Mom Hacks: Valentine Edition
We all know that moms are real-life superheroes, flying from place to place and making magic happen daily. Mom hacks are how we get it all done without going bonkers. I have a few super-easy ones to share to help you show your family and yourself a little extra love this V-Day.
For You, Mama
First, I dream of not looking like a zombie one of these days, with "one" being the operative word there. It's hard enough to get out the door remembering to wear shoes, let alone feeling glamorous. We all know more sleep and drinking tons of water are the real cures for those dark, puffy circles under our eyes. But I remembered an old trick I heard from an aging model I ran into when I first moved to New York. I feel silly even typing this, but it involves Preparation H, the ancient remedy for, well, hemorrhoids. Being extremely careful not to get any in your eyes (that would be terrible), smear a tiny bit on each of those zombie circles underneath, and leave on for 15 minutes while you're making breakfast or getting people dressed. Carefully wipe clean and you'll feel at least 10 years younger all day. (This is a once-in-a-while, special occasion trick, and again, please be extra careful not to get any in your peepers, that would be a disaster!)
And who has time to get her hair done, I ask you?! For a Valentine's refresh, or simply to feel more human in the middle of a busy week, dry shampoo is our new best friend. It used to be kind of creepy and make you look like you were wearing a powdered wig, but these days it's a dream come true. When there's barely time for a shower, let alone a blow-dry, spritz some of this wonderstuff on your nearly greasy, tired hair, and suddenly your locks are not only fresh and clean-looking-and-smelling, they have that European cinema star bounce. I love Kevin Murphy's Fresh.Hair, but the brands you'll find in the drugstore have come a long way and work perfectly too.
This is my default hair most days. I clearly need to remember this dry shampoo stuff! ;)
Ahhhhh, Pizza
It feels like as moms we spend the most time and energy worrying about feeding our families wholesome food they’ll enjoy. My secret weapon on this front is Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza, especially something I call the “Sneaky Spinach.” When you order, choose spinach as your topping and ask them to put it under the cheese. Everything’s so customizable there; you can really make it your own. So you pull a regular looking pizza out of your oven, with protein-packed spinach discreetly baked in. Kids don’t have time to argue before they realize how good it is. It’s real pizza, real flavor, and you feel really good about it.
And let’s talk about Valentine’s Day. It is the last night you want to go out---it’s too crowded, too rushed, too expensive, and it never ends up being relaxed or fun. Take the pressure off and start a new tradition this year. Family Valentine’s date night at home with a Papa Murphy’s HeartBaker. Kids go nuts for heart-shaped pizza, we parents get to relax, dinner is easy and delicious, and you remember how much you love your gang. Play games, sing songs, and reconnect, then you get a grown-up night out next week!
Fresh Breakfast, Every Day
I spend a lot of time making smoothies so you don't have to!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to start this one--You have fresh-made, healthy smoothies every day of the week in the bag, because the secret is actually bags! Spend 20 minutes one day putting enough fresh cut fruit, oats, chia seeds--whatever you like—for a family-sized batch of smoothies in one Ziploc for each day of the week. During the morning rush, just grab a bag, dump the contents in the blender, add a little plain Greek yogurt and voila, tastier, healthier and way less expensive than any fancy juice bar. One more super thing about using bags is that if you don't get to a day's bag, just toss it in the freezer and pull it out any morning. And I re-use the bags themselves as many times as I can. Yay, Mom!
