I am no doubt OVER THE MOON excited to become a Mom. I literally couldn’t be happier!! But I would be lying if I were to say that I wasn’t nervous for a multitude of reasons, but specifically because of all the tasks being a mom entails and how do you balance it all. Working while making sure all the laundry is done (with nontoxic detergent of course) and packing lunches (in plastic free containers OBVI) and making sure my husband and kiddos eat healthy while making sure you are yourself getting a workout in (at home of course because is there even time to go to the gym?), etc etc ETC!!!!!! Is there even such thing as a balance?
WELL, my friend Kaylen over at Momming on Matcha does it all and she makes it look SO EASY. She’s a mom to three, IIN student, entreprenuer and lives a VERY HEALTHY LIFE. Want to know her Mom secrets? Grab a kombucha and check it out!
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Hi, I’m Kaylen from Momming on Matcha! I’m a busy wife and mom of three! I graduate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in May, have a health coaching biz, and essential oil biz (oils are a huge part of our lives!). I’m so excited that Erica asked me to do a post about balancing being a mom, starting up my blog, and living a healthy life!
MEAL PREP
Most of the time I feel like I’m running around like a crazy person, finding a flow has been a huge part in keeping my sanity! Anyone who has started to take steps in living a healthier life know it takes a bit of time and preparation! Every Sunday I always go through the school lunch menu with the kids and see how many cold lunches I need to be making for the week. That gives me an idea of what I’ll need at the store, and what dinners I can turn into lunch leftovers. I also use Sundays to start meal prepping, having components of what I’m going to be making for dinners during the week already prepared makes those busy weeknights run much more smooth. Also, when I make a meal, I almost always double the recipe so I can freeze some. Having a freezer stocked with soups or casseroles is a very valuable tool to have in your belt. Going to bed Sunday night knowing I have a game plan for the week makes me feel soo good! On the other hand, it doesn’t always happen! Cant beat yourself up about it!
BE REALISTIC
That leads me to the next tip, do what you can, when you can! Pick what’s important to you and your family! Its easy to peek on Instagram and see everyone’s well thought out, perfect weeknight meals, and spotless homes! Some mornings I leave to drop the kids, and it looks like a tornado came through here! Toast still in the toaster, left the milk on the counter, and almost always at least one blanket left on a kitchen chair. My weeknight meals if not meal prepped, are 100% cooked in the Instapot or crockpot, it’s my thing. Whipping out ingredients after a long day and cooking a hands on meal, not my thing. We often don’t have time to head home before the kids sports after school, so I try to have a purse full of healthier granola bars ( I like Cascadian Farm) or fruit. This is what sanity looks like for me, it may be different for you, but that’s part of finding what works! This is also true with my social media! I try to have planned out posts and a game plan for the week, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. I end up posting random snaps of my day and continue forward. Do what you can, when you can!
Go NONTOXIC
Another thing that has been a huge part of our lives is having a toxic free home. It was a gradual switch, but we are 100% now! We often think about what we are putting in our mouths, but not enough about what we are putting on our bodies, or the surfaces in our homes that we are exposed to on the daily. There are so many clean household items out there, its not hard to find them. For us we started with laundry detergent, toothpaste, and surface cleaners. We come in direct contact with these items so often, those were on the top of my list. We also use essential oils for almost everything. If going the essential oil route, buy QUALITY oils! They can be pricey so pick a few that you will use the most and invest in those, add to your collection little by little. They last a long time and the investment is totally worth it. Also, essential oils aren’t regulated, so grocery store oils are usually over diluted and not nearly as effective. I use the oils to make many of our household necessities, so in the long run it actually SAVES us money!
TEACH YOUR KIDS YOUNG
My last and most important piece of advice I could give, is to instill the importance of a healthy lifestyle to your kids. When we first started to switch our kids diet, we were met with straight up rebellion. Its hard for kids to understand why you’ve switched out their beloved rice krispy treats, for puffed brown rice cereal treats sweetened with brown rice syrup. Or why Fruit Loops are out, and whole grain toast is in ( its their fav now). Once I started explaining why eating a healthy, non processed diet was important, their resistance started to decrease. The most important thing is to not give up. Its really hard, especially when your kids wont eat the food you’re making. We initiated the ” try a bite” rule, and it works like a charm. The more they keep trying the foods they “don’t like”, the more they actually learned to like them. Try keeping things simple, switching cereal for whole grain toast and ghee, snacks could be fruit, eggs, or a smoothie, use left overs from dinner as lunches, and just make your healthy dinners with the implied “try a bite” rule.
Well I tried not to ramble too much ( I’m a huge rambler), but these are just a few tips and ways I try and balance living a healthy life! Its not always easy, but its totally worth the extra effort in the long run.
Find Kaylen on INSTAGRAM.
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First photo reposted from PINTEREST.
