Disclosure: I received a party kit from MomSelect for this MommyParty.  The opinions shared here are 100%  mine.

You’ve probably heard about the movie Mom’s Night Out to be released on Mother’s Day Weekend.  Mothers everywhere will relate to the story, which features moms who depend on the dads to watch the kids for a few hours.  It reminded me of one day last summer when my husband’s parents offered to keep the kids so that my husband and I could go out with my brother- and sister-in-law.  While the boys weren’t interested in going out, sis and I decided we were not letting the opportunity go. We headed out and got pedicures!  Why is it so hard to get a moment away?  I think mommy guilt plays a part, but also we just feel so exhausted that a few minutes to ourselves seems like time that could be spent sleeping.

I want to encourage you to take a few minutes for yourself, even if you have to get creative about it!  Spending time with girlfriends is so important for moms because it gives you a chance to laugh, vent, or even cry with other women who understand.  That support system is critical to my  mental well-being.  I know I’m not alone!   When I received the party kit from MommyParty, I tried to think about the moms who might not have a way to get out of the house in the evenings.  There are lots of reasons for this. Perhaps you’re a single mom with no one to keep the kids, or you don’t have the extra cash to shell out for a babysitter.  It could be something as simple as avoiding houseguests because you don’t have the energy to clean up the house.  I can relate to these reasons.  So I devised a way for moms to have some girl time at work.   You may not think that counts as a night out, but for some women it’s the only way they can swing some girl time.  When my co-workers and I got together during our break and had a Sample Swap, we had a blast!! It was just the thing I needed to get through the busy work week.

I sent out the graphic below to let my friends know what was going on. You can customize this graphic for your own Sample Swap!   Just right-click and save it to your computer.   Then head to picmonkey.com (it’s free) and click “open,” find the graphic, and add your own text.  Add the time, place, and hostess name to your graphic. Save it to your computer and you’re ready to share it with your friends.

We each raided our beauty bags and boxed up a few items that we just wouldn’t ever use.  For me, it was  small stuff like self-tanners, shampoo samples, a lip pencil, and a few extra recipe samples I received in the mail.  You can see my samples below.

We all have stuff like that, right?

I sent out that quick email graphic a few days in advance, plus sent the picture of what I was bringing.  Since we got together during the lunch planning period, no food was necessary.  Everyone could bring their bag lunch and just chat.  We had a fun time talking and looking through each other’s beauty samples.  The fun thing was, everyone takes something home that they’ll actually use!  Here’s what I received:

It’s fun to find out what other people like to use (they really loved the self-tanners).  There were perfume samples, jewelry, and other items from which to choose.  The best part, though, was the fellowship with my friends.   To make this a truly relaxing day, you could even pick up a pizza on the way home.  Papa Murphy’s prepares take-and-bake pizzas that are loaded with our family’s favorite toppings.  We also like their dessert pizzas.  By grabbing one of these pizzas, I can relax when I get home and still enjoy time with the people I love.

No matter what is going on in your life, take the time to have a Mom’s Night Out – even if your “night” out is during the workday!!  Go out with some friends for lunch or arrange a get-together in the courtyard of your workplace.  That little extra effort will yield loads of fun.