Good morning friends and happy Monday! Today we have our next Not Just a Mom post and the theme for this month is "girl time". I love this theme because I think "girl time" is something that we all probably took for granted pre-kids and now that we are moms, we struggle to get enough "girl time" in.
👆So true, and so important!
It is getting harder as I get older to find time to spend with my friends. Most of us have kids now, houses we need to take care of, more demanding jobs, etc. I know it is easy to put off that phone call, that glass of wine you were going to grab, etc. but the more you say "I'll just catch you next time", the less likely you are to get invited in the future. Keeping up with girlfriends takes effort, but it is 100% worth it! Here are a couple tips I have found that help me to still end up consistently spending time with friends:
- Schedule a LUNCH date-- I don't know about you and your friends, but with my girls if we schedule something at the end of the day, something inevitably comes up for at least one of us and that person bails. If we plan to meet earlier in the day, before the day gets hectic/crazy/we get tired, we are more likely to keep the scheduled date. Some of my favorite things to do with girlfriends is to go for a morning walk with our kiddos, take our kids to the pool together, go to a playground together, etc. My favorite activity for adults-only time is to schedule a Saturday or Sunday morning brunch with friends.
- Schedule a time to call friends-- We've all been there, you've been playing phone tag with a close friend but one of you is always busy when the phone rings and you just can't answer. My girlfriend who lives in Chicago always used to call on her way home from work, which just so happened to be when I was trying to cook dinner and needed to pay attention to what I was doing. We kept going back and forth on calls but always ended up missing each other. I suggest finding a time that works for both you and your friend, and schedule it just like you would any other date you wouldn't want to miss!
Low-Key Activities Can Be the Best Activities-- Sometimes you don't need to schedule anything in advance, and that's great! I can't tell you how many times I've sent out a mass text message to several girlfriends saying "hey, I know this is last minute but we are going to ______ if anybody wants to come!" and usually somebody ends up joining. That obviously doesn't work for everybody on a given day, but if you do it often enough it can work for everybody at some point.
It's so important to put the effort in to keeping up with your friendships. Hanging out with or talking to friends is something I always come away from feeling rejuvenated.
Good tips about scheduling!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dara!
DeleteI'm often that friend sending out the text! Usually it's when my boys are heading out hiking to see if any of our homeschooling hiking friends want to join us and occasionally it does work out. It's great since the kids can hike ahead and talk while us moms lag behind a bit and get to catch up with one another.
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds like a dream! Great for everyone, kids and adults!
DeleteFriendships certainly can take effort and I think you're right about scheduling. We have to make our friendships a priority too :)
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteThese are great tips. Now that most of my friends all have kids in school, lunch dates are the best! Thanks for linking up with Hello Monday! Tanya - The Other Side of the Road
ReplyDeleteYes to lunch dates!!! It just makes everything easier!
DeleteI love the idea of scheduling something. I barely am able to do anything spur of the moment with 3 kids
ReplyDeleteIt can be so hard with young kids!
DeleteScheduling is awesome... friends and I go do that all the time... and yes throwing it out there is always great. you never know!!
ReplyDeleteThe worst that could happen is they say no, but at least you tried!!
DeleteI totally agree about putting in the effort even when other things are easier in that moment. Scheduling specific time together is a great plan, and not getting discouraged when things don't always work out according to plan is key. I loved the tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks Reba!!
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