I was a stay at home mom for the first 5 years of my daughters life – I know how easy it can be to end up in the “no maintenance” rut. I pulled myself out quickly and found that I was always more motivated to get things done when I took just a few minutes to shower, get dressed, put on a little make up. I think the husband appreciated the effort, too! Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner! :)

It’s so funny that you wrote this Roni, because I’ve been stressing about it all week. My daughter is two and a good sleeper at night. Because she wakes up around 8, I always get up earlier to take a quick shower, put on a bit of make-up and do something with my hair, even if it’s just a messy bun with a cute clip or headband. When she was first born, I learned that I just felt better during the day if I took those few minutes for myself. It also motivated me to get out of the house more and to be honest, even if I’m home all day, makes me feel more productive. It just makes me feel ready for whatever the day may hold. Now that I’m pregnant with #2, I’m terrified I won’t be able to keep up this precious “me” time once the baby comes along and I feel like I NEED it for my own sake.

I COMPLETELY agree with getting in a quick shower to feel fresh and rejuvinated for the day. I have an almost 3 1/2 year old son, a 13 month old son, and we are expecting our 3rd son, and last child, …………TOMORROW, and I too, admit that I’m guilty of “letting myself go” since having children and becoming a stay at home mommy. Our boys go to bed at about 930-10-ish, depending on what we’ve done after my husband gets home from work that evening, and they both wake up about 9 in the morning. They have ALWAYS been superb sleepers since they were just weeks old, but for some reason, I’ve just usually resorted to what I consider the “lazy comfortable” look. I wake up..sometimes too late to get a shower until their naptime..and just stay in my pj’s unless I know we are going somewhere, no makeup and just pull my hair back in a VERY messy bun. I’ve never been able to sleep “well”, but this pregnancy has to have been the worst of all of them trying to get a good nights sleep, although somehow I still manage to be the first to “wake” up in our house and should make the time to freshen up. In fact, my father stopped by today, which forced me to get dressed and cleaned up, and I honestly felt more energized and rested after that. I really think just the simple things in the morning can make all the difference, if we can get to that point at least. Lol. Hopefully I can still steal a few minutes for a shower once we bring our 3rd one home too. : )