Mom Lifestyle

Check out this coffee table we made for $35!

Have you tried your hand at anything new this summer? We have! Last week, my teenager and I built an outdoor coffee table, and though it's not perfect, I couldn't be prouder. It's so easy - and let me tell you - I don't own any special woodworking materials other than an old hand saw I purchased a decade ago (which I ended up not using). Even still, with about $35 worth of materials and a bit of elbow grease, our table was good to go. You can build one too!

Get a room!

Do you have a room of your own? A room that's yours and only yours? Most moms don't. But if you're running around taking care of everyone else all day, it makes sense to have your own place of refuge to relax, recuperate, and to just "be".

Is there a spare room in your house, a guest room perhaps, that you can take over from time to time? It doesn't have to be big. And guess what? It doesn't even have to be a room. It can be a comfortable chair, a desk, or some corner of a room that you've laid claim to and that everyone else knows to leave alone (and to leave YOU alone when you're in the space, unless they've been invited).

I love what one of my good friends did. She commandeered the playroom from her two young kids and made it her own mommy space. Chances are it’ll be for just a short season, but a wonderful season indeed!

When you need to recharge or relax, having your own room might prove more valuable than you can imagine. Hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign and use your room to:

5 Ways to Get your "Mommy Groove" back!

Feeling stuck in a rut? Yeah, summer break can do that to us sometimes. I mean, why take the time to “pretty up” our hair when we’re in the pool almost EVERY day? And don’t worry that we’ve put on those few extra pounds – summer is the season for ice cream dessert every day of the week, right? And if you’re like me, you’ve gotten over the hopes of having friends over. With my 4 girls, we're living in a soror house – with tents, blankets, balloons, and stuffed animals every where I turn (not to mention the dirty kitchen. We really do snack ALL day!)

White flag away! Summer Break will NOT defeat us! We’ve decided that if we’re going to clean up our act and get our Mommy Groove back, all it takes is a little determination, and this list: