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Time Outs For Mom? Yes, Please!

We talk a lot about giving our kids time outs, but have you remembered yourself? Are you giving
yourself time outs from all of the mommy-, home-, and professional-life duties? When my kids were little, some times even 30 minutes of not being needed helped me feel so refreshed! And guess what happens when we feel refreshed? We are better moms, wives, and friends and feel whole again - like maybe we can do this mom thing and aren't such a failure after all.

So what are some great things to do to take care of you, to make you feel like yourself?

1. Work out. This doesn't have to mean going to the gym every day or spending hours on machines and weights. This can be something as simple and free as grabbing another mom friend, putting your kids in a baby carrier and/or stroller, and going for a walk or run.

You could find a gym that has baby sitting services. When my kids were little, I found a Jazzercise class where I babysat once a week so got my membership comped. There are numerous boot camp/workout classes now where you can take your stroller-bound kids as well. All of these options help you take care of yourself physically and mentally because you get mom interaction while you work out - what a great win/win!

2. Take care of your appearance. We all know we feel so much better when we shower, brush our hair, wear something besides yesterday's dirty clothes, so it's important to make an effort to do so. This can be hard, especially when the kids are little and some days just getting out the door can be a struggle, but I have a few tips.

If you have shoulder-length hair or longer, I have a great pony tail trick that you're going to love! It gives your hair the appearance of a blow out and takes less than a minute - truly! With regard to your skin, never go to bed without washing your face. Your future self will be so happy. At night, make sure to use a moisturizer and use a great Lash Serum to minimize the need for daily mascara (unless you want to).

During the day, grab an easy-to-use overall face glow that includes anti-aging benefits and SPF for  and your favorite lip gloss (this great, inexpensive lip gloss set comes in 3 shades that look fantastic on anyone). In 5 minutes or less, you will look better and feel better!

3. Make time for your hobby, at least once weekly. I know this sounds ridiculous because you don't have time for anything, but if you make time, the benefits will be well worth it. Do you like to read? Find your local library online and get fantastic audible or kindle books for free.

Maybe you like taking a bath, hiking, knitting, doing crafts, or binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix. Whatever it is, find one day a week during nap time and do what you love. Or hire a sitter or make it non-negotiable with your husband that you need that time. Or (gasp) plop the kids in front of tech.

If your kids can read and like to do worksheets (yes, some do), celebrate Back-to-School and encourage them to practice math with this cute themed division worksheet (answer key here) or look below for both the questions and the answers. For more fun math resources, check out Education.com.

I will admit to not following all of these every week when my kids were young. But the days and weeks that I did, I was happier. And as we all know, happy mom means happy kids and happy life for the family.

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