I have been having discussions this month about “Word of the Year”. Have you had this discussion with others, or have you chosen your word for the year? I was listening to other people share their word and I heard one that I knew that I wanted: Balance.

I need balance when it comes to being a work at home mom. I need to better prioritize my time but I also need to take me-time. Blogging is my job now, my kids are an important blessing, my husband is my best friend and I love spending free-time with him – but in the midst of all these very important things I need to remember self-care.

My self-care plan for the year needs to be balanced and include me-time.

Do you have a self-care plan?

Do you take your me-time before the kids get up? My son has been waking up before 6 am every day for the last week. EVERY DAY. So me-time does not happen here in the morning.

Maybe your me-time happens at nap time. I know that I frequently take advantage of nap time. I’ll be sad when nap time ends. My youngest is 3 so the end is in sight.

Now that both of my kids are in school – I do try to utitlize a bit of spare time in the later morning for me-time. I also realize that I need to get as much work done as I can those 3.5 hours that my son is in preschool. Food usually doesn’t happen during this time. {This is why I really need to practice BALANCE.}

Usually, my me-time occurs after the kids go to bed. Those are my Fringe Hours – according to Jessica Turner. Since my kids are in bed by 7:30 pm each night, and often my husband as well, I can really take advantage of much needed me-time. A realistic, intentional self-care plan is essential for personal mental, emotional and spiritual health – especially for busy moms.

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By the end of the night, if you are like me, you haven’t had much me-time. In Jessica Turner’s very appreciated book (at least by me), The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You, she empowers women to take back pockets of time they already have in their day in order to practice self-care and do the things they love. Sit down and really see what you’re doing in the day. Write down everything – you can get a printable time tracker here, and then plan your me-time. Be intentional. And above all, Balance is the Key.

The ebook of The Fringe Hours will also be on sale on Amazon.com January 11-16 for $2.99. With a list price of $14.99, this is an amazing sale! Get your copy today.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine alone.