A Mom Rut

I cannot be the only one…who checks them self periodically in order to determine if they have fallen into the dark crevice that is the Mom Rut.  The checks are easy to determine, have I worn these same jeans more than twice this week (check), have I resorted to only sort-of blow drying my hair (check), and when putting on my face (as my grandmother called it) did I only apply mascara (check). 

Outcome: I am in a Mom Rut.

For those of you Mama’s who also find them self in this careless copacetic existence, I offer you the following suggestions that I use when I need to break free of my Mom Rut:

1.     Dig into my closet and pull out something that makes me feel great about myself and wear it out.  Now, I would love to wear a sequined evening gown and stilettos, but dropping junior off at school could be awkward. Although, those skinny jeans and a fabulous blouse or sweater would be perfectly fine for my day-to-day chores of life, and who knows I may garner a couple of compliments, which always inspires me to try harder on my appearance.

2.     Skip eating my love bug’s left over mac n’ cheese or dinosaur nuggets.  After a week or two of refraining from these handfuls of extra calories, I feel more in control, confident, and even possibly a smidgen lighter in my boots, a win-win-win.

3.     Create a quick, but more comprehensive, make up routine. I get it, a full put-on face is a little much at 7:55 AM for the pledge of allegiance, but a neutral eye shadow, clear or lightly tinted lip gloss, and shaped brows make me look more put together when I glance in that rear view mirror to make sure that little mister’s lunch box made it into the car.

4.     Make a plan to hit an early evening out with a girlfriend.  I tend to skip the coffee shop or yoga class, I prefer somewhere with a bit more ambiance, like the bar at the local Mexican or Italian restaurant. Both of these places serve coffee (and drinks, wink-wink) but the people watching is kicked up a notch, which reminds me of my life before “Mama” was my name.

5.     Put myself out there.  When I step outside my comfort zone I tend to care more about how I am presenting myself to others. Joining a writing group or a dinner club give me another reason to slather on that make-up and ditch the jeans with holes in the crotch (there is no guarantee that people aren't seeing those holes, by the way).

These are just a few of the things I do to put my Mama-self back in check every now and again, what do you do to dig yourself out of a Mom Rut?