Why do we dislike Mondays?
The weekend is over.
We are back to work/school.
We will be ruled by routine instead of unstructured free time.
Our annoying alarm clocks are set again.
We have five whole days to survive before we get another weekend.
Mondays have a feel. They have a little bit of anxiety. We’re disappointed that Monday isn’t Friday. We unabashedly play favorites to the children of the week.
Mondays are
rainy days
cereal without a prize
a missing earring
email forwards instead of personal emails
missed phone calls
a broken fingernail
spilled coffee
a few extra pounds
cake without frosting
dull knives
expired coupons
a parking ticket
They are just there, without the zing of Friday. They have to be lived and survived. Since there are 52 of them during the year, we need to overcome that strong dislike of Mondays.
HOW?
I guess we each have to answer for ourselves, because we probably each have a different reasons why we dislike Mondays.
Awhile back, I realized I just wasn’t ready for Mondays. We relaxed so much that the house was messy. Mt. Washmore. Old Mother Hubbard cupboards. Monday would hit like a whiteout blizzard I knew was coming, but chose not to prepare for.
Imagine starting another week of homeschooling and hearing on Monday morning, “MAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAM…..I don’t have any clean underwear and we’re out of milk.”
The next kid would add their line to the unrehearsed play. “MAWAWAWAWAWAWM, I don’t have any clean jeans and I can’t find a pencil anywhere!”
Before I could even slurp down enough coffee to fortify myself, more voices would be echoing in my head. It was like being inside a bass drum and every mallet whack was another demand on a groggy mom.
“Has anybody seen my Algebra book!”
“There’s no toilet paper in this bathroom!”
“Who took my calculator?”
“Who ate the rest of my favorite cereal?”
I decided that my Mondays had to begin on Friday. Since Friday has a happy feel, it didn’t bother me to add a few chores to it, knowing that I would have the WHOLE weekend ahead of me to relax.
Mondays are my main laundry day, but I began doing a load or two on Friday, making sure that Sunday clothes are clean and enough things were clean for Monday. I make sure hubby has a few ironed shirts for the next week.
Friday afternoon we put school away MOMMY’S WAY. There is the KIDS’ WAY and there is MOMMY’S WAY. On Friday, there is no alternative, no give, no softening, no mind-changing. Books and supplies are put in proper places. School work is filed. Work areas will be ready for Monday.
Sometime during the weekend, I do a quick grocery run, just to make sure I am ready for the Sunday meal and Monday. I check the household inventory, and if something is out, I restock if it is crucial. If not, I add it to the grocery list on the fridge.
Sunday evening, we all run around the house just putting things away. Those things that pile up because it is the weekend and you are relaxing.
We had to learn that the weekend relaxation and enjoyment could not be at the expense of the productivity and emotional well-being of the coming week. You still might not want to do the dishes, but rinse them and stack them in the sink. You might not want to do the laundry, but sort it or put it in the hamper. Make a few compromises on your routine, but not so many that you will pay for it the rest of the week.
I also go to bed reminding myself that the next day is Monday and things will go wrong. It is the nature of the least favorite child clamoring for attention. I prepare my attitude in anticipation of dealing with whatever traumy rears its ugly head on the day that is five days away from the weekend.
Now, Monday has a feel. Not a type-A perfectionist type feel, I had to abandon that somewhere after baby #6, who was followed by three moves and two bouts of cancer and one miscarriage. It has the type AB feel, I am organized, but in a more relaxed, not rigid, manner.
We all know “If Momma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy.”
Well, this Momma is happy, because this Momma is ready for Monday.
Who knows, maybe someday I will come to love Mondays.
I said “maybe”….
(Mr. Linky will join this blog to Making Your Home Sing Monday sponsored by Nan at Mom’s The Word. Drop over and see what the other Moms have to say about their Mondays!)
I love Mondays. They always feel like a fresh start. Your idea about getting ready for them can only make them better!
Mindy,Thanks for the advice on making Mondays hum along smoothly – maybe not sing, but at least hum. :DLast Friday, I ran into the wall early in the morning, then got a computer virus, then spilled wax on my office chair. I opened the mail from my bank to see that it did not accept two client checks because they had written 09 instead of 2010! Ugh! So this Monday was much better than Friday. Thanks for the advice on how to smooth out my Mondays. Take care, Cherrie Fannies: Reflections on Cookie Dough, Life, and Your Derriere
I rarely buy that cereal and I know the minute my kids move out they will FILL their houses and tummies with it. I just remember the disappointment as a kid.
My weekends are more stressful than my Mondays.. so I actually like them. Yes, Rebekah and Emily need to meet. cereal without a prize.. too funny.. Do you buy that kind of cereal? You healthnut, you..
Sounds like you were ready for today! Great ideas. 🙂
Awesome post! You're right, it's a lot easier to "borrow" from Friday in order to make Monday easier.I find that Monday works a lot better if I don't cram to much into it. I also like to think of it as a new beginning!Thanks for linking up today.
ahhh, Mondayyy, MondayyyyyMonday, MondaySo good to me . . . Monday, Monday . . . It was all I hoped it would be . . .
I loved your list of what Mondays are like….broken fingernails, parking tickets, etc. So true! And you are so right that it is all about attitude, but we can help our attitude out a bit,huh? Great post! Thank you!
Great Post!! We are the same way…during the week the kids and I have chores, and then weekends everything piles up. Monday, Monday…I don't feel so alone lol. Bless your heart, you have been through so much! Thanks for the great tips, very helpful!
Great post! The week begins with our attitude and yours is a great one! And contagious! Thanks for being a blessing today.
the last few weeks I have started doing a load of laundry throughout the weekend. It felt so nice to wake up this morning with only 2 loads needing to be done. Thanks for you honesty about how Monday's so often feel and are dreaded, and yet the encouragement that they don't need to be that way.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Our "Monday" is "Tuesday" since my husband is a pastor and takes Monday's off and we head to the city and do our full day's worth of shopping and errands. Then on Tuesday, I am exhausted from being away all day and see my mountain of laundry from not washing on Sundays and Mondays and find myself overwhelmed and somewhat crabby. I will take your advice and begin my Tuesday on Saturday and just wash at least one load per day on Sunday and Monday. I think that will help.
Loved it Mindy! We have much the same attiutude. Friday, school room is left ready for Monday, shopping etc.I quite enjoy Mondays I have to say since I feel fresh and revitalized, unlike Friday when I am usually exhausted! Everyone is different.Have a great week in your part of the world!