play Archives - Momma On The MoveMomma On The Move

I have 3 kids. An older son and a set of boy girl twins. When I was pregnant with the twins I was sure it was a boy and a girl even though we did not find out until they arrived; yet when they were born I almost thought that I was going to end up with 3 boys. Which I had told my husband at the time if that was the case we were selling the house and moving out to a farm 🙂 Boys need space, they need to run and play and get dirty. Not that girls don’t, but boys do more, as I am sure that those with sons can totally relate.

We knew Baby A was the smaller of the two, so when Baby A came and it was a boy, for a fleeting moment I thought uh-oh. But within minutes out came Baby B, a girl! She had fooled us all.

And she is definitely my girly girl, with all things bling. She’s only 4 but loves dresses and sparkle, jewelry and make up and of course, pink (which to be honest I hated pink when I was younger as I felt like it was a color that was forced on me because I was a girl so I should love it! Now I do love it, but not because I am supposed to).

Chloe’s favorite thing to do now is to get up each day and put on her Cinderella dress that she recently got for her birthday. She literally hops out of bed, takes off her pyjamas and grabs her underwear and her dress and puts them on. The dress is filthy and a little stained, as she wears it everywhere. In the house, outside playing in the dirt, preschool, shopping, etc. The amazing thing I notice though is that everyone who sees her in it, smiles and usually tells her what a pretty dress she is wearing. Or would she mind if they saw her dress (as her coat was covering it).

She is constantly engaged in conversation with people of all ages and genders. They love it, she loves it and it brings joy to everyone, everywhere she goes. Yes some may argue that she is 4 and she is cute, but her 4 year old brother is standing right there and he does not get the same attention. It’s totally the dress.

This made me think the other day, while we were in the passport office and it took twice as long to process our applications because the clerk and Chloe were discussing her dress, that you should not underestimate the value of a princess dress. Yes some may argue that it is girly and it stereotypes and puts girls into a certain box. But I would argue that we should all wear a princess dress. In fact there are some days when I wish I had one. Cause let’s be honest, we feel good, we feel pretty and we love the attention. People will help us, smile at us and maybe even ask us where we go it. It would also make cleaning the house more fun, or going out or even into the garden (thought possibly messing up our dress).

Imagine yourself in a princess dress right now. How do you feel? I bet you are already starting to grin, imagining yourself spinning, feeling really good about yourself. And you haven’t even gone out yet! Now imagine going out and all the compliments and conversations you will have. The people you will meet. I bet now you feel like a million bucks and you’ve only virtually put it on! You see what I’m saying?

So yes little girls love to dress up in their pretty dresses and they get lots of attention and we let them. What I think is important though is to not forget that little girl who loves to dress up and bring her out a lot more often! We all need a princess dress and we should not forget to put it on. So dust off your shoes ladies, as Moms, friends, co-workers etc. go out into the world and shine! And if you’re in your princess dress than all the better!

Chloe, Luke and Matthew

Being a Mom has many duties, demands and challenges, but it also brings us many benefits, rewards and love. My heart just melts when the kids are playing and all of a sudden I turn around and Luke is standing there, he looks at me and says “Mommy I want to give you a hug”, he does and then he resumes playing.

Becoming a parent is job that we sign up for for life, once we are in we can’t decide to quit and look for another, take a vacation or check out. We are there forever, no matter what. But no matter what, we as Moms (parents) need to take care of ourselves so that we can be the best we can for our families. If we are not happy then the family isn’t happy.

I agree sometimes it can be challenging to even find 5 minutes for ourselves, but I have found that with a little creativity, it is easy to do and those little 5 minute breaks, help make the day easy, happy and flowing.

It’s easy to incorporate these into your day (and many of them you can do with the kids so not only do you take care of you, you can do it easily while also engaging the kids)

Breathe – yes we breathe all the time but how often do we stop and take a really deep breath, one that fills the lungs. Deep breathing does wonders for our body and brings us back to a relaxed state. Stop, breathe in for the count of 4 and then release for the count of 4, do this 3 times and you’ll find yourself in a very peaceful state. Even better add a drop of energizing essential oil like peppermint or wild orange in your hands and cup them over your nose breathing in deeply. Doing this will instantly provide you with a natural pick me up.
Dance – moving our body is key to keeping things flowing. Dancing uses your entire body, put on your favorite music and dance away! You can easily do this with the kids but be warned they’ll probably want another song when the first one is done 🙂
Go outside – fresh air does wonders for us. Whether you go for a quick walk, are gardening (getting your hands in the dirt), or you stand out in the backyard for 5 minutes, the fresh air is a great way to regenerate and de-stress. Take a deep breath while you’re out there or do a grounding activity imagining you’re a tree with large roots going deep into the ground (this one especially is fun to do with the kids as they love to imagine and be creative)
Chat with a friend -just expressing ourselves or touching base with another person can brighten our day. A listening ear always helps or just makes us feel better.
Smile -this is so simple but makes such a difference in how you feel. You use more energy when you frown, and if you smile the people around you will smile too. It’s contagious!

Of course it is important to also schedule some longer periods of time for ourselves, without the kids, such as going for a massage, bubble bath, coffee, hike or date with a friend; as we need these too to keep our spirits happy, to regenerate and de-stress and be the best we can be for everyone.

Momma On The Move

Tag Archives: play

Never Underestimate the Value of a Princess Dress

5 Minutes for Mom