Today as i followed little Lizzy around cleaning up after her over and over again and as Austin said, it's hard having kids isn't it mom. I just giggled at him and said ya but i love my kids and i wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. As i was cleaning up the bathroom i took a quick glance in the mirror seeing myself with messy hair Bryan's shirt on and my pj pants stained with rice cereal and my socks with Lizzy's bread crumbs stuck to the bottom of them. i attempted to fix my messy hair and as i looked at the person looking back at me i couldn't believe what i was seeing, i still feel like i'm a young 16 year old but i definitely look like a mommy. and then the thought crossed my mind, when exactly am i suppose to start feeling like a grown up? I decided i needed a break so of course i hit the computer ( i really have to stop doing that)and i found this.

10 Ways to Feel Like a Grown-Up

By Michele Bloomquist

We’d like to you to meet someone. She’s smart, cute, energetic, has great hair. She never crawls on all fours to retrieve toys from under the kitchen table. She is never stained with spitup, craft glue, or dinner. She seems familiar, right? She might even seem like… you! She’s your inner grown-up, and sweetheart, she wants you to get it together. She wants you to be nice to her and take her places. Here are 10 simple ways to keep her smiling.

Make a Coffee Stop

Ok, so you can’t exactly stay out all night, sleep until noon, or have leisurely six-hour brunches. Now it’s more about seizing and savoring the moments when they happen. Slip into a coffee shop for 15 minutes before dropping off or picking up your kids. Use the time to decompress, relax, and recharge. (The caffeine probably won’t hurt, either.)

Cook a Grown-Up Dinner

Step away from the mac and cheese. You’ve already had it three nights this week. Take a turn serving your favorite dishes every once in awhile. While you’re at it, why not go for broke and light a candle and use your best dishes? Your child might love a chicken curry over jasmine rice just as much as you do.

Party Like It’s 1999

Good news! There is more music in the world than nursery rhymes, the Barney theme song, and the Jonas Brothers! Play the tracks you loved in high school or college while you’re out running errands, commuting, or just picking up the toys scattered around the living room (again). Your kids might even appreciate your superior tastes and add a Prince album or two to their own collections.

Get a Hobby

Reach far, far back in your memory for a foreign and strange concept called free time. Now try to remember what you did with it. (Take as long as you need.) Recall the thing that you enjoyed the most. Was it photography? Gardening? Painting? Knitting? Playing an instrument? Whatever it was, promise yourself that you’ll get back to it, even if it’s for a short time each week.

Hide out in the Bathroom

You give your kids bubble baths, but how long has it been since you took one? By yourself. Maybe you can’t luxuriate in the tub for hours while the water goes cold like you once did, but you can splurge on some grown up bath products, light a candle, or lock the door for even a few minutes. Make your bathroom into a mini-retreat — or maybe just your hiding place.

Schedule a Play Date

Arrange a grown-up version of a play date for yourself once a month. Go see a movie. Have a girl’s night out. Or just go to the museum for a few hours on your own. And check your guilt at the door. Brutal truth: Burnt out mommies are no fun. Sometimes your kids need you to take a break just as much as you do.

Exercise Your Mind

You’re up nights worrying about your kid’s education, but what about yours? Taking a class on a topic you’re interested in — from a college course on economics to a one night knitting workshop — can help you feel like you’re advancing your own interests. Plus, you’ll be setting an amazing example for your little lifelong learners.

Read a Bedtime Story

If the only bedtime stories you’re reading these days involve cows jumping over the moon, restock your nightstand with some grown-up reading material. After the wee ones are tucked in and asleep, head for your own bed instead of crashing in front of the tube or trying to cram in an hour of paying bills or cleaning. Choose reading material that speaks to you, whether it’s that one Jane Austen novel you haven’t read, a paperback mystery, or trashy tabloid magazines.

Schedule Adults-Only Time

We know, we know. When you’re both doing all you can to keep your kids from killing each other (and you), sometimes getting in the mood for sex — or finding the time and energy for it — can seem like more work than it’s worth. But lest you have forgotten: there’s nothing quite as grown-up as an old fashioned roll in the sheets.