Getting Help

I guess the most exciting news of the weekend is that my back feels significantly better. The massage therapist was able to really zone in on the spots that hurt. She said she could feel the knots and tension there and I could feel that she was really hitting the right places. I have been painfree since the massage and hope that is stays that way.
Sometimes I feel guilty about treating myself to things like massages or some babysitting time but I am also aware that it does not really help anyone when women set themselves up to be martyrs. You cannot keep giving to others if you do not take care of yourself. While most women would agree on this idea in principle, we are often very good at making excuses as to why we don't really need the extra help/sleep/etc... Obviously everyone needs to take their financial situation into account but some basic needs we often neglect are sleep, adequate nutrition and breaks from childcare.
While I was nervous about the busy weekend we had planned, everything ran really smoothly because of the network of help we had set up. First of all, I got my back fixed. Next I made sure to get a good night's sleep Friday night (kudos to my husband for getting up with the kids on Shabbos mornings). Finally, we had a babysitter accompany us to shul to make sure the kids would be supervised and safe. She also stayed for lunch so that my husband could focus on the guests, I could focus on hosting/serving and know the kids were taken care of as well. Basically, everyone was happy and everyone's needs were met. And I wasn't a total exhausted wreck by the end of shabbos.
The moral of the story- take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Shavua Tov