A few weeks ago I was on the phone with MomHOP, going over my upcoming schedule and talking about when I would finally be able to relax.
“I have a wedding coming up, and then I can relax.”
“Oh, but the next weekend I’m throwing the kids’ birthday party. After that I can relax.”
“Oh wait. But then there’s another wedding, and Hawaii, and Stewart and Brady are going to Louisiana, and then the end of school. Finally, after all that I can relax.”
…
“Oh but then we have our trip to…”
You see how it went. I listed one major, sort-of-stressful event after another, that didn’t end until school starts again in late August. And it’s not even summer yet! I’ve taken us to the end of the year in my head already. Because after school starts there’s my 40th birthday, Halloween, and then The Holidays, and you know how that goes.
What I realized, as I said all of that, was that I have to learn to relax despite the stressful events. Make them into un-stressful events. Because they’re not going away. That’s my new normal.
Same thing with the children’s diets, if you will pardon my huge leap. I sat down to write a post about food to remind you that I have all these chatty food-related videos on Ragú®’s Mom’s the Word on Dinner section at Facebook. I was focusing on how Kyle and I have been eating mostly treats since Brady and Stewart went out of town on Sunday. We had breakfast at IHOP, dinner at a friend’s house, a treat at Starbucks. I made him a hot dog for dinner at his request two nights in a row. It’s easy (-er) to go out and get treats or eat out with one child and one parent. Lower cost, much less hassle.
But I can’t keep doing that. We’re going to be on the road or doing or planning or getting ready for one thing after another from now on, and I have to make their nutrition constant. Even though it’s boring. Even though they hate most vegetables. Even though one kid will only eat cucumbers and one will only eat carrots and corn on the cob. At least the contents of the fridge are pretty.
Despite its jarred nature, Ragú® is actually inspiring great conversation about feeding your families in healthy ways. Visit their Facebook page to join in. People post what they make for dinner. It’s very cute. You can also visit the special Mom’s the Word on Dinner page to watch the videos we did, and to add your own photo or comment.
Read what the other lovely ladies of Mom’s the Word on Dinner are doing at the following blogs:
Audrey Confidential: Dinner Time and Techology
Vicki Howell/The Mothercraft: 5 Reasons Why Dinnertime is Important
The Mommy Blog: Post Title of the Day – Pork Rut
Rookie Moms – The Ragu Panel recap
This post was created in connection with my compensated involvement in the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program.
Kim – I feel your pain! I also have to learn to relax despite all that’s going on in my life. (And there’s a lot!) Wine (or tequila) helps, right?
XO
Debbie
I can totally relate! My reason is often baseball or soccer games in the evenings for an excuse to do fastfood or not to cook, but eventually I need to get over the excuses and just do it. There is always something, so waiting for things to be over will mean I am waiting forever, right? 😉 Great post, totally relatable by moms!