May is my favourite month, and maybe this has something to do with the fact that it’s my birthday month.
I’ve put together a valuable list of 31 practical ways to help you feel better. Taking care of yourself matters—if the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that self-care isn’t optional, it’s essential.
Save money for a rainy day fund (I know this is not exciting, but if something happens, you will be glad you have the extra cash)
Spend time at a day spa
Join a local group that you are interested in (what about drama, photography, or drawing)
Have a pedicure
Shop for a new outfit
Outsource your housework
Stay at a hotel for a few nights
Schedule time in for you (Make sure you put the time in your diary for just you. This time is not getting booked out for work meetings, and is just for you!)
You might be questioning my title. Knee Beards??? What the? You say.
Yes knee beards are a thing (You heard the term here first….I feel like now I should copyright it) and it got to a very hairy problem months after Alexander was born. I was still sporting some knee beards. Although I must say my legs are very nice (So I have been told) but having knee beards does not make them look very attractive.
If you don’t know what a knee beard is it is all the hair that grows around your knee region, if you don’t shave for a while it grows longer and maybe with pregnancy hormones this makes things even more longer and weird. Okay, you get the picture now.
A dramatic recreation of the knee beard. Yes it might be a little worse than it actually was but it felt like it looked this bad.
I finally took matters into my own hands and removed my knee beards but it took me two months of living with them to finally remove them. Why did it take me so long? Well as a new mum to a new baby, finding time for self care is hard. This is even harder when you have other children to care for as well. I cannot just swan in and have a bath and shave my legs. Nope. Sitting or lying in a bath to relax is difficult to impossible. My twins will then want to join me and therefore ruining the peaceful and relaxing state that I was attempting to create.
It was not just knee beards that needed my attention. Some of the other things that normally get waxed have been forgotten about or just left as it is in the too hard basket. My aim is to book time at the beauticians on a weekend this way hubby can mind kids and I can get some things done. After I have had some much needed beauty therapy I can then tackle the pool again in the aim to tone up and lose some of the baby weight.
My hair also needs some attention. I have noticed that it is rather dry and rough on the ends. This is probably not helping the fact that I am loosing hair when I brush or even when I shower. Yes hand fulls are coming out. Maybe this is due to hormones after having a baby? I hope so as I’m getting worried that I might soon be bald. So basically knee beards are the least of my worries really.
My out of control hair. Desperate to go to the hairdressers.
I think that I just need to have my hair cut and tidied, and I know it might not be good but a nice colour to jazz up my look might be in order. It would make me feel good and also much more glamorous. As a stay at home mum to three kids now feeling more glam is always a good thing.
Do you get time for a little bit of self care? A mani, or pedi?
Maybe a trip to the pool or the gym? Have you been to the hairdressers lately?
I am so keen to get my hair done I have thought about doing it with the baby with me. However I have stopped myself, I don’t want to be dealing with a crying baby while trying to relax.
This time will just be for me. My time to do something for myself.
Let us know how you fit it all in with everyone’s busy schedules.
Yes pre-school is back for term 4, although the last one of the year but I am happy that school is back. Having the kids at pre-school allows me to do my things or just have a rest from the constant wants of little kids. It is hard to be on and going non stop and it is very nice to have the house quiet and some down time. Although this down time does consist of tidying and cleaning but I will try not to do too much as I need to maximise my two days this week. The girls only have two days this week due to a pupil free day on Monday, so next week back to the standard three days and an even happier mummy.
Do you like your quiet time? I know I do. I love it when I am alone and able to concentrate and get things done. Sometimes I do feel terrible for wanting to be left alone but I suppose that is what mothers do, they feel guilty about looking after themselves. I am trying not to feel bad as it is good to do self care and focus on you. A better mother makes a better family.
It was hard to get everyone out of the house this morning and even harder when I had to wake very tired kids. Why is it that when it is school holidays they wake at 6am or earlier and when it is a school day mummy has to wake them and get them out of bed. Not fair I must say.
This term I am going to aim to be more organised and have my things ready to go, by this I mean my sewing, study and so on. I aim to create more, do more and just get more done that I would like to achieve. My fear is that if I don’t then I will be in school holidays again and hanging for next year for school to start again. I know, never happy. So watch this space, I am going to be a force to be reckoned with, a creative dynamite (well I can live in hope, can’t I?)
I am looking forward to the Christmas school holidays as we are going to visit Grandma and Grandad and go to the beach. As I am originally from Queensland, I miss the beach and the hot weather. So going to the beach is something that I really miss and cannot wait to do. Bring it on! The kids will love it and it will be a good day out, however need to wait until December for this unless we go up the coast on the weekend or to the city.
Are you happy school has gone back? Is it just me that hangs for school to return? I love the kids and enjoy being with them, but school is my only time out. I am sure there are others that feel the same way. It is a bit sad that it is the last term of the year, soon it will mark the end of my girls first year at pre-school. Some of their friends are off to big school next year but they have another year. They need to be 5 in the middle of the year but they are 5 in September (the end of the year), so they have to go the next year. This is good as they will have another year learning and growing and be bigger and better for big school in 2014. Send in your comments.
