FlyBaby Pampering Ideas, Part Three

FlyLady asked her FlyBabies for their favorite pampering ideas, and did they deliver! This is part three of our Member Pampering Tips. These are all from your fellow FlyBabies; take inspiration from them to find new ways to Finally Love Yourself. You’ll find motivation to take time for yourself as well as fresh pampering ideas that will help you feel and look rejuvenated. Many thanks to all the members who submitted their favorite pampering ideas!

Leg Pampering

Dear FlyCrew,

I wanted to share a pampering mission that I did last week.

During the winter, I usually don’t spend a lot of time on shaving my legs, since no one will see them under my winter clothes. When I do take the time to shave my legs, it is usually a quick shave boogie in the shower while DS (2YO) is trying to open the shower door.

While DH was away on business & DS was staying with DPIL (Dear Parents-in-law), I decided to pamper me after completing my routines. First I layed out my shaving supplies (including a new razor blade) & filled a soaking tub with warm water. Next I used an expoliating cream on my legs and then a wash (like I was giving myself a facial on my legs). After the wash, came a warm towel & a detailed shaving. I finished it up with a nice leg massage complete with lotion.

Afterward, my legs felt rejuvinated. The next day, I just smiled at myself when I walked into work as I felt my pants rubbing against my freshly shaved, silky legs. When DH came home, he was blessed; he thought it was all for him (my little secret).

Pampered FlyBaby in Tennessee

PS – For those FlyBabies that don’t shave their legs, they can still give themselves a “leg facial.”

Nature Walk

Dear FlyLady,

I pamper myself by going to a public garden. I am really fortunate, as I live in Pasadena, CA., and have three lovely ones nearby. I can walk to the Huntington Gardens and Library. I can also drive 10 minutes to reach the Los Angeles County Arboretum (to the East) or the Descanso Gardens (to my West.) I love my own gardens at home, but they are small. It seems that nothing picks me up like a stroll in a really BIG garden. There are so many varieties of plants, trees, flowers to see – I find that being in Nature’s bounty heals my soul and mind. I can quiet down and just enjoy lovely blossoms and bird song. Yesterday I went to the Huntington and spent nearly an hour in the cactus conservatory, glorying in spikey, knobby, and furry plants. My younger son gave me a plant from there a number of years ago as a Mother’s Day present. While this shocked his Grandmother, who took him there to get me a present, it was the perfect one for me. I look at it every day and my heart is reminded of him. The plant is healthy and strong, just as he is. Best of all, I put in an extra 4,000 steps by walking about and enjoying Mother Nature’s bounty. Who could ask for anything more? Fresh air, walkies, beautiful gardens, reminders of my DS….

Thanks for the opportunity to share.

Margaret

Full-body Massage

I pamper myself by having my kids former babysitter now massage therapist come over and give me a full body massage. It is very relaxing, and I don’t have to get a sitter for my three little ones that aren’t in school.I had one this morning after I dropped my kids of tho school. I do this about every two weeks. It is my little way of loving myself so that I can get back to loving my husband and six children.Melissa

Dewey, Arizona

Fresh Flowers

I keep fresh flowers in a prominent clutter free spot on my kitchen island. It is almost like the shiny sink because it discourages clutter anywhere around it.

“Princess Triathlon”

Dear Flylady

One of my favorite pamper sessions is going to the gym and not working out. I do what I like to call the Princess triathlon. This is where I take advantage of things in my gym that I feel are extravagant features. First, I hit the whirlpool, then I hit the sauna, then I hit the steam room. I finish up the triathlon as any good athlete does with a long hot shower (the hot water never runs out at the gym). By the time that I am ready to leave I am like a puddle of mush. It feels wonderful and I feel rejuvenated and well taken care of. I know not everyone belongs to a gym and if some do they may not have these features, but for those who do I highly recommend the princess triathlon. You will feel like a million bucks.

Flybaby Elizabeth in NJ

Three little things

  1. Set aside time to watch a favorite movie that DH won’t watch with you – with a good glass of wine or a favorite desert.
  2. Set aside an hour read – just for yourself – as a reward for completing a routine or shining your sink.
  3. At end of day, read Flylady testimonials to go to bed with a good outlook on tomorrow!

Getting “Dolled” Up

I like to pamper myself occasionally with a new pair of pretty pj’s and some fragrant lotion. Then, I get all “dolled” up and watch a movie I have rented for just myself. I was at my mother’s house over this past weekend, and mentioned to her what a fun treat it was and how it made me feel. She told me she had never done that before! So, we headed out, treated ourselves to new pj’s and a movie from our favorite store, Target, and had a really nice evening together. We didn’t really spend too much money, but it made us feel like a million bucks! – FLYing in San Jose and Hollister, CA

Playing Piano

I grew up playing piano and later clarinet in the high school marching band. I played hymns for Sunday School and church camp. But I declined to join the college band because I knew I wasn’t talented enough to stand up to the vigors involved. When I married I didn’t have an instrument except for a very short time with a player piano–good when I bought it but too much use by my family of four wore out the billows and I couldn’t afford to repair it.

Now forty years later. Recently I decided I wanted personal music back in my life. Christmas eve a year ago, I was making a last minute shopping trip and found a pretty decent kid’s keyboard for $10. I thought, wow, I can’t lose much and I would see whether I was really interested. Well, I played it quite often, but since it was only big enough for treble clef I wanted to move on. I didn’t quite think I was ready to spend for a better one, but a friend who wasn’t using hers loaned it to me indefinitely this past weekend. Since I am not planning to play for anyone but myself, re-learning to play is pampering me. I have a goal to be able to play Die Fladermous (sp?) by Straus which I could in high school and really liked.

So I pampered myself this morning and really enjoyed learning this keyboard. I found in the past it is also a good way to “let off steam.” I have two handicaps to overcome and then practice, practice. The handicaps are relearning to recognize the notes off the bar and figuring out where to put the music so I can read it. Otherwise, most of my knowledge is still there, just needs to be reawakened.

EK

Flybaby in Indiana

Inter-Library Loan

I order the books I want to read on Inter-Library Loan at our local library. I get to read the books I want without fretting about buying them new.

Coffee Date – Alone!

Dear FlyCrew,

Once a week, usually on Sunday, my DH takes our two DDs for a couple of hours and I go off by myself. I used to run errands or go to the grocery store, but I decided that I needed to do something that was just for me. Lately, I’ve been taking my favorite book and finding a quiet place to read and drink a good cup of coffee. Sometimes I stay at the coffee shop, sometimes I go to the reading room in the library, sometimes I just sit in the car. What a glorious thing to have a block of time to sit clear headed and read a book! It rejuvenates my mind and spirit! When I return home I can greet my family refreshed and ready to give them my full attention. I highly recommend a little peace and quiet as a great way to pamper yourself.

Sauna

I am a SAHM/grad student with a 4 year old DD (who attends pre-k) and a 2-month-old DS. Twice a week, I take a “baby and me” exercise class at the Y, then afterwards comes the pamper part.

I put DS into the Y’s free day care, and I hit the sauna! I hang out there for 20 minutes or so, then I take a long shower with yummy aromatherapy products. It’s very relaxing in and of itself, but moreso because I know DS is being well-loved by the staff upstairs.

When the weather gets warm and the sauna seems less appealing, I might just take 20 minutes in the Y’s lounge to read a book — I love to read and I’m usually too tired to do it before bed, like I did before DS was born.

Bubble Baths

My 18-month-old DS takes wonderful 3-hour naps on weekends. Of course I use some of this time for errands (if DH is home), house projects, etc. But every Saturday, no matter what I “should” be doing, I make sure I get a pampering bubble bath.

During the week, if I get my nightly bubble bath, it’s pretty quick because I need my rest, after all! But Saturdays … those are the days for two facial masks, leave-in conditioner, body scrubs, really thorough leg-shaving, and a good book.

Before FLYLady, I usually took this bath toward the end of naptime, after I get “enough” done, and I would feel guilty, like I had to find excuses why I deserved it. Now I make sure to do it early in the naptime, since taking care of ME is just as important as almost any other chore on my list. (Except shining my sink, of course! LOL) On those rare occasions when DS wakes up early, I’d rather still need to unload my dishwasher than be grumpy and resentful because I didn’t get to pamper myself.

Walks through a Public Garden

Here’s something that always picks up my spirits and can be done with or without spending any money. It’s for spring and summer mostly.

Go take a walk in a public garden. Two of my favorites are rose gardens; one is part of a public park and the other is part of the grounds at our Junior College. The scent of roses fill the air and it’s a beautiful place to renew my spirits. Sometimes I’ve gone thinking perhaps I’d pick out a rose to plant in my yard in the future.

Or go to a nursery. For this, I think the best are the local special nurseries, not the big flower sections of a mega store. Check out all the variety, the color, the scents. Plan a flowerbox. Maybe buy a 6 pack of pansies or petunias to brighten a corner but mainly just experience walking through all this beautiful variety. Sometimes flowers can remind me that we go through stages too. And we aren’t always at a beautiful stage… maybe we’re still in bud and not yet ready to display our blossoms, but we will!

I don’t let myself beat myself up with critical thoughts while I”m there… no mental lectures about stalled gardening projects or anything. Just a time to enjoy the beauty and the variety of life in our world.

MaryLynne

Santa Rosa, CA

Girl Time – On my own!

Hi Flycrew!

I have been either pregnant, nursing, or both for over three years now, and am a SAHM to my toddler DD and infant DS. As such, I haven’t had a glass of wine in a *long* time. Also, I don’t get much time to pamper myself these days, but will in a few months, when I wean my son. (You can probably see where this is going.) Once my son is taking milk well and really ready to give up nursing, I am taking a whole weekend – my weaning weekend, to take the train into Boston, stay in a hotel, and do lots of girlie things. All by myself! (I also haven’t had much alone-time in 2 1/2 years.) I will go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum for a jazz brunch, I will drink a mimosa, I will swim in the hotel pool, I will walk in the park and on L street beach. I will take a lesson with my old piano teacher. I will get a manicure and/or massage, and I will eat chi-chi food that my husband would never touch. I will see a chic-flick, stop in my favorite book shop, and read to my hearts content, with no interruptions. I will *soak* in the hotel tub, and I will *sleep* through the night, with no 4AM feedings, and no trips to the bathroom, and no tucking the kids back in, no wrestling the sheets back from DH, for the first time in what seems like forever! In short, I will do whatever *I* want for a whole day or so, with no guilt, no interruptions! And I will come back renewed, a less frazzled wife and Mom. I can’t wait!!!!

Thanks you guys for all you do – and happy Valentine’s Day!

FLYnewborn in Nashua, NH

Newspaper and Tea

Mine is so simple but it took me years to get here. Our house starts very early. Teens start leaving at 6am. So I let the frantic carrying on of getting teens out of the house, and sending DH off to work get over with. Then I sit down with my cup of tea and the newspaper and spend 15 minutes for me before I start my day. I can quietly read, eat breakfast and enjoy my tea then I’m ready to get on with my morning routine.

That 15 minutes is a wonderful break after the frenzy and I have learned to sit down and enjoy it.

Still learning to fly in Alberta

Movie Day

I live alone and work full-time plus go to school full-time. I work 9/80’s which means I have every other Friday. I treat myself to a day at the movies, which is one of my favorite pastimes when I can truly relax and escape from the day-to-day reality.

Reading with Chocolate

I am a homeschooling mother of 3 girls 6, 8, and 10. I work 1 day a week at the town library, and 2 hrs a week teaching knitting. Between those things I fit in the regular things that all moms do… Drs. appointments, shopping, TRYING to fly, errands for DH, etc. I can’t find a big chunk of time to do any pampering so I try to fit in small ones. I pamper myself with a time to sit down, savour my favorite chocolate bar (yes I do need to share with dds sometimes! :o) )and read a chapter of the current book I am reading. I am one that can really immerse myself in my reading, so it is an escape for me no matter how short a moment. I really do appreciate these times that I can do this. – Kathy in CO

Five-minute pet break!

I love to take five minutes and just sit with one of my pets. No agenda, just petting the cat on my lap or sitting next to one of my two dogs who are too big for my lap, and rubbing a tummy or furry head. They love it, and the extrememly simple pleasure of it all puts all worries in perspective.

Six Pampering Tips

  1. Hand softening/cuticle remover – Before bed & while my hands are still moist, I slather Bag Balm on them, then slip on socks. This stuff works great even though it stinks…but then I sleep alone. : ) The next morning, I wash my hands and then use cuticle remover & push back my cuticles. If I don’t make myself do this on a regular basis, I get hangnails, which makes me feel totally unfeminine and I’m miserable until they heal.
  2. Mini-pamper – I splurge and buy several bottles of lotion–I set one by each sink, by my bed and my computer, to remind me to lotion up my hands to help keep them nice in cold weather.
  3. Baking soda face scrub – just a little gently rubbed onto shower-moist skin then rinsed off, and my face feels brand-new.
  4. Salt scrub – GENTLY rub on entire body except… um… sensitive areas…and rinse off under a warm shower. The feet can use a little extra work and a not-so-gentle touch. When my skin’s extra dry, I mix the salt with a bit of olive oil first. A drop of fragrant bath oil is nice, too.
  5. Tooth & gum pamper – I brush my teeth with toothpaste, floss them, THEN brush them again with my toothbrush moistened in hydrogen peroxide and then dipped into baking soda. I pay special attention to gently massaging my gums and cleaning my tongue. I rinse thoroughly, being careful not to swallow any–yuck! My mouth feels VERY clean.
  6. Going to bed EARLY with a book and a cup of herb tea after a warm shower with my favorite shower gel–no matter what the rest of the household is doing, and no matter what crisis is happening in anybody else’s life, client or friend.

Sleep is the very best pamper mission for me, and I’m learning to see that it is an investment in my own ability to care for my family and my clients. If I don’t make the time to do this on a regular basis, then I use up my reserves before I know it, get sick and then I HAVE to take to the bed and nobody gets taken care of properly. It is a worthy investment to do this on a regular basis, no matter what else does not get done when somebody else wants it done. I simply need to “clock out,” and call myself off-duty, if I’m going to FLY and teach my DD how to FLY, as well. Whatever the work is, it’ll still be there when I wake up. If I’m rested, I’ll be in a better frame of mind and have more energy to do it. I say this, understand, having NOT done it for way too many weeks–yet again–and am now paying for it. I WILL pay attention to Flylady’s “Go to bed” Email reminders! I will. Starting today.

No more nail-biting!

Anyone could do this, but it means a lot to me since I have bitten/picked off my fingernails most of my 55 years (with a few brief stretches of “sort-of” quitting). I have actually PAID for a manicure three times–hey! I will not pick off what I paid good money for!–and even got adventuresome enough to let the manicurist put some COLOR on my nails the last two times. I really felt pampered and encouraged that my hands could look so good. My DDs were amazed (I think mostly that I would pay someone to do this for me). No more nail-biting because I’m special. I think I’m beginning to FLY!

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