I got a haircut, had a heart to heart with myself, and decided to take charge of my life.

 This summer I had a long hard talk with myself. In the past year of life with Pip I had let myself go. I know I said that I wouldn't. I know that I tried very hard to find balance, but the truth is I fell down the rabbit hole of Mommyhood. And as much as I love Pip I am not willing to make her my identity and my fulfillment.

Once I realized and was willing to admit I had let myself go I needed to make a game plan. I needed to find time for myself and the things that make me feel good.

1. Exercise. Since the last week of July I have been consistently working out 4 times a week. I have more energy and I feel better physically & mentally after a good sweat session on the treadmill.

2. Get more sleep. Piper has finally started sleeping through the night and I cannot tell you how much my life has improved. I really really need a full 7 hours of sleep to function. I finally feel rested when I wake up each morning.

3. Get a haircut. In my head I have this idea that I should have long hair with blonde highlights. In reality I don't have time to style long hair and highlights require more than a once a year color appointment. I faced reality with the help of my hair stylist and now I am back to my original hair color and have a pixie cut. I absolutely love this hair. So easy, so cute, and I feel just a little bit like Audrey Hepburn.

4. Eat better. I am slowly cutting sugar and wheat from my diet. It's so much harder and takes more willpower than I am actually ready to give, but I am working on it and hopefully I will see the benefits of being gluten free very soon.

5. Go to church. Just as I need to care for my body physically I need to feed my soul spiritually.

6. Put some "me time" on the family calendar. I am trying to schedule in 15 to 30 minutes of me time daily. Me time is defined as time to myself that does not involve working out or doing a task for someone else.

So far it's working. Because I am taking time to workout and eat right I have more energy. More energy makes me a better Mom to Pip. My haircut and my "me time" make me feel better about my appearance and give me more confidence. That makes me a better role model. And church, curch makes my marriage stronger, my faith deeper, and gives me hope that I can make it through each day.