Oh, yes, this post is about the frequently-discussed but not-enough-practiced topic of some “me” time. I’ll come right out and admit that I am one of the worst when it comes to the lots of talk but not a lot of doing category: I talk (and write) a lot about how it’s really important to take some time just for myself but I do it a lot less than I should.

It used to be that I felt so much working mom guilt that I literally would not leave my daughter’s side if she was awake. I’ve since replaced my mommy guilt with some separation anxiety, but it’s still a pretty pathetic reason for why, say, I don’t spend more time with my friends or catch a movie on my own on those nights when we can’t get a sitter.

My next popular excuse for not taking time for myself is that I have too much to do. When my daughter is sleeping - as she is right now, during her nap (yes, we’re lucky, she still takes a weekend nap) - run to catch up on work or cook or clean something or organize something or write a blog post or do something else on my ever-long to-do list. Am I pretty sure that reading a few chapters from a book or checking out my latest copy of In Style while nibbling on some dark chocolate would be really really really good for me right about now? Yes, but the to-dos call my name louder than my “me” time.

My other excuse might sound odd and for the most part, I’m almost over it, but here goes: On those nights when we don’t have a sitter I often feel guilty going out and leaving my husband at home. This is completely stupid, I know, especially because he has told me that much a million times. But I can’t help it. Well, I used to not be able to help it but with the help of some friends (who have literally dragged me out of the house at night) and my own rationality, I’m now much better about going out with a friend at least once during the week, after the kiddo is in bed.

Even with all my excuses, I can say that with every year, I am getting a tiny bit better about taking time to do something I enjoy. My main driver for this is the realization that my entire family — not just me — is much better off when I do this: Less cranky mom who feels that she never has time for herself = happier mom and happier family. Here are some things I’ve done for myself recently that I am writing here with only one purposes — to inspire you to do the same:

Last weekend I called up a dear friend and we met for coffee in the middle of the day on Saturday. Two hours of talking and sipping a latte literally made me feel like a fresher person. Did I feel a little tinge of guilt about not spending those two hours with my kiddo? Sure, but I needed this and I felt really good about doing it.

When my husband was away on a recent business trip I couldn’t make it to my early morning spin class. So after my daughter woke up and got dressed, I asked her to play in her room while I did a quick exercise tape. She was happy to have some fun unscheduled play time and I felt awesome after a short workout.

I used to do a bit of Japanese Sumi-e panting and still have a few paintings that I did a while back that are hanging around unframed and uncared for. Yesterday I announced to my husband that we’re going to take them to the framer and make them look nice and pretty and then hang them up around the house. This definitely cost money and will definitely fall outside of any type of necessary expense, but it’s something that will make me feel awesome so I’m deciding that it’s worth it.

So, your turn: What have you done for yourself lately? And when you don’t, what are your most frequently used excuses for not taking some time for yourself?