Taking a Day for Me

   Life has been a whirlwind lately.  That is not a bad thing though.  We were blessed with spending time with all three grandsons over the weekend.  Our oldest two, Bradley and Isaiah, spent the night on Saturday and Steven and Jaysn came up to play that day.  Oh the boys had so much fun together as Jaysn made them all swords with rolled up newspapers!  Why do we spend so much money on toys when just being creative with things we have on hand can bring so much joy to little ones? 😊  When Rachel got off work later that day, we all headed into town to go bowling.  It had been quite awhile since we did that as a family and both Bradley and Isaiah love to go bowling, so it was a real treat for them.  

   Sunday afternoon, Jeff and I took some time out for just the two of us and went on a date.  We went to lunch, hit the thrift store and then went to see the latest Avengers movie.  It was nice just to have that time with each other.  I think we need more date times.

   With the weather getting warmer again, I have been trying to spend more time outside and go on daily walks.  Some of the time Rachel, Steven and Jaysn will join either myself or Jeff and I both.  Steven loves these walks as he has a comfy ride and a nice view from his stroller. I'm also enjoying being able to hang the laundry out on the line to dry.  It smells so good!

   This time of year I am also busy trying to get things caught up around the house that I put off over the colder months since my health does not cooperate then.  With the warmer weather, I feel better and am able to get more done.  I still need to be careful though not to push myself too hard or I will end up in a bad flare/crash.

   That being said, I have been pushing myself a bit too much lately and it has not left me with much time or energy to blog or even read my friends blogs.  I miss doing so and I miss keeping in contact with everyone.  My Frugal Friday Wrap Up for last week was never finished, so I will be combining it with this weeks meager frugal doings.  I forgot to write things down this week so I am sure there will be many gaps in the post.

   Today I decided just to take a day for me.  It's kind of a "mental health vacation day" as one of my old bosses would say.  He actually required us to take two of those days each school year since Special Education teachers have a very high burnout rate.  If we did not take them, he would call us into his office and basically tell us that we were going to be taking them so pick a date or two.  He was a very wise and loving man who genuinely cared about his staff.  Recently I have found myself becoming a bit overwhelmed and craving some down time so when I woke up today I thought this would be the perfect day to take that time for myself.  I have no outside commitments, it's a gorgeous day and I also have nothing here at home that absolutely needs to be done right now.  I'm "investing" in myself and recharging my battery. 😉 I can't even express how good it feels to just relax and not feel any pressure to do anything or feel any guilt whatsoever for making the choice to do so.

   Sometimes I feel like we, as women especially, try to do too much and be there for everyone else and forget about taking care of ourselves.  We get so caught up in making sure that everyone else's needs are being met and put aside our own needs much of the time.  As a young mother, my husband was very good at seeing when I was reaching my burnout point and would send me off for a few hours of peace and quiet.  I can see when my girls are reaching that point too and try to give them needed breaks also.  Being a mother is hard work and you are at it 24/7.  

   Now that I am a grandmother and  home full time, I still need those breaks.  I do rest a lot on a daily basis in between my daily tasks due to my health but this is different.  This is a day to do whatever I please with no pressure whatsoever.  I'm not looking at a "to do" list covering most of my white board.  I'm not seeing appointments on the calendar that need to be gotten to.  I'm not even going to be bothered by the weeds in the front garden that need to be pulled...they can wait until tomorrow.  This day is for me and I am going to fully embrace and enjoy it.