Moms Need More Than Just A Mother's Day Off

People like to ask my husband wouldn't he rather that I worked than stay home and he always, always says, "No!"  He knows how good he has it. Dinner, hot and ready every night at 5:30, laundry always done, and a house always clean and ready for drop-by company.

After many years of chasing kids, pets, cleaning, and absolutely worn out, I decided to give myself a day off.  I mean the rest of my family gets the whole weekend and I'm still working.  They get holidays and my workload is doubled!  Why not?

Every Monday is my day off.  That's right, EVERY MONDAY. 

When my family goes back to work/school, I go back to bed and take a nap.  When I get up, I read my book or watch a movie.  

Get this:  I watch a movie that I choose!

I go shopping or lunch with friends or do absolutely nothing, but sit in the quiet.  Because it's my day, my time.

I don't make beds, I don't do laundry, and we order take-out for dinner.  Now I still clean the litter box because some things just must be done and usually I'll end up washing dishes, but for the most part I do nothing.  I deserve it and my family agrees.

I had to go out of town once to take care of a sick family member and they were left alone and truly appreciated how hard I work when they had to do it on their own.  So nobody complains when it's my turn to rest.

If Monday is a holiday and people are home, then I don't skip a week, I move it to Tuesday.  That's what every mom needs to keep their sanity.  We need to catch up on sleep, we need to unwind, we need to treat ourselves to something special or we'll have a mental meltdown.

Being a stay-at-home-slave is hard work, don't think us moms have it easy.  Once upon a time...my husband thought I watched soap operas all day and had tea parties with the cats, he learned real quick how untrue that was.  He doesn't even joke about it now.

"You must have to sweep the wood floors several days a week!" He wailed.

"I sweep once or twice a day," I replied.

Don't worry about the mess, you can get to it tomorrow, but your well-being should come first.  A mom is no good to anyone if she's too frazzled to think straight.

It's catching on in my neighborhood.  Women who were stunned at my bold declaration are now instituting the same theory in their own homes.  

Let's face it, in all reality, we work on Mother's Day, too.  So take a break.