Silence.

Ah. I've been waiting for it for hours.

My little boy is finally fast asleep.

Parenting has been pretty typical today. There's been a poopy diaper (or three), a peed through outfit, a meltdown from the toddler, a hitting match between the two of them over a stupid toy they didn't care about 5 minutes later.

But now, silence.

I've put my toddler to bed. After an hour of reading books, singing the ABC's and rolling around like a banshee, she's finally rolled over to her belly to go to sleep. If you have me on Facebook or see me in the community, you'll know that I have a one year old who I (lovingly) refer to as #theboywhoneversleeps. The problem really isn't him sleeping though, its getting him to sleep. Our routine consists of countless rocks in the rocking chair, repositioning of blankies and wishing he would just take a pacifier. For others, he's great but for his parents... Lets just say he likes to give us a run for our money.

So when the quiet (finally) comes... I'm basking in it.

Self care is extremely important when you are on your parenting journey for both moms and dads. I truly believe the days that I have the worst days are when I'm not filling my own cup before others. Its hard to disconnect from social media or tv or the demands of life and practice self care but it can be so simple. Putting lotion on your legs and feeling your skin beneath your fingers, turning off your brain when you are showering, meditating for 5 minutes, indulging in that sweet treat you avoid and love so much, the list goes on. So when your quiet comes today, I encourage you to take a moment. Seriously, even if its just a moment, and give it to yourself. When we can practice self care in big ways (pedicure, anyone?), its amazing but its not always feasible. We as parents put so much into our babies and kids. Take a second today and give it to yourself,

You deserve it.

For more ideas on self care, check out another one of our awesome blogs.