Part 2 – Inside The Thoughts Of A SAHM

The Struggle To Keep My Sense Of Self

With Guest Momma Blogger O of Leaf & Steel

My series of Inside The Thoughts of a SAHM is intended to highlight how stay-at-home moms feel, their successes and challenges, and thoughts others may not understand, and sahms that understand so well they have nothing but compassion for. Enjoy this guest momma blog!

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From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. my life is not my own. My day is run by a two-foot-tall toddler who doesn’t appreciate my need to sit, make a phone call, or god forbid, nap. A fair portion of my nights are lost to this little angel too. I love my daughter and it’s absolutely exhausting being a SAHM. I don’t go more than three minutes without talking. I don’t go more than five without helping or hugging or adjusting.

It’s not hard at all to see how I can slip into full mom mode and leave my whole self behind. There are things that I do to “fill my cup”, like writing, yoga, walking, spending time with friends, and of course the ever-needed cat nap. Some days it feels impossible to prioritize doing anything for myself when my two year old needs me.

Something new that has worked for me is not waiting for these long stretches of time where my daughter is out of the house to do what I need to do. They don’t happen often and I find that I feel a lot of pressure to use that time wisely when it does happen. Even though my toddler has stopped napping, I still have some moments to myself.

I find small bits of time and try to piece together a whole person. A quick 10-minute yoga video, a few moments where she’s watching Sesame Street and I can slip outside the glass porch door to make a phone call. Some days she plays so well by herself that I have time to work on a blog post or read in peace and quiet.

By the time she goes to bed I’m quite exhausted myself, so I’ve also learned to wake up early so that I can drink my coffee alone and take a few hours or a few minutes to just be with myself. Finding the time, no matter what that looks like, has been an absolute necessity for me when it comes to keeping my sanity as a mom.

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I absolutely love having guest momma bloggers! If you are interested don’t hesitate to send me a message! And please make sure you go to Leaf and Steel and read more blog posts from my guest momma blogger O!

About The Author

I am a stay-at-home mom living with my darling baby girl, husband and cat! I love apple cider, HBO miniseries, chocolate covered pretzels and making my own baby toys. I have been writing as a hobby since I was a child and spent most of my teen years on Tumblr and Blogger. Keeping a space for my writing has always been second nature to me.

I started my blog as a side project in my early twenties to organize my thoughts and recommendations. Over time, it’s grown significantly! Leaf and Steel is a place for all things gentle parenting, DIY motherhood, and bucket lists.