Ladies, Leave Your Man At Home

Don’t let the title of this post fool you. I am not advocating for anything negative here. I just wanted to speak on the importance of having time with your friends outside of your relationship. It is an act of self-care. Whether you are married, engaged, committed, living together, whatever your situation, you will still need your friends.

I have had the same close circle of friends since I was about 10 or 11 years old. We have literally grown up together and they have been there for me through it all. At dinner one night in 2013 when I told my friends that I was moving from NYC to PA, some of them cried. That’s how close we are. Even though I may not be able to hang out as often as I used to since becoming a wife & mom, I still try to make plans with them. My friendships are important to me.

I don’t care how much you love your partner, it is healthy for both to have a trusted circle that you go to for advice; to be your sounding board; to have girl/guy time with; to go shopping with etc. Having a judgment-free zone in a group chat is great for my emotional well-being. Who else can I complain to that he still leaves the cupboards open in the kitchen, every damn time? I can send Tijuana a picture via text and we will crack up together. I’m sure he has a friend who he complains to about me as well. No one is perfect!

You should have hobbies and interests that you share and partake in with your partner, but there are things you can only do with your friends. For instance, I loooooove Mexican food. Blame it on Belize’s close proximity to Mexico and the shared similarities in so much of our cuisine. My husband, on the other hand, can’t stand tacos. That is something I love meeting my girls in the city for, tacos and margaritas!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, take the day before and have a Galentine’s Day! That’s right, allegedly February 13th is Galentine’s Day. I have a few quick ideas since I know it is last minute. If you are able to get together with your Gals at someone’s house, have an at-home spa night. Make a quick run to any drug store and grab a bunch of sheet masks, some wine, make an amazing playlist and unwind. A real splurge would be to have a masseuse come to the house and perform massages for everyone. There’s something for everyone’s budget!

If a relaxing mood isn’t what you are seeking this Galentine’s Day, host a game night! Once again, have wine and food (do you see a theme here), and have a fun night of trivia and board games with your girls! I am not responsible for any friendships ruined over Spades or UNO, LOL! Something I got for the kids for Christmas, that would be great for this kind of event, life-sized Jenga!

No matter what you do, be sure to give your friends the flowers while they are still alive to appreciate them. How often do you all get together with your friends? Thanks so much for reading, and be sure to support all the small businesses that are tagged in this post!

Get you a friend who freezes her ass off for you to get blog content! Shout out to my girl Cristal, who was on board with my vision from the start and helped me with this shoot! Check out her page tagged above and here, for amazing nail art inspo, dope kicks and style!