August – love it or leave it?

It’s truly amazing how quickly August always flies by. Perhaps it’s because we are all trying to cram everything we wanted to do this summer into the next four weeks. The pressure is on, because soon it will be back to school time when a whole new chaos takes over. I always loved September. I loved getting back into a set routine with school, sports, tutors, etc. It always felt like my safety net had been put back in place. Others flourish in the freedom from decision-making that summer brings. Freedom to pack up the trailer and find a new and spectacular camping spot this month. Or play hookie from work and take the kids to the Toronto Zoo or Wonderland or Centreville (ohh I loved Centreville!). Go berry picking, go-karting, find a water park, camp out one night in the backyard, or go to an old fashioned drive-in movie. The options seemed endless!

However you want to finish up the summer, imprint some more memories into the kids’ heads or start getting yourself organized for September, the time is now! Some of you will function brilliantly throwing caution to the wind for the next four weeks and then scramble to send them off to school. Others will take great comfort and breathe easier knowing everything is organized well in advance for that first day of school. No matter which way makes things happen at your house, be sure you go with the option that will keep you, Mom, Queen of the Castle, relaxed and at your best. As long as you send them off on the first day back to school (JK or University) with a huge squeeze for strength, a mom kiss of faith and a smile on their face, you’ve set them up for success! 

ME time and a positive mindset.

Once the munchkins and big ones have gone back to school you will actually have the opportunity to make a little “me time”. So start planning your new minor tweak to your schedule. Set it as one of your priorities each day. Book it in your calendar as a meeting if that helps. Whatever method makes it happen! It could be 2 minutes of “grounding” – standing barefoot on the grass absorbing the sunshine and breathing deeply to start your day, 10 minutes of meditation, or 30 minutes of yoga. Do whatever motivates you each morning and sets you up for the day with a positive mindset. Just like dancing by yourself in the kitchen with the music blasting; or laughing with your bestie about an awesome secret adventure in years gone by, starting the day with a smile affects everything.

We have all heard about the multitude of benefits that can come from positive thinking, gratitude, positive affirmations, positive thoughts journalling, socializing with only positive people. This article from Positive Psychology is a fabulous read with so many ideas for different areas of growth and change, not only for yourself, but for your children too. I highly recommend this read to help get you on the right path. And if you are already practicing positive mindset, you might find a few more great ideas to enhance your routine.

Don’t forget to get healthy on the inside too.

You’ve heard it over and over again. You’ve read countless articles about food and nutrients and your health. But it is true that eating right helps your body and mind be at their best. There is a mountain of information at our fingertips now about healthy eating, diets, diet culture, probiotics, pre-biotics, antioxidants, gut flora, drink gallons of water, stay away from sugar, tomatoes are bad for you, meat causes lots of problems, digestion, absorption, inflammatory foods, allergens, immunity, organic or not, no to GMO (okay, that one is a no-brainer), leaky gut, mircrobiomes … sound familiar? The list of healthy eating jargon goes on forever. But do you understand it? I know I don’t, and as soon as I think I do, I have to go back and read it all again.

We have grown up with the Canada Food Guide as our go-to resource for proper eating, ingrained in our brains since elementary school. But now we are being told by health experts that some of it is wrong, like milk and grains in particular. I believe that different eating habits work well for different people. There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to food and what your body enjoys, will thrive on and help keep you feeling your best. If you would like some assistance deciphering all of the information, The Cove has some great people for you to talk to who can help make sense of it all. You can find them all in our Trusted Partner bank on our website.

Carly and Laila at ebb & flo nutrition who believe whole-heartedly in kicking diet culture in the buttinsky! You can book a free discovery call here.

Christine at Thrive Nutrition Practice also has a wealth of information to share and is able to guide you through making those changes you’ve always wanted to make. Book your free 15 minute consultation here.

Katie at Soul Feast Katie is another great resource for “healing yourself by clearing the mind, purifying the body & nourishing the soul”. Book your free consultation here.

Sal at V10 Health also offers great services by helping you assess and overhaul your fitness, nutrition and lifestyle habits that are not serving you in a positive way any longer. Click the link to start your free Vitality questionnaire and discover where you are on the V10 vitality scale. Check out our website for additional resources. 

Anticipate! And save your sanity!

We moms keep track of everything. Our work schedule, grocery lists, every child’s likes and dislikes and allergies (and those of their friends too), our personal schedule (do I have one of those? I sure should!), our volunteer schedule, the kids’ schedules for school, lessons, sports, tutors, camps, doctor appointments, birthday parties, dad visits, grandparent visits, playdates, how many teeth each munchkin has lost, their last fever, when they got chicken pox, who brought home the flu and from where. The list goes on and on and on. Moms have soooo much to keep track of. So, let’s help ourselves.

By now you have all found some sort of support or coping strategy that helps you manage all this with relative ease (ha ha), let’s say with less frustration than it used to be. My saviour was a homemade journal for all things medical. Each child had their own and I just wrote it all down – everything! This gave me a lot of peace knowing I didn’t have to remember any of it, which leaves space for the things you shouldn’t have to write down – like what your favourite flavour of ice cream is. LOL.

My point here is that if you don’t have a system of some sort in place to lighten your mental load, then you should think about implementing one. I’m old school and love my notebooks and coloured pens approach. I have also been a huge lover of the massive mom calendar from Costco. It’s huuge and I can track everyone in one place and see it at a glance. In our February 2022 Newsletter, I listed a variety of online planners / calendars that would be very helpful. You newbie moms are likely more tech savvy than I, and would do great with this sort of system. Moms must (and do) anticipate just about everything. So let’s ditch the need to memorize everything, that’s just so much unnecessary pressure. Anticipate issues down the road because you know they’re coming, and be able to pull out that notebook or pull up your app, and have definitive answers for the doctor, teacher or the Tooth Fairy. Every little bit helps, honestly!!

Do you have any great suggestions for our group? Things that are working for you? Please share your experience or suggestions with us in our private facebook page. Join us, share your wisdom! Each of you have some brilliance to share, I know it!!

It’s worth repeating – take time to breeeathe!

I said it last month, and I’m going to say it again, because it is so true! There are so many benefits from deep relaxed breathing including helping with anxiety, depression, managing stress, improved focus, better sleep, improving digestion, and faster recovery from exercise / exertion, to name a few.

Here is your starting guide to the benefits of deep breathing and how to breathe properly to support your health and well-being. 

The Cove Global and YOU!

Here at The Cove Global our mission is to save Moms time, simply because time is so valuable. You can’t buy it, borrow it, rent it or steal it. So less wasted time means more time to spend making memories with the munchkins, more time on well earned and much needed self care, or more time building your business that you have put your heart and soul (and money) into. Keep track of your time, take back some time, and make great use of it for your benefit. Sounds like another great goal for 2022!

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We love hearing from you, so please keep your stories and comments coming in. Share with us on our facebook page, or email us at admin@thecoveglobal.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

If you haven’t been to our new website yet, please come check us out. You can become a member for free to gain access to all the articles and resources that we want to share with you. If you registered on our previous landing page, we would ask you to re-register on the new site so that you will have full access. We know you’re going to love it here!

This month, be a little “selfish” and do something that makes you smile from the inside out, and show everyone that you are a happy work in progress! 

From your Cove Team Moms,
Athena, Aleka, Michele & Heidi 

❤