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Community Corner

Great Escape: Breakfast, Bubble Baths And Black & Whites

This week, choose one small luxury and treat yourself.

Leisure time doesn’t come easy. So I jump at the chance to indulge in life’s small pleasures.

Three of my favorite little luxuries: breakfast, bubble baths and a black and white movies.

Moms, you know you better than most, you almost have to make yourself take small chunks of time here and there to relax.

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It may not be the Ritz or a spa, but you can spoil yourself just a little every week.

Normally, breakfast is quick and easy with the family during the mad rush to get out the door by 7:45.

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But, what if you were able to grab your favorite newspaper and sneak away to your beloved breakfast spot, like Stacks?

For a change, you could have a hot breakfast cooked for you, served to you and cleared away for you. No dishes.

Taking the time to sit and enjoy a hot cup of tea while leisurely browsing through the newspaper is liberating. It allows me time slow down, get my mind off my to-do list, and set a slower pace.

It’s only an extra hour of the day, but the mental relaxation and the fun of doing something different puts a little pep in my step.

When it comes to running a household, moms have to be time-efficient. So there aren’t many occasions when a bubble bath makes sense.

But that is precisely the point. Sometimes the window of opportunity is short and you have to just take it. 

A bubble bath is such a great way to pamper yourself.  I love a luxury body wash and salt scrub.

You can go high-end—with places like Itty Bitty Boutique, which features handmade soaps—or try some of the new beauty lines at Target.

My bubble baths serve a three-fold purpose.  While the water is running I wash my hair and lather in a conditioner to hydrate while I’m bathing.

I spread a mudpack on my face to clear toxins and once the bubbles are at maximum capacity, I gingerly force my feet into the red-hot water.

The sound of tiny bubbles bursting and the water lapping against the side is soothing. I close my eyes and the muscles in my neck melt, and I drift away.

Once the water goes cold, I use my favorite salt scrub and citrus body wash to bring me back to life.

I use a great hydrating body lotion, my favorite perfume and I feel like a new woman. There’s nothing like a long soak to relax and rejuvenate.

The art of relaxing, enjoying and being still takes some finesse, but I’m learning to create time each week for one treat.

My all-time favorite leisure luxury is watching old black and white movies. 

The busyness of life and demand for my mind to always be “on” is, in part, why I escape so readily into another era.

The classics take me to a place where there’s no graphic violence, no obligatory profanity and no assault on my mind.

I sit back and allow myself to go back to the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s—a different time and space. A 90-minute journey back in time is mentally calming for me.

But if a black and white doesn’t suit you, pick a movie that does something for you.

Remember the goal of taking time for small pleasures is to relax you, rejuvenate you and lighten your load.

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