Meet Sonya 1

Hi there! I’m Sonya.

Ever catch yourself saying, “I just never have enough time to get all.the.things. done!”

You know what it feels like to wake up in the morning, your mind is weighed down with everything you have to do and you haven’t even stepped out of bed yet.

Sometimes you feel like life might be better if you just stayed there, pulled the covers over your head, and ignored it all.

It’s only 7 a.m. and already your energy and excitement is zapped.

Somehow you make it through the day because let’s face it, your coffee is thankfully stronger than your kids. #mommeme

Then somewhere around 11 p.m. you crawl into bed and sigh heavily, to do it all over again the next day.

But…will tomorrow be any different?

As you lay there, your husband easily slips off into dreamland, but your stuck in your thoughts as they start to replay over and over again in your mind.

“The house is a mess. I’m a hot mess. I know I need deeper friendships in my life—everyone else seems to have them, why not me? This is so not how I thought being a mom would be like. I feel like all I do are the same things over and over. And…does it all really matter anyway?”

Tears start to stream down your face as the overwhelm overcomes you because to be honest, deep down you’re afraid that you’re not really a good mom—and that you never will be. 

Feeling Defeated Before You Even Start?

A common mistake the overwhelmed mom makes—I made it too—is that she starts with the wrong solution to fix the overwhelm.

She tries to master her schedule with a new planner, writing goals, trying new tricks—so that she can finally feel like she’s getting ahead.

I know what it feels like when you’re so overwhelmed that you just want to stay in bed. And when you finally work up enough courage because you know that something needs to be done…you spend the time to find what you think will work, then when you find it…you try it…then fail miserably.

Repeating the cycle all over again wondering what you did wrong and why you’re such a failure as a mom.

As a busy mom, I know what it feels like to be so overwhelmed that you feel defeated before you even start.

I used to feel that way too. That’s why I’m passionate about helping moms find simple, practical solutions for making motherhood meaningful in the areas of faith, health, family and lifestyle.

By the way—have you grabbed the Make Life Easier Checklist? It’s one of those things I had to learn in the beginning. It helped me to relieve stress—and be more productive, one day at a time.

Grab the checklist here.

That checklist is just one way I’ve learned how to be a healthy living mom. It’s been a process of intentionally taking back control of my life—in order to simplify my life and create a healthy home for my family.

Not like Marie Kondo, Hygge, or becoming minimalist…

Simplifying life is intentionally making things clear.

And if you’re not quite sure what I mean, I you can read more about it in 3 Easy Steps to Simplify Life That’ll Turn You Into a Great Mom.

To do this, I’ve had to do things differently. Completely different than most moms.

To start, I’ve built a strong foundation of faith that guides everything for me, my marriage, and being a mom. From there, I’ve mastered my mindset and my self talk. It’s only then that I’ve been able to take control of schedules, systems, and so much more in order to enjoy motherhood and a healthy lifestyle.

And this is the difference.

Most overwhelmed moms are busy trying to figure out HOW to stop the feeling of overwhelm with mastering how they juggle everything—think mom tips, tricks and hacks.

But the real key to crushing that overwhelm and becoming a healthy living mom is when you KNOW…

  • Who you are
  • Why you do what you do
  • What you do
  • and only then can you truly master HOW you do it all.

Your life becomes simplified—so crystal clear—that overwhelm doesn’t even have a chance to show it’s face. And if it does, you know why and you know exactly what to do about it.

A Little More About My Simple Life

I live in Michigan, where you can drive just a short distance and experience the lake, hiking in the hills, flat farm land, and the big city life. I’ve always loved living here because we get to experience all four seasons. Here’s a sunset view from our front window in early November. Although don’t be deceived—we get way more snow than this!

Meet Sonya 2

Although the snow is pretty and I often like to imagine that the delicate flakes are kisses from heaven—I’m not a huge fan of driving in it. And…if you’re anything like me, I can tell you the best kept secret for a less stressful commute is a set of snow tires. I just don’t do winter driving without them.

Even after I wrote this about kisses from heaven—I found this cute sign in Meijer! You see it’s true!

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven! It's a reminder that God loves me and is pleased that I want to be a better mom.

The Last Thing I Thought I’d Ever Do

This year we officially started homeschooling our son, Sebastian. Although I come from a family of teachers and actually spent three out of four of my college years with the intention of becoming a teacher, homeschooling was the last thing I thought I would ever do. Like VERY last thing.

Talk about overwhelm—doing something you never thought you’d ever do—and yet God made it evident to both my husband and I that homeschooling was what we needed to do for our family.

Our son Sebastian really enjoys reading, learning, playing and listening to music and most of all he likes going places. So this is kinda a running joke in our family because ever since our son was a baby he has always liked to go places.

Even this past year, there was a time when we only had one vehicle. Sebastian often would tell my husband to leave the truck and walk to work because he wanted to go places. My husband’s coworkers thought that was funny—like who’s really in charge, right?!!

Here’s a picture I took of him “going places” with my husband. One thing to note, my husband doesn’t like his picture taken, and we don’t share our son’s picture much either. More on that in How to Share Less and Love More on Social Media.

Meet Sonya 3

From Overwhelmed to Confident

Speaking of going places, can you even imagine doing this with your kids when you feel so overwhelmed by life that some days all you want to do is stay at home?

Even just going to the grocery store can be a battle, right? Why would you want to take them places?

I’ve had to master my health, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically to be able to do just that—plus manage my home, homeschool, run two businesses, and maintain a speaking schedule of 2 to 3 times a year.

Like I said, I had to figure out how to crush the overwhelm and part of that was exposing some lies I was believing—here’s the post about three lies I was believing about being a mom.

And you know there’s something interesting about that too…

Those lies actually came to light during a time when we were physically living differently than most people.

Did you know that for three years our family lived in our garage?

Most people think that we lived in our garage because we had too—like we were struggling financially, but the truth is that God very specifically led us to that place for those three years.

Sometimes even during that difficult time the thought would come up, “Did I hear God wrong?”.

But one of the things that I’m most known for is my strong relationship with the Lord…and living in our garage was another one of those reasons why I had to master a strong foundation of faith. You can read more about that in Did I Hear God Wrong? My Personal Story.

Today we live in a home that God also led us to to…and honestly it never would’ve happened without us seeking Him first.

No literally. I never wanted to live in this city and I didn’t want this house because I thought it wasn’t good enough.

Here at Healthy Living Mom, I’m all about helping moms like you live from the RIGHT foundation. To create healthier solutions that help you feel confident, energized and equipped to be the best mom ever.

Crushing the Overwhelm

The perfect mom, doesn’t exist, but you and I still feel that pressure to be her.

I’m a firm believer that when you have a growing relationship with God and understand specifically how He created you to be as a mom, the pressure to be the perfect mom is powerless.

You have more confidence. You feel empowered…and…your family and friends will take notice.

When you have a renewed sense of who you are, you feel better about yourself—spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. You look at your future differently. You feel free to dream again and you face decisions and choices with anticipation and excitement.

Becoming a healthy living mom—it’s also fun! There’s no more, “perfect” requirements. You get to truly enjoy motherhood without losing yourself. It helps you to really simplify your life so you can say no to what’s good and say yes to what’s best.

This blog started shortly after my own transformation.

Meet Sonya 4

Because I had changed, I started to hear some of the same things over and over again from overwhelmed moms.

“I’m juggling so many hats!”

“There’s just too much to do as a mom.”

“I feel like I’m losing myself.”

“I’m afraid I’m not a good mom—and that I’ll never be.”

These same moms would turn to me and ask,

“Sonya, what do you do? You always seem excited about life and like you have everything in order. What’s your secret?”

As more moms asked, I realized that I knew something and that God was leading me to help other moms in their journey too.

So that’s a lot of what you will find here.

Healthy Living Mom #healthylivingmomblog

Being Brave

I am all about taking complex or overwhelming things and offering you quick, simple, practical tips that you can do right away. But I’m also not afraid to try hard things or think through some hard topics and I will ask you to do the same.

Some of the things I’ve learned are related to the everyday—those things that can easily cause overwhelm, while most of what I share tends to go to a much deeper level.

I help you to move from “It’s hard being a mom” to “I’m really enjoying being a mom and I can’t wait to see what this season holds for me.”

Becoming a healthy living mom is not for everyone, but it might be for someone as brave as you.

You’ll learn more how to:

  • grow your relationship with God
  • practice healthy self care
  • discover how to actually take control of your self talk
  • create a strong marriage
  • raise your kids to be responsible adults (so they don’t end up living in your basement when they’re 26)
  • cultivate meaningful relationships
  • juggle those busy schedules without losing your mind
  • manage your home
  • truly enjoy a healthier lifestyle

And…I also know what it feels like when you realize that you’re not in that place of overwhelm anymore but in a new place. A place where you really feel like you’re enjoying life and motherhood.

It’s sometimes surreal, believe me, but it’s pretty amazing to think where I’ve been and how far I’ve come.

This has been my journey and I know that if this is true of my life, it certainly can be true for your life too.

Free From the Feeling of Overwhelm

In addition to spending time with my family, writing, and reading—I really enjoy quiet walks in the early morning. And of course, I enjoy it when the temperatures outside are above freezing. But those winter morning walks are pretty kewl too.

Meet Sonya 5

I’d love for you to get to know me better—and I’ve love to get to know you too. 

Welcome to Healthy Living Mom!

I’d love for you to join me in the journey of becoming a healthy living mom. It’s truly a life that is free from the feeling of overwhelm.

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