Simon had finished his homework and invited Grace to watch Mythbusters with him.
I put down the laundry and quietly picked up the camera.
But not quietly enough—Grace caught me.
I was still exhausted. Like I said, it had been one of those days, but I wasn’t grumpy anymore.
I was grateful.
Grateful that Simon finished his homework. Grateful that my kids were getting along and not torturing each other (their favorite past time). Grateful that I have a baby to be fussy. Grateful that my husband has a job even if he did have to work late.
Attitude changes everything.
We read stories and everyone went to bed happy—tired but happy.
I wish I could say that I am now blissfully happy and keep the big picture in mind at all times now…but that is not true. However, I’m working on it. And remember that journal post earlier this week? Well, one of them is a gratitude journal where I am recording at least 3 things each night before I go to sleep that I am grateful for. It’s a good thing. You should try it. I bet you would be as surprised as I have been at how blessed your life really is.
I will keep working my attitude this next week but, it’s time for me to start the second “A”—appearance.
Ms. Hoole says, “Each morning get up and get completely dressed…This should happen very first thing!…Getting dressed means putting on something that is comfortable, combing your hair, applying some make-up, and putting on shoes.”
She claims this will make me feel “more eager and ready to begin” my day’s work.
We’ll see about that.
This is going to be hard. I live in my pajamas.
(Yes, I’m one of those girls you see at the store wearing slippers and flannel pants.)
Although, I actually tried out the get up and get dressed first thing one day this week…That morning after I dropped off the car pool I went down to the gas station for a soda. (Fully dressed instead of my usual pj attire.) On the way inside I was throwing away some trash when I felt something hit my shoulder. It was my earring…which landed in the garbage can.
I only wear 2 pair of earrings–my silver hoops and my white roses. It was one of my white roses! I bet I stood there for 5 minutes peering down into the garbage. But I couldn’t find it….and I couldn’t bring myself to dig through a gas station dumpster. So my white rose earring is gone. And I am sad. (Really, I wore those things all the time.)
So my practice run at getting dressed didn’t go well.
And I lost my danged earring.
I’m not sure this will go well. But I’ll give it a try.
Except the shoes part.
I really hate to wear shoes.
I’ll get up and get dressed first thing everyday this week and I’ll let you know how it works out.
Wish me luck—and pray for my silver hoops—they are the only earrings I have left.
PS—Thank you for all the WONDERFUL tips and ideas on laundry last week. I really really appreciate it. I’ve honestly been trying them out and will post about how it has gone soon. So thank you.
PS—Will someone please tell me that I am not the only one who loves to wear her pajamas.
Please.
I’m a jammie girl! I don’t even have kids. But I have an other half and furbbies and were in renovations with aviaries being built and the house is literally a shambles to the stage no one can come over. depending the weather I’ll be in my flannel nightie or cotton shorts and singlet top ALL DAY if I don’t have to go out such as doctors. I realized once I didn’t shower for two days just because of being busy for everyone else!
My compromise on the shoe thing was a really nice pair of slippers. We don’t wear shoes in our house so slippers were a decent compromise. Just an idea 🙂
I’m trying to work on my attitude as well. I often feel like I’m not appreciated around the house and I’m trying to work on that. My son rides a bus and since he has special needs the bus picks up at our house. Two things I refuse to do is take him to the bus without combing my hair and wearing at least real pants. I won’t go out in PJ bottoms but I’ve often covered my PJ top with a coat. It’s silly but something I have set it in my head. I don’t wear shoes at home and hate to wear them out. Like another commenter said I wear houseshoes. I’ve been known to wear out several pair a year because I wear them outside. They’re usually on my Christmas wish list each year.
I thought of you and the appearance part of the 2 A’s. I do usually get dressed not always in the cutest outfit, but I do get out of my pajamas. I feel more put together even if the rest of the house isn’t. Well, one day this week I didn’t get dressed. I went out to get the mail, threw my husbands XL sweatshirt on and a pair of shoes. When I got outside in the light. I saw that I put on 2 different shoes. I laughed and thought “If Ms. Hoole could see me now!”
i am so glad I am not the only one that wears jammies all the time! my youngest actually changes back into her jammies every time we come home from the store or preschool. . . first thing! good luck with the challenge. . . and i hope you find some more earrings that you love!
leisel
I am absolutely with you. Last year I only had to get dressed 5 days a fortnight because my son was in Kindy. This year he is in Pre Primary so it’s up to 5 days a week. I am very comfy at home in my jammies but I really like the tip about getting completely ready first thing in the morning. Once I’m home after dropping off the kids and food shopping, my hair gets tied up and my shoes come off. When I have opened up every curtain in the house, I’m ready for the cleaning…or computing…or sewing… 🙂
LOVE my pajamas!!! and if I’m not in pajamas, I’m in something equally comfy. Glorified pajamas.
sorry about your earring… 🙁
I always wear sweatpants around the house – they’re just so much more comfortable when I’m cleaning, cooking, eating too much (lol) but I always change into jeans when I leave the house. My “typical uniform” is a tshirt so the switch from sweats to jeans isn’t so hard. I do have to work on the hair and makeup though. When I worked outside the home, you wouldn’t have caught me without hair and makeup – now, I typically through on a baseball cap and call it good. I’ve gotten really used to not having a made up face but I know I need to work a bit harder on that one!
I love my yoga pants and zip up hooded sweatshirts. But I absolutely have to change out of them in the morning or else I slip into lazy mode. Like right now. 🙂
I constantly have to remind myself to keep my attitude in check. I slip into the crabbies a bit too easily. This week has been extra crabby as we discovered my 7 year old has lice. LICE! She is the antsiest kid in the world and getting her to sit still for the nightly 1.5 hour nit pick is torture for us both and we bicker like crazy. Last night we both were near tears when I finally decided to be the grown up and try to find a way to make it fun. So we talked about boys and elementary school crushes and had so many giggles. We really are so lucky to have front row seat to waatch these kids grow into themselves.
I think this is the coolest thing you are doing! I love it! And I agree–I’m sitting here in my jammies at 10 and feel very sloppy and unmotivated, and I KNOW that I feel better when I get up and moving first. But I did exercise, so that’s something, right? 🙂
What a sweet picture! Sorry about your earring. I usually wear lounge pants around the house but will change before leaving the house. 🙂
I used to wear jammies or sweats most days, and the one day I realized how much better I feel when I get myself ready in the morning. I may not do it first thing, but I do it almost every day at some point in the morning. I found that when I was ready to go, I not only felt better about myself – but I was doing more things. When I was in my sweats or jammies, it was a natural deterrent to not have people over, or not go somewhere until I got ready. By already being ready, I could just up and go when I wanted within short notice, with kids in tow. It is actually quite liberating.
As for your rose earring, I am so sorry. I know how that must have felt – when things like that happen I try to remind myself that it is just ‘stuff’. Although it still is sad.
In fact, I read this post early this morning and didn’t comment on it then because I was reading it on my nook at the time. I have thought about you and your lost earring all day today and had to come back to the post when I got some computer time this evening just to comment on it. I will be on the look out now for vintage rose earrings wherever I go…you never know 🙂
Bless your heart, I’m so sorry you lost your earring. 🙁
I have to say I am against the pajamafication of America, but I understand the desire to be cozy/comfy all day. I think I’m more of a method actor and I need to be dressed and pressed or I’ll feel schlubby all day and never get anything done. 🙂 I will say that I make myself get up before my daughter so I can be dressed and have at least a cup of coffee before she’s up and my day starts. About once a week I’ll “let myself” sleep in and get up when she does and I regret it every time because I just don’t feel on top of things and the whole day feels like I”m playing “catch-up.”
Anyway, thank you for sharing your journey!
I have my house outfits that are the equivalent of PJs, I wear those terrible looking velour tracksuits (not the ones with “juicy” on the butt, the cheap ones from Target)
I can crawl around and sew or clean in them, but if I need to run errands or whatever I am not technically undressed!
And I would die if I had to wear shoes all the time, I barely make it into flip flops to leave the house.
Wearing PJ’s right now in fact! I like to get dressed first thing, but I have my PJ days, when I’m home all day and writing or working.
Laundry, I just found my method in the last year. I spent hours sorting and folding… Not anymore. I do laundry by family member. On Monday, I grab my daughter’s hamper and everything goes in to the washer along with a Shout Color Catcher. Yep, Reds, Pinks, Whites, Greens.. altogether. Then when it’s dry, I dump the contents in the dryer into a basket and walk it into her room and we put it away together. Repeat that for my son, who is 8 and puts it away on his own. Then I do mine and my hubby’s on Saturday, but I do a white and colored load. Shout color catchers have changed my life. No more sorting!
I have a friend who calls them her ‘day jammies’. I seriously have never seen her in a pair of jeans. She is only in her day jammies thru the week and on Sunday she is a fabulous dress! Love it!
I follow Flylady and she teaches that same thing about getting dressed to shoes each morning. She says it’s about loving yourself. Left to my own devices, as I have been this past week with both a flare (I have several autoimmune diseases that occasionally act up) and an apparent case of the flu (? it’s something viral and probably what led to the flare earlier this week, while the virus built up steam in my body until it hit full force last night!). I’ve spent the last week exchanging one pare of pajamas for another clean pair from the dryer… but I look forward to feeling up to getting dressed again…
IT really does make a difference in my day if I’m dressed and ready to face it. and it’s left me ready to meet hubbs for an impromptu Chinese lunch on more than one occasion because i was already dressed, so why not?
HA! I am a personal trainer and thus need to get up at 4AM sometimes, so it helps me sometimes if i SLEEP in my clothes for the morning… (and yes, these are like yoga pants and a tank/shirt to go over so very comfy). I have easy straight/plain hair so I often just get up, brush teeth and unfortunately just SMOOTH my hair back into a ponytail! I get to work sometimes thinking, “I woudl have never thought I’d go to work in my pj’s, without combing my hair..” I mean REALLY. I get glimpses of my 2 kids like this also sometimes and even through the grumpy days it reminds me of what a memorable time this is with the little ones! liked your post, and that sucks about your earrings..
i am also a PJ-aholic I would live in them forever. at my wedding 10 years ago my bridesmaid made me a pair of wedding ugg boots. She had them covered in silk and pearls and then made hearts out my the material my dress was made of. the photographer was shocked! (I did wear shoes until the ceremony was over!)
I promise you that you are not the only one to wear pajama’s every day. I am usually in pj’s and if it is chilly a bathrobe all day long. It is so bad that on the rare trip out that requires getting dressed I actually have to search for a bra.
No way. You are not the only one. But I do see Ms. Hoole’s point. Whenever I do get dressed I feel better about myself. But no…I don’t go it everyday. 🙂 Like today. Forget about it! 🙂
As Mel has already mentioned, this post is reminiscent of the Flylady. She says to get dressed/makeup/shoes first thing in the morning. I really resist the shoes part. I do wear shoes when I cook because standing too long on the hard kitchen floors makes my back hurt. And, I have to be honest, having those shoes on does make me feel more get-up-and-go-ish! Now I sometimes put them on if I know I’m going to need extra motivation for a difficult day. It’s so hard to change.