Out of all of the wonderful roles I have been given?wife, friend, daughter, sister, trainer?there is one that stands out far above the rest?my role as a mother. I have been so blessed with 4 beautiful children that I get to love, teach, and nurture every single day, and for that I am beyond grateful. But my role as a ?mom? doesn’t stop there.
During different seasons of my life, as have many of you, I have had the amazing opportunity to be mom to so many! From my EWL peeps, to nieces and nephews, and everything in between. Being a mother is surely not bound by labor and delivery?it means so much more! From dads who have stepped into the role of ?mom? due to various circumstances, to women who have struggled with infertility but have been blessed with children through the miracle of adoption, and of course those who have shown endless love to children and friends around them providing the selflessness and care that is prerequisite for motherhood. Regardless of what ?mom? looks like for you, there is one common thread?unconditional love. And oftentimes that unconditional love means sacrificing our own personal needs for those around us.
While we love those we take care of and the things we get to do?whether it?s at home, or at work, or both?it?s also crucial that we ?moms? take care of ourselves. Yes?eating healthy and exercising regularly are so important, but often overlooked (and just as important) is taking some time for some R&R?Rest and Relaxation.
I know so many of you, myself included, feel like there just aren?t enough hours in the day as it is?so adding some daily R&R doesn?t even seem possible! Believe me, I?m right there with you. But I also know that when I do get it, even if it?s only for a few minutes, my outlook on life and how I handle the stresses in my life, improves in some pretty amazing ways:
- Reduces those stresses, and since long-term stress can cause so many health issues, getting rid of as much as I can is so important.
- Lessens anxiety.
- Boosts my mood. Those around me really appreciate that one! 😉
- Helps me remember things better. That?s a definite plus!
- Improves my ability to focus, which means it takes less time to do what I need to do, and I make better decisions.
- Helps curb cravings.
- Boosts my confidence.
- Reduces anger and frustration. Chris and my kiddos are very thankful for this one. 😉
- Helps my whole body, including my mind, repair itself = a stronger me!
The benefits of daily, or even weekly, R&R are so far reaching, that they vastly outweigh the cons of taking a personal timeout! As mothers, it is our duty to be there for the ones we love, and if we don?t carve out some time for ourselves now, we may end up limiting our capabilities in the future!
To get you started on your new path to a more healthful, restful lifestyle, I?m giving away one $100 gift card to a local day spa of the winner?s choosing! To enter, simply (1) comment below with why YOU need a mama?s day out, (2) share this post on social media channels and tag me, and (3) follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. A winner will be chosen Tuesday, May 5th. Good luck?and if you aren?t the lucky winner make sure you still take the time to celebrate motherhood and honor the amazing role you?ve been given through some good old fashioned relaxation. We ALL deserve it!
Xoxo,
Heidi
173 Responses
I am a mom of 1 biological child and two step-daughters. I work as a police officer on night shift and take care of my daughter during the day. I get 2 hours of sleep a day 5 days a week due to my work schedule and duties at home. A spa day would be awesome to recharge my batteries!!
All mom’s deserve a day at the spa. For me I recently had two tumors on my pancreas and had surgery in March. Now I have become an insulin dependent diabetic. All of this recovery and life changes while still trying to be healthy has left me in a pretty emotional state. While all the household chores, meals, getting kids to activities, and still working full-time still falls on my plate. It’s been a lot lately and finding ME time is difficult.
I do not need a spa day… but MY mother needs a spa day. I will keep this brief and to the point. My mom was left to raise 4 kids alone with no support at all, working at a local ice cream parlor making less than minimum wage. We lived in the projects, it was scary for my mom at times based on the stories she told me, but I remember being HAPPY. We had nothing and we were happy. She took us into the city every weekend and we played in the fountain, roamed around the parks, took hikes in the mountains. I remember our car overheating several times, we would have to stop in the middle of the road and open the hood and just wait until it cooled down. We’ve been through a terrible loss with my brother committing suicide at the age of 24. My mom just kept working, people gave her chances. She now has her career as a computer support technician… BUT she also owns a winery and vineyard! She has absolutely no time for herself. If she were to win this, she would be forced to make time for herself for at least one hour. She deserves way more than this but I have no idea what to do to honor her and what she has done for her children and what she has accomplished in her life. I could go on and on about my mom but than I would be lying when I said I would keep this brief 🙂
I can’t say I deserve this any more than these other mothers, we are all hard workers and will do anything for our children. I am a single mother of two, a 10 year old and a 3 year old. I work full time and spend most of my time off taking care of my babies and my animal babies too (we have 6 ranging from water dragons to a tarantula). My oldest is autistic, so it’s hard for me to leave him with just anyone and both of my parents work full time. Most of the time, it’s hard to get time to myself or spare any money to spend on myself since its always a tight budget for me. Life gets hard sometimes, but I have a lot of strong women to look to for support, including you. Thank you for all your continuous tips/motivational words that keep us all going! And thank you for this opportunity! 🙂
i would love to nominate my beautiful daughter Kayla. She is not a mother as she is having issues with infertility. But I can say she is the most loving and caring mother to my three beautiful grand puppies, Major, Zero and Echo. I am so proud of her and how she is so strong, she wants to be a mother so badly and I see how hard it is for her to have all her friends and her students having children. I think she would love a day all her own because she is always giving of herself and never taking time just for her.
I am the mother of 4 boys ages 18,12,7 & 4 I work 5 days a week , drive the kids to and from school a town over from the one we live in everyday! I rarely find time for myself between caring for the kids , husband , work and the upkeep of the house! A spa day would be greatly appreciated!!!
i cannot say I deserve win more than any of the other moms, but I would love too!! I am the mom of three grown boys with 3 grands and one to be soon!!! I work full time at one of our public schools. I have many extra children from the years of work. Children anyone’s are the most important part of my life. I love them and I am so blessed to have been a part of so many extra children’s lives. Thank you.
i am not sure really how to go about saying I should be the winner because I have never been good about this kind of thing. Let me start with some facts. I have 5 kids ages 14-2, I am married to my awesome husband for almost 10 years now, I love watching Extreme weight loss and have even considered applying but haven’t because I don’t have as much to lose as most of the people you guys pick do. With having 5 kids and one with Autism and the others with numerous medical issues I don’t really have time for myself. It’s the reality of being a mom really. I would love to be able to go to a spa and just relax and enjoy. It may not make everything perfect but it will make me feel amazing even if only for a day. Sadly going to a spa isn’t something that I would do unless I won it or it was given to me cause we just don’t have it. My husband would gladly send me away if we did. Regardless I hope whomever you choose enjoys it immensely and realizes what a blessing it is. Have an amazing day 🙂 Blessings!
On top of being a mom to my kids (we have a combo of yous, mine and ours) my family helps rescue dogs and foster them. Right now I have 12 dogs! 4 of my own, a Pitt bull mix foster who was rescued in Jan from a horrible situation that nearly killed him, a Mommy shih tzu that was picked up as a stray and her 6 newborn puppies! I had 3 beagle mix puppies for 2 days this week as they waited for transport so for 48 hours I had 15 dogs! Between taking care of them, going out on rescues, running my kids everywhere and trying to put in some hours at the activities they participate in there’s barely enough time to make sure I have had a shower! A spa day would be heavenly! I constantly try to remind myself that I’m no good to anyone when I’m run down and I often find myself catching every little illness because I’m not taking care of me. Like you, when I do finally take that much needed time I feel stronger and more capable to handle things. When I’m run down, feeling unappreciated and like what in doing isn’t enough I’m cranky, and I don’t handle things nearly as well as I do when I’m rested. It’s hard to find a balance.
I want to nominate someone that would see this as a blessing as she is a single mother and never gets time to herself. She works in a prison setting so her stress level is very high. She is a great person and dear friend that I would do anything for. She has had a hard life and I believe this would give her one chance to relax in her busy stressful life. She needs a day of being pampered more than anyone in the world.