Taking a Mommy Time Out
Alone time.
Two little words that are such a big deal. Two little words that rarely happen in my world. I am sure in your’s too.
I recently received a text from a friend that read:
Enjoying some alone time at the eye doctor!
Yes, people. She was actually enjoying the eye doctor because it’s the only place she can be alone. And by alone, she means herself, her dilated eyes, and a doctor shining a bright light in your eye.
How sad is that?
And I will admit, I am guilty of the same thing. My alone time?
Going to Target. Alone.
This is not “me”time. This is just running an errand alone. But running that errand alone feels like heaven.
So I got to thinking. How do other moms find their alone time?
- “My only alone time is in the car on my way to and from work.” – Sarah from Finnegan and the Hughes
- “Every Saturday morning my hubby takes my daughter out with him for a Starbucks run. I get to sleep in or just lie in bed. ” – Estelle from Musings on Motherhood & Midlife
- “I like taking my son to football practice, it’s 2 hours long and I don’t even have to get out of the car. I usually read or scan Pinterest.” – Melinda from Look What Mom Found
- “I enjoy my time alone on a run as much as I can. I also try to sneak in an extra hour before working at the hospital so that I can enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks before I head in. People watching and silence are a beautiful thing sometimes.” – Lauryn from The Vintage Mom
- “My favorite alone time is getting up early on weekend mornings and enjoying a cup of coffee in a quiet house before anyone else wakes up.” – Jessica from Found the Marbles
- “The stay in the hospital after I had my last baby was the most alone time I have had in years! In fact, it felt like vacation!” – Lindsey from Sisters to Sons
Rarely, do we ever take a real break for ourselves. A break that will help us feel refreshed, clear our heads, and get some things done that we would otherwise struggle to accomplish.
Thankfully, I had that exact opportunity this weekend. My local social media group put together a working retreat for us at Mountaintop Lodge in Lake Naomi Club. When the retreat was announced, I was all “Yes, I am going.” But as time passed, the mom guilt crept in and I talked myself out of it.
And then I hit my wall. Everything the boys did aggravated me {whether it was truly aggravating or I just had had enough}. I had work to-do list that was growing by the minute because ’tis the season. My husband could sense that I was about to implode and he gave me the gentle push to commit to the retreat and book my spot.
And I am so glad he did.
The location could not have been more perfect: a lodge in the mountains.
A room with a fireplace all to myself.
{Credit: Mountaintop Lodge}
And a great group that I knew would understand some of the roadblocks that I was having with my work.
{Credit: jolynneshane.com}
Hands down the best investment in me time that I have ever taken. Better than a massage {but I would still like another one of those}. Better than a few hours alone at the house.
Going on this retreat made me realize that I need to let the Mommy Guilt go every now and then and put myself in a Mommy Time Out.
If I don’t, I am going to implode. And nobody wants that!
Alone time is so underrated! I find that it’s harder for me to get away than my husband. I don’t know why that is, it just is, so I have to work a little harder to get alone time. I’m SO sad I missed out on the weekend with you and the other awesome PSMM ladies but I’m glad you got some time off.
the retreat location looks beautiful.. Even though my kids are older now, I remember saying so many times could I please have 5 minutes for personal hygiene, also known as a shower. I realized at some point just like the mom said going to the eye doctor was alone time. It is so hard to make time for yourself, but I think everyone benefits from Mom having some time off. thanks for sharing about the retreat!
So glad that you got this time to regroup! Oh and ps: cute outfit!
So wish I could have gone! But I actually can’t take holidays away from the kids. I only did ONCE, and it was a retreat and it was amazing. Instead, I live for respite care days and that 15 minutes alone with my kindle before sleep 🙂
Yes, this weekend was JUST what the doctor ordered!!!! I love how each room was so different. The decor in mine was very rustic mountain lodge. And those fireplaces… wish I could be back there right now!
It is sad – I find my “alone” time at work sometimes! I love how you pieced together this article situated in the lack of time we take for ourselves…
It looks like it was a great weekend and what a fun group to be with. Alone time is SO important. I’m laughing at the quote by Lindsey from Sisters to Sons because I LOOOOOVED the alone time in the hospital after I had my son! Sometimes I dream about going back, haha!
My daughter is older and more independent but I LOVE spending time alone doing things that I’d like without having that crushing mommy guilt on me.
My husband is great about spending “guy” time with our son at least once a week. Sometimes they leave early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, and stay gone most of the day. I would love a retreat with some of my girlfriends one day, though. 🙂
Message from your older self… My three daughters are all in their twenties and out of the house. My oldest was married a month ago after persevering through wedding planning mania where I got calls, text message and emails throughout my day – my world is now silent. I tell myself this is all good and I am happy but I do miss (at times) the crazy life. One of my favorite alone time memories was taking one of my daughters to piano lessons and would love the 30 minutes waiting in the car. I would bundle myself and look forward to reading a book with a flash light in my car (imagine life pre-Kindle time). I fought the cold temperatures as long as I could-just for the quiet!! So yes it is very important to carve out some well-deserved me time but just remember it won’t be too long and you will be wondering where all the time went.
Glad to hear you had a great time at the Mountaintop Lodge and the Lake Naomi Club!