Sunday Reads: perfectionism, kid’s activities, paying attention, camping, saying "yes"

I think most of us associate certain days of the week with certain things. Maybe for you, Friday night equals pizza. Or Saturday means sleeping in. For me, Sunday has always been the most relaxed day of the week; the day when I’m most likely to lie around thinking, or writing, or snuggling, or watching HGTV, or – my favorite lazy-day pastime – reading.

It’s often overwhelming to try to keep up with the blogs I love, both those written by my friends and talented, cool people I’ve never met. I find that trying to blog-hop during the week often distracts me from the things I need to get done, and leads me to feeling anxious and scattered. (See: Mom Funk.)

But on Sundays I can usually count on at least an hour or two of uninterrupted time to relax and read. So I think I’m going to set aside time each Sunday to catch up on blog reading – and to share some of my favorite reads with you. I invite you to share posts you’re enjoying, or ones you’ve written that you’re particularly proud of, in the comments!

Here’s this week’s edition of my Sunday Reads:

1. at Motherese: How Much Is Too Much? Kristen’s thoughts on kids and extra-curricular activities, with great advice from Christine Carter, Ph.D., who wrote the intro to The Happiest Mom.
2. at Adventures in Babywearing: High On Yes. Steph shares why sometimes saying “yes” can feel so much better than saying “no” – great reminder to let go and enjoy the ride, even if those “must-do” things sometimes get shoved aside a bit.
3. at Simple Mom: The Theft Of Perfectionism. Are you waiting until you’ve grown a huge organic garden to try canning or until the Time Fairy grants you 8 solid hours of quiet time to write that masterpiece blog post you’ve had rattling around in your head? Tsh’s post is a great reminder not to let the idea of perfect get in the way of the reality of “good enough.”
4. at The Five Dollars: A Reminder Of All I Have Forgotten. Ellen’s poignant essay reminds us to pay attention, to mark each childhood memory as well as we can, even though we know so many of them will slip away. Really beautiful.
5. at Bloggin’ Bout Boys: Camping With Kids. Since I just got done sharing about the fun – and work – of camping, I was excited to see Jennifer’s post complete with great tips on how to get the most out of a camping trip with children.

And I’d love it if you’d check out my Strollerderby posts this week:

• Moms accidentally breastfeed wrong babies. How big a deal is it?
• Why moms – and babies – need adequate maternity leave
• Co-sleeping won’t wreck my kids? I coulda told you that
• Mom tries to sell her baby at…Taco Bell?

Your turn! What have you really enjoyed reading this week – or have you written something you’d like to share?

Other helpful posts like this:

Goodbye, Sunday Morning Tea – Or, On Letting Good Things Go Sunday Morning Tea: reliving childhood at the roller rink, plus good reads Sunday Morning Tea: Comet, the red-nosed minivan (and links!)