A few weeks ago I got up on Saturday morning to find that my husband had made our daughter breakfast, the laundry had been sorted and a load was in the washer, and a smoothie was waiting for me when I walked into the kitchen.  And as uncommon as this may sound, it’s rather typical of my husband.  What followed was even more typical of him.  He had arranged for me to go out with a friend and just chill and catch up.  He had everything under control!

Some of my friends envy that my husband will do this for me.  That he recognizes that to be the best mom I can be that I need time away from being a mom.  It’s why he encourages and supports my blogging as well.  It’s an outlet for me, to take myself to a place where the demands are less about basic survival needs – meals, hygiene and transportation – and more about the emotional needs of being a woman.

Growing up, almost every Sunday for several years my mom would take me to my grandparent’s house and I’d go with my grandma to the beauty parlor and then to play bingo.  I was probably 5 or 6 when I first started this routine.  But it was a time of female bonding.  Maybe there was an extraneous husband sitting nearby, but for the most part the beauty shop was filled with women doing something for themselves.  I met women, young and old, who told me I need to remember that time, so when I grow up I’ll take the time for myself too.

Thirty some years later and I do remember.  But times have changed.  A lot.  No longer are beauty parlors a place of leisure filled with women taking time for themselves.  And the bingo hall filled with women of all ages, sitting next to each other surrounded by several generations of family, are a thing of the past.  Who has time for that any more?

We may not think we have time, but we need to find time. I’m encouraged when I read about women planning ‘girl only weekends’ so they can just sit by the pool and talk to their girlfriends.  I love that there are organizations that create something like an Ultimate Girls Weekend so that we can not only just chill out and be women but also learn and re-energize our inner spirit.

Having recently returned from one of the largest women’s blogging conferences, I know that I felt reinvigorated and being away truly made my heart grow fonder.  Sometimes we all deserve to be the Cinderella who got to go to the ball and not just the girl who cooks and cleans and takes care of everyone else.

How do you recharge so you can be a better mom?

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Editor’s note: This post was written by Sara Hawkins, author of the Saving for Someday blog.