Making Time For Play

Tuesdays. Yuck. Some people loathe Monday’s, for me, it’s Tuesdays.  We hit the ground running at 7:30am and once you factor in after school activities, we don’t stop until 9:30pm at night.  This my friends gives Tuesday the distinct possibility of becoming a very bad no good kind of day. 

After a couple of frantic Tuesdays, that saw my two daughters eating their main meal of the day in the car and all three of us near tears by bedtime, I decided it was time to find a way to tackle this crazy busy day.  I gave up a career I loved to stay home with my girls, no way was I going to lose one day of every week to stress and panic. I had to put a little fun back into the day.  Find a way to stop running and find a little joy! 

Here are my tricks and tips on how to put fun and joy back into every day.

I started by fixing my Tuesday.

The main meal on Tuesdays is now lunchtime.  I pull the girls out of school at lunch, bring them home and a hot yummy lunch is ready and waiting for then. 

The new rule at lunch.  No TV!  (This applies every day.)  Guess what?  With the meal ready to go, that healthy lunch is consumed in a snap and we have time to hang out and even get outside and play! 

The weather has been beautiful here lately!  A quick swing in the backyard, a game of fetch with the dog, a walk to the mailbox and a quick ride on the scooter. These may not be lengthy activities, but they give me time to interact with my girls, find out what’s on their minds, and gives them time to unwind and recharge before they have to go back to school and tackle the rest of their busy day.  A teeny bit of fresh air can really help!

After school pick ups. We plan ahead.  They know they have to hustle to the car but we try and make driving or “commuting” time to their after school activities enjoyable.  Favourite Cd’s locked and loaded in the car, and of course dinner and dessert…mmm Kinder anyone…on the way!  We dance and sing, I generally embarrass my 12 year old at every single stop light.  I’m a Mom, it’s my job. 

It seems life has become very hectic, trying to cram in the must do activities, homework, play dates and downtime. One thing I think we must never forget is how fast and fleeting childhood really is!  These babies grow up far too quickly and I plan to pack each and every day with fun and joy.  Thanks to Kinder for the gentle reminder 🙂

 

Disclosure: I’m part of the KINDER® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.