Bustin’ (Routines) Makes Me Feel Good

Routines are a necessary, but not so fun, part of being a working mom. We don’t just fall into them, either. We purposefully craft and hone them to make sure our kids are taken care of, our jobs get done, and our homes don’t fall into complete chaos (we hope).

But as important as routines are to our daily lives, it sure feels good to change things up. I’ve found myself busting up my routine a bit recently, resulting in feelings of goodness:

• A couple of weekends ago, I took a 1/2 vacation day from being a mom. I got my hair done (including a shocking new color and cut!), read a novel, ate at Panera, and did a little outlet shopping with my friend. Usually, I spend nearly every waking minute with my fam on the weekends, but on this day, I enjoyed some me-time. It was delightful!
• Last week, I went to my first after-work happy hour in recent memory. We were saying goodbye to two of my favorite coworkers, so I simply couldn’t miss it. I got a little tipsy, gossiped and laughed, and remembered how I used to be cool. Well, cooler than I am now, anyway.
• This weekend, Jay and I decided we need more us-time (sans the kiddo). So while she took her marathon afternoon nap, we got the fireplace going (with the help of some oil-mix engine spray–real safe and healthy!) and cuddled and talked. We realized we need to do that kind of thing more often, instead of just going into chore-mode. But next time, we’ll use one of those fire-starter logs instead.
• Last night, I had a date with my dad. He came over for dinner, then we went to a free jazz concert at the University of Cincinnati (which happens to offer one of the country’s top jazz programs–lucky for us!) Jay isn’t nuts about jazz, so he stayed home with Cassie. My dad and I got to hang out together and enjoy some terrific live jazz–one interest we’ve always shared.

Next time you get a chance, I highly encourage you to break up your routine with something fun. Like L’Oreal says, you’re worth it.