Today is a Good Day for a Good Day!

Today is a good day for a good day.

I tell myself this a lot when I wake up in the morning to prepare myself for the day ahead. Sometimes it is really just not a good day and that is totally out of our control. However, I find that a lot of times, the reason a day might seem like a “bad day” is because I didn’t try to make it a good one! It is so easy to get caught up in negative thinking and negative feelings and its so easy to wallow in feeling sorry for yourself. At least for me it is! So here are some things I (try) to do every day to make it a GOOD day.

1. Wake up BEFORE my child. This might be easier said than done. In fact, it is. If you have a newborn, or a young baby, this might not work for you just yet. Around eight months my child’s schedule started becoming a little more predictable and I knew about when he would start waking up in the morning. So, I set my alarm to wake me up about 45 minutes before him. This is so important for me because it gives me time to get myself ready. I don’t feel frazzled and confused first thing in the morning from waking up to my child crying to get out of bed. I have time to change out of pajamas, wash my face, even put on makeup! This is also when I choose to read my Bible and have a little prayer time before I take on the day. This helps put me in the right frame of mind for the day ahead!

2. Don’t EXPECT everything to go according to plan. In fact, don’t expect anything to go according to plan!! Some great mom advice I received from a friend was the only thing you should expect with a baby is that every day is going to be different. And it is so true! Every day is a new challenge and presents new issues. Yes, your baby will eventually fall into a routine, but they are humans, not robots. They have off days and down days just like we do. So, leave plenty of wiggle room in your mind for what the day will look like. It will save you from so much stress and anxiety!

3. Remember that this time in your life is so FLEETING. Literally one day you will wake up and be like whoa. Remember how hard that was?? That seemed like it would last forever. There have been weeks and months where I thought I would never sleep again and I just couldn’t wait until he would sleep soundly for more than an hour on his own. And now I look back with so much fondness on those nights when Brian and I took turns rocking Wesley, or we finally gave in and let him snuggle in our bed. It was hard. I’m pretty sure I averaged three hours of sleep a night for several months there. But when you’re through it (whatever the current struggle is), you’ll be amazed at your strength and as crazy as it sounds, you’ll miss it. Try to embrace whatever stage you’re in because tomorrow it could be over and on to the next one!

These are some things that help me help myself when it comes to making every day as good as it can be. For the majority of my days, how they turn out is totally up to me. Make choices that build you and your family up. Take care of yourself physically and mentally so that you can also take care of your family to the best of your ability.