It's all about me... at least for a few hours a week

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mommas out there! Sorry to be a day late, but well... I'm a mom and the weekend was busy with taking care of kids and entertaining a house full of people. This Mother's Day reminded me of how incredibly blessed I am to have these three little ladies in my life. They are little bundles of just plain awesome. The cards, messages and live shows they put on for me to make sure I had the absolute best day were just perfect. 

One of my favorite mother's day messages

Mother's Day this year also reminded me of something else. I am one very grateful and very tired momma. I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not, but I just think it is time that I acknowledge the fact and stop pretending that I'm not. As I'm closing in on my eldest's sixth birthday (tomorrow!) I realize that it has been six years since I have had consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Sure, there were short spells here and there where my older two started sleeping well, but mostly I was in my third trimester of pregnancy during those times so I'm not sure that really counts as good sleep. 

My point in all this isn't just to complain. Just to remind myself and all moms out there to give ourselves a break. Take time to relax both with our kids and on our own. Starting now, I am going to try to find two hours a week to do something relaxing. I'm a lucky lady that my family is close by so I do have lots of help looking after my children. But let's face it, usually I'm running around like crazy trying to fit in a quick run, grocery shopping for the week, and any other errands that might be easier without kids. 

So now comes the fun part. I need a plan. What are things I can do that are relaxing? So far I've come up with: reading a book at the beach, reading or writing at a local coffee shop, getting a massage or pedicure. Maybe I should add napping to the list in light of how exhausted I seem to be. This two hours of me time might sounds incredibly selfish, but I really do think it will make me a better mom. And the biggest "rule" of this relax time is no guilt. This one is tricky for me. I find myself feeling guilty every time I leave my kids and no matter what the situation feeling rushed to get back to them. This adds a stress which basically defeats the whole purpose and makes it impossible to return relaxed. So, I repeat NO GUILT. 

What do you do to relax and unwind from your busy schedule? Do you schedule "me time" as I'm proposing to do, just try to fit it in when you can, or are you thinking what is me time and who does this crazy woman think she is? If you do try to take some time for yourself, what are your favorite and most relaxing things to do? Please share... I need some ideas!