Three-Day Weekend + No plans = One Relaxed Mom

We're so pleased to welcome guest blogger Shelly Kelly of the Of Sound Mind and Spirit blog.  Visit Shelly and her sister Lisa at their terrific blog for more inspiration!

Working moms across the nation will understand the true value of a non-travel three-day weekend.

A normal week is just one scheduling juggle after another, getting the kids out the door in the morning, dropping them off at school in time to get to the office, juggling projects, meeting deadlines, taking breaks to schedule appointments with the doctor or the hairdresser--blessing those who can squeeze in appointments at the end of the day after 5 p.m. After work, you sing with the radio in promising to greet the kids at after-school care in a positive mood before whisking them home or to evening activities. Then you’re shepherding the kids through homework and showers while you warm up something from the freezer or chop something for a fresh meal on the stove. The after dinner show is a well orchestrated circus of dishes, signing planners, shuffling paperwork, and preparing for the next morning, before collapsing in front of the television about 9 p.m. to watch your favorite show. What did we miss before the DVR?

Unless sports are in season, Saturday is for sleeping in! We run our errands on Saturday or plan something fun to do as a family. In the summertime dinner is late, hopefully because we lose track of time at the swimming pool or while taking a "thank goodness it’s cool enough to be outside" late walk or bicycle ride. Saturday is "catch up from the week before" day.

Sunday is the earliest morning with CCE, followed by Mass, doughnuts, and the Sunday paper, before tackling a full afternoon of laundry, meal planning, and the grocery store. Sunday dinner is family affair with leftovers planned to be used throughout the week. Sunday is our "plan for the week ahead" day.

Three day weekends can be sneaky time-stealers, because three full days is plenty of time to drive up to see the in-laws for a nice visit. After having fun and playing all weekend, you arrive home tired yet happy, until you realize that you’re going to play catch-up with the grocery and the laundry for the next three days.

But, oh the bliss and glory of the rare three-day weekend without any plans. A full luxurious day to lay around the house and do absolutely nothing. A trip to the library without rushing to the next stop, savoring a book for an hour or more, letting the kids play in their rooms without interruption. Talking. Laughing. Just resting. Maybe the second day you’ll tackle a home project; one of those full immersion jobs that works you late into the day while the kids play in the yard. Then, the best of all, another full day for all of those "here comes the week" chores needed to prepare you for the short week ahead.

Yes, there’s nothing quite like a relaxing three day weekend. Except perhaps, the long week between Christmas and New Years Eve.

Shelly Kelly is the working mom half of the blogging sisters duo found at Of Sound Mind and Spirit. When she’s not blogging with her sister, Lisa, she uses her BS English & MS History in her career as a Certified Archivist. Her publications include the award-winning Through a Night of Horrors: Voices from the 1900 Galveston Storm. She lives in Texas with her husband and two horse-loving, song-writing daughters.

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