I did a very poor job of taking care of myself during the conference, and I am feeling the effects now. Very long hours of work, very little sleep and poor diet, have brought on a bout of anemia. I am rather susceptible anyway, but it is rearing its big ugly head right now. I have bruises all over my legs, and I have no idea where they came from. The last couple of days while we have been packing up, I have been hit by waves of nausea and dizzy spells. My body has let me know that I have been abusing it.

However, I am glad to have had the experiences I did, that is leading to my body’s breakdown. The time with friends, and the ability to give back to other stressed out parents, and hear the gratitude makes it all worth it.

My plan for tonight is to get some laundry started, post these blogs, and then head for a long soak in the tub, and a good night’s sleep in my OWN bed!

Tomorrow I will hit the ground running again, unless my body makes me completely unable to handle it.

I am not the only in this situation. Many times we spend so much time giving to our kids that we forget to take care of ourselves. My friend, Lucy, only took a break when she landed in the hospital and had to have gall bladder surgery. She spent five days in the hospital and she enjoyed every minute of it. How sad is that?

We feel selfish if we spend time taking care of ourselves because we feel we should be “giving” to our kids. If we have nothing left to give them, what good are we? A well rested and healthy parent is a good parent, not a selfish one. Don’t we send our kids to bed early or have them take naps when we can tell they are getting tired and cranky? Why do we treat ourselves as less important?

If your body is sending similar messages listen to it. Draw yourself a bath, dump in lots of bubbles and soak. Join me in scheduling a spa treatment. I am making a call in the morning to get a facial, massage or some other treatment. I have earned it, and so have you.

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