For the past few weeks I’ve been noticing that our weekends have been overbooked. With birthday parties, chores that I didn’t get to during the week, to-do lists, the pile of never-ending laundry (don’t get me started on that). The weekends just didn’t seem like fun. Of course going to a birthday party, festival, or some other type of event is fun especially when you bring the family along, but I’ve been craving small, everyday moments during the weekend. I also felt like the days would get rushed.
So I decided that I was going to take back my weekends. There are four things that I have been doing to reclaim my weekends. Let me tell you, it’s been working and it’s been glorious. Here’s what been helping me.
Make a schedule
Sure, it’s the weekend so you may be tempted to throw all schedules out the window. But hear me out. Having a plan has been so helpful. If we have a specific event that we have to attend, I’ll plan other things around the event. I recommend getting a planner to keep your schedule organized.
Don’t Overbook
Nothing is worse than overbooking. With so many sporting events and parties to attend, it is easy to overbook. My biggest struggle with overbooking usually relates to birthday celebrations or parties. There are just so many to go to, especially if you have children and they are invited to a classmate’s party.
Instead of having a jam-packed weekend, I have been trying to make it simple. As a family, we choose one thing that we would like to do together. So if we have a birthday celebration to go to, we will select a second activity to do. This may be as simple as going for a walk or going to the library. It just has to be something that we will do together as a family. Choosing one or two things to do as a family is so much easier than having to try to do all the things in one day. I promise you will save time, money, and most importantly, your sanity if you don’t overbook.
Don’t Forget Me-Time
As parents it’s so easy to forget to take care of ourselves. You do not have to spend every single minute with your family. It’s ok to do something for yourself. You want to read that book that’s been sitting on your nightstand for the past few weeks? Go ahead and read for an hour. You want to go to Target? (Yea, me too.) Go browse every aisle and get a Starbucks for yourself while you’re there. Treat yourself. You deserve it.
Don’t Forget Date Nights
Don’t forget to spend time with your significant other. My husband and I have been trying to have at least one or two date nights a month. If we are not able to have a date night, then we come up with other ways to spend time together. For instance, when the boys go to bed at night, we might catch up on a TV show, watch a movie, play a video game or a board game, or just simply talk. There are so many different ways to spend time together without having to find a baby sitter or spending money going somewhere.
No Chores or Work
I tried something new a few weeks ago. I didn’t do any chores or blog work at all during the weekend. Actually, the only chore-related thing that I did was laundry. All week long I tackled a massive to-do list, so I decided to treat myself. It was so lovely to have a couple of days to refresh and rewind.
Are you taking back your weekends? Are there certain things that you do or refuse to do on weekends?
