What mom doesn’t love remarks like; “Wow, you look great!”… “You are always so put-together!”… “How do you find time to put on make-up?” I make the same remarks to friends of mine. Isn’t it the way it has been ever since High School (and maybe even before that)? We compare ourselves to other women. SHE looks better/thinner/fitter/hotter/prettier than ME.
My life has been a pursuit of finding make-up and clothes that are easy to put together and give me the most bang for my time. For instance, I use powder, eye liner and mascara in a pinch… if I have time I add eye shadow, foundation, lip gloss. Getting ready these days is tougher than ever. Reagan is usally going through my make-up bag and trying to mimic my every move. If I can get Elliot to sleep, then that’s one less person to juggle. Seriously, I just need 15 minutes. Just give me time to wash my face, brush my teeth and get a dab of anti-scary potion on and I do mean a DAB and I’m all set for the day.
But, there are days that this doesn’t happen… at all. I call them my “recharge” days. If I’ve been going and going and planning and planning, then I need a day just at home to do home things. I may stay in my pjs all day. Sometimes, I put on a sundress and throw my hair on top of my head. I deem the day a total success if I don’t get in the car. I spend time cooking, picking up clutter and dishes, doing laundry, and getting things in order. On these days, I spend lots and lots of time on the floor with the kids reading children’s books and being Reagan’s human jungle gym. Oh, and snuggling lots and lots of snuggling (if they’ll let me).
Reagan and I play and laugh and then we bug Elliot and play and laugh with him. Sometimes I turn on some music and we dance for a little bit. Sometimes I get out the flour and sugar and we bake something terrible for our teeth (and my hips). Sometimes we make a complete mess. Sometimes I even (gasp) turn on a movie and we watch it together. Sometimes 15 minutes feels like 2 hours. These days are precious to me. Sure, I want to look cute for when my hubby gets home (that’s where the dress comes in). But, it’s nice to have a day when I’m not worried about what I look like. I can just drink in these precious days because they are going by oh-so-quickly.
Would that drive you nuts to have a day like that? What do you do to recharge?
Joy,
Thank you so much for posting this!
We all need days to “recharge”…to focus on what we need to get done, and most importantly: what really matters. I used to feel bad about my pajama days—but why? Because I didn’t “look” like I had an hour to kill in front of the mirror and in the kitchen??? How crazy! Most days you still can and will need to do that to be more presentable. And we all know it feels good to look good. But you are soooo right…lets ENJOY the days we don’t have to think about the way we look but instead completely focus on our precious, most important people in the world. Aren’t they what matter most at the end of the day ANYWAY?!!!!!
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