Celeb Moms Reveal How to Get Some "Me Time"
De-stress with these tips from Kelly Ripa, Keisha Whitaker and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss!
- Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern, BettyConfidential.com
Sometimes all a mom has is ten minutes to recharge before the next dropoff, pickup, grocery run or playdate. For their book, If You Give a Mom a Martini … 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself, authors Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern interviewed both famous and regular moms to come up with dozens of mini me-time break ideas, from rearranging your family's Netflix queue so your movies arrive first, to ditching your husband and kids at the mall and sneaking into a store with a giant massage chair. Here, three well-known moms confess what they do with their "perfect ten" time:
Kelly Ripa, mother of three and co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly:
"Judge for Yourself"
For a great ten-minute break, I love to get in the kitchen and whip up a really complicated recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Not really.
Actually, my not-so-secret escape is to watch a few minutes of my idol Judge Judy's TV show. She is so honest and quick and smart. You know how in life you just wish that there were people who had all the answers? She does-and she cuts though all the nonsense. Although ten minutes is not long enough for an entire episode, it'll probably get me through one juicy case. That's OK. I'll take what I can get.
Keisha Whitaker, mother of three, television personality and wife of actor Forest Whitaker:
"Find Your 'Be' Time"
I try to take minibreaks from house, hubby, and girls often. It's a must! I will sneak into a day movie-usually a comedy or a chick flick-when the girls are at camp or school. Or I may get a manicure and pedicure and catch up on my mags.
One of my favorite time-outs is to wake up a li'l early-maybe just a few minutes before everyone else-and just sit and breathe. I take inventory of my life and all its blessings, things I want to accomplish, and things I want to change. It's great because the house is quiet, and I can hear the sounds from outside. I take it all in. It's so serene and peaceful-my time to just be.
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Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, mother of one and fashion designer:
"Get a Handle on It"
My L.L. Bean canvas tote is my bag of fun. In it, I have everything I need to fill up a few minutes of free time with things I love to do. It goes wherever I go. In my bag right now?
• Mementos from my daughter's first year of school, and pictures from my brother's wedding, both to be made into albums for friends and family
• Tear sheets from magazines of things I want to buy online
• Raisin biscuits from the Vermont Country Store (a childhood favorite)
• An article from the New York Times Science section, still to be read (this drives my husband crazy, as the news is "old" by now, but it doesn't bother me!)
• People, Allure, Martha Stewart Living, Details …
I recommend keeping a personal "bag of tricks" to everyone. That way, when you're lucky enough to find a few spare minutes, you can just grab the bag and get busy doing something that makes you happy.
Reprinted with permission from If You Give a Mom a Martini…100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself, by Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern. Copyright 2009 by Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern, published by Clarkson Potter.
To read more about the book and to find out where you can order it, visit ifyougiveamomamartini.com.
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