Day One: A Bumpy Start (But Worth It) AKA 30 Minutes Is All It Takes

Ok - so the project title for today was "30 Minutes Is All It Takes: Create Some Free Time When He Gets Home."

I thought about this all week! I had a plan in place - I jumped out of bed and started tearing through the house, trying to get everything put away, dinner planned/started, kiddo dressed and playing, etc. I was so excited and energized that I chose to hold off on taking my shower - I just kept saying, as soon as I'm done with ____.

Just when I was feeling pretty good about what I had accomplished, I had this funny feeling, and tried to call my husband at work to find out how his day was going and make sure he wasn't planning to come home too early. No answer. Hmmm - maybe he was in a meeting? No Such Luck! 10 minutes later I hear the keys in the door! I was still supposed to have three hours!!!

Needless to say, he did notice that the house was nice, and we were happy to see him (normally I'm exhausted by the time he gets home). I felt bad about still being in my pajamas, but what was I to do?

So, I had a bumpy start to Project 1. I was flabbergasted for about 2 minutes, then shifted gears and found a way to give him the 30 minutes I wasn't quite ready for.

I smiled at him, told him I was going to give our son a bath in the sink, and gently suggested that he could tell me about his day, or take the time to check on sports or play a video game. LOL - do I even need to say that the couch was the choice for winding down? :)

Upon reflection, I do think even this very basic project had an impact - I saw my husband smile more this evening, which was nice. Yes - there were one or two moments where I was disappointed that I didn't get more done, and I do recall one moment where I felt really unappreciated, but then I remembered that I was doing this for him, not me.

One last thought on today - my perspective really has changed - BAM - overnight! I spent odd moments throughout the day thinking of how great my husband was, and what small things I could do to show him that I really love him! I think this small shift in my thinking has made me happier.

Now I need to finalize my Project 2 plans for tomorrow.

:) My question to you:

What do you do to wind down at the end of the day? If you had 30 minutes when you came home, what would you do in that time?