A Practical Guide to Celebrating Mother's Day

Fellow Moms, I know Mother’s Day is often just another day with whining kids and falling asleep at 9:30 on the couch after an earnest attempt to watch a movie. But I wanted to share a few ideas on how to actually enjoy the weekend, try to celebrate being a mom and yourself. They are all doable! 

      Celebrate Being a Mom

-          Grab brunch or a late night drink with another mom friend. There’s nothing better than the solidarity of motherhood to feel good about the whole thing. If you can swing it, maybe throw in shopping or a pedicure (bet its been a while!)

-          Take the kids out for a meal and your significant other, if applicable, is entirely in charge. You both have to agree that if any whining or spilled milk happens, you do nothing except order another drink. After two mimosas, you won’t notice the whining and you’ll  feel like you’re crushing Mother’s Day ;-)

-          Take the kids somewhere new. Kids seem to have more interest and stamina when trying a new activity. Yes, there might be tears too but if there is something you’ve wanted to try or a place you’ve wanted to go, it could be a fun shared experience (new indoor playground, a hike, a museum, yoga together, etc)

-          Hang out with your own mom. If its an option to you, being with your own mom can sometimes be a good release and moment to celebrate both of your accomplishments!

-          If all else fails, read some funny parenting accounts on Instagram. I’ve compiled a few of my favorites here. It always makes me feel better!

 

Celebrate You

-          Take a long walk. Its only an hour or two and you can listen to an audio book, get in touch with your body a bit, enjoy the outside without anyone pulling on you, etc.

-          If you are like me and you actually WANT to clean your own house, have someone take the kids out for 2-3 hours. Then crank up the music in the house when you clean or wear noise cancelling headphones! (Tip – if no one is around and you are wearing noise cancelling headphones, cleaning often turns into a one-person dance party pretty quickly)  

-          You can certainly do the usual unwinding things if you can find time – spa day, massage, mani/pedi, yoga class, etc!

-          If you can’t fit those in, do something small. When the kids are asleep, ask for a 30 min massage or do your own nails. Last night I actually gave myself an at-home pedicure while watching a movie I’ve wanted to rent and drinking a margarita. It was amazing J

-          Get someone else to do it. This is the hardest thing on the list, but if you can, hire out the cleaning next time (or start a new service if you can afford it), hire out that house fix that has been driving you crazy, have someone deliver dinner, etc. Whatever you can do to cut out on something stressing you out.

-          Hang out with a friend, mom one or not. This always makes you feel like more of a person and less of a mom/wife/work addict, etc.

-          Retail therapy! Go out and buy something small at a fancy store. It’s a small indulgence and I bet its been a while since you actually walked around a store by yourself!

 

Enjoy this weekend however you can! If you don’t fit it in, just spend 30 mins Sunday night with a good movie, book or song when the kids go to sleep. You can do it!