Hey Moms! We’re posting this again as a reminder for you to help get your overworked mom friends to take some time for themselves. Our “16 Minutes for Mom Bubbles & Bubbly” date is only three days away. Let’s do this!
By Kristin Hull

Are you laughing at that question because pretty much every mom deserves a break (including you)? It’s so true, and sadly, practiced by so few. Well, we’re trying to change that with our 16 Minutes For Mom challenges. Our first, called Bubbles & Bubbly, will have moms soaking in a hot bath under candlelight sipping sparkling wine – and they’ll have to go no further than their own bathroom. We figure if we plan it for a day in the near future, keep the time short, and ask you to nominate your overworked mom friends to accept the challenge, everyone will be more likely to do it.

The plan

1. Share this post via your favorite social media sites and tag the friends you are challenging. Ask them to comment to let you know if they are accepting the challenge.
2. Mark the evening of Friday, September 25 as your 16 Minutes For Mom: Bubbles & Bubbly night. If everyone does it on the same night you’ll feel supported and you’ll be part of a movement to motivate moms to give themselves a break, even for just 16 minutes.
3. To do: Find a candle lying around the house (one is all you need) and make sure you have matches or a lighter, get someone to keep the kids busy (the hubby?), and sometime in the next week grab yourself a bottle of sparkling wine (inexpensive but tasty recommendations below).

Why this is so important

We all know that taking time for ourselves will improve our state of mind and, in turn, our relationships with our family yet we rarely do it. But, that needs to change or you’ll burn out/get irritable or depressed/have anxiety/become ill or any combination of these.  Even though this only  for 16 minutes, you’ll be surprised at how good it will make you feel and how bad you needed it. And you’ll be proud of yourself for taking care of YOU which will only add to your self-confidence because you’ll know you did the right thing.

Now, onto that sparkling wine…

I am the queen of inexpensive sparkling wine. I’ve tried many and discovered a few gems. I also have a secret to making the cheaper stuff taste best – put a full bottle in the freezer for about 45 minutes before drinking (less time if it isn’t full). It actually makes it more tasty (and no, it won’t explode in that amount of time). Chilling the glass in the freezer doesn’t hurt either. I like my sparkling wine dry, with no sweetness at all (a brut is my favorite) so that’s what these recommendations are for. If you prefer something sweeter just ask your friendly grocer or live dangerously and just grab one off the shelf.