Don't be only defined as being a mom (or a dad)

Don't lose you!!

In your amazing life you have been a daughter (or a son), a sister (or a brother), a student, a career woman (or career man) and now a mother (or father).

Don't lose or forget (insert your name here) and (insert education here) and (insert career here).

You aren't only defined as being a mom (or dad), you are defined by ALL your life's accomplishments.

Reminder that you will always be a mom (or dad) from this day forward, but your child will not always need/require your constant mothering (or fathering).  They will eventually go to school full days, eventually move out, eventually start their own family.

You give and give every single day being a parent.  Don't forget to take as well.

Take some time for you.

Buy wine and have a bath, read a book, watch a food network show, or rent "Magic Mike".

Take some time for you.

Being a stay-at-home parent (or "trophy spouse") means you are never allowed to call in sick, you are a parent 24/7 365 days a year until they are kindergarten age!!  Then if you are lucky you get 1/2 days to yourself (to the lucky few you get full days).

Take some time for you.

Some days I can get up and play, play and play. Other days I honestly can't.

I am not ashamed of doing the following:

We would be driving back from a play-date or the zoo or somewhere and my daughter would see a park and ask to go. Me not feeling it and wanting to go home, I would run the "windshield washers" on a nice day and explain to my 2 and 1/2 year old that it was raining.

Now before everybody starts getting upset, it's not like we went home and did nothing. We would play "princesses" or do a craft or play toys.

Take some time for you.

Every Friday our family does "Friday Family Fun Night", we make supper together and we watch a kids movie together as a family.

Take some time for you.

Every Saturday my wife and I have ourselves a date night.  We take turns planning a meal and cooking for each other.  We wait till our daughter goes to bed and while one of us is putting her to bed, the other is chilling wine, lighting candles and cooking a nice romantic meal.

Take some time for you.

For me it's that moment when the kids asleep and I'm chilling watching sports and having a cold one.

What do you do to take some time for you?