Lock yourself in bedroom with your journal, books, a good cup of tea.

Find a comfortable coffee shop. I have a favorite here in town where I can order a huge cup of tea, sit at a table in corner and write. Nobody bothers me. I stay until I feel ready to go home.

Sit yourself down at a quiet beach. The comforting swoosh of waves, spiritual connection to flow of water, nature. Nothing more soothing. Don't forget your journal and a dose of sunblock if need be.

Your public library. It has built in quiet. As long as you can keep yourself away from kids' section. And you must. How many times have you taken kids to library and never really had chance to look around at adult section?

A meditative walk in nature. This is my church, my place of worship. Feel yourself reconnecting.

Or, imagine this one! Ooh, luxury! Going away to a hotel for a weekend by yourself. Aaaah. Imagine. If you want it, you can make it happen! Don't forget to dream big.

With alone time, you may expect to feel more peaceful, focused, re-energized, lovable and loving. Now how's that for benefits? Pretty nice.

You may still find some resistance to this practice, making excuses to yourself for not indulging. There will always be chores, so get over it. We will never be done our to-do list. It will be there when you get back. Let it go. It's natural to feel this resistance. It is an indulgence AND benefits of taking mom time far outweigh any detrimental effects of you not being there. You just have to try it. Sometimes we think our life will cave in if we don't attend to it 24/7. Guess what? It won't. It will all be there when we get back, just as we left it. Isn't that comforting!?

Getting away on our own is just one of those constants we need to adjust for in life. One of biggest challenges to motherhood is illusion of no time to yourself. It's actually there, you just have to take advantage of it, plan for it. The benefits are oh so sweet.

Other brides find aspects of tradition stifling, so they mix up their ceremony with Chinese-style zest. This bride might dress her bridesmaids in glowing red (or slinky black!) Cheongsams, dresses with high collars and slit sides. She'll hand them parasols instead of nosegays, and pass out chopsticks for their hair. Her own gown might be of gorgeous brocade in red, orange or gold. Perhaps she'll wrap up ceremony with a butterfly release and hand out lucky bamboo stalks as wedding favors. This bride doesn't mind charting her own course in social affairs, and she loves Chinese devotion to parents and children.

In either case, Asian-themed wedding is a great way to tie your ceremony to your personal values. Perhaps thought of such a wedding crossed your mind, but you thought you had to be Asian? The fact is, Asian traditions and trends have been shaping Americans deeply since 1960s. Maybe it's time to ask yourself this: which type of Asian-themed bride are you?