructed Mid Rise Skinny Jeans In Medium Vintage | Palms to Pines

Black Silk Blouse | Destroyed Jeans | Black Block Heels (come in 24 colors!!!) | Sunglasses

Add some kind of self-care into your morning/night routine – for me, it’s skincare. My skin has looked awful from being pregnant and breast-feeding over the last 2 years. Not only did I feel like there were a lot of things I couldn’t use (because of ingredients) but I didn’t even make time to do what I could. I have horrible malasma/hyper-pigmentation and just feel like the texture of my skin in general has aged so much. Now that I’m done breastfeeding, I’ve researched (and talked to my skin guru, Sam) about what I can do to revamp my skin. I started a specific program at home (it literally takes a few minutes morning and night) and I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite quick little things that make a big difference! I use and love all of these, and even just trying one will make you feel better:

Yoga. I find that I spend a lot of my day in weird positions – holding/feeding babies, working around the house, and vigorously typing on my computer when they nap ;). By the end of the day, my body feels cramped and sad! I found a yoga class at 9:15 pm, so I can go after the girls go to bed. On the nights that I make it, I feel like a million dollars. On nights that I don’t, I try to at least stretch at home before bed to remind my body that it can still feel good!

Quiet Time. I know this isn’t an option for everyone and depends on your baby’s sleep schedule, but I like to wake up just a bit before the babies. It feels good to shower, have some coffee, and have some time to start my day before the madness begins. This is easier for me since our babies sleep til 8am, so I’m not recommending this if your baby gets up at 5 ;). They also go to bed at 8, so Blake and I have a few hours of quiet time together before we go to bed. Obviously this one depends a lot on your baby’s sleep schedule. I’m planning a post with sleep tips soon, but I talk about a few things that have helped in this post. And here a few things that we can’t live without when it comes to bedtime/naps:

Stay hydrated. This sounds so silly, but it’s easy to forget to do things like drink water or eat good food when you’re taking care of other humans! I keep a big Yeti or S’well bottle full all day so that it’s easy to grab and drink. It’s crazy how much better you feel just from drinking a lot of water!