Hey ya’ll, happy Friday! I hope everyone had a good week!

I am so looking forward to this weekend with hubs. We have been busy little worker bees at work this week, so the next 2 days are going to be wonderful for resting and recharging! Even though we work together, we don’t always get the chance to spend a lot of quality time just talking and hangin’ out. As a result, we rely on the weekends to give us that one on one time together.

Today’s post is actually about a conversation that I had with my husband last weekend. We had some time to kill on Sunday, so we did our after church routine and went to the food court at the mall for lunch. Weird, yes. But it’s our thing, so it’s okay. On our way back home, we started talking about how long it takes us to get ready in the morning. On a good day, it takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to be 110% work ready with make up, good hair, and a nice outfit. It doesn’t take him quite as long haha But we thought it was funny how we spend so much time and effort being pretty/handsome on the outside, just to undo it all when we get home in the evenings.

It led us to talking about how much time we spend being pretty on the inside. And if we’re honest, we spend a heck of a lot more time making ourselves pretty on the outside than we do focusing on being pretty on the inside. When we meet people, our first impression starts with how we look on the outside, but what really sticks is how we present what’s on the inside. If we spend all of our “get ready” time focusing on being pretty on the outside, then what’s happening to us on the inside?? It’s so easy to neglect what people don’t physically see because we think we can hide it with our fancy suits and beautiful jewelry. When in reality, if what we’ve got going on inside is bad, it’s not going to matter how pretty we are on the outside. That ugly will shine through, and it will be real bad.

This whole concept of being pretty on the inside has started to change the way we do mornings. These are some of the things that we try to do now. We aren’t champs at it yet, but we’re working on it!

1. Sit and enjoy that cup of coffee. Don’t just rush out the door with your travel mug or take large sips between mascara swabs. Take 5 minutes to sit and enjoy your coffee, either alone or if the timing works with your spouse. If you’re a superhuman and can function appropriately without coffee, still take 5 just to yourself. Feel free to substitute water or orange juice!
2. Get in a Bible verse. It can totally just be one! And, it can be from the pinterest app, in your bed, before you even technically get up. Just take a moment or a few minutes to pour some goodness back into your soul before you start your day. This is one of those things that you’ve heard before, and trust me, it really does help, especially if you’re not a morning person.
3. Don’t rush your shower. This is hard for me because I literally loath the time it takes to shower properly. Call me weird all you want, I’ve accepted it already… But seriously, shower time can be a great way to get that 10 minutes of quiet into  your day that you are begging for around 3pm. Get it in early in your day and let it set the tone for the rest of the day.
4. Know what you’re doing. For us planners, this might already be taken care of, but for those who struggle staying organized, focus here. Know what your tomorrow is going to look like before you go to bed. It doesn’t have to be super structured, but try to have a good idea of how you are going to be both pretty on the outside and inside.
5. Stretch it out. I’m starting to dabble in the practice of yoga, so this is mainly a me thing. Hubs don’t stretch… Even if you don’t exercise or do yoga, you can still do a little stretching. It takes just a few minutes and really helps to center you. If I’ve learned anything in yoga, it’s that when mind, body and spirit are in sync, everything feels better.

Try these out and see how it works for you. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed 🙂  When we first had that conversation, we weren’t thinking of the blog, but he thought this would be a great one to share with you. Hope you enjoyed it, and I truly sincerely hope you can carve out some time in your weekend to have great conversations with your spouse!!

– the Wife