My Trick for Getting More ME TIME

I think we all know how important it is to get time for ourselves, “Me Time” if you will. I fully admit I am terrible about carving out some time for myself. I am knee deep in the trenches of raising 3 kids and all that comes with that- the mess, the never-ending to-do lists, school, sports, doctor’s appointments. You know, real life. But real life doesn’t lend itself for a lot of time for me.

My Trick for Getting More ME TIME

I do occasionally head out with a friend or two to celebrate a birthday or just to catch up, but all those “Moms Night Outs” are not really my thing. In fact, one year to celebrate my birthday, my friend organized a Mom’s Night In for me because she knew I preferred it to the loud crazy restaurants and bars that people tend to frequent for these events.  I also get some time alone to run errands and do things for the family, which admittedly can feel like a vacation if I get to go to places like Target and browse on my own. But in general, running errands isn’t relaxing and it doesn’t fill me up. I need a way to re-charge. So, I have worked out a new system with my husband and kids and I am loving it!

About once a week, I will ask my husband if this is a good time for me to go out and get some time to myself (this is different than any time I might have had alone running errands or at a doctor’s appointment). I might ask on a Sunday when he has been busy over the weekend and I haven’t gotten a lot of down time or I might ask after a hard day of being with the kids all. day. long. Regardless, I tell my husband and kids that I am going “out”. And then I make myself a coffee and perhaps sneak a special treat and I head to my bedroom. Yep, my bedroom.  In my bedroom, I have my computer, internet and now my sweet treats. Then I lock the door and breathe a sweet sigh of relief. ;)

What do I do in this Me Time, while I am “out”? It varies, but it usually involves some binge watching on Netflix or Hulu, some resting on the bed, perhaps with a book or a magazine. I have my coffee and my dessert and I have no guilt about being on my phone or working on the blog. It is pure heaven.

I know what you are thinking, I could never do that- the sound of the kids would bother me too much or they wouldn’t leave me alone. Well, first, I lock the door and remind them that Mommy is “out” and Daddy is in charge. I also might put on some headphones while watching an old episode of Friends or something. That works great because I can’t hear them and our walls are thin and that show should never have been on at 8’oclock at night!

The other reason I love it? The thing that just happened- my husband brought the baby in to say goodnight so I don’t have to miss some of the sweet moments! I get the best of both worlds!  On the flip side, I can also hop in if I hear continued issues or if I forgot to tell my husband some important instructions or even just to check in. Although, Daddy likes to play video games with the kids when I am out, so I often don’t even get a glance in my direction when I check in.

Overall, this new trick is working well for us and the dynamics of our family. I feel like it is giving me the time alone I need and it works well for my introverted personality. It might not always be this way and it might not work for you, but I encourage you to think outside of the box and find something that does work for you. We all need to recharge if we are going to make it through this motherhood thing in one piece!