Look for the mommycessities the simple mommycessities…forget about your worries and your strife!

That’s what I do.

Oftentimes new moms (some veteran moms, too!) say things like “I don’t have time for myself anymore with the kids,” or “I’ve had to sacrifice my (hair, nails, shopping, etc.) because of my family.” I hate hearing that. Why does one have to live independent of the other? Why do mamas feel the need to stop taking care of themselves because they’re parents now? If anything, I believe the complete opposite to be true.

One thing I have never sacrificed in my four years of parenting is my Vanessa-TLC. That means everything from shopping (occasionally) to getting my nails done (regularly) to spending some time (semi-regularly) at the spa or salon and escaping family dinner for a happy hour with girlfriends (often!) . This “me-time” keeps me sane and keeps me pampered. Some may think it’s a wee bit selfish, but I’m here to tell you why I think it’s important that you NOT lose yourself to mommyhood.

Reason #1: When You Look Good You Feel Good

Manicure with OPI Fuzzy BunnyThat old adage, when you look good you feel good, is 100% true, so it’s important to keep lookin’ good. That doesn’t mean you need become a glam mom, but it could mean keeping your hair color fresh (covering grays or your roots, etc.) or your nails manicured. Maybe for you it’s an occasional pedicure or a heavenly massage. A lot of friends say that they’d love to keep their “maintenance” up, but since having kids the budget just doesn’t allow for it and to that I say…I understand. Budgets are tough once the baby/babies comes around just like you adjust to the extra dollars diapers add to the grocery store bill, try and imagine your budget with $100 ($200!) “Mommy Bucks!” on a quarterly basis. A couple of other tips to making this work for your budget are to: 1.) Look for Groupons. I’ll be frank and say that the groupons I have purchased for massages haven’t been the best massage I’ve ever gotten in my life, but at the end of the day, part of the “maintenance” journey is the escape from picking toys up off the ground and so a 50% off massage is better than no massage at all. 2.) Visit a cosmetology school. When I lived in Dallas I used to go to The Aveda Institute for my hair. I was fresh out of college and didn’t have a ton of money to spend on myself, but made it work. It will take longer, but it’s REALLY affordable and will still accomplish the escape you’re hoping for.

Reason #2: Escape

Let’s be real. Nothing…and I mean nothing (well…maybe a few things)…is better than going to the grocery store sans kids. It’s like this secret thing people don’t tell you will be great when you have kids. You get to go down every aisle.

What? I don’t have an animal? I still want to know what this dog food is like.

I mean, it’s awesome. This can be equally awesome. You get to drive in your car solo…listen to WHATEVER you want even if every other word is the F bomb (or if you still want to sing Let It Go because YOU love it)….you don’t have to carry your diaper bag…do I have to go on? Seriously, the second best reason to give yourself some Mommycessities is because you get a mini vacation. Editor’s Note: Now that Caroline is nearly four she DOES come with me to get her nails painted every other month as a behavior incentive. This is totally fine, but I’m clear with her dad that when she’s with me it doesn’t “count” as being an escape.

Reason #3: You DESERVE It!

Ladies, we work hard! Whether you’re a kick ass stay at home mom or a bad ass working mom, we all deserve a little pat on the back for our contribution to the familia. My mom said to me recently that you don’t deserve a gold star for doing your job, but I think parenthood is a bit different. No, you don’t deserve a gold star, but you (we) work hard and it’s nice to be treated on days other than Mother’s Day and birthdays. The house is NEVER going to be perfectly clean (except the five minutes after the maid cleans before anyone sets foot in the door) and there is always additional work to be done, but you’re (we’re) doing an amazing job and should feel good celebrating ourselves.

So, tell me, if you didn’t have to worry about budget, time and all of these other things what would your #1 mommycessity be? Comment below.

This is NOT a sponsored post, but I will say, if you’re new to Austin or simply looking for a new place to relax a few of my favorite places are Bella, Milk and Honey, Blo (seriously loved them before the sponsored our MNO and now I love them more!) and WaterStone.

 

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