Balance
Parenting is NOT EASY! At the end of the day I just hope to achieve balance. A balance between work and kids; healthy food and treats; exercise and rest; peace and chaos, wine and water ... LOL!
Mental health and well-being is just as important to me as my physical health. We try to model that in our daily lives. My own kids see us being lazy on Sunday mornings (LOVE), but they also see us working out in our home gym a few days a week.
Its ok to have a PJ day (or two) after a crazy busy week! Sometimes we all need the break! Your body and mind will thank you for it.
One way we balance our time with the kids is in the gym. I don't want to feel guilty for working out while they are awake. Usually we work out after they are in bed, but the older they get, the later their bedtime and man is it hard to get motivated after 8 pm. More and more we encourage our kids to join us in the workout room to learn new exercises and ways to make our bodies strong. Sometimes they just get in the way and we kick them out, but other times they get a really great workout in.
I never ever say that I want to lose weight or hate parts of my body in front of my kids. I actually try to never say it out loud, even if I think it at times. Instead, we discuss ways to make our bodies strong and how to use exercise to burn excess energy and reduce stress or anxiety.
The boys feel a sense of pride when they look in the mirror and say "Mommy, look how strong my body is getting!". Check out these videos of the boys trying some new BBG workouts. Proud mama!
The same "balance" goes for cooking and making healthy food choices. We all crave junk at times, and it is not banned from our household because I feel that the minute we ban it, the more they will crave it, sneak it, hide it. I don't want my kids to feel ashamed of eating junk food. I want them to make informed decisions on what they eat, and sometimes those junky treats are fun. Its all about moderation, and that's the conversations we have with our kids when we do indulge.
Most of the messages around food in our house are about what they do for our bodies. Avocados and olives are healthy fats to help our brain grow, they give us healthy hair, nails, and skin; Green veggies help fight off illness and keep us healthy; Protein helps our muscles grow; Carbs give us energy, etc.
We also try to get our kids involved in dinner prep. Chopping vegetables, choosing what we will have for dinner, selecting the vegetables at the grocery store, etc. We recently let our 8 year old bake his first batch of cookies on his own following a recipe. He also created a recipe for a salad and made his own dressing! We served it for dinner that night and we even had our neighbours over for dinner. He was so proud of himself, and it tasted great!
Mental health and well-being is just as important to me as my physical health. We try to model that in our daily lives. My own kids see us being lazy on Sunday mornings (LOVE), but they also see us working out in our home gym a few days a week.
Its ok to have a PJ day (or two) after a crazy busy week! Sometimes we all need the break! Your body and mind will thank you for it.
One way we balance our time with the kids is in the gym. I don't want to feel guilty for working out while they are awake. Usually we work out after they are in bed, but the older they get, the later their bedtime and man is it hard to get motivated after 8 pm. More and more we encourage our kids to join us in the workout room to learn new exercises and ways to make our bodies strong. Sometimes they just get in the way and we kick them out, but other times they get a really great workout in.
I never ever say that I want to lose weight or hate parts of my body in front of my kids. I actually try to never say it out loud, even if I think it at times. Instead, we discuss ways to make our bodies strong and how to use exercise to burn excess energy and reduce stress or anxiety.
The boys feel a sense of pride when they look in the mirror and say "Mommy, look how strong my body is getting!". Check out these videos of the boys trying some new BBG workouts. Proud mama!
*The above video is my oldest doing lay down snap jumps (Yes, he's in PJ's because its Sunday, a.k.a., Jammy day).
*The above video is of my youngest doing weighted burpees.
The same "balance" goes for cooking and making healthy food choices. We all crave junk at times, and it is not banned from our household because I feel that the minute we ban it, the more they will crave it, sneak it, hide it. I don't want my kids to feel ashamed of eating junk food. I want them to make informed decisions on what they eat, and sometimes those junky treats are fun. Its all about moderation, and that's the conversations we have with our kids when we do indulge.
Most of the messages around food in our house are about what they do for our bodies. Avocados and olives are healthy fats to help our brain grow, they give us healthy hair, nails, and skin; Green veggies help fight off illness and keep us healthy; Protein helps our muscles grow; Carbs give us energy, etc.
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| Yes, those are fries in the background, because .... balance :) |
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| Making his salad and blueberry vinaigrette. |
Using a safety knife is a great way to get your kids to help with meal prep. They can chop vegetables and fruit safely. I got ours from Pampered Chef.
Aside from workouts, eating, and cooking, we try not to over schedule ourselves and the kids. Our oldest has 2 activities a week (1 music, 1 sport) and the youngest isn't interested yet. We always plan one day of the weekend as a "nothing: day or PJ day. We may workout, bake, play a game, etc. but there are no visitors our major outings and no one is required to get dressed. :)
Balance may include cutting back on extra-curriculars for your kids; it may mean saying "no" more often; maybe its walking the dog to get fresh air; or having a movie night in the middle of the week; take-out; a glass of wine; skipping your workout; whatever it may be ...
Our family's "balance" works for us. It may not be for you, but whatever yours is, I hope you can find it.
~Jen
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