The Joy of PJ Days

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....next to holidays, pajama days are my favorite days of the year. I set aside one day a month for a PJ day with my children. We had a busy, busy week: Josh was diagnosed with strep on Saturday, we took a family trip to the Zoo on Monday only to slosh through cold, wind, rain and minimal animal sightings, Josh's preschool Thanksgiving feast was on Wednesday, Animal Dress up Day was on Thursday, Anna had gymnastics Thursday afternoon followed by a grand finale of her school Book Fair (which was amazing by the way!). But, shew, we are a tired bunch. So Josh asked if Friday could be our PJ day and I congratulated him on a wonderful idea!

Here is what I love about PJ day besides snuggling in the comfiest clothes in our wardrobe. There are NO rules. We eat what we desire at any time of the day. We watch TV without the timer. The iPad and SmartPhone have no limits. We play board games on the floor while munching on completely and outrageously unhealthy snacks. We walk to the mailbox in a coat and slippers (not sure how the neighbors feel about our PJ day). We do not look at the clock. We lounge on the couch, feet on feet, filling in the most ridiculous answers to AdLib books. We wipe food on our pj's and Mom doesn't say a word. Chocolate is an accepted food group. Schedules are tossed out the window along with complaints, mandates and time outs. Homework is dismissed. Daddy tends to come home a little earlier. And for some reason, we feel like we have taken a trip to the beach.

Sometimes in the midst of PJ day, we might decide to ride bikes. Or maybe we would like to pick up pizza or bring home take out from a favorite local joint. Or maybe we want to do ONE chore. Or maybe we will slip into our second comfiest clothes and head out for the afternoon. But the BEST part of PJ day? We might NOT! And I think that is my favoritest (yes, I know, made up word, but sometimes you have to be expressive) part of PJ day. 

When I was a working girl, there was a time I contemplated starting a small event planning business. I seriously thought about this concept for quite a few years, but then my daughter was born and I decided my full time job should be raising children. But, I do remember when I was writing my business plan, I was going to designate one day a quarter to an optional work day. I think as Americans we work extremely hard. And I am proud that we are a nation of workers, doers and achievers. But I also believe hard work deserves fair play and we need to just do nothing for 24 hours and be comfortable with designated laziness. Time to recharge. Time to decompress. Time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Time to slow down time. Because, I promise you, tomorrow, when I am begging for one more hour of PJ day, we will be in warp speed of our daily life. And you will find me counting down the days until our next unscheduled pajama day where my joyful heart will rest easy with the rest of me.