If you're a mom with young children, a bad day often starts with a lousy sleep. Or no sleep at all. Whether the baby is teething or the kids have thrown up all over your bed,the outcome is usually the same. The dominoes start to fall. You can't get anything done. Everyone is cranky. Your throat is sore, the laundry's piling up, and its snowing/raining/storming. You start to question the meaning of your life. How did I end up here? Why did I move here, buy this house, marry this man? (Just kidding, honey.) It's very easy to get down on yourself, on those no good, very bad days.
The solution that I came up with when my children were young still works for me today. (Sadly, women continue to have bad days from time to time, even when their children are grown. I know! It sucks.) The thing is, I have to remind myself that it works. Here it is. Unless the weather is so cold that skin will freeze in under thirty seconds, go outside. Bundle the baby, the kids and yourself up warmly, especially if you're not feeling well. Grab your baby Trekker and/or the sleigh, and go for a brisk walk. Even if its just ten minutes, it will change the direction of your day. It works even better if you can drop in on someone, but that's not always an option.
I don't know why, but there is something about dragging yourself and the kids around in really bad weather that makes your house feel like a haven, instead of a prison. Going out for a car ride is okay, but it doesn't work quite as well. Probably because you just end up shopping and then everyone has even more reason to be tired and cranky. But ten to twenty minutes of cold/wet air blasting your face, well. It just seems to hit the spot.
If today is one of those days, make like Nike, and just do it. Maybe your day will do a 360, and maybe it won't. But I can guarantee that it will be a lot better than it was before. I'd love to hear from you, so let me know how it goes. And no, I'm not talking about the spammers who leave long Chinese messages in the comment section. You deserve a sleepless night. But for the rest of my excellent readers and customers, have a wonderful, not so balmy March outing, and an amazing day.
