Who the He#* are You?

That was the question I asked myself yesterday when I looked in the mirror for waaaay too long. Seriously, who the hell was that tired, ratty, and stressed-out mommy glaring back at me? My eyes aren’t that red and puffy, right? I was wearing a ponytail, but it was a chic one, right? My sweatpants are stylish, right? Agggh! I just wanted to slap the woman in the mirror! How dare SHE show up?!! Didn’t she remember the pact we made with our ovaries when we decided to have babies? It was simple enough, “you give me kids, and I won’t turn into one of THOSE mommies that walks aimlessly around Target without mascara and in yoga pants”. In all fairness, my ovaries gave me some trouble on the kid front, so I don’t feel so bad about breaking our “little agreement”.

While staring at my reflection, I screamed out the words, “damn it”! This mirror wasn’t lying. I was tired, and I was pissed about it. This is the part where I gush about being a mommy. Yes, I love my job as a mother, but I do not love being a beaten-up, acid reflux stained, exhausted, sweatpants wearing mom.

After slathering on 72 ounces of heavy face cream (yeah, like that will work) and slapping on some nail polish, I sat down to do some serious thinking. How did I let myself get so exhausted that it started to take a physical toll on my appearance?

Easily. I have three kids under the age of five and have very little time to take care of myself. Or, do I? Can I manage my time better? Yes! I can log off Facebook, strap on my Nikes and go for a walk. I can drink more water and less coffee (or, dare I say, wine). I can go to sleep earlier. I can eat sitting down and recognize the sink is not a plate. I can treat myself like a woman, not just like a mom.

Listen, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m fully aware I won’t start doing yoga for hours at a time and I don’t plan on taking up meditation (nearly impossible with twins screaming in the background). But, I can do better. I can focus on the little things that make big differences such as more sleep, more water, a cleaner diet, and regular exercise. I can take time to throw on mascara and slip into pants that actually have a zipper. I can wake up ten minutes early, toss on a cute top, and pop in some hoops. Feeling put together and rested can make a huge difference in your day. I need to remember that when I try to take on one more task, one more item, one more job.

I’m way too young to feel this old. So, I’m making some small, but necessary changes that will guarantee the next time I glance in the mirror, I see a smiling and more content reflection staring back at me.