prog-res, -ruhs

Progress:
n.
1.Movement, as toward a goal; advance.
2.Development or growth.
3.Steady improvement, as of a society or civilization
intr.v.
1.To advance; proceed
2.To advance toward a higher or better stage; improve steadily.


Humans like to be able to measure or see progress we have made. If we can measure it and feel like we are making progress in any area of our lives we feel good about ourselves.

As a stay-at-home mom it is rather difficult to measure progress. Our progress is made over hours, days, weeks, months, and years. It's the weeks/months/years progress that is most difficult to measure. And because our progress is difficult to measure it is easy to feel like we aren't doing anything with our lives. And when we feel like we aren't doing anything with our lives we tend to not feel good about ourselves.
I agree with Amy Iverson on "The Browser" (KSL radio) when she said,"If only moms had an applause button we could push every time we did a load of laundry." I would submit that we need one for every time we change a diaper, make a bottle, clean a bathroom, make dinner, get up for a screaming baby, vacuum the house, clean up throw-up, patiently deal with a toddler throwing a tantrum, and the list could go on and on. But we don't have an applause button. We have children that need us even when we just want to stay in bed.
What does this have to do with anything? Well, I've been feeling like something is wrong with me lately. The other day I figured out why I've been more emotional than normal (what I would give to read Trevor's thoughts as he reads that line): I don't feel like I'm making progress. Yes, my baby can eat all sorts of solid foods like a champ, sit up all by herself, grab toys out of a basket, hold her own bottle, and wave hello...but that's not my progress. That's me helping her progress, which is pretty awesome when you think about it like that.
But that doesn't change the fact that I need to feel like I am making progress. It's not that I don't get any "me" time it's that I need to do more with the time I have. I need to be able to look back at the week and say, "I went to the gym five times," or "I finished that awesome painting hanging in our living room." If I can check it off a list or see the progress I've made it will, most likely, make me feel good about myself.

I did some thinking and I decided that taking better care of my body is one way to make me feel better about myself. I don't eat junk food all the time and the baby weight has been off for months now. The problem is that I'm not exercising when I know I should be. Just because I'm skinny doesn't mean I don't need exercise. I know the health benefits from regular exercise and I think that when I don't get out and go for a run or whatnot it eventually weighs on my conscience. I'm not saying I need to loose weight or have ripped abs; I'm saying I need to be more active. I think that if I am more active I will feel better about myself. And if I feel better about myself I will have more energy and will be able to get more accomplished, which will make me feel even better about myself. It's a happy circle if you can jump in it and stay on it.

To all young moms reading this,
If you feel like I do, find the thing that in doing will make you feel better about yourself. Whether it be exercising, sewing, painting, cooking, singing, scrap booking, hiking, or playing the drums. If you can do it and look back at your week and say "I (fill in the blank here) three times this week" (or however many times it may be) you will feel like you're making progress. And if you're making progress you will feel good about yourself. And if you feel good about yourself you can love your husband and children more deeply.

It's not just about having more "me" time it's about making good use of that time.