My friends at DaySpring sponsored this post about a Mother’s Day retreat, but the opinions and review are my own. (You can find the beautiful mug, journal, and encouragement calendar pictured in this post by clicking here.)
What would a Mother’s Day retreat look like for you? Sleeping in? Getting up early to read in the quiet? Sipping coffee and working on a project?
We all need time to retreat and pause, but I think moms can easily slip into the go-go-go habit where we nourish everyone else before ourselves. On one hand this is selfless and beautiful. On the other, we do need to remember we’re finite too.
A Mother’s Day retreat is meant for you to fill your proverbial cup. Let’s make some time to reflect on our role as mothers as well as fill up our own personal cups. How many times have we heard the adage that you can’t pour out what you don’t have?
As I was thinking about writing this post, I couldn’t help but think about what we need to hear the most as moms. I don’t think it’s a pithy, “You’re doing a great job!” although that is definitely encouraging. I think we need to hear something deeper than that before we get to the “great job!” part.
We need to hear:
You are enough.
You are cherished.
You are chosen.
And then . . .
You’re doing a wonderful job. 🙂
So how to make a Mother’s Day retreat? Maybe you have littles like me who aren’t exactly going to plan this one out for you. No worries. Do the planning, and it will be perfectly tailored for what you need right now.
How to Create the Perfect Mother’s Day Retreat (for you)
Let’s start with a list. What do you really need right now? Write it down.
I’m sure many of us would enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to an island but in truth, most of the time our needs are much simpler. And thankfully, they’re actually doable.
Things like rest.
Good nourishment.
Pleasant surroundings.
Quiet.
Time to think and pray and dream.
What is it you need right now? Write it down.
As you journal these thoughts, brainstorm some ways you could form them into a mini-retreat for yourself.
Choose a date, and put it on the calendar. Let your spouse (or whoever will be watching the kiddos) know of your intention and work this out with them. A mini-retreat is usually around 2-3 hours, so you don’t have to plan to be gone all day. (Click here to check out my book on creating personal retreats year-round.)
Consider a simple schedule for yourself. If you need some peace and quiet, decide where you could go for that. Only bring a few items to do while you’re on your retreat. Bringing too many things to do, even if they’re projects you love, has this weird way of turning on you. You’ll feel stressed and time-crunched to get it all done instead of relaxed and in the moment.
For those who can’t get away, you can take your retreat during nap time or get up earlier (just this one time! :)) Really spoil yourself with your favorite hot drink, breakfast, and activities so you’ll want to do this. I mix up homemade muesli the night before so I’m motivated to get out of bed and eat that yumminess! (Hey, whatever works, right?)
What I do for mini-retreats . . .
Saturday mornings are my favorite times to sneak away for retreats. For this particular one, I woke up early so I could retreat in the living room. I filled up my new mug with homemade hot cocoa (almond milk + 100% cocoa + cinnamon=chocolatey goodness), and curled up on the couch to write in my journal.
I was going to use this new journal as a bullet-journal but ended up filling up several pages with thoughts and dreams I have for our family. 🙂
Sometimes I drive over to the library and walk through the neighborhood. When I lived in Southern California, I’d drive over to the beach and go on a long walk.
Really, your retreat can be whatever you want it to be.
However your Mother’s Day retreat looks, I hope you take the time to create one. You won’t regret it.
P.S. Click here to see all of the lovely gifts DaySpring has available. I love their “This is the Moment” collection that you’ve seen featured throughout this post.
Hope you have a lovely {and creative} day!
P.S. The daily encouragement calendar is a wonderful way to start your day, and I’ve found it to be great to use with my daughter. She’s been reading the phrases anyway, so we talk about them. Love it!
