Mantras for: Fulfilling your purpose in this world. A little heart felt honesty about: motherhood, mom life with babies + toddlers, and personal growth, in the new year of 2024.

This one is for you, Mom...

take a moment for yourself,

make a lifestyle change to better yourself and rejuvenate yourself,

take a break and check your priorities.

Stop doing what everyone wants you to do and stop doing what others think you should do. It doesn't matter what the world thinks or is doing. Follow what your heart is telling you and listen to your soul (escape the mental chaos and listen to your own thoughts).

This post is going to overshare the truths about how moms actually feel during motherhood, maternity leave and returning to work/ or deciding to stay home... also... some inspirational Mantras to keep fueling your spirit and warm your heart (we all need a little fluff here and there). Put on your comfy socks, warm up by the fire, pour yourself a tea, listen to something that soothes your soul and stay a while.

Lately I’ve had this longing in my heart and soul. Sometimes we need to slow down and listen to ourselves. Take a minute and actually meditate on what you really want in life and what makes you happy. What brings you joy and what doesn't?

I've heard the saying: "the grass is greener where you water it"... the grass is not always greener on the other side. Water your grass Mama or in this case be easier on yourself, your thoughts and your expectations of what you want your life to be like.

As a mother I am currently going through the baby phase to now toddler phase and I cant help but feel this constant longing for the early baby phases back. Do you ever feel that way?

Do you ever feel nostalgic about those early moments?

Like the memories you feel when you listen to songs you loved when you were little... or songs you danced around holding and rocking your newborn baby too.

Reminiscing about motherhood....

Remember the days when you used to take your baby for long stroller walks and your baby would gaze up at you with those beautiful, perfect to you, innocent and open pondering eyes. Do you also yearn for those early moments of watching your baby peacefully sleep;

the calm, the quiet and the comforted feeling of success when you feel like you did something right to achieve that moment of contentment. (You did it Mama.)

As the days would pass and the moments would speed up…time marches on...

those special memories and the bond between Mama and Baby are reminiscent memories of glimpses to not only cherish but circle back to. When your baby opens their eyes and they gaze up at you (their mama and lifeline) and then slowly drift their eyes to see their surroundings; trees, the birds chirping and ducks along the nearby pond or birds along the ocean, along with other nature landscapes/landmarks for them to inquisitively glance at or perhaps busy city life. As a mother I would often feel soothed and consumed by that same feeling of being fulfilled in that present moment of time. I felt connected to their innocence and more connected to the universe in these moments.

In motherhood… especially in the early baby phases….

I felt like I had a purpose, a meaning and my existing was validated by their immediate need for me at any and every waking or sleeping moment. Do you feel that way too or did you? Do you understand your purpose in life?

I remember thinking to myself that as fulfilling as motherhood is, I also felt lost at times, lonely and isolated from the rest of the “busyness” of the world. I would feel immense guilt about not having a specific career or feel like I was losing out on time to grow in my career and by taking time off from the usual/normalcy of an office job, I would forever be lost as to what my actual purpose was. I would feel a constant longing to feel more. To feel a deeper, higher version of fulfillment.

Now looking back, I wish I hadn't rushed through those moments and wasn't so quick to question the mundane. The time ticks on and then its over. Live in it and soak it all in, now.

The mix of emotions of motherhood and the constant need to be validated as a mother had me feel like I was counting down the days until my maternity leave was over… rushing ahead to some other sort of fulfillment or meaning in life, but careful not to move to fast as if to clumsily fall or trip over my own feet and crash down flat on my face. Embarrassed. Shamed. Empty.

I felt like this supposed break in time, this break in my life, the break of being home with my baby would eventually come to an end and reality would sink my lifeboat before I could climb aboard onto the next adventure.

After returning to the hustle and bustle of what we call life; the balancing act of having some sort of work life balance amongst the chaos. Now I long for those early baby days back. I long for the bumpy rides, the calm voyages, and the chaotic moments of the early baby phases.

In motherhood I feel like during the thick of it you are so consumed by the diaper changes, sleep deprivation, understanding your parenting role and you are so quick to judge or critique or feel a struggle against your spouse’s role and responsibilities… you forget to be content in those moments. You are consumed even more so by the baby things, the baby items, the baby gadgets and the mom discussions about other baby milestones etc.… that the days blur together, or seem to drag on… you find yourself longing to find yourself again… but then all of a sudden the moments have passed and you wake up one day to find your baby is no longer a small little baby anymore.

When the time comes that your baby no longer is content in the stroller, wants to walk (toddle) and has different temperaments and demands than those earlier baby days… you can’t help but reminisce and long for those early baby moments back, right?

As I transitioned back to entering the work force again my heart has been overwhelmingly heavy. I long for this baby phase to reset, to rewind, to slow down and to feel my baby sleeping (even drooling or crying tears of wanted human connection to their lifeline) on me to feel that closeness again … I long for that warmth on my chest… I long for more special lullaby moments… I even find myself longing for those moments of milk stains on my shirt, my biggest issue of the day being that I hadn’t showered and complaints about being so tired, or the teething days aren’t as daunting as they once were…. I miss them. Do you feel this way too?

Amongst the challenges and the struggles of being a mother, I venture to say that those equally beautiful and trying memories are what make motherhood intrinsically so stunning and cause such heartache when returning to a position that is both different and away from your baby/child. Whether you are returning to a career you are entrenched in with long hours, embarking on a new adventure, volunteering to help your community, or simply incorporating other time away from your baby/toddler, the transition needs to be from a place of comfort from you, first. Get excited for your little to have new adventures and meet new friends/playmates.

How does one prepare to breed contentment with saying goodbye to the baby phase and or returning to work?

Sometimes we need to find something that truly brings us joy and happiness.

We need to feel excitement about doing this so-called task… the excitement needs to fulfill us enough so that we can THRIVE (or else we will feel a sense of suffering) through the missing out on those milestone moments with our littles. The crying and separation anxiety of dropping off your child to go and hustle and bustle needs to feel worth it or the transition needs to be a little smoother on both ends. If it doesn’t…. how is a mother motivated to do those things?

I’m here to tell you that you aren't alone in feeling this way!

Here are some Mama Mantras to help you keep your spirit alive and fuel you for a new year of love and fulfillment. Also, this should help you to embrace change or upcoming changes/transitions in your motherhood journey. Followed by a few words that may encourage, inspire, and or motivate you to follow your passions this year.

Sharing truths from one mother to another about:

motherhood and how to see it and appreciate it as the true gift it is.

Mantras for moms. Mantras for moms to be. Mantras for working moms. Mantras for a simple and minimalistic life with your children.

Why cant we just slow down and remind ourselves about the little joys in life?

MANTRAS for MOMS:

I am grateful for my journey and its lessons!

Even in uncertain times I can handle it.

I am blessed. I am loved.

My body is healthy, my spirit is at peace and my mind is calm.

You can feel happiness in knowing that you do not need to find meaning out of every little thing you do.

The mundane has more meaningfulness than you can comprehend.

I can find joy in simple things. I live in the present, never dwelling on the past, and take action to ensure a wonderful future.

See children as the blessing. Slow down. Listen to your heart and follow your intuition as a mother, instead of cultural norms.

A few New Year Goals as a Mom of 3:

Stop searching and start living in the present with contentment, gratitude and love. I started my journey by deleting/de-activating all my social media platforms (except one which I primarily use to share my content and to read other blogs, stories and see photos of inspiring content) for a short period (I lasted about three weeks and I needed this mental clarity). Why did I do this when I had a huge following, was verified and felt that I could reach more struggling moms out there? I did it because the platform was not a positive experience for me during the specific transition I was going through. Personally, I found myself scrolling for hours only to feel drained, tired and like I was constantly comparing myself to others (resulting in discontentment, sadness and boredom with my every day.). I also found I would too often be on my phone, scrolling and watching other people live, as opposed to actually playing with my kids. So this year I'm learning to put the phone away, sit down and actually study their little faces, make them laugh and enjoy it more intently.

Cook up real food in the kitchen. Teach and show my children how to do the same.

Embrace: Motherhood and all of it's beauty and do not listen to the remarks of what other people think. Be the best version of a mom, wife, partner and friend that you can be. You only have one life to live, if you only had today and not tomorrow, what would you do differently?

Embracing present over perfect. Instead of always thinking some other toy, book, house, vehicle or item would make me happy, I'm focusing on enjoying what I have now and learning to be content with the now. I am all for goal setting and striving for success but you must first learn that the now is more important in happiness.

Move outside of your little bubble, move outside of your everyday and be excited about it!

Let’s get back to a simpler way of living and loving motherhood.

A few 2024 things to never feel guilty for:

Never feel guilty for:

1.       Taking care of yourself and prioritizing you and your family first.

2.       Saying no to something that feels draining.

3.       Not enrolling your kids in every activity their peers are involved in.

4.       Raising your children differently from the rest of the world.

5.       Loving slow days spent at home.

Spending time with our children is one of the most important things we will ever do. Sure, it requires sacrifice and will often inconvenience us.

Absolutely there will be times when we’d rather not read the book or play the game or listen to their story or gather at the table or pray with them or plan the adventures or put down our phone and simply be present...

this is because these things ask us to:

lay down our own desires.

They call us to something higher, beyond ourselves.

And that is hard and holy work.

But it’s exactly the work we’ve been called to do during this season. Because we know that raising up children isn’t only about meeting their basic, physical needs. Just as important to their upbringing is the time we spend investing in their hearts, tending to their emotional well-being, and connecting with them. These are the things that help shape and mold them into who they were created to be. So even when it’s not easy and requires us to give up something...

Let’s remember that:

Motherhood is beautiful, motherhood is exhausting, motherhood is being a mother when you have it in you or you don't. But know this, you are so much more than just a mom and you can pursue whichever dream or career you aspire to!

Thank you for reading: Thrive Mama Thrive Blog, much more to come and Happy 2024!

-MS