Self Care

This week, I had rare opportunities to do a little pampering of myself, something I rarely ever do. I feel so refreshed, and not even guilty for leaving my little ones for an hour here and an hour there. I know there are many who think that a newly adopted child should not be left without one of their parents for the first six months for attachment, and I respect that and limit the time I'm away when Bereket is awake. However, for me, I know that it is as good for my kids as it is for me--when mama is happy, the kids are happy. I've seen that over and over again.

Here are some of the "self-care" things I did this week:

-Mani/Pedi
-Hair salon
-Happy Hour with Mark and friends
-Talked with friends on the phone
-Had visits from friends and visited a friend
-Made an appointment with Merry Maids to have my house cleaned this week (enter sigh of relief)

How this was possible:
-Had help from grandparents on two different days
-Had help from a wonderful new babysitter
-Mark took the boys on a bus ride and to the aquarium so B and I could have special time with Cami and her family

Coming off of a couple of difficult weeks, this week was a breath of fresh air. The pendulum swung in the other direction in terms of self-care (I have never had a pedicure and hair appt. in the same week! In fact, I don't think I've had a pedicure in two years!), and I hope will settle into a nice balance in the coming weeks. I have not done a very good job of taking care of me while parenting my two boys. I know I need to be more intentional, especially now that we have three kids and life is even more demanding.

Mark is also encouraged by my self-care and is thinking of doing a little himself. I think his will look more like this:And I'm very excited for him. These blog posts encouraged us to think about taking some preemptive action on the "restorative sabbatical" idea. Mark works very hard, both professionally and at home. He works and works and rarely complains. He doesn't rest often enough, and needs someone to make him take a fun break. Call Mark if you want to go on a hike!

We're headed to a family 4th of July BBQ this afternoon. It feels like self-care to make a potato salad. Isn't that ridiculous? I love cooking and haven't done much at all since coming home a month ago, so it feels so good to make something. I'm weird.

Happy 4th!