Yayyyy…we’re back to our daily challenges! In case you’ve forgotten, 2008 is the year of small things that make a big difference. In keeping with that philosophy (and being that it’s Sunday…hallelujah), your challenge for today is only this:
On your Daily Activities list, make a new bullet point/checkbox/dash. Beside it, write “Lay out clothes for tomorrow.” If you’ve got kids, make that a commitment to lay theirs out, too.
I learned this years ago from flylady, and although I no longer use her system (Tried it five times. FIVE! You can’t say I give up easily.), there are certain things that just stick with you after reading the bazillion emails. That was one of them for me. Oh yes, and I go into a panic now if I can’t find my shoes.
Mornings have got to be the hardest, most dreadful things in my house. The first reason for this is that I am horrible in the mornings. When I was growing up and our house was messy, my dad used to say it looked like the wreck of the hesperus1. Well, in the mornings, I am the hesperus. That’s the only way I know how to explain it.
First, I’m tired. I don’t know why God made me so darn tired when I get up, no matter how much sleep I’ve gotten, but I am. You know how teenagers can sleep til noon or later, and you have to practically drag their behinds out of bed2? Well, I am the embodiment of that.
Second, I have a headache that could possibly kill smaller life forms. I don’t like coffee, so never mind that. I physically cannot smile before 10am. A modern marvel, I know.
So why get out of bed at all? Well, my two year old son and one year old daughter pretty much guarantee that I must. Sadly. Also, I have a business and a job and a life. But prior to the revelation of laying out my clothes the night before, most of my morning was spent in a semi-coherent cloud.
I would do the absolute necessary jobs (such as feed my children and change their diapers) and then just lay and stare into space until my body permitted me to function at full capacity. Sometimes that would take hours. I wouldn’t have the energy to search through the clean clothes for something presentable. And if I did, it probably wouldn’t have matched. So I would just sit and wait until my body and brain would work like a normal human being’s.
Compare this to what happens when I lay out my clothes the night before. My children wake up, and I hear them. I wait for a few minutes, hoping it’s a fluke. It isn’t. I get up, put my clothes on (I shower in the evening…it’s a must), and take care of their diapers. I fix them breakfast. I’m already dressed (with shoes on and everything!), so I go outside and get the paper. I read it and show them pictures — the good ones, of course — while we eat. When we’re done, I actually feel okay.
I feel like I should give myself a little piece of paper. It would say, “Congratulations, Sarah. You are officially a fully functional adult.” All because of laying my clothes out the night before. So that’s your challenge. And not to worry. You don’t have to be as dysfunctional as I am to reap the benefits.
Stumble it!
Sarah - You are hilarious! I’m not a morning person either, but after reading this, I feel like one -lol. I am a zombie until about 9am after 2 cups of coffee, but through this state of mind, I manage to shower, get the kids out the door (not a huge effort since they’re big) & go to work. When they were younger, it was such a lifesaver to lay their clothes out the night before, and I think my son was about 14 when I stopped picking out his “outfits” for him.