Helloooo May! I can’t even express how excited I am that we are in the thick of spring + that summer is right around the corner! In addition to my crazy excitement, I am literally in awe with how fast time is flying by. I know, I know, I say it allllllll the dang time but you guys, I just can’t believe it.
“They” say that time goes quicker as you get older and I’ve experienced the truth in this, and personally, I think this rings truer for me now that I’m a parent. Watching George grow fills me with such deep bittersweet feelings (motherhood is the wildest adventure!). I swear, he wakes each morning with a new skill he’s ready to test out + perfect and the amount of words that he is saying is kinda, totally, out-of-this-world impressive. The way he says YES (“dessss”) leaves me in stitches all day, err’ day.
ANYWAY.
If you’ve been following along with this little blog of mine, you’ll know that lately I have been on a mission to organize the many hats I wear, prioritize my time, and simplify my life (aka get my shit together). With George’s second (WHAT!!) birthday coming up in three short months, it’s become even more evident to me how necessary it is for me to slow down + soak in every single moment.
With this, came the realization that self-care is of utmost importance. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I feel I see the words “self-care” thrown around all over the place + I’ve never been completely sure I understood what that meant for me.
Like, what do I need and want to feel taken care of? To feel like my love bucket is full? What is the thing that is going to help me recharge + reset so I can be the very best version of myself for my family?
And I so wish I could tell you that I had all of this finally figured out but…no. No, I don’t and that’s okay! What I once needed and wanted is often not what I need and want these days.
Sure, a sleep-in (WHAT?!) would be so wonderful and I will never say no to a bouquet of surprise fresh flowers. Those two things will always make me feel loved and appreciated + can fill up my love bucket rather quickly. But where I once really wanted to sit on a patio for hours + slurp back multiple cocktails/pints, these days that doesn’t quite leave me feeling cared for…especially the next day ;)
You know what I want?
- I want brunch with my girlfriends so we can talk about our goals + dreams, love, our latest skincare regimes, makeup, food and babies. And laugh. I want to laugh my face off.
- I want to get to the mall as soon as they open + try on a whole bunch of clothes without feeling rushed. I want to buy clothes that make me feel beautiful and are not necessarily breastfeeding-friendly or meant to be worn at home with little ones.
- I want to go on more and more dates with my husband. Even if they’re only for 1-2 hours. Oh, these are so good for my soul. There is nothing sweeter than being with my Hubs and catching him looking at me like he did when we first met. He has the kindest eyes; they’re always smiling.
- I want to enjoy a too-sugary-not-good-for-me drink from Starbucks and savour it.
- I want to hug and cuddle allllllll the puppies.
- I want to take the subway + read my book and listen to my favourite songs on repeat. And I want to strut-walk to my tunes, anyone else love doing this, haha #nerdalert.
- I want to have a full-out solo dance party in my house when no one is home. And when I say full-out, I mean full-out.
- I want to stroll through IKEA/Homesense/Chapters + buy everything/anything/nothing.
- I want to get in my car and drive and blare 90’s pop music/love ballads + sing along…loudly.
- I want to take timer-photos in alleyways and around the city with my girlfriends while we giggle our heads off + never pull off a super successful jumping photo…why are they so hard?! Haha.
- I want to go to the hair salon + sip coffee and chat with my favourite beauty girls. I want to have my head massaged + I want to read trashy magazines and share pictures of GBB with every single person who asks about him.
- I want to have more playdates with my mama friends and their sweet little ones. And I want to talk about leaky boobs, poopy diapers, first giggles/smiles/steps, and how awkward (and sometimes painful!) postpartum sexy time can be.
- I want to binge-watch Netflix uninterrupted. And I want to binge-watch Friday Night Lights/Friends/Greys/Gilmore Girls over and over and over again.
- I want to take unnecessarily long showers + sing my heart out. And I want to use the fancy shampoo + conditioner forever because it makes my showers feel luxurious.
- I want to sit in a cafe and write and write and write for hours on end. Oh, how this fills my bucket up big time!
- And, I want to be kinder to myself. And I want to hug + high five myself because I am doing a really great job (PS SO ARE YOU!)
As a mother, it has become second-nature to put the needs of my family before my own. It can be hard. And it can be overwhelming. And it can be crazy-exhausting. And I can honestly say, now that I am experiencing this myself, my love + respect for my own mother has grown exponentially (I love you Mom! Thank you for everything.).
SO.
I am making a genuine effort to minimize the noise and clutter in all aspects of my life and I will continue to find ways to take care of myself + recharge and reset. But what I want to know is, what are ways that you take care of yourself? What do you do to reset + recharge?
I’m so interested in knowing what you do for you + I can always use the inspiration! Please let me know in the comments below, mmmk?!
As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. It fills my bucket up ;)
