Anonymous wrote:Make the time to take care of yourself. Stop being a mommy martyr. Hire a sitter for one day every five weeks to go have have a night where you get your hair done, maybe a manicure or some shopping. You need to invest in yourself. If you notice how frumpy you've become, don't you think your husband or partner has? You owe it not only to yourself, but to them. And yes, makeup literally takes five minutes. FIVE MINUTES. I don't care if you have ten kids, you can find five minutes to freshen yourself up.

Anonymous wrote:Here's the deal.....

You need to have some time to yourself. You will be a better mommy if you're taking care of yourself and feel good about yourself. No one is going to win an award for being the biggest martyr for their family and feeling like crap.

Sit your husband down and tell him that you need to find one day per month that he will step up and care for your children for a couple hours while you care for yourself.

There's absolutely no excuse for why your husband can't give this gift of time to you. Do it on a weekday evening and have him come home from work a little early. 1x per month.

I understand time pressure, cost concerns, etc. I get my hair colored every 3 weeks (my hair grows fast). I go to a salon in Georgetown it takes 1.5 hours and costs me $95 for color alone and $150 for a cut and color (which I do every other visit).

The goal is to come up with a very simple beauty routine that you can do that makes you feel good about yourself. Tinted moisturizer. Mascara. Lip gloss. Done.

Go on landsend.com or soma.com or somesuch and buy yourself a handful of soft, summer dresses. Just throw one on each day. You'll be comfortable and look put together without making much of an effort.