Plan a Mother-Daughter Spa Day

Disclosure

Working from home has its advantages: Short commute, no dress code and a flexible schedule. Unfortunately, the flexible schedule is also one of the biggest disadvantages to working from home. Unless you are extremely disciplined, which I’m not, having a dedicated punch-out time isn’t likely. There is always work to be done and it isn’t uncommon for me to work late into the evenings. I often find myself telling the girls “I need to get this done.” “Maybe later, I have work to do.” “Sorry, honey, but I need to finish this first.” I can’t tell you how sad it makes me when I see them walk away feeling dejected.

This time, I decided to use work as an excuse to have some mother-daughter quality time. We set aside some time for an at-home spa treatment. The original plan was for each of us to apply a mud mask, paint our toes then lounge on the bed reading books together until it was time to wash the mask off.

I gathered all the items together: a book for each of us to read, nail polish, music, Epicuren Chai Soy Mud Mask and some hand towels.

The directions on the mud mask say to apply a thin layer to a clean face. We each took showers then threw on some comfy clothes before applying. The mask applied easy enough that we were each able to put our own on. Miss M was having fun pretending to be Hulk or a zombie. Aside from the fun factor, this is one of those times where a colored product really helped out – it was easy to see what places on our face we missed. I used that opportunity to discuss how well the girls wash their face daily. Did they miss the same spots normally?

Despite a busy schedule, I enjoy sitting and reading with the girls. Sometimes we’ll sit together before bedtime and each read our own books. Miss M started reading the Hunger Games series after watching the first movie and it has been fun to discuss that with her. Miss K, on the other hand, ended up with a new book by accident. As we were getting ready to head out of town to a track meet, I grabbed one of James Patterson’s Middle School series books from the counter for her to read in the car. Unfortunately it wasn’t the one she had set out to take. Fortunately, it was one she discovered she enjoyed!

Remember how I said our “original plan” was to sit down and paint nails? Well, I have a confession to make. While setting everything up ahead of time, I biffed a bottle on the bathroom floor. After cleaning that up, I wasn’t much in the mood for inhaling any more nail polish fumes. I told the girls we were going to have to postpone that part until a different day. Besides, 20 minutes (the approximate amount of time it would take for the mask to dry) was a perfect amount of time for quality reading.

After the mask had sufficiently dried we all took turns rinsing it off. I was curious whether the green mask would stain the hand towels so I intentionally used white ones. After a normal washing, you couldn’t see even a speck of green. No staining… that’s good.

When we were done, I asked the girls how their skin felt and they said they loved it. Miss K asked if she could use it all the time but I explained the package says “may be used one time per week.” She said that’s how often she wants to use it then. Miss M said she enjoyed the family time together and peacefulness. With respect to the product’s effectiveness on adolescent skin, she said “I think it helped a lot.”

Not only did this provide a great bonding experience with my girls but it also worked really well. Personally, I was surprised how soft it made my skin feel. I’ve used various peels, masks and other products before but I don’t always notice a difference. This time I certainly did.

If you’re ready for a mini spa experience in your home, grab a book, some nail polish and order some Epicuren Chai Soy Mud Mask on Amazon for just under $26.

For more information on Epicuren products, visit Skin Care By Alana. You can also connect with them on Twitter and Facebook.

What is your favorite at-home spa treatment?