I just need five minutes....

I never realized how important having a few minutes to myself was until I had kids. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending as much time with my kids as possible, but sometimes, mama needs time to just take two deep breaths in a quiet place. Growing up, I was always content just being by myself reading a book or doing homework (think kid who rides to the party with her sister and then spends the whole time reading in a corner). Yep, that was me.

Fast forward…..

here we are today, 2 kids in and the only time that I have alone is in the shower, and even that is questionable at times. There is nothing more relaxing than trying to soothe a crying baby and make sure your toddler doesn’t jump off the bed while trying to rinse soap off of your body. The past few months, I have found myself not even trying to find time for myself, I am talking not even attempting to close the glass shower door at this point.

Because I need silence to recharge so that I can be a functioning human being and a present mom for my kids, I find myself trying to recharge at 1 am when both kids are sleep (like right now). That doesn’t make for a very restful night of sleep, so for the past few weeks, I have been trying to find something that I could do to “pamper” myself. Sounds simple enough, right? Not really when you are looking for something that you can do in 5 minutes or less and that is simple enough that if both of your children start screaming at once, it doesn’t take 15 minutes to remove. Thank you, Nair!

I read a few mom blogs to try and get some ideas. I quickly realized that most of these women do not share the same lifestyle that I have and there is nothing wrong with that. I don’t have the option to go on 15-hour spa day. I mean in theory, it sounds like a dream, but I slowly have to shatter it and return to my reality which is that I can safely squeeze five minutes in for a “luxury” for myself. Insert all of the people reminding me that I am a still a woman and I have to put myself first and treat myself and all of the other amazing things that some women are able to do, but those are not realistic for me.

So why are we here?

So why are we here? Well, a couple of weeks ago, while I was looking for a planner on Amazon, I came across this really interesting lip scrub. It was called a Raw Sugar Lemon Lip Scrub (link below). I thought, hey why not try that. There is no such thing as having lips that are too soft, right? With that in mind, I added it to my cart and then I was recommended the matching lip balm (link below). Score! Of course, in good Amazon prime fashion, I ordered both items. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I figured It was worth a try.

I got both items in two days, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I have read some pretty mixed reviews about sugar scrubs. This one had a very nice smell and texture. It was not extremely oily or overly rough. The makers of this particular scrub did a great job ensuring that the scrub was the perfect mix of exfoliation and moisture. And the best part, it only took 5 minutes! It was the simplest thing I have ever done in my life. You simply take a small amount of the scrub and rub it on your lips. You can feel the dry skin melting away. Really you just rubbed it off, but why ruin the moment. One it had been on for about 5 minutes, I rinsed it off with water, patted my lips dry and then applied the most heavenly lip balm ever to my lips. Seriously, it was like a silk angel was dancing on my lips.

Aside from how awesome my lips felt, the most amazing part of this whole experience was that not one, but both of my children cooperated. It was like magic! No one was crying or calling my name for the entire five minutes. I finally had a second for myself. This may seem like a really small thing to most people, but for me, this was a big deal. In the past 3 years, I can count on one hand the number of times that I actually get to do something uninterrupted, but this is a game changer. This was like sunshine in a jar and it seemed like my kids understood that as well. Do you find yourself in need of five minutes alone or do you just want soft lips? You need to try this! I have used the sugar scrub four times and I use the lip balm on a daily basis. This combination has given me a little taste of freedom. I know, I know, it is only five minutes, but when you spend 9 to 10 hours at work and 24 hours being a full-time mom, five minutes can feel like an eternity.

Maybe a lip scrub isn’t for you, but find 5-minutes in your day uninterrupted and do something for yourself. Take a walk, write a poem, color a picture. Do something that makes you feel like a new (or more relaxed) person when it is over. If you are a mom, don’t feel guilty about needing a couple of minutes where no one is calling your name or tugging on your pants. It will help you get back some of the energy that you need to keep killing it as a mom, employee, wife, sister, or friend. You’ve got

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