Dear Working Mom, the weekend is not meant for a organizing the fridge with clear bins to make it look Pinterest worthy. It’s not meant for deep cleaning every crevice of your house. It’s not meant for getting ahead on emails, pulling the weeds, or reorganizing your kids closet.
RECLAIM YOUR WEEKEND MAMA!
The weekend is for bed head, and watching Saturday morning cartoons with your kids in their paw patrol pjs. It’s for making the pancakes you don’t have time for during the week. It’s for letting your kids play and get dirty and naps that aren’t on schedule. It’s for being tourists in your own city, going to brunch with friends, and meditating. It’s for letting the kids stay up a bit past bed time to watch that movie they've seen 200 times.
It’s for reconnecting with yourself and your family.
So often we feel the weekend is supposed to be filled with a productive to do list of things we couldn’t find time for during the week.
Ask yourself what is more productive for your soul?
I for one, know I show up as a much better worker, Mom, spouse, friend, when I have taken the weekend to recharge the parts of me that fill my cup.
Here are some ways to "Reclaim Your Weekend"
Schedule small tasks through the week that you would normally save for the weekend
I personally have a cleaning schedule I follow through the week that I plan on my Ipad each month. One small task a day can prevent a 4-5 hour long cleaning spree on the weekends. Also, I can't tell you how freeing it feels to have a clean house to start the weekend!
Make appointments or pre-pay for activities so you are held to doing them
Schedule that Saturday morning Yoga class you've been wanting to try. Pre-pay for those tickets to the arts and craft festival you wanted to take the kids to. It makes it alot harder to trade an already committed to plan for repainting the hallway closet your toddler left a crayon masterpiece on. Fun Fact: It can wait and it adds character :)
Block off a small portion of your weekend for setting yourself up for the week
I always do a Sunday evening power hour, this is where I set out our clothes for the next day. Pack the kids backpacks or daycare stuff, fill up my water bottle for the next day. Plan out my week. It will give you that feeling of being productive and going into the week feeling prepared, without stealing the entire weekend to do so!
Set the tone on Friday
Fridays for me are for ordering in take out, movies cuddled on the couch with my husband and kids. Its for actually fully shutting down my computer when I clock out. Its for one more bed time story, and staying up after the kids go to sleep with my husband. Setting the tone for the weekend on Friday night will put you in the mindset you need to reclaim your weekend and reconnect with your family.
Turn off work notifications
We're all guilty of it right? We see that email come in and we just want to check it really quick. That teams notification comes in from the co-worker who hopped on during the weekend and you start thinking how much easier your Monday would be if you also hopped on for a bit. Resist the urge. You will work the rest of your life, your kids will only be riding their bike in a diaper or practicing their gymnastics routine on their home beam in the front yard for a few short years!
Make Promises... and keep them
Nothing makes me keep my word more than a promise to my kids who then ask me 237 more times if we are going to do what I had promised them. So make that promise during the week.... and then keep it! I for one, want my kids to grow up knowing that if I said something, I did it. Teaching your kids that your word is everything, starts with you. So make sure you get the frozen yogurt you promised them after the park, even though everyone's tired and the thought of unhooking that car seat for the 6th time today is less than motivating. By keeping your promises to your kids, you are also keeping your promise to yourself to reclaim your weekend!
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