Making the Most of Monday: Resolving to L.I.V.E

If you are new to the magazine, Making the Most of Monday is a
regular part of our features. Mondays  signify one important thing, a fresh start.
It's like a new years resolution at the start of every week.

Hopefully
by Monday you've taken some off time during the weekend to rejuvenate,
spend quality time with loved ones and friends, which makes Monday your
chance to really get to work and make the most of your week.

 

Good morning everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Ours was nice and full of sunshine. It was a very warm 87 degrees and almost felt like summer. I re-learned something over the weekend that I let slip from my mind since last summer and hope to share that with you so you can resolve to live life with your family.

Last year when school let out, summer began in a hurry. A couple months free of schedules and lack of real organization struck me quite quickly and I was a little overwhelmed. I was so used to our schedule of get him on the bus, take care of little guy, work, play, clean, get him off the bus, homework, dinner, baths and bed.  We had this routine in place so that we could keep up with it all and get done what needed to get done. Summer on the other hand was a new ballgame.

Summer meant freedom, we could wake when we wanted to, leave and come back when we wanted to and do whatever our hearts desired for the day.  This meant that there were times when the dishes would pile up, laundry would get backed up, and all of that organization stuff kind of just flew out the window. My mind started to panic because of it and I was certainly getting frustrated on a daily basis.  Does this sound like any of you?

The dishes and laundry bothered me at first because I was so focused on everything needing to be perfect in my eye, but then it hit me. It was ME that was the problem. Did you notice that pattern earlier?  I was the perfectionist who had to have everything in order, before we could even think about doing anything, and I was making everyone else crazy because of it. I realized that my family just wanted to LIVE. They just wanted to experience life. So from that moment on when I truly let go of that thinking pattern,  is when I began to also feel their freedom and enjoy life with them.

We were really LIVING. We were doing things, getting dirty, learning about plants and vegetables at the market, getting exercise on our own and building a strong family foundation with our boys. When it did come time to catch up on  cleaning and laundry, we were doing it as a family and it wasn't such a struggle to get it done.

It took a lot of self control to let go of those things and not let them consume my mind. When I look back on it today, I realize that, that perfectionist way of thinking was holding me back from some of the best memories I now have.

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that you should just toss all of your responsibilities out the window during the summer or when you have some time off with your family. What I am asking you to do is to resolve to L. I. V. E.

L. earn how to let go of what is holding you back.

I. nclude the whole family in caring for your home and responsibilities

V. ow to build a strong family foundation.

E. njoy LIFE.

Are you going to Resolve to L. I. V. E. ? Tell others about it on your own blog and link to it below!

Have a great week everyone!
Gabreial