It’s 11.30pm on a weekday night, I’m finally done with my mummy duties and housekeeping duties so it’s time for me to start winding down and enjoy some me-time.

I’m an INFP so while I love catching up with family and friends over coffee or tea, it is those little pockets of time spent in solitude which helps me to reflect, relax and recharge.

I used to love baking and breakfast making quite a bit before Laurent, but the time and effort spent cleaning up (plus now a cruiser who is particularly keen in venturing into the kitchen) has made baking an infrequent affair. I think the only few times I baked this year was for Wayne’s birthday cake and Laurent’s cake smash cake.

Furthermore, most of my precious me-time moments are early in the morning and late in the night, so my list of MUMMY me-time activities mainly involve quiet, relaxing activities that doesn’t require much cleaning up 😀

1. Morning Stretch or Yoga Session

I’ve only gone for a couple of actual yoga classes, but have been practising easy stretching exercises and flows using some YouTube channels since I was pregnant. I enjoy the sessions early in the morning (if I can wake up in time) because the surrounding is all quiet and I can see the sun just breaking out into the sky at the corner of my balcony. The whole experience and sight never fails to urge me to give thanks for the beautiful day.

2. Writing

Not the ‘write-a-book’ kind of writing, but hand-writing or calligraphy.

I first noticed the calligraphy trend on Instagram and started following one calligrapher after another. I became intrigued with the beautiful art and one fine day, I bought some papers, holder, nibs and ink and started to trial and error with modern calligraphy.

I’m still not very good at it but I always laugh when I see my first set of writing 😐

I love spending time sitting at my craft table and just practise the basic strokes or experiment with different ways to write a quote because it is so therapeutic and at the end of the session, I get to look at a physical product of my creative output.

And there is this element of poetic charm to the old art of calligraphy and hand lettering that makes putting ink on paper such a surreal experience.

I’ve been writing and sending out quotes to some of my friends recently and I would love to send some positivity and encouragement to any of you if you don’t mind my far-from-perfect pieces. Just drop me a mail/ comment!

3. Blogging

I have been blogging since my uni days, but pretty haphazardly and definitely not as frequent. My previous blog, just before my pregnancy, was mainly about baking and my experiment with food photography. As I reduced my frequency of baking and get to the later stage of my pregnancy, I started this blog to also share about my pregnancy, Laurent and parenthood.

I am not a sharp speaker and I will most likely lose in a debate because I need time to organise my thoughts and choose the right words to use. Which is why I prefer writing and blogging, because it gives me the time to frame and express my thoughts with the right words and tone.

And I enjoy going back to read about what I have written and the emotions I was going through at the different stages of my life.

4. Watching the boys

I’m not sure if this is strictly considered ‘me-time’, but I do enjoy watching the boys have fun, either in the pool or out in the park.

Sometimes I will just sneak out of the frame to take a photo of them or watch them from a distance to let them enjoy some precious daddy and son moments alone.

And then I’ll go all fluffy as I remind myself how blessed I am to have them both in my life.

5. Relaxing at my Cosy Corner

And as I am typing away on my laptop, I’m all wrapped up in my throw, legs in my Osim leg massager and relaxing comfortably in my cosy corner.

Some days when things are a little too much to bear and I just didn’t want to do anything at all, I will throw all my duties to the husband and retreat to my little oasis. I’ll put some essential oil in my diffuser and settle into my cosy corner to read a book, say a prayer or just shut my eyes and take a breather.

I think me-time for me is really about relaxing, reflecting and thanksgiving while doing things that I truly enjoy.

There are so much ‘noise’ and hubbub in our daily life and every moment is just passing us by so quickly as we try to reach one destination from another, hit one target after another and accomplish one task after another. But it is those moments when we stop to smell the roses that we can see more clearly where we are and be thankful for what we already have.

What’s your favourite mummy me-time activities and how do you steal time away from all your busy schedule to smell those roses?

Check out prayerfullmum’s blog for the list of mom bloggers who are on Danessa’s “Mummy’s Me-Time blog train” for more ideas of me-time activities and how to steal some time to rest and recharge your mind and soul 🙂

Next up on the blog train is Serene from Fun Without Toys. Serene is a nature and animal lover enjoying life in the concrete jungles of Singapore. A homeschooling mother of two, who herself is a child at heart. Often found near or in large bodies of water, scuba diving, making sandcastles, or just walking barefoot on the sand and grass. Check out her post for her favourite mummy me-time!