Goodbye Week. Hello Weekend. Lessons Learned: Take 37.

Goodbye lost tooth - first molar to leave the nest.
Goodbye special bubble bath fizzers that make my sinuses behave. I'll have to get more at Kim's blog - it really works and is a.MAZE.ing!
Goodbye stealing some me-time and enjoying special tea blends that soothe the soul with each sip.
Goodbye weeknight movie night (highly unusual) and celebrating Red Box's 2 billion rentals by taking advantage of a free rental!
Goodbye to the start of a great giveaway from McDonald's on my blog. It's not too late to enter so click here now! There are so many ways to win! Winner announced on Tuesday.

Hello to being inspired by this post at The Great Read by Michele and perusing design books, just for the beauty of it.
Hello helping to set-up at the school for a huge, major, big fund raiser night (to which I will not be attending - boo-hoo).
Hello to doing my part towards the fund raiser by donating a specially designed LOVD jewelry set dripping with school spirit. Tune in on W.I.M. Wednesday to check it out!
Hello cruising the blogosphere to find some inspiring new dishes to try out on the fam. Do you know of any good recipe sites?
Hello Top Mommy Blog and asking for your vote, pretty please? All you have to do is click the button and that's it, nothing else - I get a vote. Clicking will take you to their website, but you don't have to do anything once you are there, just close the window. I'd ask you to click to vote everyday, but that might be asking too much? Thank you!

 The lesson I learned this week is simple in concept, but hard to do. Carving time out for yourself, just you, is critical for feeding your soul, spirit, and tired body. I didn't have to take my son to school on Thursday, my husband had an early meeting and took over the job that day. Because I wasn't going to be at school, I didn't end up volunteering that day, either. WOW! Here I was with an extra 5 hours on a Thursday that I normally would not have had and do you know what I didn't do? I didn't clean the house, I didn't put in a load of laundry, I didn't pay bills, I didn't run errands. I, instead, rented a movie, took a fizzy bubble bath, meandered through the library gathering pretty design books to pore over when I got home after grabbing a Caramel Latte from McDonald's. I was in heaven, the day moved slower, I was more relaxed. And, when I had to break the paradise to drive to pick up my son from school, I was glad to do it. My day didn't feel interrupted because I had been rejuvenated.

Taking time to recharge should become a habit, but sadly, it gets put on the backburner for many of us. I think it's time we start making appointments with ourselves to take a day each month and do anything we want to do, big or small, exciting or boring. That one day will carry you through and help you be the wife, the mother, the daughter, the friend that you owe yourself to show to the world.

Have a beautiful, relaxing weekend friends.