Once upon a time, Friday at 5 p.m. meant the start to two glorious days of freedom. Late nights, lazy mornings and maybe an afternoon nap or four. Then, we had kids and not only did our lives turn upside down -- the week did, too. Instead of saying TGIF at the end of each week, we say "Oh, hello pancake breakfast at 7, soccer game, and birthday party no. 167." By Sunday night, we feel ragged, and our homes are, well, trashed.
That's why we're starting up a new mantra on HuffPost Parents -- Thank God It's Monday. Whether you work outside the home or are with your kids full-time, we want to celebrate the return of order that comes with school and work days. For HuffPost Executive Lifestyle Editor Lori Leibovich, Mondays mean a place to put her coffee cup down that is all her own -- not shared with LEGOs. (That's her "weekend kitchen" shown above.)
"The best thing about Monday morning is walking into my office and knowing that I won't trip, slip or stumble on LEGO pieces," she says. "My 9 year old has been obsessed with LEGO for years and on the weekends my kitchen floor transforms into a hybrid construction site/museum with plastic, primary-colored bricks scattered across the floor and scenes from 'Star Wars' and 'Harry Potter' enacted and displayed on my kitchen table. Sunday nights find me on my hands and knees fishing LEGO pieces out from under the stove and the radiator. I suffer at least one LEGO-related injury every weekend -- my bare foot once came down so hard on a brick that the shape of the piece was embedded in my skin. I love my son's "MOCS" (that's "my own creation" in LEGO-speak, FYI), but I also treasure order. Come Monday, my office, with it's neatly stacked folders and clean surfaces, is pure comfort."
What does Monday mean to you? Is there something you will do just for YOU today? This week? Whether it's as simple as taking a shower in peace, calling a friend you haven't gotten to have a REAL conversation with or a bigger deal -- like starting to write the blog you needed peace and quiet to focus on -- we want to know.
Use the comments on this page or tweet your answers to @huffpostparents and we'll compile the answers here in our TGIM slideshow each week.