Self-Care

Blog, Self-Care
30 Mommy Me Time Activities You Can Do in One Hour: Sponsored by Armitron
- October 21, 2016
- by Mommy R+R
This post is sponsored by Armitron. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If there is one thing I cannot stress enough and it’s the importance of taking time for yourself. Why is it so important? Because the time we spend alone with ourselves improves our physical and mental health. Without moments to ourselves it’s only a matter of time before we become less focused, short tempered in addition to feeling tired and overworked.

So what exactly is keeping moms from taking time that they so desperately need and deserve? The answer is simple. Time. It’s the one thing moms truly don’t have enough of. Time is something we talk about and say we’re going to take for ourselves, yet the lack of hours in a day prevents us enjoying life’s simplest pleasures. Taking time for oneself is a task that is truly easier said than done.

I know this from personal experience as I cannot tell you how many weekends since January I said I was going to the spa. I can tell you it’s more than a dozen. How many times did I make it there? None. I made it zero times. But that’s not surprising. Moms all over, myself included, find it increasing difficult to even carve out the smallest amount of time for themselves. Oh yes, I struggle with it just like you. And it’s quite understandable. We have jobs (in and out of the home), homes to care for, kids to care for, PTA meetings, after school extracurricular activities, etc. Hectic work/home schedules always leaves little room for mom to have time to herself.

So I decided to take a stand. Two weeks ago I opened my calendar and went to the first weekend that I was free and marked a day for myself. Nothing and no one would stop me. I shared this plan with my friend Allaya. She loved the idea and asked to tag along. Excitement was in the air!

But the burning question looming over us was, what would we do once we were out of the house? It didn’t take long for us to blow up our chat with things to do once we flew the coop. Then we thought about it – not all moms have hours to themselves. What if they only have an hour. What could they do in 60 minutes that would make them feel good? Our list is below:

30 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH AN HOUR OF FREE TIME

Mani/Pedi
Visit an ice cream shop
Rent a paddle boat in the park
Go for a walk/run
Get a facial/massage
Go for a drive
Walk the bridges
Take a yoga class
Get a wash and blowout
Take a class relating to a hobby
Do arts and crafts
Take a paint/wine class
Go thrift shopping
Lay with pets at the pet shop
Go to a happy hour
Get a makeover at Sephora
Get a wax
Rent a Citibike
Have sex
Take a long hot bath
Visit a girlfriend
People watching at the park
Have a picnic
Go to the library to check out free books
Go to the bookstore to buy books
Play video/board games
Go to Target alone
Watch Netflix/HULU
Take a nap
Bake yourself a cake

When the day came for our big day out we had no clue as to what we were going to do, but we had a starting point from our list. Curfews don’t exist for us but our Armitron watches would keep us from staying out too late. That’s the best thing about watches, you don’t realize you need on til you have one on. Yeah we have our phones but when you’re trying to disconnect watches are the key. Armitron has a wide variety of watches that are perfect for every type of mom time adventure. They have sporty watches for moms who are seeking active time like fitness classes or swimming, casual watches for days you want to grab a bite with friends, and diamond accented watches for very special occasions such as a date night with your partner.

Armitron Sporty

Armitron Casual

I filmed our entire adventure so you can see what you can do on your own (or with a friend) with at least one hour of time to yourself.

The next day despite us being out so late we felt great! And while we didn’t do all 30 it was still mission accomplished. When I woke up the next day I felt renewed and less stressed. Little annoyances around the house from the kids and the husband didn’t bug me like they did two days before. My internal rejuvenation clock was reset and I was ready to tackle on whatever the day had in store for me.

The after feeling of doing something that is just for you is why mom time is so important. I encourage all moms to open their calendars and pick a day just for you. Go out alone or tell a friend, spend one hour or several alone the choice is yours. But the choice to not do it is non-negotiable as your happiness and health depend on it.

Oh, by the way if you need a sitter so that you can take the time I’m giving you $35 (the equivalent of an hour and a half) towards a sitter from Urbansitter. This is for first time sign ups only. See now you’ve really got no excuse. Have fun!

*To shop the watches shown in this post visit Armitron online or at your nearest department store.
Blog, Self-Care
5 Ways You Can Take Care of Yourself as a Stay at Home Parent
- September 12, 2016
- by Mommy R+R
Taking care of yourself as a stay at home parent is extremely important for yourself, as well as your children. When you have a kid, your life may seem like it revolves around your child, and on some level, it does. Because of that, you may forget to take care of yourself or worse you find your self-questioning why you should, and that’s never a good thing.

Here are some ways you can take care of yourself as a stay at home parent.

Go to bed at a decent time, and give yourself 6-8 hours of sleep

Your sleep is important. While it’s best to sleep 8 hours, sometimes, as a parent, you’ll be faced with times that you might strain snooze at least hours. Allowing yourself enough rest, allows you to focus on taking care of your kids, and running your household well.

During the times you might not be lucky enough to get even 6 hours of sleep, try a short nap. If you have small children that do a nap time, you could also utilize that time to take your own nap.

Make sure to eat at least 3 meals a day

Your health is just as important as your child’s health. Making sure to eat 3 meal a day keeps your energy up so you can keep up with your kid, or for some parents, multiple children. It’s really easy to skip a meal when times get hectic. Missing a meal could leave you dizzy or not performing up to your normal self.

Take an hour each day to do an activity that would be considered good exercise

Exercise can help keep you in shape. If you’re stuck at home, you can do simple things like floor exercises or walk around the neighborhood, especially if you cannot afford to purchase a gym membership. And while the weather is still summery there’s still time to take advantage of these summertime activities.

If you can, try delegating tasks to reduce stress and don’t overwork yourself

It takes a lot to run a household and also raise children. If you’re married, try involving your spouse in helping out when your schedule is busy. If you have a child that is old enough for some chores, assign them some tasks.

Never overwork yourself. It’s okay to want to be the super parent, but sometimes, a little help can reduce your stress, and also, later allow time for family fun. Don’t be afraid or feel embarrassed to ask for help.

Try a leisure activity at least once a week that you can enjoy without the kids

You can’t always be cooped up in your house, and you can’t allow your children to be attached at the hip. Getting a babysitter from time to time will allow you to have a little bit of time to yourself. And if planned with enough time you can hook up with a friend or two and make it a girls afternoon or night.

For a married couple, this is important, as it allows you to fit in a date night, and keep the relationship from being strained.

Are you a parent that is always at home with the kids? What ways do you take care of yourself?
Blog, Self-Care
10 Things Moms Would Do with $100 and Four Hours of Alone Time
- February 22, 2016
- by Mommy R+R
The question, if your husband/partner gave you $100 and four hours of uninterrupted alone time, how would you spend it? Was recently asked in a mommy group that I frequent.

It took no time for the answers to start accumulating. There were over 50 by the time I got there, and the question had only been posted moments before. From the responses I saw taking a nap ranked #1, which is obvious, since moms hardly sleep. But there were other answers that I thought were worthy of a top 10 listing.

So here we go…10 Things Moms Would Do With $100 And Four Hours Alone:

“Pocket the money and take a nap.”

“Get a massage.”

“Get hair done with a mani/pedi.”

“Who the fuck am I kidding, split the money 50/50 and buy the kids something.”

“Something illegal.” (I’m still waiting to find out what the “illegal” part is lol!)

“Call up my bff’s and say let’s go out for drinks.”

“If I lived near a casino I would sit at the card table and hope to make more money with it.”

“Find a new man who would give me more than $100 for four hours of freedom.” (Her husband told her to write that.)

“Enjoy a cup of coffee alone.”

“Drink wine and smoke some trees.” (You’d be surprised how many said this.)

I know you already answered the question, was yours listed? If not, what would you do with the money and the time? My original answer was to hit up the Setai Wall Street (my favorite spa in all of NYC. I mention it often) for a day of steam, sauna and hot tea. But I saw someone say, “pocket the money and take a nap.” It took no time for me to agree that her answer made much better sense. I’d be able to get all the sleep I needed and wake up $100 richer. But who the fuck would I be kidding, cause as soon as I wake up I’d go on Amazon and buy as many books as I could. Rich today, poor later that day. LOL!