Looking out for #5

A funny thing happens when you have a child--suddenly, you're not the most important person in your own life any more. The kid comes first, everything else comes somewhere after that. I have found that on my own list of priorities, I rate myself pretty low and I realize there is something very wrong with that. My list is something like this:

1. son
2. husband and other family (parents, sister, etc.)
3. work
4. housework
5. me
6. the dog

Why do I rate myself below nearly everything else in importance? I am trying to bump myself up on my list--I think I'm close to letting myself surpass housework into the #4 position. I know I need to take better care of myself. I know I need to take more time for myself. But how can I find time for myself when I feel like I barely have time to do essential things like eat, sleep and shower? I am trying to carve out little bits of time for myself here and there. It doesn't take much to make me happy--20 minutes of uninterrupted time reading a book, soaking in a hot bath for 15 minutes, getting to bed 30 minutes early to get some extra shut-eye. Posting on this blog is another way I'm making time for me......it's not much, but it gives me a chance to do something different and to express myself in a new way.

I think a lot of moms are like this. But I think we should all try to take more time for ourselves and to focus more on taking better care of ourselves. Because happy mommies lead to happy babies, right? So in a way, taking care of ourselves and keeping ourselves happy is yet another way we can make life better for our families.