Happy Healthy Caregiver

Creating ME Time

Seven ways to pay your health first and still be a super caregiver

Finding the time to take care of your own health with all the competing priorities of work, children, and an aging parent is near impossible.  There is no lost time to be found in a ‘sandwiched’ life.  I’ve experienced first-hand what happens to a mother’s life (and father’s too!) when you put yourself last on the priority list.  My parent’s believed they gave us everything growing up – all our needs were met and many of our wants.  But because they did not prioritize their own health on their daily to-do lists, their health paid the ultimate price.  Starting in their 60’s the lack of attention they gave themselves caught up to them in countless hospital visits, numerous prescription drugs, and a compromised lifestyle that caused them to be dependent on others to help care for everyday activities like cooking, showering, and running errands.  I believe that my dad would still be with us and he and my mom would be enjoying their golden years and retirement savings by traveling and having the energy to maximize each day.  Witnessing these choices, led me to wanting a different lifestyle for myself and others.

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The ONE resource you need to initiate the power of prayer

2014 will always be remembered for me as a rough year.  Both of my parents have been chronically ill for at least the past decade and there have been many ups and downs but in 2014 their lives started to spiral.  In the spring of 2014, my mom has hospitalized with pneumonia and incubated due to breathing complications with her COPD and thankfully surprised us all when she bounced back.  We truly thought we were going to lose her.  It took weeks in a hospital and a rehab facility and lots of support and prayer.  During these difficult months, my family was introduced to an amazing site called caringbridge.org

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The unexpected payback from expensive travel sports

I love the story Trace Adkin’s song ‘Just Fishin’ tells the listener.  It’s about a dad spending quality time with his daughter.  She’s excited to go fishing but he is older and wiser and knows this experience is so much more than fishing.

Both of my teenagers are in travel sports.  My 13 year old son plays travel baseball and my daughter plays for a sand volleyball club.  With my husband and I both working full time and the extra family responsibilities I have with my mom, life is B U S Y. 

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Quench your thirst to learn and grow

Are you running on empty?  We’ve all seen examples of busy moms who lose their personal identity sacrificing it all to care for the needs and wants of their families, job, or community. Sometimes we tragically see these moms in the news after they have snapped and  gone off the deep end.  Most of these women probably meant well initially and maybe didn’t realize they were losing themselves along life’s journey.

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Get nuts about your nutrition

Plan and prep tips for healthier eating

So of all of the posts I have written in the Road to Savvy series so far…this category, nutrition, is my struggle.  I really have to work at being consistent with my systems and routines.  I seriously LOVE the way my weeks flow when I have a healthy eating plan. However, it just takes a hiccup like leaving town or having a long tournament weekend to get thrown off.  But that lovely feeling of control over my nutrition keeps me keeping on.

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Commit to be fit

The Road to Savvy #3:  Tips and systems to help you squeeze physical activity in your busy day

In the Road to Savvy #1 you setup or updated your family calendar and hopefully scheduled in your recurring appointments for your fitness.  In Road to Savvy #2, you learned how to be a goal digger and defined some specific personal health goals.

Lace up those sneakers!  Now it’s time to take action!

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Turns out there just might be enough hours in the day

Four Tried and True Time Management Techniques

I have a type A personality and have finally accepted that I can’t change my type.  I love to organize just about anything and I’m constantly looking for ways to improve a process.  In fact, many of these skills comprise what I do for a living as an IT Product Manager.  I get excited in the Container Store and I love to help my friends and family purge a purse and organize a closet.  Remember the show, Clean Sweep?  Loved it!  Years ago I took a Franklin Covey time management class and it was right up my alley.  If organization was a language, I’d consider myself fluent.

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What’s better than foreplay? Choreplay!

Staying sane in this busy life and working to enjoy the journey is something I couldn’t do without the help of my husband, Jason.  Like many of you, we often divide and conquer with the kid’s activities, homework, appointments, household responsibilities, etc.  Some weeks I’m crazed and he picks up the slack and vice versa.  We strive for a family rhythm but stuff happens from week to week and we have to adjust

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