I was thinking about this topic the other day and several memories came to mind. One was an hysterically funny memory and one was just a helpful memory to remind me to take time for myself.

Shaving was something that I could not wait to do as soon as I was old enough. I remember looking at my legs and then asking my mom if "now" was a good time. She was careful but did allow me to start shaving when I was a young teenager. Having dark hair makes this a good practice, by the way. Well, my adventures started and I quickly learned how to hold the razor, how to NOT come out of the shower with bloody nicks and how often to shave. I loved the way my legs felt afterwards...it was a wonderful feeling!

One day, my brother exited the bathroom somewhat distressed following his shower. My mom asked him what was wrong and he showed her his legs. HE had shaved. Yes, he thought that it was something guys did as well. Oh my...he was a MESS. My mom helped him clean himself up and explained that men shave their faces but that women shave their underarms and legs. It was quite a sight but he understood and NEVER came out of the bathroom looking like that again!

Fast-forward to August of 2008. I had just given birth to my first child and was feeling like a zombie. I was afraid to let my baby cry and would jump 5 feet as soon as she would whimper. It was a very stressful time. I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't realize that days would go by without me taking time to pamper myself. One day, I happened to look at myself in the mirror and gasped. I looked a wreck. So, that morning I put my baby in a safe place, locked myself in the bathroom and took the longest shower EVER. I took great care to shave my legs, wash my hair and use pretty-scented body wash. Wow...what a different outlook that little bit of care gave me on my life. I had forsook the very thing that I needed in order to feel human. What I learned from that experience is that no matter I get as a mom, it is still important to take care and pamper myself. It makes my life so much better and just helps so much.