Every day, weekend or not, my little mini me has this internal clock that tells him to wake up at 7 am - or close to it - bright eyed and bushy tailed. This is mostly because his bedtime is 8 pm and most nights he sticks to that time frame. I know that waking up at 7 am is partly my "fault", because of the bedtime, but I'd rather he get plenty of sleep and I chug coffee, than to deal with a grumpy 5 year old all day long. I'll pass, thanks.
In order to suffice in the mothering department all day long, I've decided to take care of myself and put aside a little time in the mornings, as a little "salutation" to myself. Like they say, whatever good the mother does for herself, is good for the kids.
After rising to the sound of "Good Morning Mommy!" 4 millimeters from my face, I greet my padawan with a warm hug and proceed to start the coffee making process (see that post HERE).
For the last few weeks I've been loving a new blend of coffee that I found at Trader Joe's. That's not to say that I don't still sip on my "Wintry Blend" coffee I bragged about a while back (see that post HERE), but seeing as how it's a seasonal item, I've been drinking it sparingly. As for my new secret coffee, I won't be going into too much detail, because it's a special review I plan on doing tomorrow (so check back!).
I am one of those people who can't just have coffee, I have to eat something with it as well or else I get too jittery, regardless of it's strength. So while my padawan is eating his breakfast of the day - which I've prepared during the coffee making process - I enjoy my pastry or breakfast of choice with my coffee and often a nice book. My son does the same. He's following in my footsteps by grabbing a book he can read and sits down next time eating his breakfast, while reading his book for the day.
Currently I'm reading a book from the "Murder She Wrote" series (see a post about MSW HERE) called "Hook, Line, and Murder". I won't be going into too much detail about this book in today's post either, as it's a future review I'll be sharing with you all (again, check back!).
We have a few different ways to go about our lessons for the day, but today's was all about the solar system. This required him watching a short video on a really cool website called "Brain Pop", that teaches him about each planet and key facts that help to distinguish each one.
After he watches the video, he was given a worksheet to color in the planets and write down a fact about each one, to then re-create a solar system himself. After the project was completed, he was then given very few worksheets in his Brain Quest (yes that's a 1st grade book, he's already completed the Kindergarten level) and discusses with me what he's learned during his school process.
During the times when I don't have to be precisely watching him - for example, while he watches the video or colors his solar system - I tend to myself in order to freshen up and feel human again. With caffeine in me and a little sprucing of my natural beauty, I can truly tackle the entire day.
My "morning beauty routine" mainly consists of basics. Brushing my teeth, flossing, mouth wash (not shown, but it's Listerine), putting in my contacts (I'm as blind as bath without them, but I wear my glasses prior to putting them in in the morning), and washing my face with my daily skin refreshing apricot scrub. A quick thing about my face scrub: this particular brand (Up & Up by Target) is not the brand that was in the news semi-recently regarding shells of almonds (I think) being inside the scrub and causing minor cuts on the face. I won't name the actual brand, but I will say that I prefer this brand over any other, as it's never broken me out or caused any sort of skin issues. It's gentle enough (at least for me) to be used daily and it truly does refresh my skin in the morning. I go from dull to lively after rinsing (you can see a whole review about it HERE).
Once everything is prepped, I normally go in with a moisturizer of some kind. Some days I use Aloe Vera to calm any redness, then - depending on the weather and my daily activities - I will use Pond's skin cream during the winter months (which you can see HERE) or the Trader Joe's face lotion (you can see that post HERE) during the hotter months.
Both give me excellent moisture and both help rejuvenate my face, making me go from "zombie mom" to "back from the dead mom".
On the weekends when my son isn't doing schooling, he gets a little time to watch one of his favorite YouTube family, "The Hobby Kids".
When all is done with my routine and my padawan has finished his schooling, we normally alternate between what goes on from this point out. Some days we go on adventures, some days I clean up while my little guy helps or plays with his toys, some days we just relax in each other's presence.
No matter what happens we are able to fully tackle the days tasks, because we were able to take some time for ourselves. Personally, I've grown to understand that I need to take care of myself along with my padawan.
I feel that this is a very important topic that mothers and fathers need to learn. While it's amazing to tend to your children's needs at all hours of the day, you NEED to take care of yourself as well. Your mental well being depends on how you treat yourself and being around the kiddos 24/7 (like I often am) still means you need to do things for you. Being a little selfish - like taking 10 minutes for yourself in the bathroom to wash up - isn't a bad thing, it's encouraged. Everyone deserves to pamper themselves however they see fit. Everyone - including parents - need to have a moment of "I got this". Whether it's putting on a face of makeup, doing your hair, wearing that new jacket you just got, or simply washing your face with your favorite scrub, you deserve it. Hell, you earned it!
So remember Jedi's, pamper yourself to defeat the Sith's! Or just get groceries, whichever comes your way.
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