Mama, Call Your Girlfriends!

Do you know the secret recipe for a refreshed woman? Girlfriends and sisterhoods (including YOU, sweet reader) need to prep these ingredients because this heart-warming meal is too good not to share. I’ll let you in on the ingredients and the special way to prepare this dish that will refresh your soul and feed your heart.

Ingredients needed to refresh your soul:

add 1 part good conversation 

stir in 1 part laughter 

mix together girlfriends

sprinkle a dash of good food and sips

These ingredients might sound simple, but in the season of life that mothers find themselves in, it can take an act of strength to coordinate time, slow life down, or have the energy to break the routine.

When is the last time you prepared this soul-filling dish for yourself? 

Can you remember the last time you laughed with your girlfriends, had a thoughtful conversation with a fellow mom, or simply relaxed over a glass of wine while sharing stories about your silly toddlers?

I hope you can, but if the memory is distant, let’s make a plan to change that.

Do these reasons or excuses ever enter your mind before committing to plans?

• It feels easier to “relax” at home (in your Lulu’s) going about your normal weeknight routine.
• It seems more peaceful to not add another call to your day than to phone your friend to check-in and share a good laugh over a swapped story about your child/work/life/husband (we all have them on a daily basis).
• It is too complicated to try to coordinate everyone’s schedule to plan a dinner or a get-together.

Here is what I know:

A neighbor recently invited my family to her house for a casual dinner and a playdate with the children. After a long day and sleepless night, I was mentally and physically drained. I was nervous to show up feeling less than my upbeat, positive self. But we made it (in my LuLu’s), and we broke our Sunday night routine. We laughed, chatted, shared stories, and relaxed while our kiddos played.

We. Made. Memories.

I left their beautiful home feeling like life was just breathed back into my soul.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much you need social connections and girl time.

This week, instead of relaxing at home after work, I chose to relax with another sweet neighbor and fellow Pensacola Mom Collective Contributor- Casey Swindler. We enjoyed a glass of wine in the driveway while watching our boys play and shared encouraging advice about this tough but exciting toddler stage. Witnessing our boys playing (ages 5 to 7 weeks old) was evidence that this life is rich with memories to capture and moments to share.

Sometimes you just need to feel like you aren’t in the hard, but beautiful early-childhood years alone.

The saying is true- you can’t pour from an empty glass. 

So fill your glass up, choose to make the memories, and find the connections.

This week, promise to call your girlfriends, make some plans, and capture the memories!