First off, I was going to start by saying sorry I checked out this weekend, but, in reality, I am not sorry at all. You will quickly learn family is the most important thing to me. I also take mental health very seriously.

Y’all, life is hard! Sometimes the best thing you can do is take time for yourself and do what makes YOU happy.

I have been really focusing on that this year. After the mental abuse I put myself through I tried so many things to help bring me out of that nasty funk. I found that I am one of those people who bottle everything up and then all the sudden explode when something finally tips me over the edge.

 THAT IS NOT HEALTHY!

 I started talking it out, explaining how I was feeling, I wrote it down, or created a bullet journal to track my daily habits and feelings. I SET GOALS; this one is huge for anyone. Goals are what make you excited, it gives you something to look forward to. I stopped looking back and focusing on what happened to me and started looking forward. Yes, bad things happen, what did I learn and how can I make sure that doesn’t happen to me again? I now have multiple lists of goals: daily, monthly, yearly, 5-year goals, 10-year goals, the list goes on.

I checked out this weekend because, one, I am a single mom of two, I work full-time, and I have stresses. Sometimes it all adds up and puts a weight on my shoulders. I get so tired of seeing people mom guilt moms for taking some time away from friends and focusing on their family or the opposite of moms being target because they enjoy a night out once in a while. Guess what? I do both and I’m not ashamed of it because I know I am a good mom, and my kids are happy and healthy.

This past weekend I checked out with family. I put my phone down and didn’t worry about what was happening on social media or who was texting or calling or emailing. I spent the days carving pumpkins, attending a circus, visiting beloved Amish country, and just spending my time with my kids. I know the memories we made will last a lifetime and the pure joy on their faces and the hype in their giggles will forever remain in my heart.

So, here I am, just reminding you, it’s ok! Take the damn break and focus on you. You deserve it for yourself, and your kids deserve to have the best mom you can be.

I focused a lot on being a mom and having those burdens, but I know not everyone reading this is mom. If you are and you connect to this, then GREAT I am doing my job. If you’re not a mom and still can relate, then hell yeah, I am still doing my job. I don’t care what your background is. My hope for this blog is to reach people who just need a little pick me up, someone who needs to see they shouldn’t feel guilty or someone who genuinely wants to make things better, not just for yourself but for your community or society as a whole. You’re going to learn a lot about me, how I operate, my thoughts and feelings, my beliefs, my passions and all the things I love. I hope you will see how real a person can be and help me restore faith in humanity.

We are all special in our own ways, take care of yourself and love yourself, every single inch of you!