I Love Myself Enough To...

This week, I'm like one big ball of love. Yesterday, I wrote a post highlighting a few lovely blogs, and today, I'm talking self-love.

Say what?

That's right, I said it! Self-love baby! As a young, single mother and full time grad student, life gets downright rough at times. Rough. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Right?

But I'm learning to put myself first and love myself more. I'm learning to model the importance of self-care for Aiden.

I'm learning to proudly fill in the blank (without those guilty feelings that we Moms get when we embrace ourselves).

I love myself enough to:

• Exercise 3x per week, even when life is hectic and I'm scrabbling to find the 25th hour in the day.
• Put Aiden to bed between 8pm and 8:30pm so that I can have amble time to do my school work, etc, breathe and relax.
• Get a manicure once a week and a pedicure twice a month. And when I can't make it to the salon, take the time to do it myself.
• Get my hair professionally washed and blown out once a week.
• Get rid of clothes that don't look good on me. Period. If they have holes, stains, or remotely resemble being worn out... good-bye and good riddance! No strings attached. Perhaps this is due to the fact that NYC can be one big fashion scene, but hey... mama likes to look good!
• Spend time with my friends without feeling guilty about it.
• Treat myself to a back massage, when I can afford it. Heck, I deserve it after lifting Aiden, my bags, his bag, and a stroller up and down the subway steps of NYC.
• Dance. A lot.
• Laugh. Often.
• Smile. Just because.
• Read blogs that I love.
• Watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians, re-runs of Sex And The City, Law & Order: SVU, and Grey's Anatomy. Faithfully. Every week. 
• Spend money on myself. Sometimes.
• Try my hardest to ignore negative and judgmental people. After all, they will always be there, judging away. 
• Flirt with boys. Sometimes. 
• Realize when I'm spreading myself too thin, and adjust my schedule accordingly. Aiden needs a sane mommy.
• Leave a relationship that was not good for me -- even if that meant being a single mother. 
• Surround myself -- and my Aiden -- with positive people who inspire me and push me forward.

I do all these things because I love myself, and because my happiness and well-being is important to me. As a woman. As a mother. It's important to Aiden as well. And to the success of our family.

Now it's your turn! Fill in the blank, "I love myself enough to ________:"

And, please, share this post with a friend on Facebook or on Twitter. It's about time we put ourselves first and show ourselves some love, gosh darnit!

Smooches,