Charlotte, from Mummy Fever, explains why it’s important to take time for yourself, and why magazines such as Woman and Home are the ideal things to read when you do!
So your monthly subscription to Woman and Home magazine lands on the doormat and you smile and think relaxing thoughts, picturing a scene like the above.
How lovely it will be to lock yourself away in the bathroom and browse the 266 pages of loveliness, just like you did during your first pregnancy, except it was a baby magazine back then.
The reality can be a little different however and evenings can end up a little more like this, with no Woman and Home in sight.
Or, you have a sudden pang of guilt at not have done the huge list of jobs on your massive and ever increasing to-do list and the evening looks a bit more like this:
Still involving the bath but fewer bubbles, wine and magazine and more cleaning products and old toothbrushes – oh the glamour!
If you rarely have time to dry your hair or go to the toilet, how do you possibly get through a copy of Woman and Home each month and make the subscription worthwhile?
- Don't plan, don't ever plan time to read your magazine as it just won't happen and you'll end up disappointed
- When it lands on the doormat, flick through quickly to all the pages with free eye cream samples, pull them out and pop them next to your toothbrush, let's face it, we need all the help we can get...Andie MacDowell says she never looked better so...worth a go?
- Put the magazine somewhere you go every day, if you put it away you'll never read it
- Think of somewhere that you might be stationary for, even if it is just for a few minutes each day
- Is it on public transport on the way to work? Sat in the car waiting for children to come out of school? At your desk at lunchtime? In the kitchen? on your bedside table and so on, everyone will have their place
- If you keep it in this location and just look at a few pages every day, you might just surprise yourself and get through it before the next one arrives!
Plus, if all else fails you can always gift the subscription to a friend and get her to summarise the good bits in an email or text! That way she can act out the glamorous side of life whilst you get on with attending to the reality!
If your evenings do look more like the first picture you will be right at home and able to read about the best beauty advice, fashion trends for all shapes and sizes, delicious recipes, in-depth health and well-being features and interviews from your favourite females. Bliss!
The ‘Inspiring Women’ section is a superb read and has featured Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep in the past, talking about their mothers, their daughters and women in general – it’s a fascinating read about two women I personally think are incredibly inspiring.
If style is your thing you might enjoy reading an interview with Tess Daly about her style, or browsing the latest autumn trends, including some lovely layering ideas and country trend ideas.
One of the articles that got me thinking the most (albeit read over about 3 days) is the ‘Modern Families’ article which talks about the differences in women’s lives across generations. One of the families interviewed features four generations of women.
If make-up, skincare and haircare are your thing, you will love the look of some of the featured products. There are some great ideas for winter skin saviours and also a section on staying healthy this winter – how about some winter juicing?
If cooking, and/or eating are your passions Woman and Home has some gorgeous looking ideas for comfort food, including: creamy chicken and coconut curry; roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup; and smoked haddock and bacon risotto (I have to give this one a go sometime!).
I think I always thought Women and Home was for housewives of a certain age – oh how wrong I was. I’d say this has appeal from 30 to 90 for women in a range of situations.
Want a more sophisticated read when it’s time for ‘you time’? Treat yourself to a subscription of Woman and Home with magazine.co.uk and save on the cover price today!
