The Cuddle Time of Day

Today I was picking up the kiddo from school and I asked if she’d like to go to Target with me after dinner. In true MIM fashion, I was trying to cram as much as possible into my already busy Monday.

She said, “Oh, it’s dark outside, it’s too late.”

To which I replied, “No, it is just dark earlier. You’ll be home in time for bed.”

Then she said, “But then I can’t see you.”

To which I replied, “It’s okay, I will carry you in the parking lot and there will be lights.”

But yet she persisted, “But we can’t go to Target. I need to cuddle with you. And also have my shoes off for a long time.”

To which I replied….

“You’re right.”

It’s the week to give thanks. And thank you to my three-year-old for reminding me to reserve time in my day, just for cuddling.

In stocking feet.

Once a MIM…

Last week I made a pretty dramatic career switch. I went from working roughly 60 hours per week at my job, traveling and working after my kids went to bed at night, to working part time. My new schedule is a measly 20 hours per week from home.

Sounds like a dream, right? What was I to do with the extra 40 hours per week that would now be complete free-time? I’ll tell you exactly what I did, I filled those hours with more stuff. I went running everyday, I baked cookies with my boys, made a lasagna from scratch for dinner one night, ran countless overdue errands. Yes! This was the life. Or was it?

By the end of the week I was just as exhausted as I had been while working full time. So now I am going to make a conscious effort to not make myself so busy, and let some things go undone. Just because I’m not working full time, does not mean that I have to cook elaborate from scratch dinners every night, or have a craft project for my kids everyday when they get home from school. In one week, I am going to Italy for 10 days. Hopefully the simple and relaxing lifestyle of the Italian culture will rub off on me, and show this MIM that it’s ok to slow down.

Why didn’t you do it the night before?

I am just over it.

I just read ANOTHER magazine article promising a simpler life that included the phrase “the night before” as part of the solution. It was talking about the efficiencies of crock pots and saying that you “Cut up the vegetables the night before, so in the morning, all you have to do is put them in the crock pot and hit go.”

The other week it was how to bring order to your morning routine, “Lay out your clothes and your kid’s clothes the night before.”

Then in a health magazine, “It’s easy to eat healthier if you just pack your lunch the night before. If you wait until the morning, you’ll find an excuse not to do it.”

Or in my kid’s notes home from school, “Tonight take some time to collect up recyclable materials and bring them to school tomorrow.”

A tip for keeping your house clean: “Every night just take ten minutes and sweep through your house, picking up 20 items and putting them away.”

The secret to better relationships also apparently happens during this magical time of day: “When you get home, kiss your husband and spend ten minutes asking about his day. Then he can spend ten minutes asking about yours.”

Well, fellow MIMs, I’ve done the math. And it doesn’t add up. Not if you include all the regular activities slated for the evenings such as cooking dinner and sleep. PLUS, what if work was brought home? OR, miracle of miracles, you actually have a life and went OUT during the week?

Ah, well.

There’s always tomorrow morning.