Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, as they call it in Japan, is a famous way of spending time in nature.Research has shown that people who practice forest bathing have optimum nervous system functions, well-balanced heart conditions, and reduced bowel disorders (Mao et al., 2012).Outdoor activities reduce the chances of developing eyesight problems like hypermetropia and myopia.A survey conducted on children in Australia revealed that school-aged kids who participated in outdoor activities had better vision than kids who spent more time indoors (Rose et al., 2008a).Studies have related nature connections to lower BMI.I want to thank you for saving me from my cranky self last Friday.People who exercise outdoors are less fatigued and have fewer chances of suffering from obesity and related conditions (Wolch et al., 2011). You might not have realized it but the one word you said to me helped me get through the rest of the day. It gave me the pep in my step that I had a lost. But what you don’t know is that it only mostly sucked, it didn’t completely suck. All thanks to Russell.Ībout 6 hours after my Day 45 morning meltdown, and about 2 hours after my afternoon meltdown because #1 and #2 came home from school, looked at me, and started up AGAIN, it was time to get all the boys out the door to take #3 to speech therapy. #3 and #4 had opted to shorten their naps (wasn’t that considerate?!) so I took advantage of the beautiful weather to walk to town instead of drive. I SO desperately needed the exercise and sunshine. I prayed that together the two would snap me back into a good mood that they would snap me back to being a good, on the ball parent. So I strapped one kid on my back in my Ergo baby carrier, buckled two in the double stroller and took the other one by the hand. When struggling, get out and walk.”Īm I the only one who thinks positive things out loud and jinxes herself? UGH! And off we went for our mile walk to town. We arrived and within minutes of #3 heading off with his speech therapist, I immediately, thought “sh*t I CAN’T do this!” #4 was screaming again because he was hungry, but wouldn’t take his bottle. And #1 and #2 were whining because two of the boys in the waiting room had doughnuts and they did not. So they opted to show their dismay by climbing all over the chairs, rolling around on the floor, not listening and reminding me every 30 seconds that they did not have doughnuts. It was AWESOME, mostly because there were three other moms watching me (judging me?) as I struggled to keep my composure.Īt last #3 returns. I load everyone up and head for the door. As I maneuver myself and the stroller out, Russell, the office manager, stops me. “I just want you to know that I think you are Amazing. Well, I certainly didn’t feel “Amazing” and I don’t like to think I am. But guess what, at that point, I said thank you and believed him. Seriously.īecause how often as a mom do I feel unrecognized, unappreciated, and unsuccessful? OFTEN. How often do I feel amazing? HARDLY EVER, if ever. Part of that is the nature of being a mom. Of being caught up in the diaper changing, fight stopping, nap training, meal making, mini-van driving craziness and forgetting to stop and realize, wait, I have good kids, I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.Īnd part of it is that there is no report card in motherhood, there is nothing telling me I am doing a good job. There are just kids telling me they need milk and their bottoms wiped! And well I like report cards, always have, always will. They make me feel good about myself, my efforts. They remind me that my hard work is paying off. And if my hard work isn’t paying off, at least they say, hey, you get an A for effort. Oh how I miss report cards, oh how I miss the tangible positive reinforcement. Yes, I could easily say that my boys are my report card. I could say that their behavior 100% reflects my efforts.
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