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 need this spa day because I’m a single mom of 3 beautiful children. I have a 10 yo daughter, a 9 yo son, and a 2 yo daughter. So, needless to say I have my hands full. I work full-time and then come home and take care of my kids full-time. I don’t have anyone to help me take care of them. Even though I don’t get any time to myself, I wouldn’t change it for the world. My kids are my everything. Thank you for giving some lucky winner a day off!
I so need a spa day like most mothers. But this past six months have been extra trying, as my husband and I have taken on two more teenagers after we’ve finished raising our own. one of which has special needs. It’s really hard to get time alone or heck even go on a date.
God bless you and Chris for all you do!
Wow what a question why do i need a r&r day? Well since the first day my son was placed with me i have been full on all the time mom, that was almost 11 years ago. I have been a mom to so many as well, i was a foster mom for 4 years and had many wonderful children running thru the halls of my home and filled it with laughter. Now i have my almost 11year old, my daughter who is 2 years old and my angel that i will always remeber who would be 4 this year. Being a mom is the most important role i could ever want to be. I have always wanted to be a mom and would change any part of it. Now back to the question at hand i would like the r&r day to recharge so i can continue to be the best mom i can be for my children, to be there fully focused on them.
I am a first time mom of a wonderful 1.5 year old boy. I had a very difficult pregnancy and my son had colic when he was born. The first 6 months of his life were the most difficult… and I would do it over and over again! I never knew how deep love could be until I had him! I stay at home with him and I have never had a babysitter or family member watch him. I am with him literally 24/7. This mama could definitely use a spa day!
I read through all the comments and am amazed at all of these selfless moms. It’s hard being a mom sometimes and it gets overwhelming but my kids are my world. I have two girls that are 17 and 10 and my son is 13. I work full time so I stay pretty busy. It would be great to have a day just to myself. Happy Mother’s Day Heidi and to any mom who reads this. 🙂
I wish every mom could win some
R and R. I Never Ask for me time, but these last two montha have been…… Physically and emotionally draining and R&R is just what I need.
I have been battling mastitis for 2 months now, been to 5 different doctors, on 5 different rounds of antibiotics and just yesterday had surgery to clean out the infection.
Surgery went great I am on my
Way to recovery but the fact that nursing my son is out the window now is heart breaking as a mother.
Being a mother you want to be their for them in everyday possible and providing the greatest food for their bodies is suppose to by my job! For some reason my body is not allowing me too.
Every ounce of my mommy-being I am trying to pump at least from my good side. I am praying it is enough.
Me time seems like it will centered me back to the truth about being a mother that is having LOVE that will cover any situation!
Happy Mothers day Heidi!
I would love to get out of the house and treat myself to a nice massage! I am a FTM to a beautiful baby girl, who is now three and a half months old. My family is back in Italy so I was here in NY on my own, with a colicky baby who on top of that also had reflux, didn’t latch on well and forced me to start pumping to get her breast milk.. So almost four months later I am still pumping seven times a day cause she got used to the bottle and never went back on the breast! But I guess you make any sort of sacrifices for your children, and this is just a small one – although the routine is killing me! Plus, the freezing weather in NY forced me to not leave the house for two full months, I thought I was going crazy! I made it though it though, and things are getting better.. Still, it would be lovely to be able to treat myself to something nice! 🙂
Well I am a mommy of 2 little people. A 4 year old beautiful girl and a 2year old curious little boy. We love growing our super hero muscles and have lots of fun together. As much as I would love a spa anything… I would really really love to give it to my friend Kari. She is an amazing mommy to 3 beautiful kids. She works as a pediatric nurse practitioner, volunteers at her church and is ALWAYS willing to help … she is the most deserving person I know because she is so selfless!!
while I don’t have any children of my own yet (I would count my 2 cats as my kids, but others probably wouldn’t) I am responsible for looking after a group of roughly 15 4-year-olds who have all called me mom at least once. As a preschool teacher I have the duty and privilege of caring for these children, loving them, nurturing them, and encouraging them to learn everything they can while they’re under my care. I truly love these children and consider them to be “my kids”, but after 40+ hours a week of working with them I end up pretty worn out. I would use a spa day as a way to refresh myself so that I can go back to these kids all relaxed and restored and give them all the energy, love and attention that they deserve.
I deserve a spa day because I have done a great job (with my husband) at raising three children. One has graduated college, working his way through and paying about 70% and has landed a civil engineering career at a fortune 100 company. My second son chose not to finish but has a great job at a local company and has earned several promotions and raises because he is very smart, hard working and fantastic at customer relations. My daughter is fifteen, loves musical theater and ranked third in her freshman class of high school. The best thing about my children is that they love, help and serve people. They each will stop in their tracks to help another person at school, work or on the street. My boys are gentlemen and my daughter is a lady. I have just been diagnosed with some health concerns and cannot exercise for a while. This breaks my heart because I love weights, Zumba, kickboxing and all of it!! I need to pamper myself and take some time to heal. Thank you!!