Recently, I learned just how intense back to school is for moms. It’s not just a transition for the student; it’s also one for the parents. We adjust to new schedules. We meet teachers and make friends and lunches and breakfasts. We’re running from soccer to scouts to swim lessons and shuffling homework and family time and playdates.
You know what’s usually forgotten? The mom. The MOM. The mom who makes lunch and breakfast and drives the carpool and prepares a snack for all 8 kids that came to her home after the school bus dropped off the kids, not their own. The mom who finds herself sitting next to her 1st grader helping him to focus on completing his homework. The mom folding laundry until midnight because, until 11 pm, she was still completing forms for a field trip or a costume for Favorite Story Book Character Day.
And that Mom? There’s a good chance that she’s running around doing so much for others that she forgets herself. And so does everyone else. She forgets the importance of “me time” and that without “me time,” she just might forget who she is.
Me time is a necessity. It’s necessary to refresh. To think. To enjoy yourself, who you are, and where you come from. Me time rejuvenates a mom. It brings back her energy, spirit, and enthusiasm. Sadly, it’s usually the first thing to be brushed aside when there’s a busy schedule.
So, Moms. What’s your favorite Me Time? If you had 30 minutes, 2 hours, an afternoon, or a day, what would you do with it? Think hard… Me Time should be a time that you refresh. A time that you remember who you are outside of the laundry and lunches. A time that you focus 100% (okay, I’d be happy with 75% if that’s all I can do) on you.
Me? I try to get my toes done about once a month. Some weekends, I just take a few hours to run errands alone. Other days I enjoy tea and a book. But what I’ve found to be the most rewarding Me Time is the 3 times a week that I climb on the elliptical with a good book, working out while leaving my daily responsibilities and getting lost in a book. Or I practice pilates, stretching my body and letting my mind go.
Tonight, I tweeted and Facebooked a question: Moms, when’s the last time you had “me time”? What’s your favorite “me time” thing to do? Several of the responses included spa time and tea. Others listed books and magazines. But just under half asked, “what is me time?” or sarcastically responded that they don’t recall the last time they did anything for them.
Ladies! It’s time to celebrate you. Get a sitter, call a friend and offer to watch her kids today if she can watch yours tomorrow. Go do what you want to do. Soon. Tomorrow. Today.
Did you know that this week is Spa Week? Participating spas throughout the country are “doling out massages, facials, scrubs, acupuncture, Botox and more for the discounted price of $50 a piece.” (spaweek.com) Check out the fantastic offerings on Spaweek.com now, and book something for you.
- Or do something else.
- Just do something for yourself.
- Celebrate who you are.
- Refresh.
