Moms Talk Q&A: How Do You Take Care of Yourself So You Can Take Care of Your Family?

Mom’s Talk is a new part of Oswego.Patch.com that features local moms discussing relevant weekly topics. 

To encourage communication and support between parents in the community, we will feature this weekly parenting topic and ask other parents to weigh in with their advice and experiences.  As the local Mommy Columnist, I have recruited some local mothers and even a grandmother to offer their expertise on a variety of subjects. So, without further ado, let’s meet these moms and get to know them a little better.

First we have , a wife and mother of two school age children who are in second and fourth grade.  Bridget holds a degree in special education and has worked as a teacher for many years. She stayed at home to raise her children and has recently re-entered the workforce as a teacher’s aid. Bridget’s nonstop schedule includes knitting and horseback riding, and her children attend choir, Girl Scouts, and religious education. Her husband, Jay, is also a teacher and his hobbies include historical re-enactment and fixing up old cars.

is the mother of seven children—five of whom are boys—and she has a total of 11 grandchildren (so far). Hailing originally from Norway, Else has lived most of her life in the U.S., but has spent many years abroad. She has experience in education as well as childcare, and is currently a childcare provider. Her interests include keeping in touch with family in Norway, health and wellness issues, and making lovely hand-drawn portraits of her children and grandchildren.

is married with a 5-year-old daughter, Amiya, who is in kindergarten. A former childcare provider, she is now a stay-at-home mom. A coffee lover, her hobbies include scrap-booking and photography. She is also very close to her nieces and nephews, and spends a lot of time taking care of them. Her husband, Aaron, is a mechanic and likes to go fishing in his free time. Their most recent addition is Mason, their adorable puppy.

is a stay at home mother of two boys, ages 7 and 2. An entrepreneur by nature, she has already run her own company and formerly worked in a microbiology laboratory. She is married and is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Fran was born in the Slovak Republic and moved to the U.S. when she was 16 years old. She loves coffee, working out, eating healthy and spending time with her children. Her Indian food is amazing and everyone should try her spicy twist on spaghetti at least once.

Last but not least, will also join the panel. For those of you who read my column you know that I am a single mother of 2 boys- Lucas, who is 8 and . I work from home as a freelance writer, copywriter and technical writer and am a weekly contributor to Oswego.Patch.com.  I love reading, writing, dancing and yoga, and am very excited to see what our local moms, both on the panel and not, have to say about parenting.

With that in mind, let’s stir the pot, shall we? I think it’s appropriate to open with a conversation about ourselves. How do we, as mothers, take care of ourselves first, in order to take care of everyone else? You know what I’m talking about. You run carpools, make dinners and lunches, fold laundry and schedule life for everyone else, most likely while working in some capacity or other outside of the home. So my question to you is this: How do you put yourself first? Or, do you? Remember, when the oxygen masks come down during airplane turbulence, we are instructed to put ours on first before helping our children. We can’t be a help to anyone if we’re not even breathing.