Good afternoon ya’ll! So last night I had one of my best friend’s 30th birthday celebration – child free! I organized the whole day around it – made sure Mr I did not have a day sleep, and Miss C just had a short one, so they would both be ready for bed at a reasonable hour. They were bathed, fed, bottles ready (Miss still has toddler formula), dogs fed and everything was in order. Does anyone else feel like the prep for a night out is exhausting in itself?! Even though the thought of organising it all can be overwhelming – still do it - you deserve a break! I had been looking forward to this for weeks, treated myself to a new outfit and shoes (thanks to a voucher I had!), had fresh toenail polish and plucked my eyebrows. By the time we FINALLY got out the door to leave, although I was so excited, I also felt really, really tired.
I texted the babysitter multiple times to check on the cherubs (yes everything was all good, thankfully!). I have to admit, it’s sometimes frustrating that even when you get a break, you never truly get a complete break – you are still on call 24/7, always thinking about how they are going, feeling guilty for leaving them with someone else, thinking about all the things you need to do when you get home. I needed to leave at a reasonable hour, even though I wanted to stay as I knew there were still things to do before bedtime, and I knew that I had to be a functioning parent the next day. When I got home, I checked on my sleeping babies (how peaceful and gorgeous are sleeping children!) and all negative feelings vanished. I love them so much. They are so worth it. And I know all of this, is just for a season. One day I can leave them at home unattended and they can fend for themselves, one day, my house will stay clean (really, will this actually happen?) and the hallway will be quiet and free from dirty handprints on the wall. As much as I don’t want to rush through their childhood, sometimes thinking about the “one day’s” help keep us sane!
After showering and brushing my teeth I finally crawled into bed, had a scroll through social media and closed my eyes - by now it was close to 1am. Come 6am I can hear my cherubs wake up. Please, go back to sleep!! That is definitely one of the hardest parts of staying up late – knowing that you can’t just sleep in and have a super lazy morning. Thankfully, a cup of coffee and a hot shower does wonders, and off I went with my day. As much as I felt tired and lethargic that day, it was totally worth it to have had a break the night before. You deserve a break, of any kind…. It does wonders for us mentally and emotionally. I left for the party feeling rushed and frazzled, but came home feeling somewhat refreshed and relaxed after some adult interaction.
Having uninterrupted conversations is something I distinctly miss. Sometimes it can take 20 minutes to tell one simple story, when there are toddlers constantly butting in, so one thing I look forward to most when I catch up with friends, is just being able to chat! You deserve a break now and then. You are NOT a bad mum if you need a break! It doesn’t have to be for a special occasion either, just a cup of coffee with a friend for half an hour while the baby sleeps/someone watches them for you, go for a stroll, flick through a trashy magazine…whatever YOU enjoy! If possible, try to organize more time for yourself to have a break. Having a break makes for a better mother. They do say absence makes the heart grow fonder. 😉
Until next time,
Keep smiling mamas – we’ve got this!
Annette xx
