Oh, the monotony of it all…

I realized something pretty important about myself this morning as I hoisted myself out of bed for another day. I think in the core of my being, that I’m really not a person who thrives on routine. In fact, it bores the stinkin’ heck out of me.

As I was mulling this over while doing our morning thing, it became suddenly clear to me why I always have this inner conflict with staying home and raising my kids. Kids need routine. They flourish on it.

I know that is definitely true with my son. We are finally to the point each day that he gets up and accepts his routine and does it. Sure, most days he is running to catch that bus instead of waiting on it as I’d prefer, but he gets it DONE. And, for a non-morning kind of kid, that’s pretty darn good. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will only make things very rough for him because he’ll fall out of his routine for awhile and he doesn’t snap back easily.

My daughter wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK and an apple for her after school snack. And, it drives me absolutely bonkers. Now, I know why. I’ll try to suggest other things-how about turkey and cheese? Pretzels? Try something new? She is completely content with the handful of meals she likes.

My husband is not that different. He likes certain meals I make and tells me often, why don’t we have this once a week? He’d be happy with that. I have neighbor friends who are trying out having a certain vegetarian meal several days a week,every week,  just because they can make big pot of it for really cheap, it reduces the stress on the mom to come up with new things, and they like it. All judgments aside, I have to say this would drive me completely crazy. I’m constantly watching cooking shows, pouring through recipes coming up with that new thing I want to try. I never like serving the same things day after day, aside from one or two meals we have every week or so I always mix it up.

One of the hardest things about having diabetes is learning what you can and can’t eat, because it is different for everyone. And, I really haven’t done the research, so I know of only a few things that are easy to do, so I’ve been eating those over and over. And. I. Am. So. Bored. With. It. Already.

It happens with my workouts too. I rarely have the same week of workouts from the last. It’s the only way I can keep energized and interested. I have a friend who goes to the same classes at the gym every single week like clockwork and loves it.

Sometimes this itch I get inside me to shake things up scares me a bit. I mean, it’s like a mid-life crises going on in my head all the time! But, the funny thing is, most people who know me in person would be surprised to learn this about me. I’ve been told I’m very dependable. Give me a job and you can count on me to get it done. So, I’m not really sure why I am this way or if these urges will ever overcome me and make me do something ridiculous or risky when I shouldn’t. Maybe a lifetime of doing what was expected and being Miss Dependable is starting to weigh on me?

What do you do to break up the monotony of the every day? Does anyone else feel this way? Or have I convinced you that I am completely nuts?