Superhero Mums
Save Yourselves!
Life just isn’t fair! Do you ever get the feeling that mums and mum duties are taken for granted? A typical day for a mother with kids will start like this. Wake the kids, run the baths, make sure they have brushed their teeth, make sure they are getting dressed, herd them out the front door making sure they haven’t forgotten homework assignments, PE kits or lunch boxes… and breathe! All this before 8am. Some of you working mums will then go out and do a full day in the workplace. For the most part it will have been the mother’s number that is left as the first point of contact at the school, so if your little one has an upset stomach during the day, it is mum who has to rush to the school to pick him up and arrange very short term childcare or take the afternoon off work to look after them.
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It is incredibly exhausting, but most mothers undertake their duties without complaint. The real problem is that society sees these duties as normal and actually expects a mother to perform them perfectly without mention, because “this is what mothers are supposed to do”.
What we described above is nothing short of incredible! How one person can spread themselves so thinly that it appears they are in several different places at once is rather like Superman’s ability to fly around different parts of the world saving people. Even Superman gets praised for his efforts, and he has ‘Super’ in his title! Hell, if there was anyone who didn’t deserve praise because saving people was just part of his job description, it would be Superman!
Worse still is that when some dads do a fraction of mum’s duties such as making the kid’s dinner after school (and by making dinner, I mean throwing some fish fingers in the oven), he is lauded as a saint. When he drops the kids off swimming practice one day because he has a training course that starts a little later, the whole world look at him as though he should be a candidate for sainthood. He’ll be dining out on that story for ages! Why is it that when he’s in the supermarket with the screaming toddler that he gets the “bless your heart” looks, whereas a mother in the same situation gets the “shut your damn kid up!” glare?
As I said earlier, life just isn’t fair is it? Motherhood is taken for granted whereas fatherhood is applauded, which is a bit strange since the mans role consists of conception and then he can disappear for 9 months, whereas motherhood begins form conception! From here onwards a mother-to-be is expected to act in a certain way. Dare she even look at a glass of wine and she will be scorned like the anti- Christ!
Whilst I am not for one moment suggesting that a mother-to-be should smoke 20 cigarettes a day and down 2 bottles of Rose a day whilst pregnant, it does highlight that a mother has had to neglect her own wants every single day since she found out she was going to be a mother. It is as though you are forced to lose yourself as a woman when you become a mother. But neglect yourselves no longer super-mums!
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Self Care
Self-care is all the rage these days. We are continuously being told to exercise well, and to eat well and to look after our mental health. All of this is important, but we must also find time to pamper our outer selves. Luxury Spa weekends are lovely, but let’s be honest who has the time or the money to visit these places regularly? It is possible to indulge yourself in a home spa set up, and it need not cost a fortune as you will just be using items you already have in your beauty cabinet paired with the occasional purchase over time. A dreary Sunday can be turned into a luxurious experience.
So what will you need to raise your self-pampering routine to the next level?
1. Home Spa
- Set the mood with relaxing music.
- Clean your entire home. I know, pampering yourself shouldn’t require work, but if you truly want to feel relaxed, you should make a point to completely clear your “spa” of clutter and grime.
- Cleanse from the inside. Make a batch of fruit-infused detox water and make a point to finish it over the course of your day. Pick up a gallon of alkaline water from the store along with lemons, cucumbers, and watermelon,
1. Home Spa
- Set the mood with relaxing music.
- Clean your entire home. I know, pampering yourself shouldn’t require work, but if you truly want to feel relaxed, you should make a point to completely clear your “spa” of clutter and grime.
- Cleanse from the inside. Make a batch of fruit-infused detox water and make a point to finish it over the course of your day. Pick up a gallon of alkaline water from the store along with lemons, cucumbers, and watermelon,
2. Soak in Luxurious Bath
Panamy is a Swiss-based florist that delivers all over Switzerland by Swiss Post. Order a bouquet of gorgeous flowers in their signature blue Flowerbox (no vase needed!) Happiness guaranteed.
2. Soak in Luxurious Bath
Panamy is a Swiss-based florist that delivers all over Switzerland by Swiss Post. Order a bouquet of gorgeous flowers in their signature blue Flowerbox (no vase needed!) Happiness guaranteed.
3. Give Yourself an Esthetician-Style Facial
BallonBox Shop has Valentine’s Day-themed balloons for everyone, whether they are a child or an adult. They even have a slow-burning, heart-shaped candle that would be a great surprise on top of any dessert.
3. Give Yourself an Esthetician-Style Facial
BallonBox Shop has Valentine’s Day-themed balloons for everyone, whether they are a child or an adult. They even have a slow-burning, heart-shaped candle that would be a great surprise on top of any dessert.
4. Learn How give your hair a professional Blowdry
For the fun, weird, cheeky, or cool gift, look to Radbag. You can get unique gifts for all your loved ones including personalized sequin pillows and yes, even unicorn tears!
4. Learn How give your hair a professional Blowdry
For the fun, weird, cheeky, or cool gift, look to Radbag. You can get unique gifts for all your loved ones including personalized sequin pillows and yes, even unicorn tears!
The effects of self pampering go beyond just the immediate pleasure. The next time the kids screaming around the house, you can just fade out and go to your happy place in your mind. Sunday is only a few days away!
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Mums, you are all superheroes, save yourselves once in a while.
Will you make a conscious effort to take time alone from your family? Can you recommend another great place in Switzerland to take that much needed time out? Chat with the Expat Parents community in our Faceboook groups or on Instagram.
