I’ve found that as a mom, some days I would rather just sit around on the couch, watch movies, and eat Cheetos but in the life of a mom, it’s hard to do that.  I have two sweet children (and by sweet, I mean that they seem sweet to everyone else) who stay home most of the day.  But I don’t like to stay home so really we’re just gone most of the day.  On a normal day, I usually don’t even shower until 2 pm.  If I’m lucky, I’ll shower before noon.  If I’m lucky, I’ll sleep in past 6 am.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get in exercise during the day.  And if I’m lucky, I’ll get to actually watch the television show I’ve been saving on Hulu to watch at some point during the day.

But being a mom is hard work.  I feel like I’m cleaning up messes/spills, changing clothes (and kids’ clothes) because of the messes, making food, cleaning up food, making sure homework gets done, making sure errands get run, and fulfilling other responsibilities all day.  When I look back on my day, I feel success because of what I’ve accomplished, but I also can feel slightly depressed when I think about how much the day was focused on everyone else.  For example, as I’m even writing this post, I’ve got two kids cuddled up with me who have been sick all morning while we’re watching a Mickey movie.  I ate a couple of bites for breakfast but haven’t eaten since then.  I’m still in my workout gear which only was used for a few minutes before I was called into the bathroom again for another mess.

To stop that feeling like I didn’t get enough Me Time, I try to make sure I do a few things each day.

1.  I try to wake up before the kids wake up.  Most mornings it’s hard to do but it’s worth it.  I get to read, scroll through social media, and get a few other things done before I have to start my day.  My heart jumps (and not in a good way) every time I think I hear a bedroom door open but if I’ve been able to get a few things done, it’s a lot less stressful when it’s the kids coming down the stairs.

2.  Bathroom time is all about me.  I never lock the door but the kids know that if I’m in the bathroom, I am not to be bothered.  I may be gone 10 minutes while I watch part of the “Ellen Show” on YouTube but I’ll return back out those bathroom doors at some point.  And when I do, then the kids can complain or solicit my help however they see fit.  But until that bathroom door opens, I don’t even want to hear “mom.”  It sounds mean, but some days, it’s just what I need to stay sane.

3.  I like to make sure I get friend time just like I try to make sure my children have time with friends.  I admit that I’ve been that mom that lingered just a little too long to talk to the nice Gap cashier lady just to talk to an adult.  So making sure that I can see my friends every now and then is important.  Even if that just means that I stay and chat a few minutes to my children’s friend’s mom, I do it.

4.  I like to make sure that I take care of the way I look.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love wearing sweats and leggings.  In fact, if I could wear those everyday, all day, I would.  But some times it’s nice to actually do my hair, apply a little makeup, and wear something a little fancier.  Fun fact (“fun,” used loosely), the days I feel the worst about myself are the days I actually wear dresses and skirts.

Let’s take this day for example:

(I took out my face because although I did my makeup, I had Ptosis really bad that day because of how tired I was.  Ptosis basically means that my eyelid muscle has a hard time holding up my eyelid.  It shows if I’m tired at all.  So the days I am really tired, one eyelid is closed about halfway, or at least that is what it looks like to me.)

Anyway, the face isn’t what matters anyway.  What matters is that I used this cute skirt and shoes from My Sister’s Closet Boutique in Spanish Fork to pull off a day that I really wasn’t loving.  The more I love the way I look, the more I feel better about my day.

5.  At the end of the day, I like to go through my social media, read articles I’ve been wanting to read, watch a television show with or without my husband, and just relax.  I also like to plan out the following day so I’m not hit with too many surprises throughout the following day.  I like to have my Me Time and scheduling time into my day for myself is one of the best ways to make sure I’m taking care of myself.  Not everyday goes well or smoothly, and not even everyday do I get dressed for the day, but as a mother, it’s important to have Airplane Mentality:  You can only take care of someone else if you first take care of yourself.