As a mom of 2 boys, I feel like I am always on the go. Logan is in Pre-K at an elementary school and needs to be dropped off around 7:15am, picked up 2:15pm. Blake is in middle school and rides the bus to/from school. On Mondays they have hockey, on Tuesdays they have basketball practice, Wednesday morning I drop Blake and his friend off at school early for Chess Club, Wednesday afternoon Logan has OT, Saturday is for basketball games – Logan at 8/9am, Blake 7/8pm. T-ball season will start up again when basketball ends, only Logan does that one, but it is usually 2 nights per week. Blake is in band so add a concert here and there. Oh, and I have to fit some shifts in at the ER at some point lol. And some quality time with the husband.

I’ve been working on my mental health recently, and one thing I’ve started doing is changing the way I think about things – turning negative thoughts into positive. Instead of “I’m so tired, ugh I have to fill up my gas tank AGAIN, ugh I have to air out the hockey stuff when we get home, but I’m so tired…” I turned it into:

“It’s a busy season of life, but I love watching my boys do things they love. I love watching them be active – so much better than screen time. They are learning valuable lessons about teamwork and discipline. I’m BLESSED to be able to afford a nice reliable car to transport them, I’m BLESSED to be able to afford the gas to transport them. And when it’s my turn to transport Blake to/from basketball, it’s just the two of us and I really enjoy that one-on-one time with him because we don’t get as much of that anymore. I’m GRATEFUL to have such a great coparenting relationship with Sean, and that all 3 of us get along well and work together to make sure the kids are cared for and get where they need to be.”

As I type this, it is 6:40am on a Saturday morning. Saturdays are long, but I’m grateful to be alive on these long days. Logan has a basketball game this morning at 8am. Blake’s is later tonight at 8pm. Matt goes to work at noon on weekends, so he will miss Blake’s game. I have a sitter coming to stay with Logan because he goes to bed at 7:30pm. We try not to disrupt bedtime with him. Keeping them on routines, or as close to routine as possible, helps everything run smoothly.

I challenge you to take one negative thought you have today, and think about how to turn it into a positive. One simple change in your mindset can make a huge change in your mental health and how you handle the day.