Recently while cooking dinner, the toddler swam elbow-deep in the flour bin, face covered in white. The pre-schooler had donned a large set of oven mitts, karate-chopping the air nearby. I was planning the day, preparing a meal, directing kids in the other room and trying to stem back the tide of mess from the flour all at once.
And then, all felt silent. Drops of water stopped mid-stream from the faucet; the breeze hissed around our frozen frames. I stood perched on one foot, knee high in the air. I was NINJA MOM: the perfectly calm, strong, and centered woman amid chaos that my mentor had trained me to be.
Okay, so the water drops really didn’t freeze in the air, and I had no formal Mr. Miyagi or Yoda to school me in the arts of mothering. But consider the similar skills necessary to be a mother and to be a ninja: focus, balance, strength, patience, flexibility, self-control…comfortable clothing. The Power of Moms provides me with some of the most useful resources to gain the skills I need to negotiate the martial art of mothering. It is, in a sense, the “mothering dojo,” or training school, where moms can get the information they need to pursue and fulfill their missions.
Here is a guide to some of the resources on The Power of Moms that have proved indispensable to me on my journey through ninja mothering:
Balance: The Bloom Game Self-Assessment Tool has been one of the most powerful ways I’ve been able to put a finger on some of the imbalances in my life. The small self-survey is very thorough; you examine how you are spiritually, physically, intellectually, and socially. You consider how your feelings about your mothering, relationships, service, the family economy and your own personal development. I take the survey about every six months–and each each time the survey seems new to me. It gives me a lot of food for thought. Many a time I’ve felt frustrated with my life but didn’t know exactly why; the Bloom survey opened my eyes to what was bothering me (not enough sleep, no personal study, lack of service, etc.). The goal prompts under each category are also gems–I’ve been able to try out new things in my family to add more balance. For example, we tried a read-a-thon to build family unity and a Friday Family Movie Night.
Strength: The Power of Mom Retreats! Although posts that share real-life stories show me daily that I can also move forward in my own mothering, retreats have helped me chart my course long-term for my family. Twice I have been able to explore my own family economy (work, money and home organization), family legal system (laws, discipline), and family culture (traditions, priorities, motto, goals). The speakers are grounded, inspirational and relate to mothers of all backgrounds and seasons. Some of the retreat topics and materials are also available in family systems podcasts and webinars.
Patience: Some great tools that help moms gain the endurance it take to be a ninja daily:
- Learning Circles: Create a supportive group of mothers to study with, set deliberate mothering goals and cheer one another along the way
- Mommy is a Person Virtual Retreat: Learn ways to develop patience by setting personal priorities and goals
- Patience Power of the Month Posts: Read thoughtful essays from mothers also trying to develop patience in their mothering.
Flexibility, Agility: Want to be a nimble, clear-minded ninja mom who can handle any situation blindfolded? Mind Organization for Moms, or MOM, is the only formal organizational training focused on a woman’s core mothering priorities. It teaches mothers how to determine top priorities, set goals, do corporate-level effective project planning, streamline schedules, papers, planning sessions, projects and deliberately become the mothers we want to be.
- MOM full on-line version
- MOM in Two Weeks A great jump start!
- MOM Retreat in Southern California.
Self-Control and Progression: I love the Bloom Game! Its simple goal-setting format doesn’t encroach on my family time and I don’t spend extra time on the computer. Instead, I set concrete goals each week in specific areas of my life. I check off daily if I did my goal; I get to record moments of serendipity. Because of Bloom I have completed major tasks in small steps, began reading on my own again, started a better self-care regimen, serve people more, get one-time procrastinated tasks knocked off my list, etc. The weekly emails I received when I began were really inspirational as well. (Although now I write them, so I hope you find the personal coaching and goal ideas motivational and helpful!)
Comfortable Clothing: Okay, so maybe The Power of Moms didn’t provide me a with a soft pima cotton gi, but the articles and podcasts have provided me with the permission to feel comfortable in my own mothering skin. I now feel I don’t have to meet social or commercial standards of mothering. Instead, I can trust my instincts and my spiritual priorities. I am exactly what my children need, by nature of who I am. The Power of Moms has also given me the peace and courage to know that mothering, although rigorous, is doable. Joy is possible in mothering.
Maybe you’re not fighting masked assassins (resist temptation to insert “children” here), but mothering is the most important, far-reaching and challenging mission available to women. It requires a skill set that is physically, mentally, intellectually and emotionally demanding. Much of the potential to mother with great love and effectiveness is already within each woman. There is a dual need to trust and tap our inherent strengths as women, to trust in our inner mother power. At the same time, mothering is a process and skills can be acquired and developed. The Power of Moms exists to help you become the ninja mom you were meant to be.
QUESTION: Which articles and resources on The Power of Moms have been the most valuable to you? What skills and attributes do you want to develop these next few months as a mother?
CHALLENGE: Write in the the comment section what your favorite articles and resources are on The Power of Moms. Choose one ninja mom characteristic that you want to develop. Which resource could help you in your quest? Use that resource this week. Share this article with someone who might want to get to know the resources available on The Power of Moms.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
