A friend shared with me that she read an article online in which a (male) reporter had estimated that moms have 30 or more hours of free time each week. While it's possible that the reporter was acknowledging that women, and moms especially, are incredible multi-taskers, the gist I got from the tone of the article was that moms are under-committed. She and I were both laughing about that and running through scenarios of exactly how we could achieve the goal of 30 "free" hours in our weekly routines. Last year, compensation analysts from Salary.com found that a stay-at-home mom puts in a 100 hour work week, made up of six 15-hour days and one 10-hour day, and if paid an annual salary in cash, each mom would earn over $138,000 per year, plus overtime. I would estimate that moms that work out of the home are putting in 18+ hour days.

When you become a mom, your life becomes more about someone else and less about yourself.  And along the way, it is incredibly easy to lose yourself when your life becomes all about your children and your partner, or time "away" becomes going to the grocery store alone.  As moms, we need to remember to take some time and do something for ourselves - whether its as simple as sitting down and reading a magazine (uninterrupted) or going to get a haircut.  I know that I struggle with finding the balance between the needs of my family and myself.  But I know that taking care of me makes me a better wife and mother.

One way I am committing to "me" this year is make some of the "running around" I do everyday count for me. So each day, I am finding a way to leave the car, and sometimes the kids, behind for at least one drop-off/pick up or local errand or planning to meet another mom in my "off time" for a walk. Yesterday for example, we all walked to pick my daughter up from preschool. I was clever enough to leave her bike at school when I dropped her off and we walked there to pick her up and then walked back home. The kids loved it so much they asked if we could do it again today. For me being healthy, not only for my kids, but with them is a priceless gift to our whole family.

Have a great weekend!

Michele and the NorthSBCountyParent.com Team

Have you heard of Trikke?

Trikke 3-wheel cambering vehicles provide riders of all ages and skill levels to experience a new way to propel themselves on wheels, getting a full-body workout in the process. Legs are active for balancing and shock-absorption and arms punch for power-thrusts and hang on for stability and control. The Trikke 3-wheeler allows you, the rider, to feel the miracle of your own body and mind working in graceful unison. The bi-products of the ride are joy, health, fitness and a renewed appreciation for yourself and your life.

In addition to general consumer uses, the Buellton-based company is literally carving a new path for physical education programs across the country.

What do Trikke Carving Vehicles (CV) do for Physical Education?
Physical educators are finding that Trikke CVs provide fun and satisfying challenges for students of all skill levels. Students are enhancing their overall health and well-being by utilizing all the major muscle groups and
developing cardiovascular fitness in a low-impact and mentally engaging manner.

Studying Trikke CV with physical and educational results
What better way to educate our future than utilizing hands-on study? As well as being a robust, fullbody fitness machine, Trikke CV also provides a complimentary brain-teasing with the built-in riddle of "what makes it go?" While there are many different physical principles at work to create forward propulsion on Trikke CVs, the main law of physics is called the "conservation of angular momentum."

For more information about Trikke and its products, visit their website: www.trikketech.com

Trikke Tech, Inc. is located at 597 Avenue of the Flags Suite 103, Buellton, CA, 93427 or feel free to call them at: 1-877-487-4553

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Ten Great Ways to Treat Yourself: