Tag: parenting tips

Mom working with her baby in lap

7 Ways I Crush The Family & Work Balance

Published on by Johnnatta Giles2 Comments

My life is pretty busy these days and I have to be honest, I am working everyday to be better at balancing my family and work life. I am not always successful but there are weeks I have to give myself credit because I absolutely crush it! And I want to share with you 7 things that I have done to gain great accomplishments on those days

 1. Preparing the night/ day before

This is probably my most simple step that I make that really puts me in line for success the next day. I’ve been having a lot of meetings and events to travel to lately, so I prepare at the least a day ahead or at the most two days ahead. For longer trips and full weeks I prepare a whole week ahead! Here’s my examples:

— Make sure the diaper bag has been cleaned out and restocked.

— Clean the car and put full water bottles and snacks in everyone’s backpack for car rides.  For snacks I keep it simple and put a hand full or two of animal crackers in our reusable sandwich bags. 

— Plan outfits and locate everyone’s shoes including mine!

Make sure all paperwork and my wallet is where it’s supposed to be.

 2. Easy Hair Care

My hair can get completely out of control if I don’t keep on top of things. So the last thing I want to worry about is styling it everyday. My last pregnancy I actually decided to try washing my hair every two weeks and to my surprise I actually have less breakage and dryness. If I really need a quick clean, I refresh my hair by using dry shampoo and I keep it lightly oiled every two weeks. I twist my hair every night before bed and sometimes I leave those twists in and just style my hair with them still in. Hair clips, head bands and hair jewelry are fun ways to style your hair quickly.

 3. Planning less school work

We homeschool all of our 5 kids (yes including the baby 👀😂). When I know things are about to get intense with our schedule, I make a plan to either focus on math and reading or we do much more relaxed homeschooling days. Either way our children are learning and this was actually something I had to warm up to. I had the biggest fear that I was letting my children down but every year I saw that those moments never hurt the outcome of their education. They were still learning and succeeding in every area of their studies.

If you have kids that attend public school, make it a point to get any homework done quickly well before the time they need to turn it back in so you’re all set for the rest of the week.

 4. Self Care is Self Love

In order for me to be my best for my family and have the energy to put into my businesses, I have to take time to take care of myself and reset even among a busy week or day. One of my favorite ways to do that right now is curl up on the couch after a long day and eat a bowl of chips! I have no idea why I’m so in love with chips these days but they are my jam and make me happy! If there are no chips to be found I love soaking in a hot bath filled with oils. Not only is this relaxing but I love the way it makes me. Beautiful, lovely and powerful.

 5. Staying Connected

This year we made a pact to learn baseball. So every week we get our gloves and gear then head out to the yard and practice. Even when we went to Nashville for a business trip, while I was gone their dad practiced baseball with them. We just brought the gloves along with us. As parents it was on our hearts to teach the kids to swim so we made sure this year our vacations were created around the ability to have access to a pool or a lake. No matter what I make sure I am connecting with my family even when I’m working.

 6. Staying on top of the boring tasks

I don’t have an assistant so I am a one woman show on most things. I’m thankful that God gave me a love for order. Because often small things mounting gives me great anxiety and therefore I try to do small things to keep them from ever reaching the point of chaos. I make a list so I can go over the small things to at least do something to achieve that. For example this would be my list:

— Clean out Inbox

— Make necessary folders for emails

— Review product info and prices

— Organize my desk (this is the hardest by far for me!)

— Clean out old videos and unused product photos

All of things are not necessarily fun but I know I’m crushing it when I can comb through things and keep the boring stuff from over flowing. If I don’t get too much done in that week I am glad I at least got a few small things dealt with. There’s nothing worse than having a full mailbox to deal. Nothing worse than having to deal with low storage or tons of pictures taking up space on your computer slowing it down when your trying to get something important done.

 7. Keep Faith the center of it all

My family and I are serious about our relationship with the Lord. Every Sunday we take time to read the Bible, pray and discuss our thoughts on everything under the sun through a faith perspective. Keeping God the center of our lives keeps peace, joy and healing in our home. Without Him I would never have the wisdom to stand in all that I am trekking in during this season of my life. Without Him I would climb mountains and jump for the stars leaving my family behind as I pursue accomplishments without eternal success. God is always there when I feel like I’m falling too soon and too often. He’s always there to help me breathe and wait patiently for the things that are out of my hands and He keeps my eyes focused on what matters the most no matter how my week has gone. I know because of whose I am, I am loved seen heard and known.


Don’t ever forget to pat yourself on the back when you do have days where you have truly won a battle in life. And if you feel like you’ve been loosing too much lately, take my advice and try some of the things above to score some wins. But always remember that not everyday is meant to be the same as another. Even in the days you feel lack there may be a reason for that. Maybe it’s calling you to just rest so you have the strength on the days ahead that you’ll need that power to overcome and conquer!

It’s time for School, are you Anxious?

Published on by Johnnatta Giles2 Comments

boy in brown hoodie carrying red backpack while walking on dirt road near tall trees
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Can you believe it? It’s almost time for those kids to go back to school. I bet you can’t wait or if your little one is a new school yard chum you are freaking out, having anxiety and asking every one on Facebook to pray for them… and also YOU. Okay maybe that last part was more from my experience. I know that school time can bring on a mixture of emotions. As I grew up I always imagined waking up before my kids, fully dressed, with hot breakfast on the table and lunch boxes ready to go. But that just didn’t happen at all.

Actually the year my eldest entered kindergarten was the hardest year of my parenting life so far. And there are so many reasons why that was. But it was not what I dreamed of.  I got to wake up twice that entire year.  In my robe mind you on shuffling my feet across my kitchen floor. I could barely keep my eyes open because 3 hours ago I was just breastfeeding her baby brother. So I had to stay in bed as her dad got her ready and walked her to the bus.

But every morning the sound of the bus would awaken me and sometimes I would cry. My heart was aching knowing my daughter was an hour away from me and on a school bus (which I detested from childhood experiences).  So I decided every time the bus came i would pray. Pray for her protection and trust that the Lord was with her. Because for the first time in my life I was not standing beside her and protecting her.

School time can bring on so much joy for some parents but anxiety for others. Especially in light of all the school shootings and the moral decline in our school systems and class rooms. I just want to give you some advice on some things to try that may make it easier for those who are anxious.

Pray

Of course this has to be the first advice I give you. It is the most important thing. When you are over whelmed from anxiety or fear  it’s hard to get a grip on things. He is the anchor for your very soul. He promises to be your strength when you are weak and He will help you to become still in order for peace to enter in your heart. Trust in the Lord to lead you to peace.

Look Forward

It really helped me when I thought about all the things that she may tell me when she got home. I kept an eye on the clock reminding myself that in a few hours she will be home.  Fill up your time with productivity but never forget to rest. Do something for yourself. No matter how small it is.  It will help take your mind off those worries.

Focus on the Good

Be honest with the Lord or friends about how you feel. But don’t focus on any negative thoughts. They will only lead you right back to the place of needing to be rescued from anxiety again. The only way to keep your peace is to do as Philippians 4:8 says.

Weekends are for fun

Don’t let the worries of this world steal your joy and rob you of intimacy with your children. I planned my weekends to focus on spending quality time with my daughter. Our week days were filled with studying, home work, house chores, dinner. It didn’t leave much room for quality time with her so I always planned something for the weekends. Take the Saturday and go for a walk. Teach your kids to breathe as you breathe. They may be feeling the same anxiety you are too about heading back.

I know this world is getting darker but remember Who Holds The Light. That light even among darkness is for you. And He even creates light out of darkness. Pray for the ones who are without love and who are victims of the evil in this world. Pray over the school year and our educators at the schools and in the homes of homeschoolers as well. I am praying that this year would be different and that there will be great change. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

From one Parent to another

God bless this school year and may He protect and watch over our children!

 

Legacy of Love

Published on by Johnnatta Giles7 Comments

Being a mom of 4 is quite the challenge. And even though I have gotten a lot stronger since my c-section I have come to realize that sometimes there is just not enough time in the day. I have gotten to the point where I am needing more breaks to rest than I ever had before. I feel bad about that sometimes because I want to give out more so my kids will remember how much I loved them. But I get so darn tired and just need moments of rest.

One of the things I love to do is watch a movie or a documentary while they nap or dad takes them outside to play. One documentary in particular has recently sent me on a thought journey and taught me an important lesson. Being intentional and devoted is the first things that help create a legacy of love for our children and that is what matters the most.

August 1997 was the year that I was 8 turning 9. It was also the month and year that Diana, Princess of Wales died. I was watching  Dianna: In her Own Words on Netflix and revelation sprang forth in my heart. She was the first person I ever looked up to. I barely remember much about the first time I had heard her name. But I knew she was someone very much loved and the beauty of her heart drew me in.

I was so young then on the day of her funeral. My heart was breaking knowing that this person no longer graced this Earth. And I cried. I remember being shocked of how many people were there at her funeral as well every other memorial services around the world.  I had no idea I was not the only who took notice of her. But what amazed me the most were the words being spoken about this woman. This mother.

princessdi2

When I heard of all that she did for the sick and the left behind I thought in my mind “I want a heart like that. I want to do that one day.” I could have never imagined that my heart would grow to have a hunger to be a humanitarian as well. There is a natural born hatred in me for injustice and suffering. And one day very soon I will be traveling to the least of these just to sow the love of Christ.

As I grew up I came across more information about Diana. The more I found out the more I fell in love wit her. This woman was long gone but she left such a legacy of love that it was still being felt by the living. The one thing that I came across that stood out to me more than anything about Diana was her absolute love and devotion for her children. Each photo and video I saw of her and the two boys,  I remember thinking “I want to be a mother like that!”

I see now well before my children had even entered this world God was already sowing in my heart His will for me as a mother through Diana. I had no other influence. The main women in my life abused me. Hatred and lies were being sown in me daily but the Lord always brought me across women that would sow truth in me and combat it all. All these years it was meant for the now., the today as a mother of four beautiful children.

Some may think that is idolatry. Call it what you want, all I know is God will use the people around you as a child to help you to grow in the way you should go. God always knows what He is doing. And though I had no mother to teach me I had Diana.

In this season of motherhood today I am learning that being an intentional devoted mother is the first step. Devoted to raising well fed healthy kids. Devoted to praying with them and reading them the Word. Intentional in teaching them and disciplining them according to God. Intentionally creating an atmosphere of peace and rest. Some days it’s all that I can do that day and that is enough.

Let me share with you this intentional piece of a letter I just wrote in my motherhood diary. That day was  I was so tired and all I could do is take care of their basic needs and write them a little letter:

“I want to always make sure no matter what, I am doing my part as your mother. It can be hard when I am hurting. But you guys as well as the Lord, get me out of bed every morning and keep me moving forward. You are truly a gift to me. Each one of you created something beautiful in my character.”

There are so many things I have done that I know is creating a legacy of love for my children. I want them to always know that they have been a huge part of who I have become as a mother and women. That Life without them is unimaginable. So I have to remind myself daily. Be intentional and stay devoted. If  today that’s all I’ve got that is everything they need.

God bless you!