How to make it a Great Week

Starting a week off with a good attitude is hard. No one is ever ready for Monday to roll around. Here's how I make sure every week is a great week (starting with Monday).

Oh Monday - How I love thee.

There are so many reasons to dread a Monday.

• Monday's mean you have to wake up early to go back to work or to get the kids to school. Getting up early has never been a good thing in my house.
• All that work that has piled up over the weekend finally meets up with you on Monday.
• With working in child care, all the kids are cranky and not wanting to listen.
• Monday's mean all those fun family and non-family moments you had this last weekend are over.

So how do I cope with Mondays? Simple. It's the first day of the week which means it's one day closer to the next weekend and time I get to spend with family and friends. I don't let the fact that it's Monday get to me. I treat it like every other day of the week. Why should Monday's be harder? At work I make sure I treat the kids a little different. I still hold them to all the rules and everything but I'm a little looser on the noise levels and such. For those who work in an office or with all that paperwork, put it in order of "have to do first" and "can wait till later in the day". Overwhelming yourself with everything at once is what makes Monday's so unbearable. Remember that on Monday's, 90% of the population is in a bad mood. If you are a little happier and smile it does make the day go by better. And when someone sees someone else smiling, they can't help but feel a little better inside.

*sigh* Tuesday - I got this (I think LOL)

Tuesdays can be difficult for these reasons.

• It's the second day of the work week, does it get any worse?
• All the stress from Monday rolled over to Tuesday making it hard to even start the day.
• Dreading going into work because you didn't get your work done on Monday.
• Tuesdays are the days that make my week feel like it's never going to end.

Out of all the days of the week Tuesday's are my hardest. It's just hanging out, doing a whole lot of nothing. I don't have a lot of paperwork to do on Tuesdays but all the kids are normally at my child care and back to their "normal" selves. Nothing usually happens in my world on Tuesdays. This makes for a day full of nothing. But hey, it is still another day closer to the end of the week!

Isn't this week over yet? Ugh. . . .

• It's the middle of the week.. . . enough said!

Wednesdays in my world are the days that are full of "stuff" to get done. I'm normally catching up on laundry and dishes on Wednesdays. The kids have extra books to read and lots more energy when they come home from school. But Wednesdays also mean there are only two more days left until the weekend starts and the family time begins. YAY for Wednesdays!

Really??? I still have to wait another day?

• Thursdays are for getting everything caught up you didn't get done so far this week.
• Turning in all your paperwork and lessons for the following week to make sure they are approved before the weekend.

Breath in, Breath out. . . . It's almost over. To get through Thursdays I just sike myself up because tomorrow is Friday after all. I excercise a little more on Thursdays and make sure I have plenty of snacks to get me through the day. Taking Thursdays on with a positive attitude will make Friday come in easier and hopefully all your problems can be taken care of before the weekend rolls around! At home I make sure that the house is clean, laundry and dishes are done and all the trash is taken out. It seems like a lot of work but doing it all during the week before the weekend gets here is what makes my weekends that much better.

WOOHOO! IT'S HERE!!!! But oh man. . . . .

• Everything you put off for the week finally catches up to you.
• Everyone is trying to get out of the office or school fast because they too are ready for the weekend so there is so much stuff that doesn't get finished.
• You try and make sure everything is in order for the Monday.
• You make the meetings and get the paperwork ready for the following week.

There's so much that HAS to get done on Fridays but because it's Friday it doesn't matter as much. My Fridays I make sure are easy. Friday's are when I plan the really fun stuff with the kids. The arts and crafts and messy things I've wanted to do. I make sure that I don't have a lot to do as far as cleaning the house because the weekend is for having fun, not for cleaning the entire time. Most people LOVE Fridays. You get to stay up late because you don't have to work in the morning. I stay up late to spend time with the Hubby but of course get woke up early by the kids the next day but I don't mind. More family time for me!

If you have tons of stuff you need to do on the weekend such as grocery shopping and such make it fun. Have your kids help find the things you need to get and have them count what you put in the cart. If you don't have kids, take a friend with you so you have someone to talk to. It's always easier doing stuff with someone else even if that someone else is just there to talk and not help.

If you have no plans for the weekend that's great too. Sit around the house and play games, watch a movie or 4 with those special someones in your life. Grill out one night. Have a spur of the moment get together. Hand write a letter to someone you've been meaning to talk to. It's always great to get a letter in the mail, espically if you aren't expecting it! Take a walk, a bike ride, a run or something that gets you out in the fresh air.

So there you have it. A whole week broken down into how I get through it. Every day that goes by is yet one day closer to the next weekend. Eventually vacation will come or that 4 day weekend and if you have a positive attitude and get everything done you can enjoy your time off so much better then if you are stressed about what comes next at work. In my opinion there's no point in stressing out over work during the weekend. There's nothing you can do about it until Monday rolls around so just let it be until Monday.

Remember every day to smile, even if you aren't in the mood. Smiling makes everyone feel a little happier. It's contagious!