4 Simple Ways for Mom to Have More Time for Herself

     Moms the world over are overworked. We have the most time-consuming, thankless jobs with no income to show for it. We get paid in tiny arms wrapped around our necks and sweet puckers from the little lips of the ones we work for. And we may think the job is thankless but it really isn’t; we just don’t see a return on our investment until 20 years later. The time, however… The time remains the same. And there is little for us.

     Moms need a break once in a while. We are superwomen, juggling so many different things that we can’t even stop to be amazed at everything we are capable of. Yet, when enough becomes enough, that’s when we’ve had enough! We don’t just deserve a break, we need a break.

4 Simple Ways for Mom to Have More Time for Herself
image from pixaby.com

     So here I’m sharing some of the ways I have gotten some time for myself, or what other moms have told me they do. Hopefully, you can use some of these to take your one break a month (or year, for some).

Lock the Doors

     I could continue that line with “…and hope they don’t have blasters,” but my kids do have blasters. And when they are not running around blaring lights and sounds, they are shooting each other with Nerf bullets. All of that noise may put you over the edge and it is time to getaway. In that case, go and lock the door. If even your spouse can’t get in then they know you mean business. They will help deflect the kids from entering and attempt to quiet things down a little (making even more noise in the process).

     You need those 10 minutes to yourself and don’t be concerned to stretch that out to 30 minutes or an hour. Your spouse can (pretend to) handle things and your kids will survive.

Schedule Time for Yourself

     If you are a stay-at-home mom, you may find that you have fallen into a routine. If that routine does not provide for some free time for just yourself, work it into the schedule. Don’t wait for when your spouse gets home to have time; they will want to spend time with you and that time will probably include meal preparation and family activities.

     Instead, schedule your kid’s a free-play segment of the day. Keep it in a location where you can keep an eye on them but use that time to read or listen to music, something that can have you relaxing. Watching Netflix or playing on Facebook will not leave you feeling refreshed.

Hire Someone to Help

     You need to get out of the house — your kids are driving you crazy! But you are wanting to get dressed up like a human being and go out to a movie or do something else during the day. Plan ahead and hire someone for this. You can do this spur-of-the-moment and hire a babysitter for a few hours, but to give you regular times off on multiple days, consider hiring a nanny. They can work on a daily basis, a weekly basis, or any other arrangement you can come up with.

     When someone works for you in this capacity, know that you may have to pay taxes on them; the IRS classifies independent nannies as a household employee. Know if you need to withhold payroll taxes for a nanny before you hire one, but the benefits of getting away for a bit of time may be worth the extra paperwork hassle.

Perception

     You need to change your perception of the situation you find yourself in. Your kids are, without a doubt, the most important aspect of your life (they are in mine!). But you have to see things from another perspective. What good are you to them if you are not able to care for them? In this, I mean, if you are not taking care of yourself you are not going to be able to take care of them.

     You need to focus on yourself. Take a break more often than once a year. Take some time to practice yoga or exercise in other ways, go out with the girls after your spouse gets home. Get an early start to the day or let it go a little bit longer to do the things you like to do. Either way, make sure to see yourself as important and don’t let yourself go too long.