Episode Details

In this week's episode, I'm answering a question from a mom in our Thriving in Motherhood Community about possible routines (besides sitting in bed together, playing with toys, and watching movies) that you can have with severe morning sickness during pregnancy when you have other little kids at home.

I've had four really challenging pregnancies, the last three with kids at home, and in this episode, I'll share what worked for us during those hard months and principles you can apply to make the best of an honestly challenging situation and feel some joy along the way too.

Routines for Mom:

1. Monthly reviews in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner: These monthly reviews are ESSENTIAL. It helps you reality-check what is actually happening. I told myself, "All I do is lie on the couch, grow a baby, and hang out with the kids." Not a helpful story. Once I started writing down what I learned and discovered, accomplished, places we went, significant things for our family, and books I read or listened to, I had a more accurate picture of my life, and it was much better than I thought.

2. Ask the questions in the Thriving in Motherhood Journal: These questions are so important for changing the focus of your days and what you think about them. Here are four to get you started:

   1. What am I grateful for?

   2. How have I seen the hand of God in my life today?

   3. What were my big wins today?

   4. What were my magic moments today?

3. Have something you are excited about: It can be as simple as a story you like reading to your kids (I recommend Winnie the Pooh), a date with your husband, or getting together with friends.

4. Have a simple, creative project that you can see progress on: I crochet a blanket for each of my kids - single crochet 10 up, 3 in the hole, 10 down, skip two, 10 up, etc.- in the evening. It keeps my mind focused on not thinking about how I don't want to face the next day or even a rough night. And I get to make progress on something for the baby that connects me to why I'm sick and feel a little bit of excitement and love in this season of sacrifice.

5. Use this slower season to be intentional with your input and get clear on your vision: I've never totally stopped making progress on the things that matter to me because I always knew my next little baby step and could keep moving forward. Making progress - even sllooowww progress - does wonders for the soul.

6. Look and pray for ways to serve others: It might seem impossible when you are struggling yourself, but even a phone call can make someone's day, and it will lift your spirits too.

Routines for your Family:

1. Listen to audiobooks/musical stories: We invested $5 in a CD player from Goodwill during my pregnancy with some audiobooks or musical stories for the kids to listen to. Each day, when I needed some space, they would set it up across the room with some play dough or coloring and listen. This gave me a bit of a