This post is sponsored by Mirum, but opinions expressed are my own.
Chelsea talks a lot about family health and well-being from both an individual and a group perspective. Self care is a top priority, as well as being mindful of our kids growing older. She tries to grasp onto every second of these precious days as they slip by, while also carving out time for herself. Multitasking to the max. I think those are traditionally thought of as “motherly” characteristics: being cognizant of personal needs while simultaneously bemoaning the passage of time.
Dads feel it too, though. We have self care requirements. We also watch in angst as our children grow older, taller, and more capable.
Dads also have their stereotypical ways of responding to these things. Our self care doesn't always look like that of our more feminine counterparts, but there's some familiarity to it. There are lots of dads like me who rush out and buy an RV so they can get some space AND squeeze in more time with their children. Oh yes. I'm fully aware that I'm a cliche now. I'm perfectly fine with that.
In any case, we have this new toy hauler, and all of the sudden we find ourselves wandering around the desert. We're dusty and dirty and it's awesome. The kids are fulfilled and that need for family time is being solidly met. We have ALL sorts of Father's Day plans for this machine…but Chelsea was quick to point out that I haven't been awesome at implementing the “self care” aspect. I haven't demonstrated that skill for the boys within the context of traveling and living a busy life.
She's the one who encouraged me to stock up on products for the RV. Self care items that made me feel “comfortable,” and then she's the one who did this super-dorky little project with them. I love her for stuff like that. More on that in a minute, though. I took the boys to Target to stock up on Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort products, since those are my go-to for feeling…well….clean and comfortable. The kids knew what to grab off the shelves: my designated “travel scent.” Yes, much to Chelsea's minimalist chagrin, I have different scents for home and for out in the wild, and my kids know me well enough to identify that. My incredible, gifted, quirky 7-year-old with the astounding memory went straight to the bottles that I've swiped off the shelves in front of him a zillion times.
It stopped me in my tracks. I realized that I've spent all of this time worrying about him growing older, and I haven't even noticed him growing into a young man. One I'm proud of. One who can remember everything. And one who is actually remarkably good at self care. I watch him get overwhelmed sometimes, just like I do, and step away from the crowd to take deep breaths and cool himself off. Just like I do. He struts just like I do. Talks just like I do. Perhaps it's Chelsea's chatter about upcoming Father's Day plans, but suddenly I'm finding myself brimming with pride over this small moment. This little self care routine that my son has watched, memorized, and mimicked.
So we stock up on these products and we take them home, and Chelsea decides that we should find a “cute” way to display them in the RV shower. A shower which, I should add, doesn't have any sort of storage and tumbles all my self care items around every time we move the RV. It's annoying, and kind of ironic, and she decides to solve the problem with hooks and old baby shampoo bottles. Which is also kind of ironic to me. We're out of the baby shampoo bottle phase, and she's upcycling that stuff into a way of supporting my man shampoo stuff.
In any case, it's kind of genius and it works and it fits all of my Dove Men+Care self care stuff perfectly.
Even though she HAD to put silly stickers on a couple of her makeshift shower caddies to fit her idea of what our RV decor should look like, it was still pretty awesome. And I really do love her for stuff like that. She cleaned those bottles out with such determination, and drilled little holes perfectly sized for the hooks. She even made holes in the bottom “to drain any excess water.”
Just like a motherly sort of mom, always thinking ahead.
If you're interested in knowing what my exact Father's Day self care routine looks like…my picks are the Dove Men+Care Face Lotion to keep this sweet mug looking studly even in desert heat, the Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Antiperspirant Deodorant Stick which protects against sweat and body odor for 48 hours, and the Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body and Face Wash because I like that it serves multiple purposes (who has time for separate soaps for body and face?).
They're all on sale at Target with Cartwheel Offers of 5-10% off for each category, now through June 16th.