Time, TIME, time. Who has enough of it? Certainly not moms! We are constantly feeling pulled in a thousand directions: cooking, cleaning, kids, laundry, work, church, taking kids to dentist, dance, or soccer.  With all the demands of a mom, when is she supposed to find TIME for HERSELF? What? You mean there is such thing?

Can I just poop in private?

I remember when my kids were little, I couldn’t even find “me-time” in the bathroom. If I ever snuck away to take care of bathroom needs, it wouldn’t take long before I heard “mommy, where are you?” from the other side of the door and even saw little hands “waving” at me from under the door. I dreamed of the day that I could poop in private, or read a book, or take a walk, or go shopping for myself.

Ways to find time for yourself

1. Just say no: don’t schedule your life to death. Learn to say no to things that don’t matter and then stick with it. Don’t let guilt drive your decision on what you get involved in.
2. Schedule time for yourself: actually put your name on your calendar and keep your appointment with YOURSELF! I’ve often heard it said that if you don’t plan it, it won’t happen. That’s true even for your time to focus on what you enjoy! You might want to wake up an hour before the rest of the family. This is a great time to do something for yourself.
3. Don’t let mom-guilt keep you from enjoying yourself. The laundry can wait and so can the cleaning. If the kids go down for a nap, do something you enjoy. Read a book, exercise, check your social media, nap. Enjoy what you want to do and don’t worry about the other stuff. It will be there later, trust me!
4. Work together with other moms to schedule me-time. Maybe she can watch your kids for 2 hours in the morning and you can return the favor in the afternoon or on another day. You aren’t the only mom that struggles finding time for herself so reach out to your friends to help out.
5. Ask your husband for help. Yes, I get it. He works hard (but so do you). He just got home from a hard day (but so did you). He is tired (give me a break). Have a long talk with your husband and let him know that you need some time for yourself so that you can be a better wife to him (give him a wink and trust me, he’ll encourage you to take care of yourself. He knows he’ll benefit later). So when he has the kids, go to the grocery store by yourself. Go to the park for a walk. Ride around in your car looking at pretty yards or houses in your neighborhood. Heck, even drive down the block, turn off the car, and sit in your car in peace!

Life after kids

I have lots of “me-time” now because my children are grown and gone. I get to come home from work, cook dinner if I choose, and the rest of the night is really time for myself. Oh, I still have a husband and I still have responsibilities, but it is nothing like what it was when I had young children at home. I know it is hard to be a mom. Whether you are a working outside of the home mom or a working inside the home mom, you are a working mom and very rarely carve out time in your day just for something you enjoy. Try these tips and see if you can find some time to focus on yourself, renew your energy and balance out your chaos.

Be blessed,