I am so excited to report that my “moon time” came this month and no crazies, other than I feel physically ill right now…and I have been craving sugar the last two days…thank goodness for sweet Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples…although today I caved and had a cupcake leftover from Night Owl’s birthday party last weekend.

So what has been working to keep me calm during the time of the month that usually has me feeling on edge?  If I am not taking care of myself, I have a couple of crazy days when I am “laying eggs“, and then around the time I start my moon time.  I feel like my volume is a lot higher, I am quicker to feel frustrated…thank goodness I know how to take deep breaths.

Although these are great days to use humor, and I need to remember to use humor even when it’s not “one of those days”, here are the things I feel like I am doing right to feel more even-keeled throughout the month.

Breathing:
I discovered Lotus Wei Flower Essences at a networking event two years ago.  I was at the end of my pregnancy with Otter, I had some concerns about our homebirth, and I knew I had to let them go to have a safe and low-risk homebirth.  The owner, Katie Hess, suggested that I use Infinite Love mist to help me release what I needed to release and to feel nurtured going into the experience.  Fast forward two years – we still love them!  Now we have expanded to the mists, the serums and the infusers…we breathe, rub, and drink flower power.  Puma keeps some in her dance bag, Coach Bruss has them out in his office, and we try to remember to inhale a calming mist every time after we wash our hands.  Every time we are in the restroom together, Otter asks for a color and scrunches up her eyes and takes a deep breath as I can spray her…it’s so cool to think that she is learning and using these tools as a toddler.

 

Affirmations:
This decision that came out of one of my coaching sessions with Blue has been one of the best decisions I have made this year.  I have enjoyed meditating on them, making them into images and sharing them with other families.  I printed them and put them up where I can see them.  Being mindful of the impact I have as a parent, and the long-term idea of how I want to be remembered as a mother helps me to be a the safe, stable person I want to be to earn my children’s respect and love.

Calendar:
This was another goal I set with Blue – find a tracking system that worked to remind me of appointments, goals, and help me feel like life was do-able instead of overwhelming.  I tweaked a calendar I had used as a manager.  I found that breaking my day up into 15 minutes increments helps me to find space for everything.  We do schedule field trips now, because I can see that they do fit into our school goals and our family goals.  I feel like I am doing a better job for the kiddos because I can find time to do writing and connect on social media without having screen time on “their” time.

So far, so good this cycle.  I am excited to have found three things that I can do consistently to remember to breathe, be the mama I want to be, and keep all the balls in the air.  It feels awesome, and I am trying to remember to take it a week at a time 🙂

On top of these three intentions, I add in the layer that is my routine: prayer, Juice Plus+ and a pretty healthy diet.  I am feeling like I can conquer the world right now.  Now if only I liked to sleep.

What works for you?  What are your keys to keeping calm and getting your day done the way you envisioned?