Girls Night Out
Please don’t get me wrong, I love (love) a girls night out! However, choosing an outfit, trying to squeeze getting ready in with the normal evening routine, figuring out how you’re going to get to and from: driving or Uber/Lyft, and then the next morning can all be a little tedious. So let me let you in on a little secret, sleepovers with your girlfriends could be the new girls’ night out.
Sleepovers Are Great
Remember the excitement when you were younger and your parents and your friend’s parents agreed to let you have a sleepover or slumber party? Crazy dancing to loud music, staying up all night, gossiping, playing games, eating junk food, well surprise it’s the same when you’re all grown up.
My first mom sleepovers started when one of my good girlfriends was in the middle of an ugly divorce, we were both moms of 2-year-olds and pregnant with our 2nd children. My husband worked late and she needed the companionship, so my daughter and I would sleepover, it was like one giant playdate, good for the girls and excellent for the moms as well.
The last sleepover I went to was in celebration of a friend’s beautiful new home, she invited us months before so that everyone could plan their work schedules, arrange childcare if needed, remind their spouses. We all came bearing an adult beverage and a dish, there was everything from jambalaya and fried chicken, to fancy cheese plates and desserts.
The sleepover started with a tour of the house, opening wine, catching up (some of us work day shift and some night shift, so don’t always get a chance to talk regularly), and once everyone arrived the laughter and silliness had started. We laughed, talked, ate, drank, and unfortunately for our ears did karaoke until almost 4 am. Just like at kid sleepovers, we all piled into beds, and on-air mattresses, on to couches, and went to sleep for three and a half hours. That’s right, we were all up by 7:30 am, we had to get back to reality, it was a very important college football game day (HOW BOUT THEM TIGERS), someone had a sick baby to get home to, another a wedding to get ready for, I had an almost 15 year old’s birthday weekend to start, and some were just going home to get actual sleep.
Make Time For It
When my kids were little, it was so hard to justify these kinds of nights. I felt like any time I had not working, I should spend with my kids. I would feel guilty asking my parents to watch them again (if my husband was working), guilty about spending money going out, guilty spending time away from my kids and my husband, but then I realized I needed this time away.
Adulting is hard. We are constantly being served up something on our plate; stress comes in many forms: finances, work, children, trying to get pregnant, marriages, illness, and if for a few hours we can get together with friends that you can laugh and cry and vent with, it is so good for your mental health. You can get back to real life with a refreshed and rejuvenated mind.
Sleepovers are a great alternative to a girls’ night out. We may not always feel like getting dressed up, fixing our hair and makeup, spending money on expensive drinks and dinner, etc. but who can say no to PJs, wine, and laughter. So, call your girlfriends and plan a sleepover ASAP!
