Whether you're a working mom, stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, mom of one or mom of five, you probably feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. Over the past several months, I've figured out that a crucial part of being a mom is being able to recognize the when it's time to let things go. In the end, I've found that my sanity–time to rest and recuperate, or even just time to spend holding my son–is worth so much more than a lot of the little things that used to eat up my day.
Of course, I sometimes still have a hard time admitting when I can't get everything accomplished that I set out to do, but there are some things I've accepted are no longer worth the time and effort. Here are five things I don't have time for now that I'm a mom:
1. A full face of makeup. I really enjoy makeup, I do, but this was probably one of the first things to go. In fact, I think I stopped wearing it every day while I was still pregnant. I do try to at least put on mascara and lip gloss when I'm leaving the house, and I definitely put on a full face if I'm going out somewhere nice or to an event, but most days, I stick to moisturizer and lip balm.
2. Gourmet dinners. I still cook almost every single night, but I can't tell you the last time I made something that took longer than 40 minutes to prepare, unless it was in the slow cooker. I'm confident that there will again be a day that I can spend hours creating in the kitchen, but for now, those days are over.
3. Movie marathons. Before the arrival of our son, my husband and I would often spend winter weekends holed up on the couch under a load of blankets watching movies. We even watched all six Rocky movies in a single day once. These days, it takes an extra 45 minutes to an hour to get through one movie. Between naps and feedings, I don't think we've watched a single movie without having to hit the pause button at least once in the past eight months–actually it's been longer than that, before the baby came, it was pee breaks.
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4. Long shopping trips. I used to be able to go to three different grocery stores every time I did the shopping. I knew what each store sold at the best price, and since they were all fairly close to each other, I would make a stop at each one to pick up certain household necessities and kitchen staples. Not anymore. Knowing that my son will need a nap within an hour generally means that grocery trips involve a single store. I know we're spending more money, but it's just not worth a missed nap and an overtired baby.
5. All the time in the world (as in, being able to wait on lines). Ever go clothes shopping, find one or two items that you really like and proceed to the register only to find a line snaking through the entire length of the store? Yeah, if I see that I'm dropping my loot and heading straight out the door. I have no desire to spend 30–or even 15 minutes–waiting in an obnoxious queue just so I can have that pretty top I saw on my favorite store's Facebook page. I'd rather go get some lunch with my husband and our little dude.
