I celebrated my thirty-third birthday last week, and in full transparency, as it approached I was in a huge funk. I was grumpy, snappy, sensitive, and an overall kill-joy. I recognized that and knew I didn’t want to spend my b-day wallowing. Instead, the night before I decided to list 33 of my favorite things to do and see how many I could accomplish.
1. Water garden in the early morning (+)
2. Get morning hugs & kisses from kiddos as soon as they walk out of their rooms (+/- this was difficult as a couple kids ended up in our bed the night before)
3. Dance in the kitchen with kiddos while cooking (- could not convince anyone to dance with me)
4. Help a stranger (+ answered a call for help planting a garden locally)
5. Do a challenging workout (+)
6. Cross off one of my 2025 goals (+ 5 kipping pull-ups in a row)
7. Drink a coffee I didn’t make (+)
8. Visit Star Nursery (+)
9. Spend time with a friend (+)
10. Take a mid-day shower (+)
11. Wear real clothes (+)
12. Put on mascara (+)
13. Cuddle all three kids while reading books (+/- was able to do one-on-one but not all together which is technically my favorite)
14. Bake chocolate chip cookies (+)
15. Skip laundry (+)
16. Read a book of my own (+)
17. Sit in cacti garden (+)
18. Plant cacti propagate (+)
19. Notice & admire tiny cacti pad growth (+)
20. Listen to water fountain (- forgot this needs to be re-sealed when making the list)
21. Drink a Diet Coke (+)
22. Do some community work (- planned to work on upcoming community baby shower but ran out of time)
23. Work on my next column (+ checking that off currently…)
24. Cuddle at least one cat (+)
25. Call women I look up to – Aunt Laurel & Mother-in-Law Lisa (+)
26. Drink a cherry limeade (+)
27. Play a family game (-)
28. Have breakfast for dinner (+)
29. Eat dinner al fresco (+)
30. Watch the sunset with popsicles (- we ended up eating cookies because fresh baked cookies > popsicles every time)
31. Do a crossword with my husband (+)
32. Lay in bed with fireplace going (+)
33. Go to bed before 9:30pm (+)
Listing out my favorite things to do really put my life in perspective, even through my current grumpy-colored lenses. Many items could be done everyday and took very little extra effort, like eating dinner on the porch and changing into real clothes after the gym. Most of my favorite things involve being with my family – cuddling, hugs & kisses, time spent together playing games – or the home our family has made – looking for cacti growth, enjoying my garden, adding fun to usual tasks. Once listed, it became clear how much a non-alcoholic beverage makes me smile – and it must be pretty obvious within my social circle because I ended up with seven birthday gifts that included diet coke (not complaining! it’s a great gift!).
My birthday turned out so much better than I had anticipated it would – mainly because trying to cross things off my list made me focus on the positives in my life. Seeing how little effort was able to shift my attitude begs the question: could every item be done every single day? No, the entire Turley family would end up naked, sugared-out, & eventually barricaded in the house by tiny cacti. But could I make a more reasonable list of positive things to do and make a serious attempt at crossing them all off when I hit a rut? Absolutely, and I hope you do too.
Disclaimer/Reality Check: I’m not saying this exercise will completely banish a rut – these past few months have been incredibly hard and I’m still in a funk. However, it will make the good in your life stand out simply because you’re looking for it. And while you’re looking for the good, you may notice that what you already have in your life is exactly what you needed all along. That’s what it did for me; I have my family, my home, and the ability to enjoy my life just as it is if I choose to. This column will be about motherhood, parenting, and homemaking for the most part. Most importantly, I don’t ever want this column to make another mama think she’s not doing enough. If you’re reading this, I want you to know that you are, you’re doing great, keep it up. Sing it with me: no-one is doing it allllll!
About Mackayla
Mackayla Turley is a married stay-at-home mom of three young kids in Pahrump, Nevada. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading, baking, and exercise as well as running a local moms group, Pahrump Mother’s Corner. Her friends describe her as a cheerleader, a giver, a minimalist, and an extrovert. She can be reached at pahrumpmotherscorner@runbox.com.
