The time you spend with your children is the greatest joy in life, but sometimes what is even better is having 10 minutes for yourself. Surely you will appreciate them even more after having the opportunity to miss them for a second, right?
Taking a short break is a very good thing and if you do it right the kids won't even notice. And while there is nothing wrong with saying to your little treasures, "Mommy needs a little time for her," many times you can simply turn their attention to something else and take advantage of the sudden calm and enjoy a few minutes of peace.
Even if you are not alone during that "time you spend for yourself," the trick is to find small opportunities to take a breather and relax a bit. And the good news is that once you start looking for them, you will surely discover that there are many!
Any of these moments can become a brief pause for you, especially when you are ready to take advantage of them: open a good book, call a friend, use an application to meditate or rest while savoring a bar of delicious chocolate, like the new Godiva Masterpieces. Carry one of these exquisite chocolates in your wallet and you will always be ready to give yourself a few minutes of rest.
1. Exchange appointments to play
Invite a friend and her children to your home. Sometimes children play so well together that you forget they are there. (Sure, don't forget to take a look at them every now and then.) Also, if you can trade dates to play, even if it's only for an hour or two, with your friends' kids, then you'll have twice as many opportunities to take a break. : a short one when the children are at your house and a much better one when they are at the friends' house.
2. Cleaning contest
When children complain that there is nothing to do, I like to take advantage of their competitive nature and propose a small cleaning contest: give each one a disposable dust cloth to see who can collect more dust in five minutes. You can also do a competition of who can wash the most windows in five minutes, or use a timer to see who can go the most by cleaning your room.
3. Treasure hunt
This may take a little more planning, but the good news is that the more you plan, the longer the break. Prepare a shortlist of things that the children will have to find around the house and in the garden; for example, three different types of leaves, a yellow dandelion, a coin so clean that it shines.
4. Board games
If your kids love a good board game, suggest that they check out one for entertainment. If they have many that they never play with, insist that they play with one to see if they really want to keep it or if they prefer to donate it. As a child, I even liked playing with these alone, instead of with my stuffed animals. My son is like that too. Fewer discussions with other players!
5. Write a funny story
As a child, I also loved to write stories and one of my favorite games was to start a story, write for five minutes and then fold the page so that only the last sentence was seen. Then I would pass the sheet to the person next to me (a brother or friend) to continue the story as they wanted for five more minutes. After a few rounds, when we read the stories out loud, we all laughed with the unexpected twists.
6. Go to the supermarket
Running errands used to be a pain, but now, if I can do them without my son, the truth is that I feel much calmer. You will find me wandering around the supermarket with my headphones, listening to a podcast, drinking a large cup of coffee, and just enjoying being alone in the store one weekend morning, while my husband and son entertain themselves with video games at home. Oh, and here you will also find Godiva Masterpieces and if you open one of the individually wrapped chocolates (or two!) Back in the parking lot, I won't tell anyone.
7. Take advantage of the moments you already have
Do you have a long commute to work by bus or train? Find the podcast you love, get comfortable with a large scarf that serves as a blanket, and relax with one of the individually wrapped Godiva Masterpieces chocolates, to make the moment sweeter. I work from home, but even the short commute from school to home after leaving my son in the morning is much more relaxing, now that I see it as a brief "personal break."
8. Play outside
If allowed, take them to school about 15 minutes early so they have extra time to play on the playground, while chatting with other parents and enjoying your coffee or reading the news app. If your children participate in sports, stay to watch them practice. In a game, you have to watch and cheer, but in practice, you can bring a book and a delicious bar filled with Godiva Masterpieces and not worry. Mind you, pay attention every once in a while and yell something to cheer them up, if appropriate. Well done team!
9. Pay for doing homework
This depends a lot on the age and abilities of your children, but you can pay them to clean the garage or sweep the entrance or tell them to clean their room very, very well because you hid $ 5 somewhere in there.
10. Go to the gym
You can become a member of a gym or community center that has child care and thus take the children with you. They will have fun playing and you will have a little time for yourself in an exercise class, on a treadmill, or even (gosh!) In the sauna.
11. Shared hobbies
Teach your kids one of the hobbies you enjoy, especially if it's usually a lonely thing, like knitting, running, or gardening. In this way, you can relax next to your little one and feel that peace of being alone, even if they are together. Another great option is to go to the library and sit together with a giant stack of books.
No comments:
Post a Comment