Motherhood and the New Year


I love being a mother.

This is my beautiful family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

My girly is going to Grade R in 2019. I am excited for her and all that she is going to learn. But I am deeply aware of the responsibility I have as a mother to make 2019 an exceptional year for her. A year in which she is able to learn, develop and grow.

Motherhood is about having a strategy in place. A plan that makes live a little easier.

Have a strategy in place for those more challenging times.

Have a strategy in place for those more challenging times.

1. Have a morning and evening routine.

As mothers, we want our children to feel safe, secure and comfortable. When children feel safe, they will understand their environment better and also what is expected of them.

When children understand the environment and expectations better, the development and growth will come easier. Routines and structure influence a child’s emotional, cognitive and social development.

Routines creates habits, such as taking care of personal hygiene.

When you create a routine for your family, please remember that each family is different. Dear mom, please don’t beat yourself up about having it perfect. Create the routine, give it implementation time, revisit it and tweak it. It should not be set in stone.

Here are a guideline as to what you can add into your morning routine. (This is a morning routine that takes into account children that goes to kindergarten or nursery school.)

  1. Wake up at a consistent time each day
  2. Have a glass of water (children don’t drink enough water)
  3. Get dressed in comfortable clothes. If your children are old enough let them make their own choices for what to wear or give them two option from which they can choose.
  4. Brush teeth and wash face. Learn them (boys and girls) from a young age to apply some moisturiser and a sunscreen.
  5. If your children eat at home, make them a healthy breakfast, with protein, carbohydrates (for energy) and fruit or vegetables. {If you give your children supplements, add them here. If you don’t, please consider giving them as Omega supplement. Being a teacher I know the value of children whose brains are well oiled and ready to learn.}
  6. Leave for school. Try to let it be on the same time everyday. This creates a comfortable environment and expectation for your children.

Here are some guidelines for an evening routine.

  1. Have dinner as a family. This gives you time to catch up on the day and things that happened.
  2. Please allow your children to help with clearing the table and cleaning the kitchen. This creates a habits of responsibility.
  3. Get everything ready for tomorrow. Pack school bags (make sure there is a set of clean clothes and a jacket in the bag). Decide on clothing for the following day. This helps to make the morning easier.
  4. Children should enjoy bath time. Create some rituals for them that makes it enjoyable. Brush teeth and hair. This creates the habit of personal hygiene.
  5. Be in bed at a specific time. Every night at the same time, this creates comfort and security. If you read bed time stories, please continue to do so. If not, please consider adding it into your bedtime routine.

Please remember this is just guidelines, you need to create a routine that works for you, not for everybody else.

Helping your children succeed with a healthy lifestyle.

2. Helping your children succeed with a healthy lifestyle.

As mothers we know the importance of a healthy and balancing lifestyle. We know the importance of eating fruit and veggies, drinking enough water, getting exercise and fresh air, sleeping enough. We all know this, but sometimes we struggle to implement it all.

Let us make it easier with a few questions.

  1. What time does your children go to bed at night? Do they sleep enough hours to get through the day? If not, what do you need to do to make it easier for them?
  2. Does your children eat two fruits a day and at least five portions of veggies? If not, I take it they are picky eaters? What can you do to help them learn the value of eating healthier?
  3. Do they have enough playtime, climbing in trees or jungle gyms? Do they ride bike, even just in your yard? Do you as a mom dance with them, play with them, tickle them?

We can be so hard on ourselves. We can be so judgemental about the things we don’t do, that we forget we can make life a little easier with a few tweaks.

Let 2019 be about a few small tweaks and adjustments instead of wanting to change everything and then become so overwhelmed that we then accomplish nothing.

Have some fun

3. Have some fun.

Mothers get so caught up in their responsibility and everything that needs to be done, that we forget to have fun with our children.

For how long have you been wanting to book that fun family shoot? Maybe 2019 is the year in which that should happen.

Or maybe you wanted your family to visit the zoo? Or go to the theatre to see a live production or show? Or maybe just to visit the botanical gardens.

To have fun doesn’t ask a whole lot, it just aks that we are present in the moment, laughing, enjoying, celebrating life, love and our children.

We learn when we teach

4. We learn when we teach.

Crosby Still Nash wrote a song many years ago. We should teach our children well. We should feed them on our dreams. When was the last time you taught your children something?

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.Teach your parents well,
Their children’s hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.

Every mother has something unique that she can teach her children. Maybe it is to paint. Maybe it is to sing. Maybe it is to tell stories. Or make flapjacks. Or how to love without conditions.

What you teach your children can never be taken from them. As a mother you have a deep, emotional connection with your children. Use this connection to teach them about life, love and everything else.

Family traditions.

5. Family traditions.

I believe traditions are like glue. When you create specials events for special days, your children will have something to look forward to.

We are so busy with the busyness of life that we forget to celebrate the big moments of life. Birthdays, anniversaries, weekends.

Traditions doesn’t have to be elaborate. Traditions can be little things but with big meaning. When we have this traditional moments, it is important to share the meaning and why you as a family are celebrating this.

Traditions goes hand in hand with routines. It creates an environment where childen feel safe, secure and comfortable. When they feel these things it is easier for them to develop emotional, cognitive and socially.

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2019 doesn’t need to be about extravagant changes. It can just be about small, but meaningful add-ons and tweaks. Our children only need our time, our love and our commitment to their development and growth.

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May 2019 be a year filled with love and greatness.

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Sonika Krüger is the founder of Flourish* by Sonika. Sonika is a mother, a lifestyle coach and a teacher.

You can find her here on Facebook. Or here on Instagram.


About Sonika

Sonika Krüger is first of all a mother. She is the owner of Flourish* by Sonika, a Life Coach and a teacher. Flourish* focus on motherhood, lifestyle, personal growth and time management. She shares from her own experiences. She is available for training and speaking engagements. Please follow Flourish* by Sonika on Facebook and Instagram.

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