Monday Madness

Yes, it's Monday. It comes every seven days. Somehow, I haven't been able to get it to stop. I keep trying, but Monday faithfully shows up. Ahhhhh, Monday, if there is ANYthing in life I can count upon, it is you.

And with the usual Monday Madness came Book Club.We just finished The Kitchen House, a gripping tale with the right amount of sunlight to give you hope to hang on to the end. I really liked it. But even better? My Book Club Company. We had a wonderful evening. A night where I got to be just Melissa. Which is really nice when you are a musician and have a job where you interact with people a lot. You don't always allow yourself to be as transparent as you would like to be. 

Which got me to thinking about Friday night. Friday night I went to a dinner celebrating Karen's birthday. She took her closest "sister friends" out to dinner. (The Melting Pot was unbelievable! Although, my clothing smelled horrendous afterwards. Completely worth it!)

Two nights in the last 96 hours where I got to just let my hair down, not worry about much and not have to think about things. It's amazing what that can do for a girl, even with the Madness that was today (teaching, groceries, cleaning, dinner, lunch and breakfast prep, getting a wayward math student to school early, etc.)

Make time this week to just be you. Just be. Just indulge- in mind cleaning head-space cleaning breathing time. You'll come away feeling refreshed, alive, and remembering who you are. Best three hours you can spend. Consider it an investment- not only for you, but for those around you. After you come back, you are a better version of yourself, more patient, smiling and ready to deal with the Madness that is Monday.

Plan it. It won't get done any other way. It's hard at first, but I can promise you, you will be glad you did.

Yours, looking at next week's schedule to plan some ME time,

Melissa

MAKING TIME FOR “US”

Every so often, I’m asked to write a guest post for somebody else’s blog. One of my favorite topics to write about, because of course I always tie it back to my book, is how parents need to take care of themselves and their relationship with each other, and how The Caregiver Organizer can help relieve “babysitter” stress when going out for a romantic evening together. And I firmly believe that we need time with our spouses, without kids, to keep that relationship strong.

So, do I practice what I preach? Of course not! Lucky for me, I have a pretty solid relationship with my hubby, but we definitely don’t spend enough time together, alone. Saturday night, we actually had a date night. Nothing special, just a nice dinner out (yes, I totally blew my Weight Watchers points and yes, it was totally worth it!). But you know what? It was special! We haven’t been out without the kids since December. Terrible, I know!

Even worse, the boys are 9, and we’ve never, and I mean NEVER, been on vacation without them since they’ve been born. So this November we’ll be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary in Grand Cayman, which is where we got married. NO KIDS! I’ve been warning my sister for a year already that she has to take care of them while we’re gone, and she’s up for the challenge! (She may never speak to me again after we return, but I’ll cross that bridge later!)

So my advice to you, and to myself, is to please, please, please take more time for yourself (hard to do during the summer months, I know) and make more time for your relationship with your spouse. Even after just one night out, I feel a bit more connected again, and I didn’t even know that was missing. So I can only imagine what once or (dare I dream?) twice a month could do for us! Something to think about!

Karen

Paradise Is Only 6 Days Away!

SIX MORE DAYS! SIX MORE DAYS! WOO-HOO!!!!!

In six days, I will be leaving for Mexico with (pay close attention here) my sisters! NO KIDS! NO HUSBAND! NO DOG! NO CAT! JUST ME AND MY SISTERS!

(Are you jealous yet?)

Now don't get me wrong, you all know I LOVE my boys, the two 8 year olds and the 40-something year old. But, can you even imagine 5 days of Mexican sunshine, rolling waves, snoozing on the beach and eating everything in sight? And no "Mommy, watch this..." or "Mommy, he did ______ to me" or "Honey, where's the ________?"

This is the third year in a row that my sisters and I have gone away together. We go to all-inclusive, adults-only (if my kids aren't going to be there, I don't really want to put up with anyone else's kids!), beach-front resorts. Do we spend too much money? YES! Do we eat too much? YES! Do we work out? NO! And most importantly, do we feel guilty for leaving our families? NO, NO, NO!!!

Okay, all kidding aside, I think this is the best thing I do for myself and for my family all year. I come back refreshed, relaxed and a better wife and mommy. And the boys get some great quality time together. It's not going to kill them to have 5 days of constant fast food, TV and Wii. As long as my husband remembers to get them to school, I'm fine with everything else!

Did you read Melissa's post "How Long Does It Take To Do That" back in January? If not, go back and read it. It is SO TRUE. The basic premise of her post is that when the husband travels, he packs and says, "so long honey." When the mom travels, we have to write long and involved notes explaining what needs to be done each day for school and where the sports games are over the weekend. We need to find babysitters for the time between the end of school and the time he gets home. We need to put notes out to remind everyone that the dog and cat need to eat and drink also. We send emails to the teachers so they know that if something isn't done on time, it's NOT OUR FAULT! We need to have neighbors come in to let the dog out, who isn't used to being in the house all day. And other neighbors to ask the husband in the morning at the bus stop if the boys have their backpacks, homework, snack, lunch, etc. We need to do laundry, so they have clothes to wear while we're gone. We need to go grocery shopping, just for the off-chance that they might eat a meal at home. Like frozen pizza or cereal.

(Oh my gosh, as I write this, I'm realizing all the things that I still have to do! Thank goodness a lot of this, like the schedules, are in THE BOOK!)

Anyway, you get the idea. But the main point I want to make is it's all worth it! We all need to take a little time for ourselves. Whether it's a trip to Mexico or just lunch with a girlfriend, you need to take care of YOU. I know, you've heard it before. But are you doing it? I am, and I think I'm a much better person for it.

So take a deep breath and plan something for yourself... by yourself. And think of me in 6 days while I lay on the beach and don't think of anything!

Karen