Operation Bring Friday Back

Happy happy Friday!

I hope you had a great week and have some fun plans for the weekend.  We are heading to Houston to take a class at my home church that we need to do before getting James baptized.  I’m also going wedding dress shopping for my sister…I could not be more excited!

For a long time, Friday was my favorite day of the week.  Everyone was in a little bit of a better mood.  Things seemed a bit more relaxed.  All of the anticipation for the weekend was there.

My husband and I would usually go out to dinner and watch a movie.  We were not big partiers even before the little guy 🙂

The thing about being a stay at home mom though, is that in a way every day is Friday and in a way Friday never comes.  For me anyway, all of the days can sort of run together sometimes.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as for the most part, the days are very good.

I am still excited for the weekend of course because it means spending time with my husband.  But I want to bring back that relaxed, celebratory Friday feeling I used to have.  And I’ve got a plan.

1. Use James’s afternoon nap to do something fun

As all parents know, nap time is crucial for getting things done.  I usually have a plan going into each nap time for exactly what I want to accomplish so that I don’t waste any time thinking about it.  I want to celebrate the start of the weekend though by doing something relaxing.  Ideally, I want this to be something other than watching tv, something like sitting outside and listening to music, coloring, reading a book, or taking a bath.  Yes, nap time is important for getting things done, but James’s late afternoon naps are usually about 35 minutes long…I think I can spare 35 minutes for my happiness 🙂

2. Yoga

I’m pretty sure I haven’t done yoga since I was pregnant.  Now I was never a devoted yogi by any means, but I do feel better when I take the time stretch and breath and be still.  I particularly love Yoga by Adriene.  My best friend Ali turned me on to her.  She has a bunch of free yoga videos and she is funny and doesn’t take things too seriously.  I’m not going to be overly ambitious here, but I would like to do at least a short video every Friday, preferably first thing in the morning.

3. NO work Friday night

I’ve recently started doing some freelance writing work, which I’m excited about, but I’m still finding a balance with it.  I have limited and unpredictable amounts of time to get the work done.  Also, whatever the opposite of a procrastinator is, that is what I am.  I feel a ridiculous need to get the assignments done ASAP, even if I have several days until a deadline.  This has led to some unnecessary stress lately.  I want to SLOW down a little.  I’m going to make sure I set aside all work Friday evenings and just relax and spend time with my husband.

4. Get something easy / fun for dinner

I think the days of going out to dinner Friday nights are over for us for a while, and that is just fine.  It’s much easier and more relaxing to take our little buddy out to lunch.  He’s generally in a better mood earlier in the day and we’re not rushing to get home for bedtime or trying to keep him from falling asleep in the car.  I pretty much never feel like cooking dinner Friday night though.  I grocery shop Friday mornings, so I’m going to make sure to get something easy to make for dinner that night.  Or we could order takeout, but we pretty much never do that for some reason.

5. Have a fun drink

Yes, I’m bringing back happy hour!  Now this does not have to be alcoholic, it could just be kombucha or a fun mocktail, which I love.  It will probably be beer or wine though, preferably enjoyed out on the patio with snacks.  Nothing says the weekend is here to me more than a good, old fashioned happy hour 🙂

That is the plan!  We shall see how it goes.

Do you have any rituals to get you into the weekend spirit?

What is your favorite day of the week?

Any fun plans this weekend?