Is the glass half empty of half full? #NaBoPloMo

Is my glass half empty of half full?  With littles (and bigs) it often depends upon the day.  For example, today was a glass half full kind of day.  The kids and I crafted bottle cap necklaces and then they sold them from a stand at the end of the driveway.  They were quite the persuasive salespeople.  It was wonderful to see them practicing their math skills.  The joy on their faces was priceless.

Last week, however, was a glass half empty week as we ran our 8 year old to the Emergency Room for stitches after a random fall in the driveway.  It was the culmination of a week were every child in the house (and there are 5 of them) was sick at least one day or more.  We had fevers, nausea and rashes.  There was not much sleep to be had.  It is during these glass half empty days that I really have to try hard to look out for my needs, too.  Here are 5 ways to survive the glass half empty days:

1. Make healthy food choices.  When we are low on sleep and high on stress our body's tendency is to crave carbs and sugar.  But this depletes us of the very nutrients we need to stay healthy.  Also, it can make our mood turn sour quickly.  Try to choose snacks of almonds, bananas or protein shakes.  Also, I try to make sure I am drinking half of my weight in water each day.

2. Make sleep a priority.  I know from experience that this old adage is easier said than done.  But Mama is not going to be of help to anyone else if she doesn't refresh herself, too.  Sometimes the thing we must do is just listen to our bodies.  Don't we try and teach our childrent to do the same?  It is amazing how much a little rest can turn a glass half empty moment into a glass half full moment. 

3. Get some exercise.  What I mean by this is simply get your body moving for a bit.  It may be a simple walk around the neigborhood or kicking the soccer ball in the backyard.  Sometimes all it takes is fresh air or a bit of new scenery to brighten up our mood.

4. Make sure the kids are clothed and fed.  On days that your glass is about as half empty as it can get make feeding and clothing the kids the one and only goal for the day.  If everyone is feed and clothed then your job is getting done.

5.  Be grateful for one thing.  It sometimes helps to put into perspective your glass half empty days.    We often find the things that are emptying us may not be as bad as we originally thought. 

What about your glass?  Is it half empty or half full?

*I am participating in NaBloPoMo which stands for “National Blog Posting Month".