Alarm goes off and up you go: breakfast, diaper changes, carpool … our daily list is endless. By the time dinner is made and homework is done, I’m counting down the minutes until these little humans are snuggled up in bed. I literally can’t wait to change into my favorite leggings, put on my slippers and sit down on the couch without a child in site.
The struggle is real. Let’s be honest … just because I’m sitting down childless does not mean I’m relaxing. I cringe as the number of unread emails mount during the day. My mother wants to FaceTime just as I’m about to watch last weeks Grey’s Anatomy. Then my husband walks into the living room; sure he pretends to watch along with me and enjoy every dramatic second but I know he’s just waiting for me to hand him the remote. Sure enough, I watch as the channel quickly changes to Sports Center.
I don’t mind-ish. I mean, we haven’t seen each other all day and I want to hang out with him without our three children pining for his attention (he is the fun one in our house according to the kids). We made a pact that in 2017 we were going to become more intentional with our time. I’m going to share the top 5 commitments we made to maintain our sanity, keep our relationship strong, and most importantly make time for ourselves.
Quality Time
While I do love binge watching my favorite TV series and scrolling aimlessly on Instagram, it does get old. My husband and I decided to challenge ourselves and pick an activity we can do together after the kids go to sleep. We picked a book to read together which we have never done; so I might be blogging next month on, “ How not to spend quality time.” Haha. It’s just something to change up our routine and spend time together as a couple and not just as parents.
Self Care
This is so extremely important for parents but especially moms, our lives revolve around the needs of our family. Without taking the time for US there is sure to be burn out. In our house we are committed that each parent gets two nights a week for physical activity, I am a yogi and he is an athlete so he plays basketball and I hit the yoga studio. Personally I sometimes struggle with “Mom Guilt” so evening workouts seem to work well for our family.
Alone Time
There are those days were you want to spend some quiet time with yourself, and no, that doesn’t just mean exercise or grocery shopping. I’m a book store junkie. I can roam in a bookstore for hours. Browsing, enjoying warm tea with no one pulling at my leg or telling me they’re bored. Alone time looks different for everyone and it doesn’t have to be a huge planned thing. Thirty minutes in a hot bath when the house is quiet and the day is melting away can make you feel brand new.
Grab a Girlfriend
There is a local theater by my house that has ladies night! $6 dollars for a ticket and you can order a cocktail; it’s amazing! Grab a girlfriend and go see a late movie. We all need to find our tribe. Its easy to get in the routine of staying in for one reason or the other, but when I force myself out of my routine is when I have the best time.
Check Out
I recently read an article about the benefits of children checking out for 45 minutes everyday so that they can recharge. Sounds amazing right? For me, checking out would be turning off my email alerts, and putting down my cell phone. Snuggling up and finally finishing that Grey’s Anatomy show I’ve been trying to watch all week.
Mama time and couples time looks different for everyone but I challenge my fellow mamas to MAKE THE TIME! Please share any tips and tricks you have.