I’m getting a pedicure right now. Yep, as I type this post. And as the woman applying a color I’ll probably regret in two days is telling me that I should stop typing and close my eyes and relax. Yeah, not happening, lady. I’ve got a toddler at home, and this mom’s got to multitask after he goes to bed.
Anyway…I get a pedicure every six weeks or so, and quite honestly, at that point, it’s more of a public service than a luxury. I will happily fork over the cash to sit here in the peace and quiet and have someone scrub and rub my feet till they feel as smooth as that proverbial baby’s bottom. It’s one of the few things I do for myself.
Really, one of the very few things. Since I became a mom, I don’t even think of pampering myself the way I used to, I’m counting pennies in a different way, and every minute I’m away from my son feels like it needs a justification. After all, am I going to miss his first something-or-other while I’m out doing something frivolous? Will he pitch a fit if my husband puts him to bed instead of me? What if he suddenly becomes a big boy overnight and doesn’t want mommy hugs anymore? These are the things that go through my head whenever I detach my son from my hip.
That said, I’m also human and should keep looking like it. I don’t want to embarrass the poor kid, after all.
And that, my friends, is just one of my justifications for doing a little something nice for myself every now and then. Here are a few of the things that I occasionally splurge on and some equally convincing justifications (um, rationalizations) for you….
Investing in a gorgeous, probably-not-cheap pair of flats.
Full disclosure: I own a lot of shoes. Expensive shoes. Beautiful shoes. Shoes that would rival Carrie Bradshaw’s. And I rarely wear them these days. Honestly, given my collection and the years of bargain-hunting that I did to accumulate it, the lack of gorgeous-shoe-wearing is bordering on criminal, but my desire to be comfortable and not accidentally injure my son or myself outweighs anything else.
After all, this could be me…
Or this…
NY Daily News
And, well, that would be bad for a variety of reasons.
So, really, buying a good pair of flats is a safety precaution, like babyproofing your cabinets, not any sort of splurge. Currently, I’m lusting after these blue-and-white striped Chloe flats.
I just can’t justify the $495 price tag, but once they’re, like, 50 percent off, I’m good to go, right? Right. And then we’ll be out of snow season and closer to the time I’ll want to wear them, anyway. Right? Right, again.
Indulging in a glass of wine…
Studies show that imbibing can lower your risk of heart attacks, stroke and colon cancer, and I even found one that said red wine can counteract brain decline. I thought that alcohol killed brain cells (that’s what my mother’s been telling me for years), but apparently not all the time. Scientists said it, people. Go with it.
Also, at the risk of sounding like an alcoholic, I can do this at home, while my baby is sleeping. And it’s better than going to a bar, where I’d likely drink myself into a coma on my one wild night out of the house. At home, I’ll totally drink in moderation. After glass #2.
…Or a slice of Mississippi Mud Pie or a bag of Cheetos (or whatever you want), diet be damned.
Same principles as above. Chocolate can be good for your heart, and it can prevent you from murdering someone when you have a raging case of PMS. And if you’re craving salt, well, your body must deficient in magnesium or electrolytes, so you need to fulfill those dietary requirements. I’m pretty sure that applies to finger-sticking, neon-orange Cheetos dust, too.
Spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook and Twitter.
Do not step away from your iPhone, friends. (Unless you should be paying attention to your kid or you’re driving, of course.) Instead, chat guilt-free with your girlfriends, and better yet, set up a girls’ night out while you’re doing it: A recent UCLA study found that close female friendships diminish stress and cause magical hormone oxytocin to be released, promoting calmness. And other studies report that women with more friends have less physical ailments, are generally happier and live longer.
That’s also what Momsanity’s all about. So…you’re welcome.
Watching mindless TV at least once a week without simultaneously folding laundry or baking a lasagna.
Every few days, I need one full hour to decompress and forget that there’s a suitcase from our weekend trip—three weekends ago—waiting to be unpacked in the next room. So I’ll curl up on my couch with my favorite Pretty Little Liars. Or tune in to The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time or The Walking Dead. The bottom line: Escaping from reality for a little while helps me deal with reality for a much longer time. So with all due respect to the suitcase and my husband, I’ll be hanging out with Ian Somerhalder tonight.
Wallchips.com
I mean, can you blame me?
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