Moms Need to Take Time for Themselves to Feel and Look Beautiful
When you spend your life running after a toddler
or shepherding bigger kids around town, you may be
feeling less like a happy mother and more like a
disenfranchised maid. When you’re thinking of
running off the Mexico instead of picking Jimmy up
from soccer, it may be time to take a break from
being Super Mommy and just be yourself.
You don’t have to send the kids to boarding school
to get a little me-time. In fact, you can put the
little dickens to work. Children as small as four
years old can be taught to brush your hair
(although they probably can’t learn to brush their
own just yet). You can share a face mask with your
kids, letting them rub it on your face. You can
rub a little on theirs too, and then everybody can
wash it off together.
Having time to yourself is an important part of
life, and mom’s need time too. If your children
are still at the napping age, invite a girlfriend
over at nap-time and do each other’s nails or
hair, just like you did when you were a teenager.
Trade babysitting with another mom and take
yourself out for a movie, or hire a sitter to take
your kids to a movie while you shop or stay home
to read.
--Editors Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a Home Spa with Common Grocery Store
Items
 You
don't have to spend lots of money to feel like a
princess, even if you spent the morning chasing
kids to the school bus and then getting yourself
ready for work. Shopping's hard work for people on
the go, and you may forget the necessary luxuries
in the rush of trying to get home to make dinner.
What happened to your favorite bubble bath, a tin
of caviar and a bottle of champagne? Who says you
can't lounge on pillows and eat grapes? (Out of
grapes? Put them on the list).
Things in the grocery store can turn your house
into a veritable spa. Natural cosmetics and beauty
treatments abound in the dairy and grain aisles.
If you want to start living a more splendid life
but don't want to spend your quality time and
cold, hard cash in expensive salons, get the
advice you need on finding fabulous things right
where you buy your butter and eggs.
Learn to shop for beauty groceries and treat
yourself to a home spa.
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An understanding dad takes his kids out once in
awhile without Mom. If you know an understanding
dad, help him plan a weekly or semi-weekly play
date where he can spend time with the kids and you
can do your own thing. Can’t remember what your
“own thing” is? Don’t worry; you’ll fret for a
couple of weeks, and then find something that
catches your imagination. I have a friend who
finally got some time to herself and didn’t know
what to do with it, after spending three years
with her boy. She felt so guilty, she almost
considered taking a full-time job instead of the
part-time one where she currently spend 30 hours a
week, plus a long commute. But she gave it some
thought, and returned to a long-time interest:
art.
Having your own interests makes you more fun to be
with. It reduces wrinkles, gives you something to
talk about with people who aren’t necessarily
moms, and shows your kids that being a mom isn’t
all work and no play. A well-rounded, satisfied
mom (or dad) tends to be in a better position to
raise well-rounded, satisfied children. Spending
every moment with your child does more than cheat
you of time spent on your own; it deprives your
child of the same opportunity. Kids need time to
draw quietly, to daydream and tell themselves
little stories. Just like moms do.
But you’re still a busy person, and quick beauty
means you’re saving time for more important
things. So use the following time-saving tips to
make the most of your time.
Use a moisturizer-sunscreen combination. That way,
if you decide on the spur of the moment to take
the kids to the park, your face is ready to go.
Slick the kids down with sunscreen, and off you
go.
Use lipstick with a sunscreen to protect lips too.
Professional makeup people prefer brushes for
perfect lips, but lipstick is faster and can be
smudged with your finger.
If you can find a shampoo-conditioner that works,
go ahead and use it. I haven’t found one that
works as a detangler, so it saves me time to use
separate products. My hair brushes a lot easier
and faster when I use conditioner.
Keep Kleenex and towelettes in the car and in your
purse for quick ice-cream clean-ups.
Keep meal bars in your purse to snack on between
trips to the store, the school, the tennis court,
the ballet lessons etc. etc. A hungry mom is a
cranky mom!
Buy salad mix instead of spending your time
washing and drying lettuce or spinach. In packages
or bulk mixes, it’s already washed, and baby
greens are cleaner than mature ones.
Teach your kids that unpeeled veggies are the way
they should be eaten. Peels have nutrients and
fiber that should be eaten. Even mashed potatoes
are better if you leave the peelings on. Just give
your veggies a scrub in the sink and they’re all
set.
One-pot meals save time on preparation and
washing-up too.
Do little chores during TV commercials. Dust a
table, put dishes away and get back on the couch.
Use commercials for getting kids into their
pajamas, brushing teeth or making tomorrow’s
lunches.
Start teaching your kids chores as soon as they
start walk. Even little kids can smooth their
beds, put toys back in the chest or help set the
table. If your children learn early that everyone
has chores to do, there will be fewer struggles
later on.
Take turns with your partner to be the one who
does more work around the house. Bring each other
coffee, and alternate making dinner. If there are
chores you each prefer to do, make them part of a
daily routine and trade off on the rest. Help each
other out with chores to increase household
harmony, to teach the kids how pleasant it can be
to help each other.
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If you’re like most of us, you sleep in something along the lines of a comfortable t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Give yourself a little pick-me-up with cute and sexy nighties, and wear them around the house just for kicks. Try a baby-doll or a strappy silk confection that clearly wasn’t meant to be slept in. Silk pajamas are fun for lounging, and even an old-fashioned embroidered cotton nightgown can put you in a different frame of mind. As you’re getting into bed, swap your play-clothes for — you guessed it — that comfy T-shirt and those soft, old sweats.
