My Own Version of Mom’s “Day” Off

 Elegantees Claire Top c/o | Sela Designs Necklace c/o | Lily Jade Bag c/o | Crocs Leigh II Ankle Strap Graphic Wedges c/o (SO. COMFY. YOU GUYS.)

I’m going to be totally honest with you… When I hear the phrase “Mom’s Day Off” I laugh to myself… I’m in a season of life right now where “me time” and “down time” are a thing of the past. I love my husband and I love my kids more than words can say… but man, I am tired, y’all. Tired.

I have a very active toddler (like, ALL THE TODDLER!), a young baby who is up a couple of times a night, and I also work from home full-time. Now, I do not take for granted that I have what I consider to be my dream job that gives me the flexibility to work whenever and wherever I can. I don’t have a boss I have to answer to (I’m the boss) and I set my own hours. BUT, that doesn’t mean it’s not still work. Still gotta work to make money! …if that makes any sense.

However, when Crocs reached out to me about partnering with them on their Mom’s Day Off contest campaign, I got really excited about it! Why? Well, because honestly, it gave me pause to really think about what reality looks like for so many moms and how a Mom’s Day Off isn’t going to look the same for every mom out there.

I think about the single moms, or the military moms whose spouses are deployed, or the moms who work full-time, or the mom’s who stay home full time, or the mom’s who work from home full time… I mean, there are SO many moms with different life situations! It’s hard enough being a mom in and of itself… but throw all of those life curveballs at us and man… it can get sticky real quick.

So I just got to thinking about what a “day off” would look like for me right now… My husband runs his own company and so he works a lot… so on the weekends when he is home, that’s our family time and I don’t want to lose that. But, Lord knows I need time for myself.

But, when is my time for myself? Well, honestly it is usually when Lilly is at school. Lilly is in preschool a couple days a week (at least for a couple more weeks… wahhhhh!!) and I have used those two mornings a week to work, run errands, and / or do things I otherwise can’t do when she’s with me.

I can tell you right now, I pretty much NEVER take those mornings to do something for myself. So, one day, I decided to take the “morning off” and use the time while Lilly was at school to do something for me! I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I actually did it. 

What was the first thing I ran to do?

GET A PEDICURE. And I opted for like the PRIMO pedicure, too! The one with the extra long deep tissue massage, scrub, and everything. It. Was. Glorious.

Now, you’re probably thinking… wait, is that Amos on your lap? Well yes, yes it is. He slept through most of the pedicure, but then he woke up. So, we snuggled while I finished up. No, I wasn’t alone on this morning off… but that’s okay. Amos is still at the small age where he can just go anywhere with me. haha! He’s easy!

Then, Amos fell asleep again and I decided to take MYSELF out to lunch. Yep. A whole meal of food by. myself. Mexican food, as you know, is my jam… so I hit up one of my favorite local Mexican restaurants for some chips, salsa, and the best arroz con pollo this side of, uhhh, the Durham county line?

I didn’t have to feed anyone. I didn’t have to cut up anyone’s food. For 30 minutes, I got to sit quietly and read and eat and get more chips and a refill on my Diet Coke and just… be.

Man, it felt good. 

…and then I had to go pick up Lilly from school, get her home, fed, down for nap and all that jazz.

But, when she woke up from nap, it was a gorgeous afternoon so we hit up the park for a little bit and one of my dear friends, Emily, came along because I asked her to and she is awesome. Emily and I got to catch up. Lilly got some sun. It’s a win / win for everyone.

And I got snuggles. Haha! Poor Amos…

Crocs Isabella Sandals c/o (INSANELY COMFY. For real. My golly!)

Then, we went home, had dinner, and ended our evening with my favorite nightly tradition… our post-dinner family walk.

While it wasn’t a whole day off by any stretch of the imagination, it was my favorite kind of day. Some time to myself. Some delicious food. Some quality time with my precious kiddos. A beautiful sunset. A walk with my family. Time with a friend. That’s my idea of an awesome day!

I know the day and time will come when the kids will be grown and gone and out of the house and I will miss the crazy season we are in. I will miss the school pickups and drop offs and lunches and play dates and midnight wakings from a bad dream and all that comes with raising small kids. Frankly, I’m in no hurry to rush through this season. I’m just fine where we are. 🙂 

Now, Crocs is encouraging YOU to capture YOUR “day off” and post a photo to any social platform with the hashtag #MomsDayOffContest. Simply follow @Crocs on social media for a chance to win!

There will be 10 first placed winners who will receive a $50 voucher for Crocs and $100 cash and fifty runners up who will receive $50 vouchers. For terms and conditions of the contest, click here.

 

Thank you to the fabulous people at Crocs for partnering with me on this post. I had so much fun with it! All opinions are 100% mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that help support me and my family!