Why every mama needs a weekend to do nothing

As my kids get older, my schedule gets fuller. I’ve chosen to take joy in this new, fuller season of my life by showing up to every after-school commitment with a crockpot dinner and a smile, ready to cheer for my people.

So this season has made rejuvenating weekends that much more important.

Weekends are little breaks, a chance to take a beat, rest and recharge. Every weekend we are handed an opportunity to vacate from our regular routines, give our minds a break and slow down.

If it’s hard for you to slow down and relax, I get it. Some things have to be done on the weekend—like if your son’s team schedules ball games on the weekend—but not everything needs to be done.

A lot can be left for the week, and if you don’t carve out time for rest, you won’t able to be your best self.

I love weekends. I love letting go of work and just taking a deep breath in my life. I love being with my family and connecting after a busy week. As a minimalist, the philosophy of less that completely changed my home has spilled over into every area of my life.

Weekending like a minimalist is the most restoring way to spend two days, in my opinion. However, doing so is a conscious choice you have to make.

Unplug + disconnect

We are always on our devices! I know none of us set out to be the mom who is always looking at a screen when her child is trying to talk to her, but it’s all too easy to go there.

Text messages, alerts, and phone calls will never stop. You have to be the one to put up the boundary. Put your phone on airplane mode or do not disturb for the weekend and see how you feel.

Don’t over-schedule

I know it’s hard when you feel the pressure to catch up, but resist the urge to fill your weekend with to-do’s or even fun events. You need rest, and so does your whole family. Make sure you leave plenty of margin to just relax and go with the flow.

It’s such an amazing feeling to be able to do whatever feels good for the day rather than following a set schedule when you do that all week long. Wake up on a Saturday morning and just go do what you and your family feel like doing.

Try a weekend of nothing

When was the last time you had a weekend where you tuned out from the world and just laid around with your kids? As a mom, I can feel when my family needs that.

Try giving in next time you feel that way and see how much better everyone feels on Monday when it’s time to get back in the game. There’s is very little as restoring as a weekend of nothing.

Go out, but keep it simple

Sometimes you just want to get out of the house. I’m usually in this camp because I work from home all week! One of my favorite things to do on Saturday is pack up my crew and head to Old Town for the weekend farmers market.

We eat crepes, buy fresh flowers and produce, walk around without feeling rushed, I drink an extra cup of coffee, and we head home for a family nap afterward. Best. Day. Ever.

If you want to leave the house, go for it—find something that makes you feel like you can take a deep breath and feel relaxed. Head to the beach, go see a movie, take a walk or a hike, browse the shops downtown, whatever it is, make sure it brings you rest and joy.

We all need to be more open to relaxing weekends and rest. Take at least one day off per week and really soak it up. Weekends don’t need to be full of overwhelming amounts of fun and recreation. Simplify. Rest. Recharge. You’ll be so glad you did.