Motherhood is for… evenings

The other day, I shared a blog post on my Facebook page called “Motherhood is wishing for bedtime, but missing them when they are asleep.” I found the title to be one that is relatable at times, especially in the evenings when we are worn out from the busy day.

Some evenings, I feel like I have it together, and I’m really “in the moment.” Other nights, I feel like I’m so far behind, trying to get things done at the last possible minute (like the Valentine cards that we were filling out at 7:00 pm on February 13th… after a long day of school, lacrosse practice and church class for the kids.)

This picture that I shared on my Instagram a few years back feels about right on those days…

Sometimes, you just feel like the lady that needs the eggs. Can you relate?

However and here’s the critical part: Our kids love us anyway. They just want us to be happy. There was a study that surveyed children to see what they wanted most from their parents, and the #1 thing that they wanted was for their parents to be stress-free.

I try to remind myself of that study often. Our kids just want us to ENJOY our lives & enjoy our time with them.

This comment by a reader, Sarah, brings it to light (it was shared on Cup of Jo.)

“Growing up, my absolute favorite dinner was “Plate of little things.” My mom would slice cheese, apples, crackers, hot dogs, dry cereal, whatever and we would eat it in front of the TV. I told her recently, and she gasped, “What? Those were the nights I failed. I didn’t cook a thing and was too tired to talk to you guys. That’s ridiculous.” Goes to show, it may be JUST when we fail that our kids feel the most happy.”

The evenings can be busy, hectic and exhausting. While there is no such thing as the “perfect” evening routine (well… not in our house, anyway!), there is hope that you can have peace and joy in your evenings. Give yourself a little grace on those “plate of little things” nights and be intentional about making your evenings matter.

I think that we all want to spend less time “managing” the evening chaos and more time “enjoying” the evening.

Today I invite you to do these little things that make a big difference:

1- Watch this free online webinar called Craft Your Perfect Evening Routine 
It is a webinar by Beth Anne Schwamberger. Beth Anne is a blogger, and she’s sharing three ways to have a productive evening no matter how tired you are. It’s worth it… trust me!
NOTE: It is free, and for that reason, it is very limited! Grab your spot while you can! Find a spot here.

2- Picture the perfect evening for a moment. How does it look? Now picture the perfect morning.
What could you have done in the evening to make those perfect morning things happen? (Packing lunches, prepping breakfast, getting your clothes ready for the next day, cleaning the kitchen, put meat into the refrigerator to start thawing? Check the kids’ folders? Put things into the car at night to avoid scrambling in the morning.

Write those things down. When you show up to Beth Anne’s Webinar, have them handy. In the meantime, think about how spending 15 minutes at night doing these things will make your entire morning (and day) less stressful. Would it be worth it?

3- Take the same list you wrote down from the above #2 and pick just ONE thing from it. 
Tonight, do that one thing. Don’t put it off. If you are tempted to put it off, remember that you are only giving yourself more work later by not doing it tonight. If you do it now, you’ll have more time later to relax.

When you take care of you, and you can take control of your evenings, you will feel happier, more relaxed and at peace. Taking care of you & being more productive means that you will have more joy to give to others.

You’ll wake up in the morning inspired to start your day and live that day for all it’s worth! Remember that your family, your friends and those around you love you for you.

Be the best you that you can be and live life to it’s fullest every day!