Me Time 

Sometimes we pretend the hours between our children’s bed time and ours is “me time”, but you deserve better than that.
Being a single parent, “me time” can be non-existent, but you must learn that taking time for yourself is important to your mental health.

 Here are a few suggested ways to get a few hours of me time: 

•  Set-up playdates with trusted friends. Take turns being the mother-in-charge so your friends get a break too. You may not be able to get hours out of friends, but you may get 45 minutes or and hour. 
•  Ask family. Besides, you’ll never know if they will if take on your brood unless you ask. 
• If all else fails, look for cheap or free activities offered through you local recreation department.  You may not get total alone time but you may have time to read a magazine or reply to a few emails/texts/phone calls. 

Us Time 

Us time is time dedicated to your children. Time when there are no phones or electronic distractions.  Suggestions for making us time special:

• Make a meal together.  Little ones might love topping their own pizza. Older kids may be interested in learning a family recipe. Teenagers are a whole other story. They might help if they aren’t brooding. 
• Talk about their desires, wants or goals. Ask how you can help them achieve said ideas. 
• Tell them an age-appropriate story about yourself.  
• Read a story together. 

Most important do something that outside your daily routine. Show them your interests in them goes beyond making sure they are feed, clothed and housed. 

Savings 

While times might be tough, one of the best lessons we can teach our children is to save. Even if we don’t have a lot, we can teach our children to save. 

For young children, you can go to your local dollar store and buy a bank. Give them a few pennies at least once a week. Tell them to put them in their bank. Let them know they are saving their money for something special. 

 Set a goal with your child on how much you want to save for the special treat. When you make it to the goal, make sure to allow your child to get the special treat and explain to them it’s because they saved.