Days of the Week

Thursdays used to be my favorite day of the week. There's the anticipation of Friday coming but no stress of "oh crap I have all of this stuff to do before I leave for the weekend." I still try to enjoy Thursdays but I am often reminded (by my own mind) that my sister died on a Thursday.

For some reason, Mondays seem to be my tough "Anitra Day" instead of Thursday. I know her memorial service was on a Monday so maybe that it's it. Or maybe it's just because I've spent the weekend with the kids and have held on to my sanity as long as possible and I'm reminded, again, that she's no longer here to participate in all of the things we do on the weekend. I get to spend all this amazing time with the kids on the weekends. Not that they don't, quite often, drive me nuts, but I do feel fortunate to have that time with them. Just enough for all of us! I so could not be a stay at home mom! My hat is off to all of my friends that are because I think it takes a really special mom to be able to be with your children for that amount of time without losing your mind.

Anyway...the whole point of all of this is that Friday night is my absolutely favorite time of the week. I don't have to feel bad about choosing to lounge around in pajama pants because I've worked all day. I don't have to feel bad about feeding the kids pizza for dinner because hey, it's Friday! I can stay up late and watch all my favorite shows because I don't have to work the next day. I can be free and let the kids run and stay up late because hey, it's Friday!

I wish my husband were home on Friday nights to hang out with the laid back me! I seldom lose my temper on a Friday night because I don't have a schedule and activities looming over me. The noise level from the children doesn't seem to bother me as much. They run and play and laugh and act crazy and I'm totally good with that...on Fridays. It's ok with me if they forget to brush their teeth (I really do try to remind them but honestly, on Fridays, I'm not very good about checking to make sure they did). I let them sleep wherever they land, mostly the living room, on Friday nights because hey, it's Friday and I can! I will confess that I let the younger girls sleep with me on Friday nights. They take up less room than Steve, AND they don't snore quite as loud as he does. Usually, whichever child is feeling a little invisible snuggles up with me while I hang out on the couch.

Saturdays, I feel like I should be more productive. I feel like I should take the kids out and do things. We also usually have some activity on Saturday. We have Brownies or Daisies or Boy Scouts. The kids go to grandma and grandpa sometimes. That's nice too so that I have a little more one on one or two on one OR three on one!

Sundays are reserved for cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, getting ready for school the following day. Sundays are reserved for being stressed about all the things I need to do for the week. Who has Scouts? Who has a doctors appointment? Who has a school event? I like the routine on Sundays of trying to get organized for the week. We try to always make a family dinner on Sunday night before Steve leaves for work. It's a chaotic dinner, as is dinner every night but Friday, but I love it. I love the calmness in the house on Sunday night after showers have been taken, teeth have been brushed, clothes have been set out, and the children are FINALLY in bed sleeping. Steve is gone on Sunday nights and I can just take a deep breath and enjoy the calm before the storm of Monday morning.

I'm a girl who thrives on routine, schedules, and lists. I like organization, not that I have much of that anymore, but still...I certainly couldn't live the excitement of Friday nights every day of the week. I rely on the routine of our lives to direct me where I need to go. I am not a person who likes change. I like to know what I'm going to be doing and where I'm going to be doing it and when I'm going to be doing it. Friday nights allow me a chance to escape all of that. Friday nights allow me to just be. I love my Friday nights and I love the ability to just breathe and absorb all the craziness around me. They are a chance for me let my hair down and be content in not having a plan or schedule. I love the peacefulness of Friday nights.