The Mama Workshop

7 Ways to Keep Your House Clean

I can’t keep a clean home (even if my life depended on it). I have dishes piled in the sink, a mountain of laundry to be folded, and toys everywhere. So, I asked The Mama Workshop community on Instagram how they keep a clean home and to share any tips, tricks, and hacks they might have that would help me and any mama in my situation.

You know what I found out?

Almost all the mamas that answered have the same issue as me (and over 40 mamas commented). One mama even said, “If we got report cards for cleaning, I would get a big, fat F.” We all need help in this area. The mess is never-ending. So, what do we need to do?

7 Ways to Keep Your House Clean

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19 Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday, Mama

I’m on a mission to have a mini birthday celebration everyday until my birthday! My birthday is at the end of this month and I am looking for ways to celebrate with my kids (and without).  I have very limited babysitters on my list to call. So, it takes creativity to celebrate.

Yesterday, I went to Target with my son and daughter to buy a couple things. On the way out, I asked my kiddos, “Do you want a cake pop?” Of course they said, “YES!”

I was just going to buy the cake pops and leave. But, my son decided to sit down at the little tables and enjoy the scenery of the people entering and exiting the store. Why not? We all sat down and ate our cake pops. It was relaxing to stop the everyday routine for 10 minutes and enjoy eating a cake pop with the little loves of my life. Life was on pause. It helped me be thankful (which is a mini celebration).

So, number one on my list is: Go enjoy a cake pop with your kids.

My Birthday Celebration Agenda

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Breastfeeding: What Some Moms Might Not Share

I wish I could share that my breastfeeding story was smooth and perfect and the most amazing experience. That is not what you will read here.

I am very modest. So, when I first found out I was pregnant, the idea of breastfeeding (especially in public) didn’t go over too well in my mind. What if my baby flings the nursing cover and exposes me to the world? What if my baby is loud and lets the entire restaurant know exactly what is going on?

Then, there were other questions like: what if I can’t get my baby to latch? What if he doesn’t get enough milk? All the questions that ran through my head were already making me feel like I was going to fail.

So, lo and behold, day one of breastfeeding was awkward.

First, nurses were in and out of the room while I’m fumbling to latch my son. So, I had to mentally block my emotions of feeling weird about being exposed to everyone and for having a nurse help me latch my son.

I like to describe nursing kind of like when I was learning to play string bass. My fingers were not use to pressing the giant strings down to make beautiful, musical notes. Practicing daily caused my fingers to develop calluses which were necessary for it not to hurt anymore.

That’s what happens to your nipples.

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Evaluating Your Fears: Am I Good Enough?

Evaluating your fears can be difficult. But, it’s necessary to take a step back and evaluate them to see where they are coming from.

I reached a point in my life where I was believing what fear was telling me. I was believing that I wasn’t good enough – not a good enough wife, not a good enough mom, not a good enough friend, not a good enough woman.

It’s not a great place to be (the stress of it all is suffocating and overwhelming). So, how do I take a step back and evaluate where it’s coming from?

What I like to do is grab a piece of paper and a pen, sit down somewhere where I can be alone for 5 minutes, set a timer and  just write it out. For this exercise, I used the following prompt:

When ___________, it makes me fear I’m not good enough.

The idea here is to fill in the blank with everything that makes you fear that you are not good enough. Here is what I came up with: I don’t complete my task list, I don’t spend time with my kids, I don’t spend time with my husband, I don’t have a clean house, I see pictures of other moms “perfect” life, and I don’t have time to take care of myself.
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What Fear Loves to Tell You

Fear loves to tell you that you can’t do anything – that you’re not good enough. It loves to linger by your side, so whenever you feel any ounce of courage, it makes its presence known. But, you know what? Being brave doesn’t mean you’re fearless. It means you have fear, you’ve just decided to step out and do the things that scare you anyway.

Giving up fear for bravery is so hard, especially when you have listened to its lies for so long. But, it’s time to let go of it.

I read that when you are in a constant state of stress, worry and/or fear, your body can’t heal. You end up sick. Your body is in a constant fight or flight response that it causes your body to tense and your organs to not work properly.

I don’t want that to happen to you or to me. I know that when I am sick, I am not the mom I need to be for my children. When I believe the lies Fear is telling me, I doubt my gifts that I was born with. I was given a set of gifts to use to help my children become who they are meant to be. With my particular struggles that I have experienced throughout my lifetime, I can help my children work through their struggles and fears.

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