This morning I did something I haven’t done in quite a while…I got dressed. Like really dressed. I don’t mean dressed up. Just dressed. I took some time out of my usual morning chaos to think about what I would like to wear, went to my closet and match something up, and put it on. I didn’t just grab a pair of cozy pants. I didn’t stay in my pj’s until the last minute then scamper around my room looking for anything that was clean that sort of matched or could be hidden under my coat when I dropped my daughter off at pre-K. I actually got dressed before beginning my day.
I don’t think this was just a random morning to pull something like this off. Here are some things over the weekend that led up to this simple, yet fabulous, task…
As I’m sure you know Friday was Halloween. No surprise there right? I had so much fun getting the kids ready and their excitement was just contagious. In fact my little one had so much fun at her school party and her brother’s parade that she needed a little snooze before the evening festivities began 🙂
Before heading out around the neighborhood Trick or Treating we went to our friend’s house to have some pizza and other yummy goodies. It was so nice getting together and us parents had to keep being reminded by the kiddos that the pizza party wasn’t the big event for the night! So out we went…it was a blast walking around together in our little group 🙂
I decided when I crawled in bed that night that I was not going to rush around in the morning. My hubby didn’t have to go to work and there weren’t any soccer games or dance performances so I was going to take advantage of this quiet morning. The last few months have been just crazy and I just needed at least a morning to recover. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do, but it was not going to involve rushing or even my computer for a few hours. When I opened my eyes at 7:30 A.M.I decided to stick with my plan. Yes, I was awake, but I was not going to get out of bed!
As I flipped through the channels I found a rerun of one of my absolute favorite shows – Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, I was a Buffy fanatic back in the day! That took me to 8 A.M. at which time I found the Sex and the City movie on. I actually never saw it so I decided to cuddle in and enjoy. By this time the kids were waking up and my wonderful husband took control and left me to my cozy bed and girlie movie. He brought me coffee and whipped up some delicious “dippin'” eggs, bacon, and toast that the kids were petitioning for. Breakfast was ready just as my movie ended so we all ate together as a family and then I decided it was time for my day to begin…it was 11 A.M.
The first thing I did was get the laundry going. Then I put away all the Halloween decorations and brought out a few more fall ones. Every time I look at my finger-printed windows I think about the homemade glass cleaner I’ve been meaning to try, so I took the time to do some research and whipped that up. It honestly worked great and there are no worries about the kiddos helping since it’s all natural. Of course my little lady had to help 🙂
Next, I thought about what bothered me the most each day or wasted the most time. It was definitely the piles of outgrown clothes in my daughter’s room that I hadn’t taken the time to pack up and get into the attic yet. So I took the time. In addition to what I had already separated, I went through her closet and drawers and got it out! There’s always that point in a project when you think, “What did I get myself into?” Well this was that moment for me…
After getting somewhere in my little project I took a break for lunch and we ate together as a family.
As folded up the last of my munchkin’s clothes I remembered there might be some other things to be put away mixed up in a basket full of clean laundry in my room. Well, apparently I was really feeling it that day and got into organizing all my clothes too. I’m not sure if I thought about doing it or just kept going, but I jumped right in and already had piles on my bed before I even realized I had taken on another project…
I kept going right through the evening until the Notre Dame game came on. My little girl fell asleep and my son went with my hubby to the store for a few things. They brought home some of our favorite “chicken bones,” as the kids call them, and we enjoyed our wings together as a family watching the game.
On Sunday I picked up right where I left off and again my wonderful hubby whipped up a delicious breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Man I love having him around! I finished up organizing my clothes. Now trust me, there is still much more de-cluttering to do in our bedroom, but I’m happy that at least now it’s a work in progress. I washed some great new microfiber sheets that I found on ShopHQ while flipping through the channels the week before, and put my bed together so it all matched and wasn’t just a mismotch of random pillowcases, sheets, and covers. My dad stopped over and brought some of his super yummy chili so we took a break and had a bowl together as a family.
As my dad and husband dismantled the Halloween graveyard in our front yard, I got most of a diaper cake finished that needed to ship soon. Later we worked together as a family to finish up my son’s Friends & Family Wreath school project.
Afterwards we ate dinner together as a family.
When I hopped in the shower last night, I couldn’t even remember the last time that I ate three square meals, two days in a row! Throw in the fact that we ate each and every meal in our home together as a family and I’m really dumb founded. As I crawled into my pretty, newly put together bed, I thought about how wonderful the weekend was and how good it felt to accomplish something that I’ve been wanting to do and that helped my family, even though there was still so much work I could be doing for the blog, Etsy shop, and Jamberry.
Whether you work out in the corporate world or from home, or are a stay-at-home mom involved in PTA’s, sports, and charities, it’s important to find balance. Each day that goes by I want nothing more than to be a good wife and mother while helping to provide for our household. Somehow my balance has been so off lately that I needed an entire weekend to focus mostly on myself, family, and home to get back on kilter. It seems like the first thing you give up when confronted with an overbooked schedule is usually time for yourself followed by time with those you love. How crazy is that? I mean it sounds ridiculous even for me to type…but we know it’s true.
So was today just a random day I decided to get dressed? No. It was the continuation of a weekend when with each task checked off that I wanted to do and each minute spent together as a family, the sense of relief, accomplishment, and joy I felt was overwhelming. It was a good overwhelming. And it was a feeling that I wanted to continue today as the hectic work week began even if it only meant taking a few minutes for myself to get dressed.
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