5 WAYS I MAKE TIME FOR MYSELF AS A BUSY MAMA!

I’ve been asked this question a lot, as I’ve started blogging and sharing little bits of our day to day life!

How do you make time for yourself as a busy mama? It’s a good question! And for me– it has been essential in making that time, and being purposeful with how I spend that time.

There are only a handful of ways I truly fill up my cup daily, but they have been essential for me feeling refreshed and ready to be present with my family!

So here are my day to day ways I make some time for myself during a busy season with little ones and a husband to love and care for!

1. Spending time in the word.

This is my most essential way I make and use time for myself. Spending time in God’s word is vital. Knowing who God is, who I am in light of God, and being reminded of his redeeming grace and absolute truth in the pages of His word and how He has redeemed my life daily is the most important way I can spend time for myself. For a busy mama, of course that doesn’t always look the same. My favorite way to spend time in the word is in the morning before everyone is up. I am a morning person through and through, so when my days don’t start off this way I can tend to feel more anxious for not “getting all the things done” before my kiddos wake up, but have to remind myself that my worth is not found in “all the things” I do, but in all that Jesus has already done. Guarding my heart from my daily devotional and time in the word from becoming an idol in my heart is something I continuously have to be aware of!

2. Spending time with my husband.

My husband and I love quality time, so a priority for the both of us is to spend quality time together. Mostly that looks like us spending time together every night after the kids go to sleep. We make it a point to get the kids down at a decent time every night- we’re getting them to bed around 7:30 every night now that it’s getting dark out earlier, but in the summer with our busy schedule and later sunset that gets pushed back! But nonetheless, we love our time we spend together. One thing we are constantly working at is spending time in the word together. It is tricky with schedules and kids, but even if we aren’t in the word together or reading a book together, our prayer life together and conversations around topics in today’s world and what God’s word says in light of those topics + chatting about our bible studies and what we’re studying are other ways we prioritize spending time reading and meditating on God’s word. We also only have one tv in our whole house (best decision ever!) soooo that means when the kids go down and we want to watch something on tv we have to do it together :). I’m okay with it- we actually really like the same shows, so finding something together is usually pretty easy! When we do get the occasional night out or day date- we love that time together too, but we don’t do those often, so our at home “dates” fill my cup up daily.

3. Spending time with other believers.

Doing life with other believers is also an essential way I have to make time for myself away from my kiddos for a period of time (but also with them too!). For me, that looks like my women’s bible study in the morning once a week, while my two little ones go spend time with their little friends in the nursery! Being around other believers regularly is essential in growing in your faith, too. To encourage, to keep you accountable, to pray for you, to teach one another in the word, and to fellowship with other women who love the Lord fills up my cup weekly, so I make it a point to get to bible study. Even on the hard days when I’m running late and trying to get two kids out the door in a timely matter (but thankfully Dakota helps me on those days most of the time!) 🙂 it is SO worth it. Such a life-giving time weekly for me!

4. Spending time with other moms.

Another way I make me time for myself is through spending time with other moms through play dates or outings. Even though it can feel chaotic with little ones with you, it’s still a great time for me personally to get to have some adult interaction during our day. I also consider it a ministry outreach of mine. 🙂 Some of the best ways I have gathered wisdom and advice in mothering and parenting or anything from nursing, to little tips and tricks for sleep habits, weening, introducing food, resources and toys for kiddos and more are from… TALKING with other moms!! Sharing the funny moments, the difficult ones, and everything in between with other moms is also an encouraging time that I love to make for myself.

5. Spending time OUTSIDE and ACTIVE!

Okay, so I kinda paired two into one, but for me, these two go together often! Walking, going for a run, walking or running with a friend, running with the jogging stroller, going on a family hike together around our home or at a state park, meeting friends at a workout class, running around outside with my fam playing at home or at a park… man it really doesn’t matter- annnnny form of activity is another way my cup is filled up daily! Now, a lot of days that looks like an at home workout inside in our makeshift workout room, sometimes with little people surrounding me, but again, I feel so good afterwards when I make time for movement and some fresh air this daily!

I hope these 5 ways encourage you and give you ideas for how you might add in a little more time for yourself to fill your own cup, so that your whole family can benefit from that purposeful time!

I just shared my review of these Fabletics cold weather leggings + quarter zip on my Instagram stories, and I have to say… after last night’s HIIT class that had a ton of jumping exercises involved, I’m super impressed!! I don’t think I pulled them up once. They are so so comfortable, come in a ton of colors, and had a nice zipper compartment on the back waist for putting your keys or even a small snack bar in it if you’re heading out for a longer run! I also love that this quarter zip has zipper pockets, breathable mesh detailing, and also comes in a ton of colors! As a VIP member, I was able to get my first two leggings for $24, and the nice thing about being a VIP member is you only have to sign in by the 5th of the following month to your account, and don’t need to purchase anything! So nice! …and worth the discount you get on items as a VIP! I haven’t ordered Fabletics leggings since they first started back when I was in college, and I have to say, they have really come along way as far as options and quality goes! Can’t beat $12 for a pair of quality leggings on your first order! Worth the sign up just for that IMO! Have you ordered from Fabletics before?! Excited to try out more of their wide range of apparel, athleisure, and activewear they have… even outerwear too! Have a great Thursday, friends!