Sometimes moms need a ‘time-out’

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Are you still looking for a way to spice up Mother’s Day? How about a time-out? “What?” you say.

Time-outs may be torturous for young children eager to get up and go, but alone time may sound like paradise to busy mothers. Moms who need a break during or after a long day (like Mother’s Day), may find such breaks restful and reenergizing.

You don’t need much time

A break doesn’t need to be extensive to be effective. Schedule around 30 minutes for the timeout. That’s just enough time to watch a sitcom, read a chapter in a book or enjoy a nice, steamy bath.

Find an enjoyable activity. Select an activity for the timeout that you may not have the opportunity to enjoy when other people or tasks require your attention. Listening to music, taking an exercise class, writing in a journal, engaging in artwork or other crafts, or reading a book make for great timeout activities.

What about a quiet, relaxing bath complete with bubbles, and possibly, a good book. Surround the tub with candles and play relaxing music.

Reading time

Speaking of books, if you want to give mom a bit of special time that involves the children, consider taking time out with a favorite book.

Many childhood memories include sitting on mom’s lap and reading stories together. This year, you can show your mother how much those memories mean to you by giving her a Mother’s Day gift that harkens back to those special moments spent together.

Whether your mom devotes time each week to read the latest best-selling novel or can only find a few moments every now and then to spend some quality time reading, there are plenty of thoughtful options available for nearly every mother regardless of how often she settles into a comfy chair with a good book.

From cookbooks and memoirs to suspenseful non-fiction and coming-of-age stories, options like these can be an excuse for her to dive into a new read and steal a few minutes of uninterrupted me-time, which can be a special gift itself.

Here are a couple of suggestions.

A tale of coming of age

A funny, wise and tender coming-of-age novel set in suburban Baltimore in the 1970s, “Mary Jane” by Jessica Anya Blau is complete with all the nostalgic trappings of the decade. The novel follows a straight-laced teenage girl whose world opens up after nannying for a progressive family in town and the celebrity couple hiding out there for the summer.

A memorable memoir

A story of unconditional love in the face of difficulty and the grace of perseverance “I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust” by Valerie Gilpeer and Emily Grodin is a memoir that details the journey a mother and her nonverbal, autistic daughter took to get to a place where they could finally understand and communicate with each other after a breakthrough revealed a young woman who had been trapped inside for more than two decades.

A suspenseful story

In “Mother May I,” “New York Times” best-selling author Joshilyn Jackson delivers a novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves. A tale of power, privilege, lies, revenge and the choices people make — ones that transform lives in unforeseen ways.

Find more stories about motherhood, mother-child relationships and other popular topics at Facebook.com/WilliamMorrowBooks. (Family Features and MC) 

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