When you are a mom, you can really easily forget about the life you led before kids. I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I love to reminisces about the late nights out, Friday night manicures and lazy Sunday mornings (that didn’t include iPads and Daniel Tiger at 6:00 am). It isway too easy to get wrapped up in the bed times, the lunch making and the mountains of laundry that NEVER seem to go down.
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One thing I really miss now that I am firmly set in my mom ways, is a girls night! I mean, is there anything better than gabbing late into the night with your besties? I know it can be so hard to find time for ourselves, but I have a few tips and tricks for the best girls night in. And you won’t even need a babysitter! Just invite your girls over, have dads on baby duty, and get your gab on.
Step 1 – Yoga pants and a top knot. Come on. I don’t know a single mom who wants to slap makeup on at bedtime after wrangling her kids to sleep for an hour. We want stretchy pants, pineapple buns, and slippers. Make them a requirement(or at the least, highly recommended)!!
Step 2 – Spa night! Have your friends bring over one of their favorite products. One person can bring a great cleanser, a mask, nail polish or whatever they love. You can spend the night trying a few new things and your friends leave feeling a little more relaxed for than when they arrived. I always bring over a charcoal mask like the GlamGlow Super Mud Treatment. Everyone loves a good detox mask.
Step 3 – Snacks! Chatting isn’t ever as good without some chips and guac, a a few cookies and a yummy fruit plate. I love to make a yogurt dip for strawberries, have some spicy salsa and a well stock Diet Coke supply. But, if we are being real, just go to Costco and grab a thing of spinach dip, bag of multigrain chips, and mini cheesecake bites. The less work you have to do, the more relaxing it will be.
Step 4 – Entertainment! Magazines are a total guilt pleasure of mine, but I never have time to just flip through Food and Wine. I like to pull out my stack of magazines and just have them nearby to grab. I am by no means stylish, but looking through outfit inspirations with a few of my other mom friends who can relate is way more fun than longing for Jennifer Aniston hair by myself.
Step 5– Booze. Because let’s be honest. What mom doesn’t need a drink on a Friday night? By the end of the week, I am so over negotiating bed time snacks, begging for my kid to get in the shower and rushing out the door to barely make it to school on time. Mama needs some wine! Or in this case, a vodka tonic!
This recipe is so easy. You only need a few things and with some advance prep, you will be playing bartender in no time.
Blackberry Vodka Tonic
You can make the blackberry simple syrup up to three days in advance. It is best if it has a bit of time to cool before you start mixing drinks. You can easily double the syrup, too!
Swap whatever light liquor you prefer. I have tried this with tequila and gin. Both worked great!
Makes 6 drinks
Ingredients
- 6 oz blackberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 oz vodka per drink
- tonic water
- lime wedges
To make the simple syrup –
Combine blackberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce for 10 minutes until liquid has thickened and berries have cooked down. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Press the berries down in the strainer to remove the maximum juices.
To mix up your drink –
Fill a glass with ice. Pour in two shots of vodka. Fill nearly to the top with tonic. Add in two tablespoons of simple syrup. Squeeze a lime or two in and garnish with a few fresh blackberries. Enjoy!
Lynn @ Oh-So Yummy says
OMG top knot made me smile! I kinda do that every day to get my hair out of my face, even if I started with it all down! Spa night sounds really fun too! For drinks, we’ve only made regular simple syrup before so perhaps the blackberry spin can be next on our list!
Maddy says
You could do any fruit, really! Strawberries would be delicious with some tequila! 🙂 Let me know if you try it! <3