Mommy Maintenance

Our cars need regular maintenance like oil changes, windshield wiper fluid, tire rotation, etc. to keep things running smoothly. Our houses need it too; new air filter, water filter, and fixing that broken step or loose banister. Our pets get vaccines and heart-worm medicine and yearly checks from the vet; our kids get vaccines, regular checks, dentist visits and optometrist visits. We put them down for naps when they are tired and cranky and we take them to parks and to play dates so they have social interaction as well as some relaxing fun.

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The question is, when was the last time when you did some Mommy Maintenance? As seen in this heartwarming video, moms work hard. We go and go and go until we collapse and then we get up the next day and do it again. Some of us are still getting up every few hours at night with our babies while others are trying to remember if it is soccer day or football day, also doesn’t “Suzy” have dance class? Some of you are caring for children who are special needs and you’re trying to juggle hospital bills, doctor’s appointments, and therapy appointments in addition to everything else.

The idea of taking some “me time,” is laughable to most mothers or even considered impossible. The problem with this is the stress that is caused by this constant no-maintenance lifestyle. If you never changed your car’s oil it would eventually break down for good. The thing we want to pretend isn’t true, is that the same can happen to us. Stress is considered the number one killer because as seen in a study on moms done in 2004 by The University of California San Francisco, stress can actually alter your DNA. Stress has been linked to everything from depression to heart disease and heart attacks. Heart disease also kills more women than any other illness.

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Ladies, we have to find time to take care of our selves or we will not be here anymore to take care of our children. It is a hard thing to face, that all of our dedication could be killing us. When was the last time you did simple upkeep like a dentist appointment, a trip to the optometrist, or a mammogram? When did you last realize that you were being grouchy and put yourself down for a nap, or send yourself to have a massage? When was the last time you ran some of that stress away in the gym? When is the last time you had a mom’s night out? I can feel you balking at some of these suggestions because you haven’t even showered in three days.  But it is time to face the fact that you need a little bit of help. If you have a husband, or your child’s father is involved in their life, it is time to ask them to take on some of the load so you can at least make those appointments. If not, ask your parents or a friend. Check out Groupon and Amazon Local for great prices on massages and spa treatments. Join us at our Mom’s Night Outs such as our upcoming Foodie Fair and spend some time with tall people eating real food. Grab a gym membership at a place with childcare and take some time to yourself. You deserve it, and your kids deserve to have you around for a long time.

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Kylie Hastings
Kylie Hastings is a born and raised Oklahoma girl. She is a Criminal Justice graduate of Northern Oklahoma and The University of Central Oklahoma. She writes the blog SomeoneMaternal.com and hopes to one day write the next great American novel...or at least publish a book that a few people buy. She is the mother of a little girl and soon to be mother of a little boy, and the wife of an Army National Guard Blackhawk pilot. She loves to read, travel, ski, and scuba dive.

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