Pajama Monday
It's pajama Monday. It's much needed, considering we had a very busy week and weekend and Ellie's pooped. Literally. I'll be right back after I change her.
Ok. Where was I? Right. Pajama Monday. I love Pajama Monday. When I was working, I would dread Sunday nights. I knew they signified the beginning of a new work week filled with anxiety, stress and a heavy work load. Since I've been home with Ellie, Mondays take on a brand new meaning. It's the beginning of a new week where my girl might learn to laugh out loud, roll over or recite Sonnet 45- we're working on it. Mondays mean a fresh start, beginning with the 5 loads of laundry we've accumulated since last Pajama Monday. It means tinkering in the fridge and the kitchen to create the meal plan for the week- looks like a Veggie Masala, steak on the grill with a salad, and baked eggs over sauteed peppers and kale this week. It means fooling around with our bank accounts, paying the bills that we can for this month and praying over the ones we can't. It means reading Madeline for the 100th time aloud, as I'm trying to exert control over Ellie's favorite book. Convincing myself that it is more than justifiable to take her to Paris would be much easier if she had an attachment to yellow Wellies, navy overcoats and Ms. Clavel.
It's quiet in my neighborhood on Mondays. It's not garbage day or recycling day. Mostly everyone that works is gone before 7 a.m. Our "neighborhood watch" neighbor, Mike, takes his usual seat on his front steps and waves to me as I pick up our mail. Nothing seems terrible or overwhelming on Mondays- we have all week to find a solution. I begin a list of all of the things that need to be done for the week- but never more than 5, big things. Then, I say a prayer of thanks that even list writing doesn't make me anxious anymore. I have time to accomplish it all. And if it doesn't get done, it's because I was busy staring at my daughter, which is more important than any to-do list I've ever written.
Mondays I daydream about what Ellie's first word will be. How awesome it'll be when she's old enough to take her to one of my favorite places-the Bronx Zoo. Her first movie. If she'll like to read. Or play basketball. Teaching her to swim in Lake Winnipesaukee's waters. Sitting with our family around the table and being able to ask her how school was.
Pajama Mondays are more than just an excuse not to shower and run Netflix all day, with a few, intermittent naps in between. It's the day when I get to remind myself what's really important, and what's just not a top priority. So, excuse me while I go play with my daughter's toes- that's number one on the list today.