Day in and day out, there is just so much to do and so many other people’s needs to be met, that spending time on myself feels wasteful, selfish, lazy, even.  I know that conventional wisdom says that moms who take time for themselves are ultimately better equipped to give to others and that nurturing myself will make me a better mom.  Finding ways to schedule “me time,” however, proves more of a challenge.

I have found that I really can get up at 5am and be productive as a work-at-home mom.  But 14 hours later,I am ready to go to bed before my four-year old.  Likewise, I can make time for a quick run, but people seem to prefer that I shower afterward.  There’s just  not enough time for both.

Here is what I have realized: I mother, therefore I multi-task.  While I can’t regularly dedicate blocks of time to myself, I can still enjoy “me time” even when others are around needing to share “me.”

For example, while shopping for children’s clothes, I can luxuriate in a gourmet coffee that I didn’t have to grind and brew myself.  It’ll be the best overpriced latte I’ve ever had.

Afternoon at the pool adjusting goggles, watching new moves off the diving board, and fetching kickboards, I will patiently wait for their break.  During this time, I will lose myself in the pages of my favorite celebrity magazine.

When I need a lift, I will treat my daughters to a spa day.  We can all go to choose nail polish and flower headbands to match.  Taking these to our nearest spa for a full treatment.  I might even indulge in a facial or massage for my guilty pleasure.

At the end of a day, when I can no longer think, I’ll enjoy a nice dose of mindless reality TV while my kids soak in the tub.

I will take the guilt out of guilty pleasures and find mini-opportunities to nurture myself, even when the coast is not entirely clear.  It is very important to treat yourself even to something as small as a gourmet cup of coffee, for a job well done—being the mom who does it all!

Come join us as we pamper ourselves through a chat about chocolate and indulgence at tonight’s girls’ night out (#gno) party on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting with terrific folks from the Zone Perfect team about their new product—Indulgence.

Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins:

200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT

What: Zone Perfect is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Thursday, October 22, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #zoneperfect.)

Topic: Your Personal Indulgence!

Who: @craftymamaof4 @juliefisk @mommybrain @organizersandy @plussizemommy @savingmycents @stonerjj @zoneperfect

Party Favors: Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins: 200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT

RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.