Mommy's Survival Guide

I hate Zombie movies! They are gross, vulgar and usually hopeless in the end. But occasionally my husband, who loves them, twists my arm and gets me to watching one. Not too long ago he twisted and got me to watch “Zombieland”.

In the movie, the main character has a “list of rules” that help him survive his new reality in the land of zombies. Each time he needs to survive a situation a rule pops up reminding him of what to do: Rule # 1 Cardio, Rule #2 Double Tap, Rule #3 Beware of Bathrooms (also a good one for moms).

As a mom, I have often wished for a rulebook. I would love to have some helpful tips miraculously appear on the walls of my house to help me with my new reality as a mom: “ Rule # 1 Mommy is in charge”, “Rule #2 It’s okay to take a nap”. Well, that only happens with the help of a lot of movie magic. When you become a mom you get a lot of opinions, but the rules are left up to you.

Throughout this blog I will give my own “Mommy Survival Guide Rules” for various situations. When you are in each situation maybe you can imagine the tips being written on the wall. Here are my first and most foundational tips for mom survival. When I feel “off balance” as a mom, it is usually because one of these are lacking in my life. Here it goes…

            Rule #1 Pray and Read Your Bible.

Being a mom requires a lot of discernment. You will need a lot of divine intervention.

            Rule #2 Maintain Proper Perspective.

Kids go through stages. Enjoy the fun ones and remember the challenging ones will pass. Take heart, you will not be sleep deprived forever.

            Rule #3 Find a Friend  (or group of friends) to do Mommyhood with.

I found a group called MOPS (http://www.mops.org/) and it was exactly what I needed in this new role as mom. There are lots of community and church mom groups. You are not alone.

            Rule #4 Take Time for Yourself.

This is not selfish. When you take some time to yourself you come back to your family refreshed and able to calmly deal with all that is demanded of you.

            Rule #5 Read this Blog ;-)

You can’t go wrong with great tips and ideas for fun stuff you can add to your day.

Oh, look, there on your wall. Can you see it, in blue crayon? Either your child has decorated again, or it says, “ Rule #3 Find a friend”.