​Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for a couple of reasons. One, the kids are back in school and it’s easier to keep a routine. Two, I love wearing warm sweaters and cozy socks. Three, the changing leaves in Wisconsin create one of the most picturesque backgrounds for me to be active and move with my family.

There are many studies that show outdoor movement and soaking in Vitamin D can be beneficial to lowering our stress, improving our sleep and immunity, boosting our self-esteem and creativity, and helping us focus. As with a lot of things in our lives, we need to be intentional with making movement a priority and setting an example for our kids. Family movement doesn’t have to be hardcore or complicated. Here are a few ideas to try to incorporate into your family’s routine.

The fall brings some fun and also busy days and weeks for families. What are your kids involved in; soccer, football, dance, gymnastics, youth group, band practices, swim team, volleyball or something else? Each activity has great opportunities for our kids, but they also come with a cost on the family's time and energy. If you are a parent who's running kids to activities, making meals, scheduling appointments and keeping up with all the school stuff like permission slips, lunch money, conferences etc, then YOU have a lot on your plate. You are taking care of your family and lots of details to keep things running smooth, so let's talk about WHO's taking care of you.
Hopefully you have great support in your life. People who take the time to take care of you and "fill your cup." But a lot of parents are feeling like they don't have a great support system. And whether or not you have excellent support, self-care is incredibly important for parents who want to be at their best for themselves and their families.
Support and self-care are two of the 10 steps to navigate parenting challenges that I write about in my book Parenting Marathon. There is a lot of practical thoughts and easy next steps for you in the book but I'll leave you with one first step here.
Start with small chunks of time. Waiting for self-care until you can carve out a day or weekend away isn't enough. Today set aside 10 minutes for yourself to do something that is relaxing, brings you joy or fills your cup. Caution: Don't use this 10 minutes to clear out your email, answer text messages or schedule that dentist appointment. This 10 minutes is a self-care pause. Need ideas on what you would enjoy doing in those 10 minutes? I have a whole list in the free resources page shared in the book. Maybe it's listening to music, enjoying the quiet, prayer or meditation, watching the birds, drawing... you get to decide. Set a timer maybe and protect that little chunk of time.

Maybe you have a child who has frequent meltdowns and you feel like you're always walking on egg shells, knowing the next explosion will happen eventually.  
Or your child is arguing with you all the time, trying to control everything and everyone in the home, destroying property, displaying sneaky or dishonest behavior, yelling, name calling, disregarding the rules, being disrespectful.... the list can go on and on but the bottom line is...

YOU ARE EXHAUSTED
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE AT THE END OF THE ROPE

Maybe you feel like I did in my toughest seasons... ALONE, ISOLATED
The struggles in my home were affecting all areas of my life including: my health, my marriage, my relationship with each of my kids and my ability to connect with friends 

You are not alone.

If you're at the end of your rope here are some things to consider to get you started:
1. Talk to someone you know and trust and share what's going on.  That person doesn't need to "fix" the problem, just be a listening ear.  Maybe it's your spouse, or a friend, or a therapist.  Find someone you can be honest with.

2.  Journal.  Of course journalling doesn't solve all your problems, but there are so many benefits.  

3. Send me a message.  I would love to set up a time to talk with you, problem solve together, and see if partnering with a parent coach would help you walk through this season with an ally at your side, helping you and your family move from SURVIVE to THRIVE.  
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