COMM E NTA RY & PA R E NTING
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mommy magic
Balancing Motherhood
Think About Yourself as We Head into Spring What I have learned over the last decade, that like life, motherhood is ever changing. So rather than throw up my hands and surrender to the madness, I must adapt and incorporate into the daily chaos.
The balancing act of motherhood is a constant effort to make it all work. Sometimes I visualize myself spinning f ive plates (okay, maybe ten) all at one time. Sometimes one plate slows down a bit while I am attempting to spin another one faster. Sure enough, somehow the multi-tasking and on the job training as a mom enables me to jump over and spin the wobbly plate before it falls. And such is the balance of all things in the world of motherhood. No one ever said all the plates had to spin at the same rate at the same time. Just keeping them
A RO U ND TOW N
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all going and not falling is sometimes (okay, most of the time) an accomplishment! One of the plates that we, as moms, need to make sure we constantly spin is taking care of ourselves (okay, you can stop laughing now). In all seriousness, I actually have to remind myself to carve out time to not only stay well, but be well in general. At the beginning of motherhood I assumed that I would have to do this, but separately from my kids. What I have learned over the last decade, that like life, motherhood is ever changing. So rather than throw up my hands and surrender to the madness, I must adapt and incorporate into the daily chaos. With that realization comes a lot of freedom and excitement to create your own plan of wellbeing while balancing being a mom and spinning all of those plates! With that, I am happy to share a few tips that I have done myself that work, are affordable and fun. As we head into thinking about Spring, remember to take care of yourself!
1.
Play with your kids! Let your kids choose the activity & play with them. Spending an hour outside playing soccer, riding bikes or jumping rope are great ways to burn calories while spending quality time together as a family.
2.
Seek new opportunities to grow outside your comfort zone. For the past five years I've done mat Pilates,
but I love to mix it up with a new workout. In addition to my regular routine I've tried spinning, running, strength training and even Zumba!
3. Make
healthy family dinners. Family dinners are a must in my house! It's a great way to reconnect as a family & try healthy new foods. Don't get discouraged if your child rejects a new dish, keep offering it. You may have to give it to them up to 10 times before they will eat it & like it.
4. Listen
to your body. I'm pushing forty this year & have finally learned to listen to what my body is telling me. What you put into your mouth & when is important beyond measure. I respond better to eating 5 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.
5. Find a place for your mind & body to recharge.
I love the Monon Community Center in Carmel. It has it all! A pool, workout facility & great community programming! I just launched "The Mom's Club," a weekly luncheon that gives informative and helpful tips to make motherhood more effective, easy and fun! Go to www. Mommy-Magic.com for more information and tips! Mary Susan Buhner is a Life Coach for Moms and author of “Mommy Magic: Tricks for Staying Sane in the Midst of Insanity” Visit www.Mommy-Magic.com for more information. Become a Fan of Mommy Magic on FaceBook!
museum note
Get Ready to Explore with Dora & Diego!
Dora & Diego—Let’s Explore! Debuts February 5th at The Children’s Museum incorporated in the exhibit to introduce Spanish-speaking skills to preschool children. Special places – such as Isa’s Garden and Diego’s Animal Rescue Center – from episodes of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! encourage your child to play along.
The Purple Planet Children can pretend-pilot a Rocket Ship and take Dora, Boots, and some outer-space friends back to the Purple Planet. They can identify constellations as they travel through space and explore a Purple Planet home, complete with a slide!
Get ready to explore with Dora & Diego at The Children’s Museum! The beloved characters Dora from the television series Dora the Explorer and Diego from Go, Diego, Go!, along with friends Boots, Baby Jaguar, Isa, Tico, and of course Swiper, will soon have their own exhibit for your preschooler to explore.
Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore!, created by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in partnership with Nickelodeon, invites preschoolers to play along as they join an adventure and learn how to solve problems, be a good friend, and care for animals and the environment. Spanish vocabulary is 28 INDY’S CHILD * FEBURARY 2011
Tico’s Tree and Isa’s Garden Dora’s friends Tico the squirrel and Isa the Iguana have their own special places in the exhibit. Tico needs your child’s help at ‘Tico’s Tree’ to pick nuts for a family picnic (but watch out for Swiper – he’ll steal the nuts to f ill his own basket!). And…oh no! Tico’s car has a f lat tire and he needs help to repair it! In ‘Isa’s Garden’ even the littlest visitors will have fun touching soft fabric f lowers and smelling f lowery scents. Pirate Piggies Ship and Stage Children can join the Pirate Piggies crew on the ‘Pirate Ship’ and pretend-play sailing the ship and divvying up the treasure.
Diego’s Animal Rescue Center At Diego’s ‘Animal Rescue Center’ young children can practice caring and helping rainforest animals as they diagnose, bandage, and care for stuffed animals. Over in the ‘Rainforest Maze,’ preschoolers can make their way across, over and under obstacles to f ind animals in trouble. The television series Dora the Explorer is a ground-breaking children’s show in part because of its incorporation of play-along viewing and interaction in every episode. Dora & Diego—Let’s Explore carries the play-along theme throughout the exhibit as children are encouraged to actively play by climbing, jumping, and dancing while they practice sharing and caring and learn about the natural world. Dora & Diego—Let’s Explore! debuts Feb. 5 at The Children’s Museum and will be open through Aug. 14. Be sure to bring your little explorer to play along with Dora, Diego and their friends so they too can say “We did it!” Produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in cooperation with Nickelodeon, The Dora & Diego—Let’s Explore! exhibit is presented by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. Jaclyn Falkenstein is the Public Relations Coordinator at Indianapolis.
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