Creative Fellowshipping

Welcome back! I hope you are all reading this while dressed to the nines, hair perfectly done, and sporting a fabulous new shade of lipstick. Right? Oh, I joke :-) It isn't even 8am, so I am sitting here in my jammies, wearing yesterday's make-up, and trying to tame my voluminous hair. Yes, I will put myself together today, sans yoga pants, but all good things come in time!

I have written several posts on making time for our children to play, playing with our children, allowing playdates for our husbands, playing with our husbands, and taking quiet time for ourselves. Well, I now feel led to write on taking time for us to play! Mom playdates, that is! As SAHMs, our lives are full of work. While we choose to stop at the end of the day, it doesn't mean our work is done. There is always something to do for a husband, a child, or a home. We can get so wrapped up in our motherhood duties, that we can forget that we need to let our hair down (while still looking fabulous), find some great girlfriends, and have some fun.

Remember the days when fun was unending? I specifically remember my college years where fun stopped only for going to class and for sleeping. In a sorority, truthfully, most fun was had when we should have been sleeping! Now, it is a luxury. And sometimes, it can even be a duty. I tease that I need to go do something every now and then because my child has become bored with my face. Perhaps it's not a joke! There isn't always a need for us to leave simply to relax. It is perfectly okay to leave, allow our husband and children to miss us (and our face), while we play!

I have met mothers who consider it a badge of honor to never leave their children. Some may label me as an overprotective mother that rarely leaves her child's side. Remember...all of my posts are on topics I am working through. You get a sneak peek into my self-therapy :-) I'm getting better. He is nearly fifteen months old, he totally loves being around other people, and my head is a bit more clear when I have laughed until I cried with my friends.

Playing can be defined as "fellowship." I love this word. Fellowship means:

• friendly relationship, companionship
• community of interest, feeling
• friendliness
• communion, as between members of the same church

You see, fellowship doesn't always mean choosing to do a bible study together. Sometimes, it simply means to gather with others who share common interests or feelings, celebrate companionship, and be friendly with one another. Not only is it good for our mommy and womanly souls, we are asked to do it by the Lord!

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..." Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 (emphasis added)

I hate to say it, but no gold medal has ever been given for a mother who spends 24/7 with her family. Not only do we need time away to refresh, but we need time away to laugh! Limited budgets can be challenging to work with, but not every type of fellowshipping has to cost an arm and a leg. Here are some examples of things I have done with friends, and things we are planning to do in the future:

• Coffee time at Starbucks
• Home movie night (perhaps a Twilight marathon...just a suggestion!)
• Discount store shopping spree
• Pinterest parties (pick a project to share with everyone, or do your own)
• Frozen meal preparation
• Board game night
• Craft Fair browsing
• Run a 5K (whoa...getting a little ambitious here!)

If you have a hard time getting a babysitter, bring your kiddos along and let them play while you play! No, it's not the same, but adult talk has its advantages whether the little people are there or not. We recently went to our local pumpkin patch. There were tons of activities for the kids to enjoy, and I had a blast talking with several other moms as we supervised our kiddos. Another huge advantage to planning mommy playdates is to encourage (or force!) us to invest in our friendships. I can honestly say that some of my friendships have gone to the wayside since becoming a mom. Naturally, there are friendships that exist for a season and some for a lifetime. But if you have a nagging feeling that something isn't quite right with a friend, perhaps a bit of quality time spent together laughing will do the trick.

No matter how it's done, please don't forget to play! It is so good for us to laugh until we cry about something that isn't our husband, our children, or are home. Today and everyday, be blessed :-)

MMSM #52
Love, love, LOVE this idea! My friend, Kristen, and her husband are so smart. They recognized the need for a weekly date night, but small children and a limited budget didn't allow for it. Until, they realized they could simply do date night at home! Put the kids down early, and designate a night just for the two of you. Then make a list of ideas to choose from and alternate between one another with planning a date each week. Ideas on the list? Bubble bath, air mattress in living room while watching a romantic movie, "quizzes" about each other while lounging on the patio, bake something together, create something together (art project!), discuss your goals, etc. All ideas must cost $0 and be something to edify your marriage...i.e. no passing out in front of the TV at 8pm. Enjoy creating a list with your hubby, and watch how both of you will look forward to "date night" each week. Thank you, Kristen!

Tip #39

It's time to tackle the closet, ladies! In response to the great G3 class that I am attending at church, we were inspired to take inventory of our closets. Closet organization is a fantastic method to knowing what you have and wearing what you love. Take an hour while the kids are napping and do the following...remove everything you don't love and take it to the Goodwill, organize your clothing into groups (see below), then organize-by-color each group. My groups are:

• T-shirts
• Sweaters
• Outerwear (cardigans and the like)
• Tank tops
• Long-sleeved
• Short-sleeved
• Dresses and Scarves
• Bottoms that fit
• Bottoms that will eventually fit :-)

Get crazy like me by organizing-by-color, and you can enjoy knowing what you have, knowing where it is, and watching fantastic outfits simply create themselves!