The First Day of the Rest of our Lives: Janan's Spa Day

Janan started her new school last week and though she's made some great friends and, for the most part, is very happy with her classes and teachers, she's really struggling with math. Additionally, the school seems to believe homework = learning, so every night she's had 4-6 hours of homework. It's been a stressful, challenging two weeks.

Enjoying a peach smoothy
while deep conditioning

So, this afternoon when I picked her up from school I had her favorite peach smoothy waiting and let her know that I had made a new rule for tonight - NO HOMEWORK! I also told her there was a surprise waiting at home.

When we arrived, she discovered new shampoo & conditioner in her shower (she had run out of what she had) and some new facial cleaners (I noticed that my 'tween' is showing signs of 'teen' skin) on the bathroom counter and, her favorite, BLUE nail polish.

Deep conditioning and a mud mask!

I told her it was "Janan Spa Day". Her special day consisted of:

a nice warm shower
intensive, deep hair conditioning
a full facial mask (while we waited for the deep conditioner to set)
another quick shower to remove the deep conditioner & mask
a full manicure (WITH nail art)
some relaxing reading, burning candles and peaceful music, while enjoying an asian pear and tall glass of water and waiting for her manicure to dry
a full pedicure
second coat of nail polish topped off with nail art
and, finally the move based on one of her all-time favorite books (Percy Jackson & the Olympians enjoyed with buttered popcorn and candy corn

Enjoying a new Life Magazine
with amazing wildlife
photography (she wants to
be a wildlife photographer
when she grows up).

I'm hoping she's learning how important it is to take some time out. As women, we tend to take on so much, expect so much of ourselves and beat ourselves up when things don't go as we believe they "should".