You know the ones I'm talking about. Those moms who once they have children suddenly quit taking care of themselves and who start wearing sweatpants and old t-shirts out everywhere and never really fix their hair. I like to watch makeover shows, and many times the woman they are making over is a woman who forgot how to take care of herself once she had kids. I never really understood how that could happen, even after having one child. But now, having two kids, I get it. I often find myself feeling like I have no time for me. Sometimes it feels like by the time I get one kid napping, the second kid is hungry, and by the time the second kid is fed, the first one is waking up from their nap, and on and on. How am I supposed to find time to take a shower in that schedule, much less the time to actually fix my hair?
I don't want to be slouchy when it comes to taking care of myself. It is hard, really hard, sometimes to have the motivation to take the time to take care of myself the way I should when I feel so crazy busy with the kids (among other things). It doesn't help that I work from home, meaning that no one will see me. What does it matter if I'm hanging out in my pjs or sweatpants all day long?
First off, I'm thinking about it wrong, because it does matter because my husband will see me even if no one else does. I'm taking for granted that he would probably prefer for me to take the time to get ready during rather than looking sloppy. (Now, don't get me wrong, being able to hang out in your pjs with your spouse is a great thing . . . what I'm talking about is separate from that).
Secondly, my problem is that I don't make myself get a good start to the day. I do have kid-free time if I get up early enough. It really doesn't take that long to get myself ready . . . it just seems that way when I wait until both kids are up and going. I want to make a conscious effort to take the time for myself that I need. I don't want to let myself become one of those moms who lose themselves because of their kids. I know I'll feel better about myself if I'm taking the time to get a good start to the day taking just a few minutes to get ready properly. I write all of this as I'm sitting here in my pjs thinking about how I wished I would have gotten ready first thing this morning so that I would have the time for it, and I'd feel great about myself.
On an unrelated note, I entered Ella's photo into the I Heart Faces contest this week. I Heart Faces is opening this challenge up for voting, and I would love if you would vote for Ella (if you like the picture, of course!). She's entry number 8! Thank you!
