I'm grateful for Mondays...
Mondays are "BAKING DAY" at my house...
Ella and I made Molasses Crinkles yesterday...
(one of my very favorite cookies, thanks to Grandma Ambs)
BAKING DAY works out perfectly with the fact that
Monday nights are our designated "Family Night"
(and I LOVE to have a treat for everyone afterwards)
In my quest to achieve balance...
mostly between being the mother I NEED to be and the successful business owner I WANT to be
I'd reached another period of reevaluation.
I decided it was time to revise my work day a little bit.
Well actually...
A LOT of bit...*wink*
AND...
I've rededicated myself to making sure we have Family Night every Monday again.
I can't wait to see this completely filled with things our family is grateful for...
(
I made mine with a cheap poster frame, a roll of poster paper cut to size and some 2" black vinyl letters.
The plexiglass that came with the frame was placed behind the white poster paper
to provide us with a hard surface for writing/adding the things we are grateful for).
The point is...
It is necessary to re-evaluate things in your life on a regular basis.
I found myself feeling extremely guilty at the end of most days...
feeling I had worked way too much...
and wishing I had spent more quality time with Ella.
(
definitely red flags for a reevaluation)
So...
I had to come up with a solution.
And I did.
I've set "firm" work hours for myself.
I've even got an alarm on my phone that rings (
crows like a rooster actually)
and Ella knows that it's time for mommy to get off of the computer...
and it's PLAY TIME!
I took things a step farther too.
I implemented something I used to do with my two older daughters when they were toddlers.
I've assigned a specific "focus" to each day of the week:
MONDAY : BAKING DAY
TUESDAY: SCIENCE DAY
WEDNESDAY: ELLA'S DAY WITH GRANDMA
THURSDAY: CRAFT DAY
FRIDAY: FREE DAY
At the end of our play time...
a sweet lullaby alarm on my phone reminds Ella and I both
that it's her naptime...
As silly as it all may sound.
I NEEDED this.
And so did Ella.
We have a focus.
I have a plan.
And we both have something to look forward to.
I feel more productive.
I feel more connected.
which means I FEEL more...
more of the things that are most important.
And I LOVE that feeling.
Perhaps you are struggling with some of the same things?
Maybe some of these ideas are something you can implement in your day/schedule.
With all of that said...
I'm GRATEFUL...
Grateful for my family.
Grateful for this time of year.
Grateful for the pies I'll be making on Wednesday.
Grateful my cousin and her family are coming for Thanksgiving.
Grateful for my mom that comes every Wednesday to spend time with Ella
(
and provides me the opportunity to get a lot of work done)
Grateful for my life and the opportunities I've been given.
Grateful for my children and the fact that they make me a better person.
And today...
I'm especially grateful for
periods of reevaluation!
The rooster is crowing...
I'd better get going! *wink*
KEEPiNG iT REAL
The Molasses Crinkles...
I still have yet to perfect this recipe.
They still turn out harder than Grandma Ambs and hers are always perfectly soft. *grumbling*
To top it off... J made this comment lastnight as he was sampling one of the cookies...
"They remind me of when I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed because of the ground cloves included in the recipe.
(I guess I know what to bake now if I want to torture him). *wink*
The Grateful Wall Art...
You've no idea how much I can't stand having a cheap poster frame hanging on the wall. ($7.99 from Target)
BUT...
it made NO sense to invest in an extravagant frame that I would be fretting over everyone breaking
every time they added something to the Grateful Wall Art.
And thank goodness those Vinyl letters are forgiving...
I had to reposition them several times to get them straight and centered.
I actually added the three dots to help center it within the frame...*wink*
And now you know...