Making Time For You

Welcome to Tuesday Talk!
Meet your hosts! Becky from BYBMG, Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls, Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place, Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things, Tara from Mrs.Coach Sims, Keri from Living In This Season, Sarah from Abiding In Grace, Lauren from Simply Free , Emily from Morning Motivated Mom, and Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones, Christina from Waltzing In Beauty, Amy from Go Forth and Mother & Michelle from Grammie Time This week I am excited to also be linking up with Stephanie from Wife Mommy Me for Mom Talk Tuesdays.

This months topic...

First off I want to start by addressing a lie that I have fought and struggled with for years and years.   The lie: Taking time for myself is selfish, bad moms are selfish, I don't want to be a bad mom, I don't need me time.
The truth: Taking time for you does not make you a bad wife or mother.
I remember being a young mom and feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt any time I took a break.  At the time I was working and I already felt awful being away from the baby during the day. The idea of spending more time away from her seemed like such a bad idea. I would convince myself I didn't need any me time until I would near having a meltdown, feel forced to finally take some time away and then I would just start the cycle all over again.
I was so certain that things would be easier when I became a stay at home mom after the birth of our second daughter. WRONG! I faced a whole new set of challenges and the feelings of abandonment and guilt were still there. I didn't want to "burden" others just so I could escape and several of my favorite ways to spend me time were no longer an option since we were now a one income family. 
I was so young, naive, proud and wrong.
Which brings me back to this:
Taking time for you does not make you a bad wife or mother. 
 8 years of marriage later and 7+ years of being a mom and I am still struggling to fully believe the truth. I'd love to say it gets easier and one day it will all just click, but honestly I don't think it will. However, I do think that maybe we can grow wiser.
Wise enough to see that me taking time for myself can make me a better wife and mom.  It gives me a chance to step back and look at things from a different perspective one that sees the big picture instead of that moments current chaos or crisis. It gives me a second to catch my breath, recharge my batteries and to just be Beth. A chance to connect with friends, rediscover something I love or try something new. I can eat an ice cream cone without sharing, read a book without stopping or drink a cup of tea without microwaving it 15 times. Sometimes the little things can make such a huge impact on a weary mama's heart. Never underestimate them.

I love my life. I love being a mom.
 I love staying home with my girls, more than anything in the world. It always has and always will be my dream job.

But why do I so often take something I love and completely submerge myself in it to the point that I feel I will almost drown?
I rob myself of true joy by not taking time to simply rest.
Sharing my heart like this is never easy, but I can't help but feel that I am not alone in this struggle.
Moms, I want to challenge you to take more time for you. I know this may look different for everyone, but let's say once a week for the next month we were to carve out at least 30 minutes of time to get away and do something we love, catch up with a friend, or just sit and do nothing.
How would taking a more frequent time of rest affect us as wives and mothers?
There is only one way to find out.
Why not give it a try?
Do you struggle to make time for you?
Will you accept the challenge?
Now it's your turn! Grab the button on my sidebar and link up for this weeks Tuesday Talk!
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