Finding Me Time
When you're a parent, you often spend most of your time taking care of someone else. Not that you mind, but it's easy to get so swept up in nurturing your child that you forget that the little one's parents deserve a little pampering, too. (Though not quite as literally as babies get pampered!)
We're pretty sure you won't need ideas on how to spend your quiet time, but in case you've completely forgotten what a good old-fashioned "spoil me" night feels like, here are some suggestions:
Make a deal to take some time out for yourself at least once a month (more if you can swing it!). Your mother would be thrilled to have her grandbaby for the evening. And if she's busy, there are probably only a dozen other relatives jockeying for a little alone time with your number one. Or swap nights with your partner—one takes the baby out for the evening while the other remembers what it's like to be home alone.
Turn your bathroom into an at-home spa. Run yourself a bath, dump in your best expensive salt, oil, or bubble bath, light some candles, and turn on some relaxing music. There's something sublime about a relaxing, warm soak. (Which explains all the overdue babies of the world, now doesn't it?) By the way, this tip totally goes for dads, too. Guy body washes foam up just as well as the girly ones!
Hit the mall and splurge on some inexpensive indulgences. Yes, $20 is too much to spend on body lotion, but at the end of the day, it's still just $20, particularly if you deserve it (and you totally do). The same goes for those pricey gourmet tea bags, that totally unnecessary golf ball cleaner or those knock-off earrings you've been eyeing. It's amazing how special one little purchase can make you feel.
Get yourself a stack of magazines you never have time to read anymore and go to town. Five back issues of Oprah? A dozen gossip rags? Three months' worth of Men's Health? Anything but magazines with the words "parent" or "baby" in the title!
Whatever you do, make it all about you ... and make it a habit. We hate to be the ones to say it, but you're going to need your strength over the years to come, so replenish yourself whenever you get a chance!
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