Cute boots, don't you think? They are Oh Mommy's latest giveaway. Click on over there and enter to win. Then come back here, because I have something to say.
Did you enter to win? Did you read some Classy Chaos? I want to know what you do to invest in yourself? As parents it is easy to let go of our desires and goals. Our children are a big priority, and they should be. But there is a happy medium that needs to be achieved. If we give everything we are to our children we lose ourselves. In losing ourselves we fail to reach our full potential as parents.
Exercise has always been a key component of my life. I am one of those strange people who loves the gym. If a gym is inconvenient I find a way to exercise. Biking, hiking, walking, running, tennis, basketball and softball are all favorite activities of mine. I exercised through my entire first pregnancy. I began exercising again as soon as I was able. At first I took my new born baby on walks. Soon I was giving up my lunch time at work to go for a bike ride. I have been a mom for almost 5 years and I have never stopped exercising. I can't stop exercising. It is a key part of my basic makeup. If someone told me that I couldn't exercise I would tell them where to shove their inane opinion and exercise anyway. Oh wait, I have done that.
When I injured my knee I had to wait five months for surgery. During those five months I was on crutches or limping. I was in pain all the time. I still went to the gym. every. single. day. After my surgery I returned to the gym as soon as I was given permission to walk. I rode the recumbent bike as such a slow pace that the darned thing would not even turn on. It was embarrassing, but I didn't stop going.
Everyone has something in their life that they feel passionate about. My advice to you is don't let go of it. Our kids are small now. They have a lot of needs and are physically limited in their capabilities, but some day they won't be. When that someday comes I want my children to exercise with me because it is something that they have seen me do all their life.
What is your special thing? What do you want your children to love as much as you do? Is it reading. Make sure they see you read. Is it sewing? Show them what you have made. Is it entertaining? Hire a babysitter and throw a dinner party. Is it gardening? Give them seeds to grow.
Children will spend more of their lifetime having adult hobbies then not. Wouldn't it be great if they enjoyed the same things as you?
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Thursday, November 20, 2008
Don't Lose You
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5 comments:
Oh I so totally agree on this!
When Bug and I do our nightly reading together, that's just what we do. He reads his book and I read mine. The logic being that we are sharing an activity, but doing it in a way we will each enjoy.
We are outside and active - a LOT! Biking, swimming, hiking, golfing, playing in the cul de sac, doing yard work, snowboarding, watching baseball, playing softball, volleyball, tennis . . . outside is IT! My kids love outside as well. Not much TV goin' on for us, not even in the winter when the days are so short and the air is so cold.
Reading . . . we all love to read and read a lot, when we're not outside ;-)
For me - I invest in ME by working out at lunch every day, even for 20 minutes, and taking a women's weekend trip to Breckenridge twice a year for scrapbooking, hot tubbing, and hanging out.
Reading is surely a passion of mine, and I can already see that my girls are avid readers. I also love summer, the sun, sand, beach, pool, etc. I think they both love those things too. Mostly though I want them to learn the value of family from us, and I think we show them how much we love our family by how our priorities are, and I hope they do too!
Hubby is a runner - maybe they can pick that up from him!
I am so glad you went into detail with this post and ran with it. ;)
I didn't want to just give them away and it has been fascinating reading what all the moms have said.
We all have less money and less time but you don't need time/money to invest in yourself. I love to exercise. Thanks. A million thanks!
I love this post. I wish I were more addicted to the gym, but I am really addicted to being outdoors, doing physical things of all kinds. What I really want my kids to learn from me, though, is to love creative things -- that you can make things with your hands, out of fabric, and in so many ways that are satisfying. We do "projects" all the time, and already I love what I see them turning out. Thanks for the inspiring post.
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