Hello everyone! One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “How do you do it? You are the mother of four active children, the co-owner of a thriving personal training business, a top level fitness competitor and heavily involved in school activities.” Well, I am starting a blog on our website (jenerationfit.com) to show you how it all gets done. Every few weeks, I will fill you in on my latest adventure, and open a window into my world to see how I make it all work while keeping my sense of humor!
If I were to title my life story in one word, it would be BALANCE. What does that mean? I carve up my time so that I include everything that is important to me and my family. I make sure that it all happens, because EVERYTHING has equal importance. Yes folks, that includes ME. For example, my workouts are scheduled for 5am most mornings so this way, I am home before the kids get up and ready to juggle the day ahead. Daytime is for my clients when you can find me creating workouts, training clients, answering questions and usually throwing in some errands in between. After 3:00 then it’s time for the kids. I run them around to all of their practices and various activities; I sit down with them to help with homework and honestly, just spending time with them sometimes doing nothing! With four children, they all need a little one on one time. Then there is my husband, Tom. We always spend quiet time catching up in the evenings. I have mastered the art of multi-tasking, and have been known to cook my meals for the next day while making dinner or sometimes you can find me folding laundry while listening to one of the kids read. What I do NOT do, is let any one aspect of my life take over. Allowing one of these facets to overwhelm would throw everything out of balance. Now, this is not to say that I’m not flexible – you have to be in my world. But, if we spend an entire weekend at ballet recitals, the kids know that mommy will take the evening to catch up on whatever it may be even if it means some mommy quiet time.
When my world goes out of balance, everyone suffers. It’s not a happy place to be. We all know that something is wrong. Mommy is cranky because she isn’t getting her workouts in or I am up extremely late working on the business. It just takes a little planning and thought to strike a new balance how to get everything done. The key is to remember that you are just as important as every member of your family. The kids come first sometimes, so does your husband, but there are times of the day that YOU come first. That means giving the things you need a voice and scheduling them into the week. The old saying holds true……
“If Mama isn’t happy, no one is happy!”