I sat across from my two 17-year old boys at the table we were sharing for our Mother's Day brunch earlier today. They have grown to be 6'3" and are bright and kind and handsome and funny and driven.
These two are juniors in high school and starting to talk seriously about college. My 19-year old daughter just finished her freshman year of college and as I write this is exploring Thailand with a professor and a group of young adults I've never even met.
As I sat there, watching my boys eat plates full of the delicious food from the buffet at The Laundry, one of my very favorite farm-to-table restaurants, I listened to the Mama across the aisle repeatedly telling her little guy who looked to be about 3-years old to 'please come out from under the table'. She finally lured him out using a sing-songy voice. I smiled at the familiarity of it as I was jokingly trying to get my guys to stop arguing about whose elbow was crossing the 'middle line' of the table and taking up too much of the other's space.
And then there was the Mama who was holding her sleeping infant while she ate. And the Mama who was laughing and telling her tween-aged granddaughter tales about her mom when she was the same age. I imagined all the life-stories of these women, gathered in this space, being celebrated for giving so much of themselves to the little and big people in their lives.
I thought also about the Mamas who've lost a child and the women who are struggling to become a Mama and about the Mamas who've fostered and adopted their children. And about the women who take on a mothering role in the life of another's child through mentoring and teaching.
There are so many ways we step into this sacred space of mothering, aren't there? And, as many ways as there are that women step into - or find themselves in - this role, there are a zillion more ways to fulfill it. And, there's no one right way for any of it.
Mothering calls on us to dig deep, in body, mind and spirit. It calls for us to love and to comfort and to discipline and to empathize and to care for people in ways we likely didn't realize we were capable of.
And, if you're anything like me, there have been so many days where you have beat yourself up for not showing up as patiently or kindly as you wanted to. Those are usually the days where I feel stretched so thin and feel so tired and just want to put myself in a time-out so I can have a break from it all and tend to my own needs.
What I know for sure at this point in my life is that when I don't take care of myself, I am not my best self as a mother. It happened just last week. One of my guys didn't get the best of me because I was so tired and over-scheduled and as a result he was hurt and mad and sad. I apologized and gave him space to feel what he was feeling and I was left to work through my feelings of regret for how I acted.
Mothering is both the best and the most challenging thing I've ever done. I'm imagining you might feel this way too, yes?
Having supported thousands of women over the last 14+ years, Jill and I have been privileged to hear a LOT of stories and experiences from women over the years as they come into our 14-Day Reset feeling worn out mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. And, consequently, they are not feeling good about how they are showing up in their family or in their life.
What we also know to be true is that women tell us over and over again that by the end of these 14 days they feel so much better, physically and emotionally and mentally. They feel less anxious and more patient and their families and friends notice a difference.
Amy Roach, mom of 4, shared her experience with us and said...
"The whole system that you two set-up is designed to make you succeed. I don't think I could have done it without all the components. The whole program was speaking directly to me. I learned to love to cook again. And whenever I put a meal out for my family, I felt good. I am actively creating a healthy lifestyle for my family now. That's been one of the best things. My family loves the food. They are thanking me. They see that I'm different. They see that I'm happy. I'm more loving. I'm not consumed with my irritability or with not feeling well. My daughter told me she noticed I am happier and healthier. She noticed that I wasn't yelling anymore and that made her feel happy. And that for me, right in that moment, beyond just myself, I'm teaching her that if you take care of yourself as a woman, you'll feel better and everyone around you benefits.
When I go back to the moments before I decided to do it, I feel like nothing I was doing on my own was working anymore. I'm better to myself now. I'm kinder. I'm loving. I've learned how to care for myself and give myself the best chance everyday to enjoy my family, to enjoy my husband, to enjoy my home. Take a chance on this Reset. I just can't say enough about how much it's changed me inside. I'm very thankful to have been part of it!"
Here's what other women have shared they love about our 14-day Reset:
eating more in rhythm versus standing up or grazing off your kid’s plate, which leads to feeling more patient and satisfied
getting enough sleep and waking up rested
having meals planned instead of running out last minute to the grocery store or drive-thru
feeling more calm and clear-headed in challenging situations and relationships
going through the day feeling less stressed and overwhelmed
having enough energy to get through the day, not fueled by sugar and caffeine
leaning in for support and inspiration and not feeling so alone
learning how to navigate stressors with more ease
changing their entire relationship with food and dieting and body shame and learning to love themselves more
We also loved this interaction in our private Reset community this week:
Amazing that you can feel so different in 14-days, right?
So on this Mother's Day, we invite you to give yourself this gift too because even though it's an initial investment of your time and your energy and your money, the payoff will be life-changing for you. And it's so different than any other diet or plan that you've tried.
Like us, you want to show up as your best self for your family, yes? We can absolutely help you do that if you join us for our final Spring Reset of 2019.
Doors close this Wednesday at midnight and if you join today, you'll get our BONUS Pre-Reset Jumpstart Series of emails to help you east into the actual 14 days and your guidebook with recipes will be sent first thing Tuesday morning, giving you plenty of time to get ready.
Are you ready to feel more patient, less anxious and stressed and have your family and friends experience the healthiest and happiest you possible? Click through and join us today. We promise you'll be glad you did.
"Before I did the Reset I was feeling sluggish and overwhelmed by the thought of taking good care of myself. The Reset refocused how I had been thinking of food and caring for myself. And Jill and Angelle make it so easy to understand and follow. I don't have to overthink anything on the Reset and I am constantly reminded to love myself through the process - I learned to trust myself and my body in terms of what it needs." Sara W.