Sometimes as a mama or a papa, its hard/impossible to find time to invest in yourself - especially on school holidays..... Once upon a time we had time for nails and brows, hell just a phone call without screaming like a banshee at your kids while the person on the other end questions your sanity is a luxury.
It would be brilliant if every day we had just an hour (or 10 minutes) to spend on something that we want to do, for us. Where during that time there were no disturbances, no one wanting from us and nothing on our minds. Unfortunately……this is not likely to happen today……or tomorrow…., but there are a few things we can enjoy doing with our kids that secretly we’re doing for ourselves!;
- The midday bath. On those days you just can’t deal with kids..... with life, and all that encompasses being a parent; dirty faces, dirty bums, dirty walls, dirty clothes……so yeah just basically everything dirty! The days you realise you are a glorified maid and bathroom attendant all rolled into one.....Baths can be (emphasis on “can be”) super relaxing. Best enjoyed alone – however as we have already established, today that is NOT the theme of the day. So next best thing, enjoy a bath with your babe!
- The dance contest*whispers* that really isn’t a dance contest,aka aerobics. Pop on an aerobics vid or set up a circuit outside and go for gold while your mini me joins in on your efforts. It may not be the workout you’re after, but as you sit on the couch at 9pm eating a packet of Tim Tams, you’ll be at least happy you gave it a nudge!
- A Brilliant friend and fellow mama introduced me to the game of hotels. Here is the low down;You explain to the kids that you are going to play a game. You are pretending that very very special guests are arriving. Batman maybe or Elsa (or the wolf from the 3 little pig, unless they hurry up). It is now a competition on who can do the best cleaning job for the arrival of coming guests. Cue the rags and get scrubbing those skirting boards-yippeeeee (this one can sometimes take a little encouragement….)!
- Get crafty. Lets be honest, painting with kids is messy, and the cleanup is the pits! So why not make it double as a “mindfulness” session for yourself. For those not familiar with mindfulness, it is, in essence, the mental state of focusing on the task you are doing in that moment wholly i.e. the way the paint swishes on your fingers, the way your fingers feel against the paint and the paper blah blah blah. It’s a chance to essentially meditate while expressing your inner creativity – sorry to go all earth mother on you, but it can be incredibly relaxing!.....and if its not working for you, then turn on some heavy metal and get angry at the paper with said brush - could be great therapy!
One day we’ll get to enjoy some uninterrupted time alone, and when that time comes, I’m sure we’ll be begging for the crazy that is children. So for now; yay to the small victories.
