The sweet spot of my day

I was really inspired recently by Hayley's post about identifying the part of the day where you are your best self.  And consequently, who gets your "sweetness" at that time?  Does your sweet spot of the day match up with the sweet spots of the other members of your family?  Are you giving your best self to your family at those times? 



AF loves to play "restaurant" and choose her breakfast from a menu that I make for her.


I gave it some thought and realized that without a doubt, the morning hours are my best.  Between the hours of 7am and noon, I have the most patience, the most creativity and the most productivity.  I am not a structured/schedule kind of person so these are the hours when the kids and I can be spontaneous, flexible and creative.  As evidenced by my Instagram photos above, one of my favorite things to do in the morning is to make a big fun breakfast for the kids.  We listen to music, chat about our plans for the day, and sit around the kitchen island eating breakfast.  Everyone is rested, happy and hopeful about the day.  I am able to give the most "sweetness" to my kids which includes giving them my full attention and affection.

Fast forward a few hours, and after breaking up countless sibling fights, cleaning up messes, running errands, and doing house chores, I'm feeling spent.  My patience is waning and I am desperate for some time to myself.  The late afternoon is my worst part of the day.  I don't have much sweetness to offer at that time.  And I'm certainly not going to offer a menu of lunch or snack options like I would in the morning!

But it's been really helpful to identify that and be self-aware.  In recent weeks I've taken steps to make that portion of the day run a bit smoother and reclaim my patience and joy.  I now have a pretty good/simple system of menu planning which helps take away the stress of knowing what I'm going to cook for dinner.  I have gotten the kids into a fairly regular routine of taking an afternoon nap or quiet time (simultaneously).  And most importantly, I allow myself some time to sit still.  Even if all I do is catch up on DVR, or sit at my computer.  I've mentioned before that I'm not the most organized person.  So for those with more structure and discipline than I have, perhaps sitting still is not something that sounds appealing.  But for me, I find it's what gives me renewed energy.  Even if it's at the expense of something on my to-do list.  I have to stay flexible and give myself lots of grace in order to maintain my sanity. 

Whether you have given it conscious thought or not, I think everyone has habits or coping mechanisms for getting through the toughest parts of the day.  What are yours?

And fyi....I highly recommend The Tiny Twig blog for lots of great inspiration on living life with "less fuss". 


----