Hey Hey Hey! It’s HOMECOMING WEEK in our house for BOTH our high schoolers! What does that look like you might be wondering? Well, it’s Homecoming Parades, Family Cookouts, Pep Rallies, Mum/Garter Exchanges, and it all spells = BUSY week for Mom + Dad. 🙂
Apologies for not being here on Monday! It’s not only Homecoming Week but it’s also been Surgery Week in our house as well. Tab first and then Britt yesterday so needless to say, I missed posting on Monday.
I’m glad you’re here though and I’m happy to be here talking about things I’ve said, “No”, to recently with Shay!
But first…{Big Brother Fans, do you get that joke?} Let’s recap a bit…
January-We covered our Low Level Goals. These are the goals that will make us feel productive but aren’t anything too difficult. I’m happy to report one item has already been crossed off my list!
February-We shared how we Work on our Marriage.
March-We discussed how we Reset for the Week.
April-We looked at Maintaining Friendships.
May-My Wellness Routine and I shared what that looks like on a weekly basis.
I skipped June & July. 🙁
August-We chatted about Juggling Family Schedules.
September-We discussed Managing Teens.
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Today, we’re chatting about things we’ve said, “No”, to recently…
This topic makes me laugh because people that know me well know I’m TERRIBLE at saying, “no”. Legit, I’m one of the WORST! So, as I type please know I’m chuckling because this is NOT my area of expertise.
*Bible Study-which I know sounds TERRIBLE, but please hear me out. 🙂 Last year, I was invited to attend two Bible Studies. I love ALL of these women. I love Jesus. I said, “yes”, to both. I was stretched way too thin and did a terrible job at juggling two different studies with two different study times. Ultimately, I ended up not truly giving my “all” to either study or either group of women. This year I had to say, “no”, to not one, but two different Bible Study groups so I could truly commit well to one group. {Including this example because some things we have to say, “no”, to are REALLY GOOD things.}
*Anniversary Trip-Tab and I love to travel and we enjoy getting to “getaway” just the two of us. We understand the “take the trip” mindsets and we do take trips! But, we also realize the days we have with our kids living at home are numbered. We’re willing to miss some days but we don’t want to miss too many. This year we had an Anniversary Trip planned but also had a few other things come up so we decided to say, “no”, to this trip.
*Snooze-I’ve never been one to hit snooze on my alarm clock so this is an easy, “no”, from me. When I wake up, whether it’s 2:00 a.m. or 6:00 a.m., I’m awake. Once I open my eyes, there’s no going back to sleep.
*Fast Food for Dinner-I was getting stuck on things I’d said, “no” to lately so I asked my kids. The first response was when “we ask for fast food for dinner”. ha! That’s an easy “no”. I save those meals for emergency dinners. 😉
*Others’ Opinions-This is a work in progress but something that gets easier the older I get. I’m working on saying, “no”, to worrying about what other people think. Are there any other People Pleasers out there??
*Last Minute Plans-I’m refraining from listing a certain child’s name here but one is notorious for coming up with a last minute plan. Sometimes it happens. I do understand that, but for the most part, don’t spring any late night rides on me.
Okay, what I really need here are YOUR tips for saying, “NO”!! As a work in progress, I’d love any help you have!
Hope you have a great Wednesday!
XO
Fellow people pleaser here!!! I hate saying no to people too and letting them down! I feel you!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
SAMEEEEEE!!!!
Well, I’ve sent a graphic from this post and a graphic from Shay’s to a certain someone I love who really struggles with this. I think she just sees me as so “opposite” her that it’s hard to get through – she might take the gentle advice from the two of you better 🙂
I think, in order to be able to do this, you need to understand and define your priorities – once you know an early bedtime is essential for you (or your family), saying “no” to late-night runs doesn’t even require thinking. When our kids were young we put these priorities on a chalkboard in the kitchen and would sometimes refer to them when making a decision – that way they knew and understood that we cared/heard their request but THESE were our priorities for the family.
Great Let’s Look this month!
That’s a GREAT way to help the family to understand why it’s a no! Love that!
NO is often the very best answer 🙂
Next week I’m gonna be a big NO to everything. I think I’ll need to hibernate after this week! ha!
I had 2 friends 30 years ago who wanted to do a mom and kids camping trip – I hate camping, my kid was older than theirs and we have very different parenting styles. It was a hard, fast no from me. All these years later we are even better friends, but they still tease me about how quick I said no. They know I love their kids but it was definitely a good choice to help maintain a great friendship.
Hahaha! I love that you knew yourself well enough to know it should be a no!
I am getting better at this! A lady at church told me God expects me to put Him, my husband, and my children first. If whatever I am asked to do has a negative impact on those things, it’s an easy no!
GREAT perspective!!