ive been thinking about this a lot recently, bc, well, its happening a lot.
instead of a bunch of regular ole days strung in a row, it seems that i have seriously exhausting, unfulfilling days immediately followed by fabulous, inspiring ones.
what makes it so????
if you havent gathered, im generally a glass half full type of person. i just dont see how those who arent get through daily life. i would be miserable. i know its a choice to be positive, and even though sometimes its hard, i sure do try to choose it every morning when i wake up. {try being the operative word here}
and so ive thought about it, and i have sort of realized a trend of my days/what makes some SO much better than others.
the things that can affect my entire day:
1. feeling sick
ok this one is self explanatory and just part of the stage of life im in {pregnancy}. any sort of sickness i had with emory {bc i had none with bennett} was gone by second trimester and, besides feeling generally UGLY at all times with her pregnancy, i otherwise felt ok. this one, i feel much better about the superficial junk, {i now firmly believe girls SUCK YOUR PRETTY from you. its just my unprofessional hypothesis} but i have many more days resembling first trimester yuckiness. and im in the dang third trimester. anyway, while i still believe while im feeling yuck that baby is happy and growing, feeling yuck does not a great day make.
remedy: eh, nothing really. just deal with it and at least they are few and far between. this shall pass...and you arent worthless when you spend a random day crying on the sofa while your children buzz around you, eating shoes and watching hours of sprout and climbing on furniture and eating ungodly amounts of cheese bc its all they can reach in the refrigerator. you are just pregnant. {i need a dictaphone, some ear buds, and a repeat button}
2. not getting dressed vs. taking a shower
the rare mornings when stephen is still home at 7am and i get to take a shower and get dressed are life changers. i know i should be able to wake up earlier and take care of this before the kids get up, but when im preggo i just gotta sleep when i can. its like my day gets a little kick start and i feel presentable {vs throwing on "exercise" clothes when in fact i have not step foot in a gym in a year and a half}.
remedy: stephen needs to cancel early morning cases and not leave the house till 7:30. ok, no, but maybe i should put more effort into dressing in the morning vs having abundant "jammie days" {as bennett calls them, and i do love me a jammie day every once in awhile, but maybe need to stay away from the spandex and sports bra route and veer more towards the "brush your hair and put on a real bra"}
3. purposefully announcing my intents to God before i leave my bedroom
this is huge. the mornings i spend in even just a little silent prayer before i run to feed and nurture the children result in such brighter days. it seriously is an A+B=C thing. so why i dont always do it, God only knows. and He is probably shaking his head when i forget so maybe he doesnt get it either ;) BUT just simply asking God to rule my day and direct my tongue and open my eyes as im walking to the bathroom makes the days happenings just fall that much better in line. and now i resort back to number 2, when i take morning showers, i have wonderful morning quiet times.
remedy: start my day with a purpose and give thanks to the one who gave me this day, before i run out of my room and start living it
4. running tons and tons of errands while the kids are at school
ok this is a weird one. i actually feel WORSE when i have been moving around town non stop between the hours of 9-1 than if i have a moment in there to breathe and do something, i dont know, frivolous.....like talk on the phone to a friend or eat lunch with my mom and sisters or get a pedicure or browse the garden center at lowes or sit in my backyard and read a magazine.
remedy: give myself some me time, bc i certainly dont get it during "nap time" anymore....bennett takes, on average, one nap a week these days. and he is developing a runaway imagination that always needs some momma input or viewing or acknowledgement. {aka notsomuch silent play time in the playroom anymore...}
5. having dinner planned
i used to go to the grocery store and buy a weeks worth of meals. then i could pick and choose what we ate every night and always had something. recently i havent exactly enjoyed food or cooking {thank you sweet baby three} so i have to run to the grocery almost every day and blindly choose random things to throw together for nurishment. it doesnt work very well. i like not going to the grocery store every day.
remedy: duh. go to the grocery store once a week and spend the time on sunday or whenever to make a meal plan. even if its just for three nights, at least its SOMETHING.
{this is delicious}
and these are just a few things that i have found that seriously affect my attitude/daily outlook.
what works for you?
what is your email address?
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as you do! Lately I feel like I am "better" if I stay home while Jay is at school as much as possible and just get my house organized and ready for the rest of the day and then have some "me time"to read or cook or do something I want to do. When my house is crazy and a mess the day is never good.
ReplyDeleteall of the above work for me as well. having sleeping sam upstairs keeps me housebound when the big boys are at school and it is actually really NICE! I clean, chat, ponder, surf and try not to feel guilty about the stillness. sweet baby three is extraordinarily wonderful and that trumps all of the aches and pains but it does NOT mean this season is an easy one! Hang in there sweet friend!
ReplyDeletethat sock picture could have very easily been a picture of your very own feet. i could see you wearing those :)
ReplyDeleteaahhhhhh. amazing what a shower can do. for me - it's a shower, moisturizer, and eye-liner. and getting dressed. also - like you - NOT running errands during MDO time.
ReplyDeleteand - I love that you say "girls suck the pretty out" - ha! if I could feel pregnant like I did with C - I would be pregnant all the time. good skin, hair, minimal weight gain, etc. with my son - it was sickness (through the entire pregnancy), disgusting skin, etc. etc. the complete opposite.