10 Steps to Being a Glamor Mom

I am probably still driving back down the Eastern Seaboard towards home and/or exhausted from the trip this weekend. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to post on this day, so I am going to re-post some old things from my domesticglamor.com stint. You see, they are closing down, and I don't want to lose my favorite posts over there, so here and there, I think I'll find a place to put them. I am okay with them closing down, as I find I have been putting much more energy into this blog, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity. I find that writing for domesticglamor got me remembering that I have a sense of humor, and I started incorporating it more into warriorgirl, which has a tendency to be a little serious.

So, back by popular demand (my popular demand, no one else asked me for it, I just like it) I bring you my Glamor Mom post. Huzzah! Huzzah! Let the glamor commence.

GlamorMom with bad hair (edited to add: yes, I used my bad hair photo as my profile picture. My attempt to take a flattering picture of the bad bangs worked, and I liked the photo, which I probably wouldn't have taken if it weren't for what I did to my head. That's called creativity, my friends.)

1. Do NOT pick up a pair of scissors during naptime and think, ‘hmmm… I could use some bangs right now.’

2. Find a passion, any passion, and dive head long into it (somehow finding a way around the kids, the shopping, the housekeeping, the cooking, the errands, and may be or maybe not the DH.) What did you used to do before kids that you gave up? Find a way to bring it back. Art? Pick up a paintbrush. Reading? Start or find a mom’s book group. Margaritas? I sense a Friday Afternoon “Happy Mom” play date in your future.

3. Indulge in the occasional Girly mom escapade. But don’t confuse happiness and true self esteem with shopping and feel good for now things, like chocolate or a manicure, those are temporary fixes and don’t last, although they are fun while they last.

4. Get out and get your body moving. This is one I skip far too often, but it makes a body feel good to be active. Find some sort of physical activity that fits your personality and lifestyle. Some women love the gym… me, not so much. But yoga kicks my butt and makes me feel centered. Maybe dancing is your thing, turn on the Ipod and shake your butt. Sometimes, all you need to do is take the kids for a walk, get out in the fresh air, see the sights and burn some calories that way. However you do it, be active, it helps in all sorts of ways.

5. Have fun with the every day things that we all have to do. Shake a little monotony off. Sing a song and dance with the broomstick while you are sweeping up the cheerios…AGAIN. Experiment with the spices and ingredients when you are making that same old same old chicken. Make the walk home from school into an impromptu scavenger hunt (can you find a Seedpod? An orange car? An empty can?) Whatever you have to do that day, try to toss in a little enjoyment, a little adventure.

6. Get sexy. Got a partner? Send a suggestive text message. Got no one? Indulge in some lacy underwear. Read a sexy book. Take a bubble bath with candles and scented oil. It doesn’t have to be about straight up sex… explore your sensuality. That means pay attention to your own senses and physical pleasure, in all its forms. You are attractive because you love your self. And you can keep this idea of sexy/sensual to whatever level of comfort feels right to you.

7. Remember your dreams. I don’t mean your night time dreams, I mean the things you want. A glamormom has her eyes on the prize, whether that means the prize of winning the Oscar for best actress or the prize of having the most fun a girl ever had growing zucchinis.

8. Spend quality time with those you love. Your kids, your husband, your best friends, your family. Don’t hold back here. This is it. This is your life. These are your people. Feel the love. Show it.

9. Love your life. This is the biggest key to being a glamormom. It’s about choosing the life you have because this is the only life you have. It doesn’t mean everything has to stay exactly the same as it is right now, but it does mean accepting yourself for who you are, and accepting your family for who they are, flaws and all. It’s about saying you are worth it, and so are they. Loving your life is about paying attention to all the loveliness, despite– and because– not everything is always lovely.

10. And did I mention the thing about scissors and my hair and the bathroom and not ever doing that to yourself? Please? As a favor from one Glamormom to another?