So far this Monday is starting off well: I’m caffeinated; we got through the entire morning with out sibling spats and out the door on time; I actually did my workout before the kids went to school; and the Red Sox home opener is tomorrow. So, I’ll have something fun to watch while I write!
So, today so far is a good day.
The good day vs bad day scale has a mind of its own but I can predict which way the balance will go based on a few simple daily moments:
1. The amount of java I get in before the kids are awake. This follows the 11th commandment: Thou shalt allow mom to have coffee in peace before starting a sibling war or adding an unplanned business trip. Much family bliss revolveds around this one. In fact, when I’m out of sorts as the day rolls on, one of my girls will usually suggest a quick run “to the Buck”.
2. Whether my morning workout actually occur in the morning. Using a global clock, it can be quite easy to define “morning” at any moment in the day. But, I’m at my best when my workout occurs before 8am EST. Those are good days. The days my workout closer to London time or California time are so-so days. And, days I end up in my workout clothes without the actual workouts? Those are “holidays”.
3. The amount of family meal time moments. I’ve given up on the notion of a true family dinner with everyone’s different tastes, after-school schedules and internal hunger clocks. But being in the same house and sitting at the table together for a portion of a meal works just as well for us. The family breakfast seems to work best for us. We’ve even turned it into a before school outing on occasion.
4. The amount of negotiation of homework vs. downtime afterschool. This is directly linked to #5. Homework on the run is no fun. And, kids do need a wee break afterschool to decompress. If only my youngest daughter and I shared the same definition of “wee break”….
5. Carpool chaos. The bane of all parents’ existences. There is an inverse proportion between amount of runs to and from a school, the amount of places you have to go after-school and whether the balance for that day tips towards the “good” side.
6. End of the day family time. Somehow ending a day with everyone together makes all the fluff in the middle not seem so sticky.
You know, if you really think about it, a good day is like a good sandwich – tasty bread on the outsides can disguise even the weirdest of stuff in the middle.
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