Finding Time for Self Care with Krista from Secret Mom Hacks

On episode 225 of The Pulling Curls Podcast, Hilary Erickson and Krista Dykes discuss the importance of self-care for moms. Krista shares valuable tips, including scheduling self-care, staying active, and delegating tasks. She stresses the significance of finding a support system and demonstrates how to involve the family in the self-care routine. Tune in to uncover practical insights and ideas for prioritizing personal well-being amidst busy schedules.

Find it here on Apple or Spotify Podcasts

Big thanks to our sponsor Family Routines — it has been my secret for self care as a mom by allowing my family to help out more!

Today’s guest is Krista Dykes. She’s the host of the Secret Mom Hacks Podcast. As a mom herself, Krista believes that motherhood is a journey best shared, and through the Secret Mom Hacks Podcast, she’s on a mission to connect moms and remind them that they’re never alone in the wonderful, challenging adventure of raising kids.

Krista encourages candid conversations, curates heartfelt stories, and delivers practical advice for all parents.

Join her on the Secret Mom Hacks Podcast as she uncovers the secrets to a happier, more confident #momlife, one episode at a time. Because babies don’t come with instructions.

Connect with Krista on…
https://www.facebook.com/secretmomhacks
https://www.instagram.com/secretmomhacks
https://twitter.com/secretmomhacks
https://www.pinterest.com/kristamischell/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristamischell/
https://www.youtube.com/@secretmomhacks

Links for you:

Timestamps:

00:00 Uncovering the secrets of motherhood through podcast.
05:27 Schedule me time, embrace the sunshine’s warmth.
07:45 Overcame running fears, training for marathon now.
11:26 Connect with others for support and motivation.
13:52 Hesitant about yoga, but liked community class.
18:58 Seeking help and organizing are important.
21:34 It’s okay to ask for help sometimes.
26:00 Family fitness, kids involved, fostering healthy habits.
26:59 Self-care advice and gratitude for podcast support.

Keypoints:

• Episode 225: Self Care with Krista Dykes on The Pulling Curls Podcast
• Hosted by Hilary Erickson, featuring guest Krista Dykes, the host of Secret Mom Hacks podcast
• Importance of Self Care: As the school year advances, moms tend to prioritize children over themselves, neglecting self-care.
• Tips for Self Care: Krista shares practical advice including scheduling self-care time, finding ways to stay active, delegating and asking for help.
• Scheduling Me Time: Krista emphasizes scheduling self-care time in the calendar and utilizing reminders to ensure it happens, even if it’s as short as 10 minutes.
• Stay Active: Krista shares her experience of integrating physical activity into her routine as a form of self-care, highlighting the benefits of movement and the impact on mental health.
• Support System: Finding a community that shares similar interests or goals, such as joining a yoga class or having running partners, can foster friendships and support for self-care activities.
• Delegate and Ask for Help: Krista discusses the need to delegate tasks, ask for help from family, and even seek professional assistance, encouraging listeners to ease the burden of household responsibilities.
• Involving Family: Krista highlights the importance of involving children in self-care activities, integrating moments of self-care into family time where possible.
• Conclusion: The hosts emphasized the significance of prioritizing self-care and encouraged listeners to consider the practical tips shared during the episode.

Producer: Drew Erickson

Transcript

[00:00:00.000] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Pulling Curls podcast. Today on episode 225, we are talking about self-care, which is so important as we get into the deep of the school year. So let’s untangle it.

[00:00:10.770] – Hilary Erickson

Hi, I’m Hilary, a serial overcomplicator. I’m also a nurse, mom to three, and the curly head behind Pulling Curls and the pregnancy nurse. This podcast aims to help us stop overcomplicating things and remember how much easier it is to keep things simple. Let’s smooth out those snarls with pregnancy and parenting untangled, The Pulling Curls podcast.

[00:00:41.350] – Hilary Erickson

This episode of The Pulling Curls podcast is sponsored by Family Routines. If You are looking to get more self-care time, having a routine is going to be your very best friend. So do not miss it. Check out family routines today.

[00:00:55.220] – Hilary Erickson

Today’s guest is the hacker behind Secret Mom Hacks. She doesn’t want any mom to feel alone. I want to introduce Krista Dykes. Hey, Krista. Welcome to the Pulling Curls podcast.

[00:01:06.090] – Krista Dykes

Hi, Hilary. Thanks for having me.

[00:01:08.280] – Hilary Erickson

I’m so excited that you’re here because, man, oh, man. I was telling my daughter today who I was recording with, and she was like, Oh, secret mom hacks, huh? And I was like, secret? She was like, I’m not going to tell all my friends that you’re going on that podcast today, mom. Oh, no, no.

[00:01:24.680] – Krista Dykes

We’re spilling all the secrets. And even that’s something I feel like sometimes I do need I need to clarify. I don’t have all the secrets. That’s why you have guests, right? That’s why I have guests. And I feel like there were all of these things that I experienced when I was pregnant and then having my daughter.

[00:01:43.960] – Krista Dykes

But it’s like, Were these secrets and nobody told me? Or is it just this is just the way of the world? Every path is different. Every mom journey is different. It’s a secret, and you just have to figure it out on your own. But, yeah. So that’s the The inspiration behind my podcast is to spill all of those secrets.

[00:02:05.320] – Hilary Erickson

I’m here for that. Let’s spill them. Let’s spill all my lack of secrets.

[00:02:09.360] – Krista Dykes

I feel like you have some really good secrets.

[00:02:12.940] – Hilary Erickson

Okay, today we are talking about self-care, which I think is so important. We’re heading into spring break season. We’re getting deep into the school year. So moms of kids that are stressed about school or whatever or end-of-school activities, you just end up starting to put your kids before every Everything else, right? Oh, we’ve got a class party. Well, mom just isn’t going to have any time to herself this week, right? So I’m excited to talk about this. Krista, tell me some of your best tips for getting in the self-care.

[00:02:43.710] – Krista Dykes

Yes, absolutely. I have a couple. So one of them is to just schedule it. I don’t know about you. I feel like maybe you’re like this, perhaps. But anything that goes in my schedule happens. Anything on my fun little Google calendar, I get a reminder about it. Typically, five minutes ahead of time, 15 minutes ahead of time. Hey, Krista, my phone is always on me. I see that reminder pop up on my phone, and especially if I’m wearing my little ear buds.

[00:03:17.220] – Krista Dykes

Now, Apple… Okay, so no, no hate on the non-Apple folks out there, but I have an iPhone. So one of the features of Apple now, if you’ve got your ear buds in, is it will notify you. It will give you an audio notification of reminders.

[00:03:32.420] – Krista Dykes

So I feel like there’s truly no excuse if you schedule it, maybe you feel like it’s going too far. But if you’re really trying to be diligent in your me time, put it on there. Maybe this is a daily thing. Maybe daily self-care time isn’t an option for you. But let’s try to get once or twice a week. How can you get that self-care routine on your calendar?

[00:03:57.070] – Krista Dykes

Maybe it’s during lunch, maybe it’s at night. For me personally, I’ll just speak my personal experience, of course. So we were talking about this earlier, Hilary, my husband is a nurse, and so he’s working those long shifts. So I put my daughter to bed.

[00:04:11.300] – Krista Dykes

And I’ll admit, there was a time when I was a little with It’s his schedule. It’s so crazy. He works these long hours. There were times I would just be a little sad about that. Like, Oh, I just I want to see him in the evening. And I do. I really appreciate the time that when he is off and we can enjoy our evenings together.

[00:04:27.900] – Krista Dykes

The flip side of that is I I can use that little sliver of time in the evening as my me time. So when my daughter goes to bed, my friends know it, my family knows it. After eight o’clock, and he’s generally off around 9:00, 9:30, depending, that is about an hour of uninterrupted time that I can do whatever it is I want. Maybe it’s taking a bubble bath, maybe it’s taking a long shower, maybe I’m catching up with a friend that I haven’t talked with in a while.

[00:04:55.440] – Krista Dykes

That’s how I generally get my me time. At the same time, those days where he does have the evening off, sometimes in the middle of a really busy day, it’s really nice to just pop out, take a quick walk, whether it’s… If you’re in an office on your lunch break, I cannot overemphasize, I cannot emphasize enough, the value of 10 minutes out in the sunshine. Do you agree with that, Hilary?

[00:05:25.620] – Hilary Erickson

When it’s not 123 degrees, yes.

[00:05:28.440] – Krista Dykes

When it’s not 123, for sure. Now, obviously, if it’s a rainy day, this is not the day to do this. But I know there’s science behind it, and just that vitamin D getting out, letting the sun’s rays just get on you, feeling that warmth and just moving your body, especially.

[00:05:46.870] – Krista Dykes

So I had a desk job for a long time, and I was where I would be indoors a lot. And so even in that period of my life, I would find 10, 15 minutes here or there where I could just step out and walk walk around my office building. Just step away, enjoy that sunshine, maybe call my mom, call somebody that might also be on a lunch break or on their break time and just catch up, removing myself from the demands of work, removing myself from somebody asking me 28 questions, and just taking that time for me.

[00:06:22.420] – Krista Dykes

So that’s a long-winded version of saying schedule that me time, because when we… Things that we get things that we schedule or bring to top of mind often don’t happen.

[00:06:34.210] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. For me, it’s more just putting it into your routine, which is a lot easier when you have older kids. Because I have till three with no kids. So I just know that basically when my work’s done, about two, I go and I read a book for a little bit before she comes home so that I’m not an ogre. When she is an ogre, I am not also an ogre.

[00:06:54.350] – Krista Dykes

Yes, fully. Absolutely.

[00:06:57.800] – Hilary Erickson

That’s great. All right. What’s another good tip?

[00:07:00.750] – Krista Dykes

Another good tip would be to stay active. So I covered that a little bit in talking about scheduling the me time. Whatever that me time looks like for you. Again, we all have different interests and hobbies and passions and things that fill our cup. Maybe it’s a mani-pedi for you, or maybe it’s cooking a good meal, maybe it’s meal prepping. I know lots of people who really just enjoy having alone time and cooking in the kitchen that really fills their cup. For me, something over the last couple of years that’s really filled my cup is staying active.

[00:07:38.240] – Krista Dykes

And my husband and I, now I’m not saying that you need to run a marathon, but my husband and I are actually trading for a marathon right now. He’s ran them before. I never have. I’ve now ran a 5K, a 10K, and a 10-mile. And then I’ve got, we’re training for a half that’s coming up soon, and then this marathon. But if you want to If you would have told me three years ago, I guess about two and a half, three years ago is when I started running. If you would have told me I would have been training for a marathon, I would have laughed in your face, because quite frankly, even the 10-mile would have sounded really intimidating.

[00:08:13.370] – Krista Dykes

But for me, there’s something about just, and again, being out in the sun. I don’t know all of the stats and facts behind this, but it’s just really good to get out and move your body. I don’t know about you. There have been times where it’s been a weekend, where we’re just so lazy on the couch watching movies. And that’s nice. Every now and then, that’s really, really nice. But there also comes a time where it’s like, okay, now I’m feeling really restless. I’m feeling like I’m charged up. I need to get out and start moving. And so for me, maybe that’s taking a walk with my family in the park, or maybe that is while my daughter is visiting with grandparents and my husband’s at work, maybe I do get out and maybe I run to or three miles or whatever.

[00:09:02.060] – Krista Dykes

Again, I think it’s going to look different for everyone. The sheer thought of running for some people, I’m sure makes them completely stop in their tracks. Maybe it’s doing yoga or Pilates or Zumba. Or truly, and for me, the running, it really all started with just taking walks and just being outside and enjoying nature, putting on a good podcast.

[00:09:23.760] – Krista Dykes

I listen to so many podcasts, of course, not just the Mom and Parenting podcast, but There are some fabulous comedy podcasts. If your thing is true crime, whatever it is, I love getting out and just being active, putting on a good podcast, laughing, because again, laughing, it releases those endorphins, similarly to just staying active and moving. But that would be my biggest tip, or my next tip, rather, would be to stay active in whatever way that looks like for you. If If you can walk a half a mile, and that’s a stretch for you, then do that. And then maybe next week, try to walk three quarters of a mile. Stretch yourself just a little bit.

[00:10:11.010] – Krista Dykes

But I have found that just getting out and being active does wonders for my mental health and just feeling like I’m doing something to take care of myself, what you were saying, not being an ogre when your daughter gets home. I am such a multitasker, and when I’m in the house, I find myself doing five things and not always completing all of them. And it’s really sometimes hard for me to stay focused and just finish one task and then move on and finish that next task.

[00:10:42.170] – Krista Dykes

And something that I found with running, for example, is I can’t multitask. It’s really impossible to multitask while you’re running. So I’m forced to stop the text, don’t take the call, just tune everything out. Now you could argue, Okay, you’re listening to a podcast, Krista. You’re feeding your mind. Yes, but you know what? It was actually hard for me to start listening to podcasts until I had gotten a little bit further along in that running journey because I was so focused on just, Okay, you’ve got to run for 15 more minutes, or you’ve got a half a mile more. Just listen and stay focused. You can’t be… So in a sense, I guess maybe you are multitasking a little bit when you’re running.

[00:11:26.590] – Krista Dykes

But anyway, take a yoga class, do something that gets you around other people.

[00:11:33.570] – Krista Dykes

So this is moving into step three or tip three, if you will, finding a support system for that self-care. Something I really… Well, before I get to that point, with being active. So if you’re going to a yoga class or Pilates, or I have another mom friend who also runs, she’s training for a marathon as well.

[00:11:55.620] – Krista Dykes

And so she’s really my only mom friend who is a runner. And so she and I connect a lot about that, about running gear and like, Hey, let’s go meet up at the Greenway, and let’s go run together, or let’s sign up for this race together. That’s helpful from an accountability perspective, because that’s someone else you can talk to for troubleshooting with, Oh, man, I’m getting this blister here, or, Hey, have you tried these socks? Or whatever. Same with the yoga class. Chances are you’re going to develop friends, you’re going to develop connections in that yoga class to help keep you accountable. Oh, hey, I’ll see you on Thursday. Yeah, I’ll be there, or, Hey, how’s that going? With your new baby, or whatever, or, Hey, what other things are you doing to take care of yourself? I think any time you can be around like-minded people and just be around another supportive group of people that’s only going to help you in your journey of self-care and to, of course, being the best parents that we can be.

[00:12:58.750] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. I was just I’m going to add to keep trying because I am not a worker outer. I don’t enjoy it. Or if I do it, it’s just me and a video in my living room. I want to do it first thing in the morning. And in general, I can’t do that at a gym because I have kids to get to school or whatever. But then I found pickleball, and I love pickleball. And so we took a class through the city. It was super cheap. My husband and I love it. We do it with other couples. And then I also tried water aerobics, and I ended up really liking water aerobics and all the 80-year-old women that were in there with me. They were just smart and sassy ladies.

[00:13:31.130] – Hilary Erickson

And so I would just encourage people, if you haven’t found your thing, if you’re like, well, running is not my thing. My feet hate me after being a nurse. It’s just not what I’m going to do. I get that. But pickleball can be my thing. And I see I am developing, I’m faster. There are things that I get from pickleball, so just keep trying.

[00:13:50.530] – Hilary Erickson

And also I would take a class. I took a yoga class. Kristin and I met at Mom 2.0, and I was like, I’ve always been really hesitant to take a yoga class because I’m like, I’m going to fall down, and that’s going to be super embarrassing, right? Because I fall down in my living room. But it was great because other people were falling down and we were all just enjoying it together. And so I’m like, maybe I should take a class, although that sounds horrible. I’ll just stick with pickleball right now.

[00:14:13.840] – Hilary Erickson

But I do like the idea, and especially we have a community center that has pretty short term classes available in a lot of different subjects that are pretty reasonably priced, like under 50 bucks for a month or so. And you can just try some different things and see what you like and maybe build your community. I love what you say about that.

[00:14:29.790] – Krista Dykes

Yes, 100 %. And so we’re actually members of the local Y here. And I don’t know if this is something that they do at all of the YMCA’s, but they have an awesome child care program. So that was something that So I’m homeschooling our daughter, and so she’s just starting kindergarten. And prior to that, she had been in daycare. And so I would be able to, while she was at daycare, I could do whatever I needed. I had lots of me time, I guess you would say. Organize my day really in the way it made the most sense. Well, now with her not going to daycare or not going into a formalized school setting, per se, we’re doing the homeschool thing. We’ve got a local co-op that we’re going to throughout the week as well. But being able to take her to the gym with me and know that she’s going to go in here, she really looks forward to going to the gym now because she’s made friends in in the childcare area. And it’s like, oh, that’s 2 hours of uninterrupted time where she can go in there and have fun.

[00:15:36.270] – Krista Dykes

She’s having fun with other kids, and I can be over here on the treadmill, or in the weight room, or swimming, or doing whatever. And that wasn’t a perk that I knew was even available to me until very recently. And I know other gyms, there are gyms that do have childcare. So for the purposes, of course, of this podcast, mamas who are listening, parents who are listening, who you’re trying to get that me time in, look for a local gym.

[00:16:04.950] – Krista Dykes

And again, even if it’s just walking on the treadmill and watching Iron Chef or whatever they might have on the TV, that is uninterrupted time that your kiddo is playing and having a good time. You’re filling your cup. And when you hop off that treadmill or put those weights down, you go pick them up. You can leave knowing, okay, I’ve just done something for me. This was for my mental health, and it was also good for my body.

[00:16:30.400] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, that’s a great idea. I was always like, my kids are so spread out. I never ended up using a gym for daycare because I would be like, well, I have to get this one to school. I only had two hours. It was hard to even fit in because between pickups and drop offs and all that stuff. But I think it is such a good idea if it’s in your budget to be able to use it. Yes. And look around. Ask other parents because the Y is a little bit cheaper, I think, than some of the other gyms or some charge an extra hourly fee. So you’ll just have to keep all that in mind. Yeah. All right. Do you have one more tip for us?

[00:17:03.020] – Krista Dykes

My next tip would be to delegate and ask for help because it can be really easy. So you and I, we’re both podcasters and we keep busy schedule We have kiddos. We have family commitments. We’re playing pickle ball, and we’re training for marathons. We’re doing all of these things. And it’s really easy to… We have all of these household tasks. Again, I totally hashtag organizing goals, because I’ve I’ve looked at some of your posts, and I am following some of those tips. I might not be in this moment, but I definitely need to be shopping for some organizing things.

[00:17:39.880] – Hilary Erickson

That’s all I’ll say. I mean, are we all following all those tips all the time? I have a thing about my daughter’s organized under her sink, and her bathroom looks like a bomb went off of beauty. So it’s fine. It’s fine.

[00:17:51.430] – Krista Dykes

But yes, delegating and asking for help, even if it’s with your kiddos, giving the kiddos responsibility. But something with my daughter, I delegate a few tasks to her. We don’t have a full-blown chore chart. That is something that I intend to get started within the next couple of months. But I have a few tasks in her room that every day she is responsible for. And also not being afraid to ask for help. So whether it’s asking for help from your kiddos, asking for help from your spouse, asking for help from grandparents. So again, just personally in our situation, with me homeschooling our daughter and having this podcast, and having lots of goals and things we’re looking to move towards, it was really important to have childcare help.

[00:18:41.570] – Krista Dykes

Because it is difficult with my daughter’s five right now. It’s difficult to have interviews, or be editing, or any planning with a barrage of interruptions and love her to pieces. I mean, that’s just what happens when you’re five years old. So that was a line that I had to draw on the sand with my husband. I was like, We’ve got to get the childcare situation figured out.

[00:19:07.340] – Krista Dykes

So whether that’s help with parents, we have a cousin that we can ask for help with. And then we also have some great drop in childcare resources here as well. I fully get that grandparents and family members and friends, they have other lives, too. And sometimes our schedules don’t align. So if we’re unable to rely on them in a given day or week for help with her, then saying, Okay, well, we’re going to have to look at a childcare option and go drop her off at the drop in childcare, or whatever.

[00:19:41.320] – Krista Dykes

So just knowing that it’s okay to ask for help So whether it’s, like I was saying, from our perspective, the childcare perspective, or whether it’s organizing. I know some people who are really not good organizers, and I actually do enjoy organizing. And I am a perfectionist, though, unfortunately. So sometimes my organization, my piles and my boxes or whatever, they’ll sit there for a couple of weeks before I feel like I’ve had time to really perfect what it is I’m wanting to do with a given project. And maybe at some point, I do need to ask for help. Maybe I need to hire somebody to come in.

[00:20:23.570] – Krista Dykes

And I don’t know, Hilary, do you do virtual consults? You have a package, don’t you? You have a program I could- Yes.

[00:20:33.050] – Hilary Erickson

So I have one where I organize your people, your children. And then I have one where you organize your things, because I’m not… I wouldn’t call myself a great parent, but I am good at organizing, getting into routines, and getting your house in order, those things. So I do have those two things that are available to families.

[00:20:51.390] – Krista Dykes

Okay. I feel like where I struggle is with things. There tends to be so many things coming in and out of the house, and all around it, moving from one room to another. And so there are days that I’m like, maybe for me asking for help, it could look like just having an organizer, or even just another person to come in, because I’ll sit there and overthink it. And it’s like, I feel like sometimes I just need somebody to come in and say, No, this makes sense right over here.

[00:21:21.340] – Krista Dykes

So anywho, the point that I’m making is that it is okay to delegate tasks. It’s It’s okay to ask for help, realizing that we’re not all perfect. We don’t have all the answers all the time. We don’t have all the time in the world. We don’t have all the space in the world. So it’s okay to say, Hey, you know what? I just need somebody to come over here and help me get through this. Because, again, just speaking personally right now, for example, it has been more of a timing issue for me. As you know, Hilary, we’ve been on vacation, and just getting back into the of things and got unpacked.

[00:22:02.200] – Krista Dykes

But before we went on vacation, we have a room in our upstairs that has five or six piles, where I have plans for those piles, and I just need to do them. And so probably Probably what help looks like in those cases is, Hey, parents, can you watch our daughter for three hours so I can handle all of these piles? It’s okay to ask for help.

[00:22:24.970] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Or, Can I turn on a Disney movie? Because that’s what I did. My kids are always like, Mom, you’ve watched Cars. I’m like, No, I haven’t. They’re like, I know I’ve watched Cars with you. I’m like, No, I turned on Cars, and then I did things. What am I, an idiot? I’m not going to watch Cars when I could clean the kitchen.

[00:22:43.530] – Krista Dykes

You watch Cars. I I did 18 tasks off of the checklist.

[00:22:49.000] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Oh, adult children, what you understand now. Anyway, I think that’s a great idea. And I just had a mom join my family routine thing. I think it was probably both of them, my Home Life bundle, where you get both of And she just said, I’m tired of trying to figure it out on my own. I want somebody else to tell me what to do. And I was like, Amen, girl. Yes.

[00:23:07.620] – Krista Dykes

And sometimes that’s just what you need. That’s just what you need. It’s just, here’s what I want to happen, and I need somebody to just tell me what to do.

[00:23:17.570] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. All right. These were great tips, Krista, because I think we just don’t prioritize ourselves as much as we should as moms, unfortunately. Yeah. Do you find that even that fits in your calendar Or sometimes you’re like, oh, but shouldn’t I, I don’t know, clean my kitchen?

[00:23:34.260] – Krista Dykes

Oh, I do. And sometimes I clean the kitchen on my way to getting out for my walk. It’s amazing how far five minutes can go. And so truly, there are days where it’s like, I’ll have such a busy schedule, and I’ll feel so frazzled and like, oh, my gosh, I’ve only gotten in 1,500 steps today. I’m not even hit anywhere close to 5,000 steps. And it’s like, okay, I can stop what I’m doing, and I can walk for five minutes. I can do it. Now, if there’s something really tugging on my mind, like, no, I absolutely have to get this done before I can do anything else, then yes, I will look on my schedule, and when my little self-care thing pops up, or hey, go take a walk thing pops up, I’ll say, Man, I just can’t get to that right now. Well, And I open it up, and I do reschedule. I don’t just delete it. I don’t just overlook it because, again, then I get carried on with my day. And before I know it, it’s 7:30, and it’s time to get my daughter ready for bed. And then if my husband’s not home, again, because he does work so often, he’s that hard working nurse we’ve been talking about, I obviously can’t leave my daughter alone in our house and go take a walk then.

[00:24:57.010] – Krista Dykes

But that is also where great YouTube workouts come in. And you just do it. You just do it at the house really quietly. I try not to jump too hard and be too loud that I wake my daughter up. But I genuinely believe if self-care is a priority, that there are 100 % ways to fit it into your schedule, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. I always tell people, and this is what I tell myself, 10 minutes is better than zero minutes.

[00:25:27.520] – Hilary Erickson

It really is. And it’s surprising how much you can fill your cup up with something that you really enjoy just for a few minutes. Yeah. And I think as a mom, we often blame our kids like, Oh, my kids are just so crazy. I can’t get any time in. But again, there are ways to fit it in. After-bed time, nap time, Other times, you just have to figure out how to weasel it into those crazy days. And times and seasons, because there is going to be a time where you could take 2-3 hours of uninterrupted self-care time.

[00:25:58.680] – Krista Dykes

It’s just not that season, right. Times and seasons, and even involving your kids, because I do think it’s important that our kids see us, bettering ourselves and making time for ourselves, but making it a family thing, too. My daughter loves riding her bike, so recently, and she is going fast on that thing. So recently, I’ve just been putting on my running shoes, and I’m just like, okay, you’re going to ride your bike when you go down that hill really fast. I’m just going to run alongside you. And most of the time, I can keep up a pretty good walking pace, but it’s good for her. It helps her get her energy out. She loves going down those big, tall hills, and it helps me get in a couple of extra steps, too. So always looking for ways to involve the family. That makes it easier.

[00:26:47.290] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Okay, great tip. Thanks so much, Krista. People can find you on the Secret Mom Hacks podcast. Go take a listen because we don’t need these to be secret. We’re spilling them all. They’re all on the podcast.

[00:26:57.490] – Krista Dykes

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Hilary.

[00:26:59.800] – Hilary Erickson

Okay, guys. I hope you enjoyed that episode. I think it is so important to take care of ourselves, and sometimes we just don’t do it. So hopefully this gave you some options. Thanks again to Krista for coming on.

[00:27:10.630] – Hilary Erickson

Thanks for joining us on the Pulling Curls podcast today. If you like today’s episode, please consider reviewing, sharing, subscribing. It really helps our podcast grow. Thank you.

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