In Mommy-land, carving out 2-3 hours for an outing at the spa, away from the kids, is a Herculean task that requires not only brute strength (have you ever tried peeling away a kid who has her hands firmly grasped around your leg?) but some cunning err... scheming ("Aww, I'm sorry your golf game got cancelled this weekend honey but since you're free…,") and shameless bribing ("Wow, look what Mommy got for you, [insert child's name]!").
Unfortunately, your kids and their by-now-the-wiser-Daddy will get suspicious if you keep deploying the same tactic every month so you'll need options. Calling your mom/sister/best friend to babysit your kids (but be prepared to return the favour) is one option but you can also get your kids involved in doing an at-home spa treatment.
Be Flexible Curling up with your favourite magazine while sipping some tea is a lovely way to get some R&R but when your kids are around, it's best that you bend the rules or tweak your idea of "a perfect spa time".
You can still read, drink tea and warm up some scented oil so the room smells heavenly but instead of some soothing jazz in the background, who cares if it's Barney the Friendly Dinosaur? And you don't need a lot of time - 20 to 30 minutes is good. You can easily find an activity to occupy your kids for that long. Try visiting the website of your kids' favourite shows - lots of them have pictures for parents to print and kids to colour - or let them play with their favourite toys.
Don't get attached to the results There's no way your kids will lie down quietly as they wait for their papaya mask-clad faces to dry. That's unrealistic and you're bound to feel disappointed if you set the bar too high. But your kids will have a load of fun if you let them mash up the papaya with a wooden spoon and mix it with honey while singing their favourite songs.
Then let them use their fingers to apply the mask to your face and their own (let them use a mirror so they can see how funny they look). Sure, it'll be a bit messy but that's all part of the fun. Just make sure you snap a few photographs to laugh over later.
Don't get attached to the results There's no way your kids will lie down quietly as they wait for their papaya mask-clad faces to dry. That's unrealistic and you're bound to feel disappointed if you set the bar too high. But your kids will have a load of fun if you let them mash up the papaya with a wooden spoon and mix it with honey while singing their favourite songs.
Then let them use their fingers to apply the mask to your face and their own (let them use a mirror so they can see how funny they look). Sure, it'll be a bit messy but that's all part of the fun. Just make sure you snap a few photographs to laugh over later.
But I have boys! Girls, presumably, will be more open to helping you do girly stuff so if you have boys, perhaps its best to wait until nap time - jump into the shower, apply a face mask and give yourself a quick body scrub. Then lie down to nap or read. There's no need to worry about the time. Your kids are your natural alarm clock - they'll let you know exactly when they're up and raring to go.
