I had the honour of speaking at #MomsMeTimeTO last Friday, sharing my story of parenting 7yo boy/girl twins with special needs, and being part of my stepdaughter’s support network as well. The message for the conference was to remind moms that we need to take time for ourselves as well.
The message I hoped to get across was to remind moms to “put your oxygen mask on first”. We all get overwhelmed and stressed but it’s how you deal with that stress that is key to how well you can parent your children. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out…far from it, I am constantly working on balancing my stress levels. Keys to managing my stress levels include my weekly yoga class, journaling, meditating, knitting, meeting with my counsellor once a month, spending time with my man and friends, and gasp, disconnecting from social media. I don’t do each of these things daily, but I do know that when I’m feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to go out and interact with others, that’s the most important time for me to get out, and spend time with people. I’m an extrovert…I get my energy by spending time with people…I refill my emotional tank, so to speak.
Most of the attendees were fellow bloggers so it was kind of fun seeing everyone looking at their smart phones, or typing away on their laptops. Later that evening, I checked Twitter to find that people had been tweeting during my talk…and I was honoured by what they were saying!
Of course, with a room with lots of bloggers, the blogs are starting to be shared now so here are some of them:
Little Miss Kat & Co: “Fun weekend with #MomsMeTimeTO“
SoberJulie: “A Weekend For Me – #MomsMeTimeTO“
A Vision For Our Kids: “Defining Your Own Serenity“
1 Heart, 1 Family: “Ten Things I Learned From #MomsMeTimeTO” <added April 9, 2013>
Ideally Speaking: “A Wonderful Weekend with #MomsMeTimeTO” <added April 12, 2013>
Best of all, I met some amazing ladies on the one day I was there…can’t wait to tweet, facebook and chat with each of them! 
