I treated myself.....And I used conditioner!

 Between all the cooking and cleaning that comes with being a stay-at-home mom, looking after a baby less than a year old means that showers are quick. Yes, I can take longer ones when my partner comes home, but only by about 5 minutes. Quicker if she starts to cry. While he is an amazing father and plays with her and feeds her, when it comes to diaper changes or uncontrollable crying, he is like a helpless babe himself.

However, this shower was for me, my birthday weekend, I was going to treat myself to conditioner! I know that that sounds ridiculous, but I have spent the last few weeks operating on the bare minimum of self-love. Yes my family are fed, wearing cleaning clothes, living in a clean home, with meals prepped ahead of time for both super and lunches for my partner while he is at work, but for me, hair is slicked back into a headband, my pants are so comfortable that they could spend the day on the sofa by themselves, and my shirt is stained with baby vomit, despite multiple washes.  

So, I cranked up the volume on my Spotify playlist (to a huge number 6! any louder and I could have woken the sleeping baby) turned up the water temp from lukewarm to steamy hot, shook off the mom clothes, and jumped in. After the quick wash down that usually happens, I reached for that conditioner bottle and felt the life return to my hair. It's a feeling that cannot be put into words.

Once out of the shower, and dried off, I brush out my hair. No knots, no tangles, the brush glides through effortlessly. Again, a feeling that cannot be put into words. There is nothing like self-love to give you that boost that you are perhaps missing as a busy mom. I was ready to slick back the hair again, done the comfy pants and stained shirt, but that energy of knowing that at the end of the day, when I get to go bed, my hair will still be silky smooth, voluminous, and tangle-free, that will last for a good day or two. And that's all I need to carry on.  

#firsttimemom #newbaby #oldermom #momlife #parentingstruggles #mommyneedsabreak