1. Playing kid games at the pool
Of course I swam and relaxed at the pool prior to having Jack in my life, but the last time I cannon-balled into the deep end, played Marco Polo, or dove for plastic fish I was in junior high. I can’t believe I forgot how much fun it is to get off my butt and act like a kid in the pool!
2. Indulging in sleepover fun
After a sun-drenched day at the pool, Jack and I were both pretty beat. I told him to pick out any movie he wanted to watch, while I made some buttery popcorn. But before I pressed play, we made a sofa cushion-blanket fort and turned all the lights off for a special viewing of The Sandlot (uh, a top fave movie from MY childhood!). The movie turned into a living room sleepover on the pullout couch, just because.
3. Enjoying frozen treats in the summer
The new happy hour when you’re a mom doesn’t involve booze, despite all the mommy, wine sippy cup jokes constantly going around (anyone else sick of em?). At least not for me. My poison is much sweeter. The ice cream truck, Rita’s (love black cherry and vanilla custard), self-serve fro yo, or old-fashioned Italian ice—there’s always room for dessert after dinner in the summertime.
4. Shamelessly backing out of stuff
Look, being a mom is hard, exhausting work. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use the tried-and-true excuse: I can’t—I have stuff going on with Jack. And it’s not entirely a lie. Even if I do binge watch “Orange is the New Black” on Netflix, that IS stuff going on with Jack: It’s me rejuvenating and relaxing, so I can be at peak performance the next morning. Because morning in our home starts before 6 a.m., 7 days a week. Ya heard?
5. Playing with toys
Building with Legos, coloring, and chalking on black top is not only fun but extremely therapeutic. I may not have time to hit up yoga as much as I like to, but my kid is always down to play with me. I can just as easily zone out with a paint by numbers, like I can in downward dog. The bonus is I get to zone out with my son.
Share some guilty mommy pleasures of your own.
