Is a "GOOD" Monday Morning POSSIBLE?
Without fail, Monday morning comes quickly. I cannot think of a single
person I know that loves Mondays.
Often that alarm clock jolts us into a day with the same finesse of diving into
a freezing cold pool … in January.
I’d love to tell you that I wake, refreshed and calm. That I rise
before my children and have time to read my bible, sip my coffee and dress in
serene silence.
No.
Normally, Monday hits me like an angry sixteen year old girl whose
boyfriend likes me better.
Let me paint you a word picture … The youngest child wakes. He drags his blanket over his naked
body into the bathroom, slamming into the walls and doors like a drunk at three
a.m. This commotion alerts the dogs. One dog will bark, one will race up and
down the hall, and one will be oblivious to it. That’s the dog I trip over while
leaping out of bed like I am seconds from being pelted with a hand grenade. I
fumble to grab a robe. The dogs need to go outside. NOW. The older child awakes,
crabby. He’s had his eyes open for 1/1,000,000,000th of a second and he’s already upset with
his brother for being loud.
I have to pee, but I try to comfort the older child with hugs and
loving words while moving down the hallway. The dogs race past me like they saw
a squirrel carrying a steak. I open the back door, sigh and head toward the
bathroom to hide pee. With rapid fire I answer roughly 8-25 questions
(within a span of two minutes). And then, feed the dogs, feed the cats, feed the
kids, answer the phone, start making a cup of coffee, remind the kids to get
dressed, and get the kids set up with school. I have not dressed yet and the
coffee is cold. I forgot to eat.
Morning, after morning, after morning. It was exhausting, it depleted
the soul. Inadvertently, I started doing a few things beforehand. It was my
desperate, last ditch attempt at saving what remained of my sanity. It
was amazing. BE PREPARED.
What a simple concept! What a simple, glorious concept. (Insert singing
angels.)
Starting on Saturday I:
- Did laundry and laid out
clothes for Sunday and Monday. - Give the house a fairly good
cleaning focusing on tidying up. - Made a meal plan (which works much better when you stick to it.)
- Any excess homework/schoolwork gets done on Saturday NOT Sunday. Period.
- Do my lesson plans and fill
the kids work folders for the week. - Set out everything needed
for Church (or whatever is on the calendar) for Sunday. - Make a to-do/to-buy/don’t-forget list for the week ahead.
Okay, I know, it could all be saved for Sunday. But, I’m trying to
commit to having a day of rest. (All moms go ahead and laugh hysterically in unison.)
Sunday night I:
- Do a quick “run through” the kids rooms.
- Lay out anything they need for the next morning, from clothes to cereal with bowls and
spoons. - Double check school stuff.
- Pre load the Keurig.
- Lay out the things I’ll need
(clothes, books, computer etc.) - Make sure there are no dirty
dishes. Run the dishwasher. - Put all used laundry in the laundry room.
Other weekend preparations that can take the mundane out of the
Monday…
- Fill any prescriptions
- Get gas in vehicles
- Shower in the evening, if possible
- Have easy breakfasts on hand
- Make lunches in the evening
- Try making meals ahead of time and freezing them
- Have grocery needs met for the week, if possible
- Don’t allow yourself to “Grab it on the way to _____”. Get it now, get it done. You have no idea
what tomorrow will hold. There could be illness, someone may oversleep, or God forbid, get sick. - Are there things that distract your kids in the morning? Remove the temptation. (I hide tablets or
tv remotes until they’ve earned them.) - Set the alarm for twenty minutes earlier. Coffee really is better in silence.
I’d love to tell you that it’s a “Perfect System”. It’s not, naturally, life
happens, it’s not always fool proof. Sometimes there is chaos. Sometimes there
is drama. We have to bend. But, more often than not being prepared sends us into
Monday with a little less crazy. May your next Monday be All Good & Well.
Dear All Good and Well Readers,
It’s almost midnight.
The year is almost gone. 365 days worth of work, love, laughter, tears, triumphs, challenges, rewards,
disappointments and all the other things that make life … life, are behind us.
We count backwards from ten, we hold our breath and say “Happy New Year”. We smile and maybe kiss someone dear.
We flip the calendar. (Cue Natasha Bedingfeild singing Unwritten.) It’s just beginning…
That said, Happy New Year! Here’s to you! Wonderful, strong, smart and brave YOU! This is YOUR year. I pray
2014 brings you all things Good & Well and that you are free to enjoy every beautiful blessed moment.
With Love, Kari
It’s almost midnight.
The year is almost gone. 365 days worth of work, love, laughter, tears, triumphs, challenges, rewards,
disappointments and all the other things that make life … life, are behind us.
We count backwards from ten, we hold our breath and say “Happy New Year”. We smile and maybe kiss someone dear.
We flip the calendar. (Cue Natasha Bedingfeild singing Unwritten.) It’s just beginning…
That said, Happy New Year! Here’s to you! Wonderful, strong, smart and brave YOU! This is YOUR year. I pray
2014 brings you all things Good & Well and that you are free to enjoy every beautiful blessed moment.
With Love, Kari
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Detox Series COMING SOON!
Welcome! We at ALL GOOD & WELL are looking forward to beginning a healthy, whole, balanced and blissful life.
It was important for me to begin this ALL IS GOOD AND WELL venture with a
big fat confession. “Fat” being the operative word. I have run my mind,
body and soul ragged. I have literally pushed myself within an inch of
my sanity. Like many women, I put myself dead last for far too long. As
I rushed around, I skipped meals and then, starving, over ate at 10 p.m.
I worked all day, and then put my feet up in front of the television when I should
have taken a lap around the block. I sent my husband “I love u” texts instead of
writing love letters. I prayed in passing and read my Bible on my phone. I was
habitually disconnecting myself.
I stood in the center of my home and looked
around, chaos was everywhere. The kids were running
through the house, the dog was barking, door bell dinging, phone ringing,
the kitten meowing. Laundry, dishes and work all piled a little too high
for my liking. And I was on empty, I was a hot mess. God will whisper
before he yells. I couldn’t hear the whisper, but so help me, I heard the
yell. It was time. In that second I committed to simplifying,
doing good and living healthy and well. I'm looking forward to sharing
this journey with you.
Blessings,
Kari
big fat confession. “Fat” being the operative word. I have run my mind,
body and soul ragged. I have literally pushed myself within an inch of
my sanity. Like many women, I put myself dead last for far too long. As
I rushed around, I skipped meals and then, starving, over ate at 10 p.m.
I worked all day, and then put my feet up in front of the television when I should
have taken a lap around the block. I sent my husband “I love u” texts instead of
writing love letters. I prayed in passing and read my Bible on my phone. I was
habitually disconnecting myself.
I stood in the center of my home and looked
around, chaos was everywhere. The kids were running
through the house, the dog was barking, door bell dinging, phone ringing,
the kitten meowing. Laundry, dishes and work all piled a little too high
for my liking. And I was on empty, I was a hot mess. God will whisper
before he yells. I couldn’t hear the whisper, but so help me, I heard the
yell. It was time. In that second I committed to simplifying,
doing good and living healthy and well. I'm looking forward to sharing
this journey with you.
Blessings,
Kari