Sanity Sustainers

As I journey further into my life with three children I am finding how important it is to find the time and the things that keep me sane so that I don't lose my mind or my temper while I attempt this new stage of Motherhood.

Here are a few of my "Sanity Sustainers" that help me get through a day (or an hour, or a minute):
Doing my hair and make up
Now I realize most of you may think this is my vanity kicking in, but truly I find peace and am recharged when I do my hair and makeup. Some women clean when stressed. Others exercise. I bust out my hot rollers and eyeliner and find a sense of control and accomplishment. The better my hair looks, the more difficult the day has been. My curling iron has saved lives. My kiddos' lives and my own!
Getting out of the house
I am the opposite of a homebody. I love my home, I just don't need to be in it very much. Having children has definitely slowed me down and kept me in my home more than I would prefer. But when I am having a crazy day or have completely lost am starting to lose my cool (i.e. crying right along with all three of my children) I do everything in my power to get out of the house. Something about a change of scenery and fresh air put things back into perspective. I try to get out of the house at least once a day. It may be to the nearby park or the Disneyland parks, depending on how adventurous I feel, but it has to be outside my front door.
Sleep
How awful is sleep deprivation? I had forgotten the desperation and loss of normal thinking and functioning that comes with lack of sleep. Even a 25 minute power nap can make all the difference in a day to keep my wits about me.
Adult time
Last week I had my dark day. The day when the lack of sleep finally catches up to you. The day when a friend or stranger offers you a concerned tilted head smile and tears burst forth from your eyes as though a dam had just been blown to bits. That was last Thursday for me. My husband kissed me goodbye as he went off to work, I cried. My friend sent me a text checking in to see how I was doing, I cried. Read an email about motherhood, I cried. A friend stopped by and hugged me hello, I cried. My daughter told me I was the best because I took her too the park, I cried. ALL DAY LONG I CRIED! But I cried less when my friend came to visit because adult interaction made life feel a bit more normal. I cried less when my husband came home because reinforcements had arrived AND conversation with him was more than about the game Candy Land and Princesses. Adult interaction definitely keeps me sane and I am becoming much more intentional to make that happen.
Eating
This one probably needs to go because it is no longer cute to have a big round belly now that I am no longer pregnant. (I am not fishing for compliments here, I know it will take time to get back to my pre pregnant body) But when I get a few moments of peace, I want a piece of pie or cake or candy or a bag of chips to go with it! Why is bad food so tasty? I would like to make a quick shout out to all of you who have helped me indulge in this part of my sanity in the past month. I truly appreciate you loving me in this way and if anyone else would like to send me sweets to keep me sane, leave me a comment with your email address and I will gladly send you an address to send or bring sweets to!
Looking at pictures
I have been working on gathering pictures for our 2011 Family Photo book and it is so great to walk down memory lane. As I scan our iPhoto library I often land on the pictures from my honeymoon and relish the memory of that vacation and how carefree my husband and I were. My blood pressure goes down for those few moments and helps  put me in a better space for when I need to tend to a tantrum throwing child.

How do you stay sane? I would love some more ideas to keeping a level head as I manage three children.

(Especially when the freaking garbage truck wakes one up from their nap! I HATE YOU GARBAGE TRUCK! Sanity Stealer right there!)