Monday Motivation

During a personal coaching session last week, my client asked “when can I get a shower in?”. With a 2 year old, 18-month old and a newborn, she has a hard time getting her ‘me’ time in.

Getting some ‘me’ time in is always a challenge for a busy Mom. But it’s important! Even if it’s just 20 minutes to get ready for the day: shower, hair, make-up. If I don’t do my routine everyday, I’m not motivated. I just don’t feel ready. Here’s what I do every morning (yes, every morning):

• 5 minute shower including shaving.
• 2 minutes getting dressed – no frumpy sweats for me; I get ‘dressed’ every day.
• 5 minutes blow-drying my hair – I don’t have a lot of hair, so this may take you longer.
• 3 minutes applying make-up.
• 5 minutes tidying up the bathroom and bedroom.

“How do you find 20 minutes to yourself every morning” you say? From the time my son was an infant, I made sure to make the time for me to get ready. When he was a baby, I’d bring him into the bathroom with me in a bouncy seat or exersaucer.

As he got older he would spend time in his crib or his bedroom. Alone time is important for children too – they need to learn to entertain themselves. This encourages pretend play and creativity. Developing their imagination is important for learning.

When all else fails, I turn to the TV. I don’t believe in using cartoons as a baby sitter, but 20 minutes of Sesame Street or a cartoon on Noggin isn’t going to corrupt his mind. He sits on my bed with his morning cup of milk, and maybe a snack and watches a cartoon.

Getting alone time for mom is hard. This week take a baby step and focus on getting ready for the day – shower, make-up, etc. Trust me, you’ll feel better for it!