New baby, new habits: Healthy Treats

Being a Creative Mom is a 24/7 job, 365 days every year, for the rest of our lives and, on too many occasions, we don't feel sufficiently valued by our society. So, it is vital that we nurture ourselves to be in the best shape, ready to face all the challenges and opportunities our life will bring us.

Today I would like to list my favorite healthy treats. I plan to implement them from now on, as regularly as necessary, in order to help my whole being stay as Happy, Healthy and Balanced as possible.

1. Nap Time / Reading Time/ Meditation Time

When you spend your nights breastfeeding two children, you end up not getting enough sleep, so taking a nap becomes a must and it can do miracles in your wellbeing. That is why I have decided to start using the 2 hours I have after lunch, before my children come back from Kindergarten, to take a nap. If Iris is hungry, I can either read a book—one of my favorite activities in the whole world—or meditate—if too tired to read—while I nurse her and take my nap when she falls asleep. This treat helps me restore the energy I need to be the Mom I prefer to be when my kids are with me.

2. Exercise

My favorite ways of exercising are dancing and walking outdoors listening to music on my iPod. I normally treat them as two separate activities, but many times I end up dancing—even singing—while walking outdoors with my music on. I just realized I might be prancercising, actually. If it is the first time you hear about this term, please watch this JP video—or the original video that I just found out. I once said that prancercising is the best medicine to reach Inner Peace and World Peace at the same time.

3. Healthy Sweets

I just started a new diet to help my body stay healthy, which consists of eating as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible, avoiding sugar and processed food. I love this diet, but sometimes I crave for something sweet to give me instant comfort. For those occasions, I keep a jar full of dried fruit such as dried cranberries, dried apricots, dates, dried figs, dried prunes, and raisins to do the healthy trick, and it works. (I also keep a bar of dark chocolate with almonds in the fridge, for even more comfort.) 

4. A date with a friend

It is very important to meet with a good friend at least once a week. As a stay at home parent, we might not get so many conversations with other adults as our mental balance requires, so make sure to book a coffee or lunch date with one of your best friends, at least once per week. If you do not have friends, find a psychologist, or a shopkeeper, or a priest who is willing to listen. Empty all your wandering thoughts to them on a regular basis—you can also start a Blog or a personal channel.

5. A weekly date with my husband

Moms and Dads need to have some time together too, without kids, like when they were dating. So, we just started to hire a babysitter once a week to stay at home while we enjoy a quiet dinner at a nice restaurant without interruptions; because we still care for each other, because we still enjoy sharing nice food together and we don't want these intense early years of the fruits of our love to interrupt our romantic relation.  (When we lived in Spain, my mother would do the trick, but now that we live in Germany, we have decided to find a babysitter instead and it is wonderful.)

6. Cleaning Assistant

Parents all over the world, if you can manage, hire an assistant to do a deep house cleaning, from time to time, I would say at least once per week. It is the best decision I ever took and it gives the whole family so much Peace of Mind to find the whole house magically cleaned. It is like going to a mindfulness retreat every time the magic wand turns your home beautiful again, but much cheaper.

7. Comedy Time

We all need to laugh—a lot—to survive as loving human beings in this Mother Earth of ours. So, find the comedy shows that work best for you and give yourself a treat every now and then to make sure you do not lack of laughs for too long—you may now watch the prancercising videos if you have not seen them yet. Since we try not to use screens in front of our kids, we watch shows on very rare occasions. If you watch too many shows, your treat might be to spend some more time outdoors and watch less TV. It is all about finding a balanced proportion.

So, these are my Seven Treats, I hope they inspire you to find the ones that help you balance your own experience. Please feel free to write a comment below sharing the ones you use—or should be using—to uplift your life. 

Thank you all for being here and I send you all lots of love, so together we can expand it all over the world. It is free, unconditional, omnipresent and ever-increasing. Peace!