A Place To Call Your Own

Blocks on the floor, links in the bath, cups on the counter, stuffed animals on the couch, and crumbs in the bed. Yes, once kids enter the picture, welcome to the loss of serenity. Saying that, I wouldn’t trade this place for the world. But I might just barter for a little place of my own. No mother with young children could really dream of such a thing (even our chest of drawers is invaded on a daily basis), but recently I have been trying to carve out a little “mommy space” and I have found that it actually makes me a better mom. This really isn’t a place per se, but it definitely is a frame of mind. So this mom’s favorite tips for creating “a place to call your own” are:

Arrange a hair (or even a doctor) appointment late in the day (after Dad gets home). I did this recently and took a couple minutes on either side of my appointment to catch my breath and quickly read the March (yes March) edition of Food & Wine magazine.

Get up a little bit earlier than normal. Not that sleep deprivation is a good state of affairs, but I find that if I can grab a few snippets of time in the morning before the chaos begins, I am more on top of things (and I might get my hair combed).

If you are so lucky to have a “nap-time” in your child’s routine – take advantage of this! At least once a week skip the errands you set yourself during nap-time, and instead take some time to read, breathe, catch up with friends, etc.

Make a mommy date with a friend sans children. Meet a friend for a quick coffee, walk, dinner, or snack. You don’t have to be gone long, but the break will do you a world of good.

Choose a family activity that you like to do. I love walking, so with family in tow I find myself crafting a place to call my own by doing something that I really enjoy.

Ditch the Baby Einstein cds, and when there is a moment of quiet, listen to your favorite music.

Finally, give yourself the permission to create your own place to call your own.