Pushing the Mama Pause Button

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As a SAHM I get a TON of time with our son, Connor. From the time he wakes up till my husband walks in the door, which ranges from 6-7, it’s just me and the little guy. Lucky for me we are currently smack dab in the middle of year 3 {that’s sarcasm, friends!}. I get that as a stay at home Mom, this is part of the gig but can I be honest for a second?

To say the days are long is an understatement.

I am responsible for his happiness. To keep our days following. Arranging swim lessons, play dates and trips to the park, it’s what I’m good at. We fit in story time, errands and doctor appointments during the day too, all while my husband is at the office. My day of work consists of all things boy, all things toddler.

Because there is no off time, no chance to clock-out, Mama needs a pause button. When the day is rough, when I’m solo parenting while my husband travels, when life is just plain hard, I give myself grace and hit pause. Here is how I embrace the rough moments of motherhood and give myself a chance to regroup.

Pushing TheMama Pause ButtonFamily Quiet Time – if it’s another 15-30 minutes of screen time or the desire to play with play-dough or a favorite toy that’s for special occasions, giving my son 15-30 minute of “free” time gives me a chance to take a break for a bit. While he is watching the newest episode of PJ Masks, I’ll lose myself in a book or scroll through Instagram while vegging out on the couch. Sometimes doing absolutely as little parenting as possible while parenting is exactly what you need to refocus.

Take A Drive – when bedtime is so close yet so far away, I’ve been known to load Connor up his pajamas and his blanket, Blue, and taking a drive. We roll down the windows, turn on some music and just sight-see. We drive through new parts of town or through our favorite housing developments, picking out of homes we like or don’t. The mixture of fresh air and sunshine does us both good.

Enjoy a Sweet Indulgence – we don’t usually keep sweets in the house so when I’m feeling a bit stressed, I’ll hand Connor off to my husband for bed and bath and I head to the kitchen to bake. There is something about measuring, mixing and preparing delicious treats that soothes my soul. From cookies to brownies to our weakness, Buckeyes, spending an hour or two in the kitchen does my soul good. It doesn’t hurt that the end result is a tasty treat that the family can enjoy together.

Motherhood is glorious. It’s nothing I expected yet everything I imagined and so much more. With every rough day, there are ones that make me realize how truly blessed I am to be a mama.

How do you grab “you time” once you’ve hit the pause button?

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stephaniecox
Welcome! I'm Stephanie, wife and Momma to 1, blogger at Wife Mommy Me (www.wifemommyme.com and born and raised Buckeye. I spend my days raising our little man while my husband works for a international IT training company. If I'm not chasing around the little one, I love to read, blog, run (oh so slowly) and cook calorie filled goodness. My little guy and are very much day adventurers; we love visiting local parks, hiking and finding a new splash pad. Our family loves taking in local fairs and festivals on the weekends. After living 2 year in Austin, Texas it feels great to be back home.

6 COMMENTS

  1. One of my favorite “pause button” moments is to take a walk. Even with my guys with me, just a change of scenery seems to give me a pause. Thanks so much for your insights. I’m adding them to my list!

    • We love doing this, especially since driving in from December to February is pretty impossible thanks to the bad weather. We get in plenty of miles when the weather is warm.

  2. Stephanie I freaking love you! Ha ha!! If we hadn’t “known” each other for a while that would be weird. 🙂 I love what you do to get me time. While Emmy is napping in the afternoon K give Cam his kindle to play on so I can do things without a child underfoot or so I can just sit. We also try to take evening walks together.

    • Sometimes you just need that break but it’s not just for you but for them, too. I’m sure Cam likes the quiet time he has, away from mom and sister.

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