Hello my friends! I’m always happy to come back and share a fun new idea with you! Here in Tennessee we just started school…and I may or may not have done a little happy dance. 🙂 I LOVE my kiddos, but I also love structure and routine because we all do better with it! Today I want to share some tips with you to help you be your best self. Here’s how this concept came about:
After I dropped everyone off on the first day of school, I walked in my home and just sat. It was quiet, calm and I took a big breath and just sat there for a moment. Then I had a moment of feeling a bit lost. It honestly took me a few minutes to figure out what to do with the rest of my day! Everything had revolved around my kids all summer long, from the minute they got up until the minute they went to bed (which I LOVE). But now, it was just me.
I have a sweet friend who is always reminding me, that in the middle of all the craziness of my life, to not lose “ME.” And I always reassure her that I won’t. But on that first day of school, I thought about that as I thought about my day…and the many more days to come through the school year. Sometimes as moms we identify ourselves only through our children. I’m guilty of it. I forget sometimes that I’m a person and that I’m important enough to invest a little time in.
For me personally, I love to give. I love to serve and help and be busy doing good things. I love taking care of my family and making sure they have what they need. Those things are important to me because they are important things! BUT…we must be willing to stop and take care of ourselves as well. When we get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone but ourselves, eventually what we will have to give may not be enough. Someone once explained it to be like a pie. We give a piece to a child, then one to our spouse, then one to another child, maybe one to a friend, and another to a sibling or parent. At the end of the day, some have not saved a piece of pie for themselves. And some can’t even remember what kind of pie they were to begin with!
I love that quote. We are women. We are moms, grandmothers, wives, daughters, sisters, friends, etc. We give. It’s our nature to do so. But, we MUST give to ourselves. Our lives are like buckets. We fill them drop by drop when we invest in ourselves. When we learn something new, take time to exercise, pray, meditate, set a goal, improve ourselves or just do something that is fun, we fill our buckets. When we serve, work, listen, give, run errands, solve problems, teach, manage our homes, etc., our buckets are gradually emptied. Some days, it doesn’t take ANY TIME at all before I feel my bucket is in danger of being empty. The roles we play in the lives of those around us are important. We have value and are needed. Good strong women can do and accomplish great things and have an impact that is far reaching. So, let’s fill our buckets and be our best selves!
This month, I put together something that is a simple and fun way to help you fill your buckets. I realized I needed a structured way to keep my bucket full. Something that would help remind me to invest some time into ME. Here we go…
FILL YOUR BUCKET & BE YOUR BEST SELF!
It’s a fun project…and easy to remember if you use this simple guide. Each day pick a category and do something in that category. I had a fun time coming up with the categories. These are ones that made sense to me, but feel free to create your own. To begin, download and print this. Place somewhere you will see it every day. Choose one category each day of the week except Saturday and Sunday. Those are my family days, so I didn’t want to put anything else on my plate, but feel free to choose to do a category with your family on the weekends if you would like.
download and print here
CATEGORIES: (I’ll give you some ideas to get you started.)
LEARN OR TRY SOMETHING NEW: This could be ANYTHING! Challenge yourself, step outside of your comfort zone and get learning! Learn a new skill, learn to count to 10 in Chinese, learn a new vocabulary word and use it throughout the day, learn how to edit a photo, learn about a new app on your phone, learn to ski or to swim, sign up for yoga or karate, learn a new recipe. Just go for it and LEARN!
SERVE SOMEONE: The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to do anything big or grand. Send a handwritten note, say hello to someone, pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru, send a text and let someone know you’re thinking about them, bake a batch of cookies, remember someone’s birthday, go visit someone, let someone in front of you while in traffic. Just do something kind. This one is my favorite category!
DO SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU AND HAVE FUN: OK…maybe THIS one is my favorite category. 🙂 PLEASE DO THIS ONE! Sometimes we need to just let go of all the stress, put our lists down and enjoy this amazing life! Life is too short not to enjoy it! Get your nails done, have lunch with a friend, go on a hike or a walk, plan a fun date with your sweetheart, buy a new book, throw a party, go see a movie, eat an ice cream cone, visit the store that you’ve wanted to go into forever, turn the music up really loud and do your dancin’-thang, or try a new recipe. This is your moment!! Wooohoooo for this category!!
CREATE SOMETHING: I love the quote, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It’s so true. We were born to create! I think we probably all have long lists of all the things we want to create. Well…today’s the day! Shut the world out and get on Pinterest for a few minutes if you need some inspiration. Get your camera out and have fun taking some pictures, finally work on that DIY project that’s been calling your name, embroider something, paint something, create something fun for your kids to do on the weekend, begin a quilt, paint a mason jar and put some flowers in it, learn the art of doodling. Tap into your creative side and have a blast.
IMPROVE YOUR HOME: This category will either be one you avoid or love. There are always things that can make our homes brighter, cleaner, more inviting and a place where our families can feel happiness and peace. Tackle the “junk” drawer, make a wreath for the front door, set the timer for 20 minutes and see how much you can clean, reorganize a room, paint a wall, frame a picture and hang it (LOTS of free printables on Pinterest), go through a child’s drawer and sort it, turn on some music, straighten up one cupboard – or more, go shopping (yay!!) and buy something fun for your home, put love notes on each bed, clean your bedroom really well and enjoy it later (wink wink), make a decision to be extra cheerful with the family, make a yummy dessert for after dinner. Just remember that everything you do in this category benefits you AND everyone else in your home. It’s a bonus category!
Because I have a “mom” brain…I need all the reminders I can get. So, here’s one more printable to hang somewhere to help you remember. When you see it, take literally 60 seconds and evaluate how your bucket is doing. Is it getting empty or are you doing great at keeping it full?
download and print here
I’m so excited about this new challenge. Sometimes even the smallest changes in our routines and the way we structure our days can make the biggest difference. Most of all, I’m excited about an excuse to have a fun day…just for me. 🙂 Have a great month my friends and go fill your buckets!
If you liked Veronica’s post today, then check out the following:
Thank you very much, nice sharing.
Really loved this. Thank you so much. I recently got to go out with friends, and on a date with my husband three times in the last week and my daughter commented on how much “Mommy time” I was having. I was like, DARN STRAIGHT! We need to remember we’re people, regular people, too! Not just moms, spouses, etc… We have to nourish ourselves or we can’t nourish others (like you so excellently pointed out!).
Thanks Liv!! I needed the reminder! 🙂