12.08.2009

Looking for a GOOD reason

I've admitted it multiple times in the past, and I'm admitting it again. There are a good handful of days each month where I can simply find no good reason to get out of my pajamas. Yesterday was one of them. Today I could have gone for a two-day record, but I didn't want to gross people out.

It's not that I just love my pajamas so much that I never want to get out of them. They are not silky or satiny; they're not soft flannel or footie pajamas or anything special. Just some sweatpants and a hoodie.

My problem is that I just can't think of a GOOD reason to change out of them. Why should I? Why bother? I have nowhere to go. My kids don't care.

Now don't get me wrong. Most days I actually do get dressed and put myself together. It may not happen until Ruby's first nap, but I won't usually go the entire day in my PJ's. But I only do that because I feel like I have to; like it's expected of a normal, functioning person to get dressed each day. But some days, that's simply not enough. I need a really, really good reason.

I've heard all of the "reasons" why I should before, and none of them are convincing to me. The most common is that getting dressed will get me motivated for my day.

Wrong. Coffee gets me motivated for my day. My kids waking up giggly gets me motivated for my day. Getting dressed only serves to make me less comfortable than I was in my PJ's and generate more laundry for me to wash.

Getting up early to take a shower in the morning might help get me motivated for my day, but that just doesn't work. Here is what happens.

If I get up early, before the kids rouse, to shower, read, eat breakfast, and mentally prepare myself for the day, JP will inevitably be miraculously motivated to do the same thing. Once he is awake, he will begin to make his morning man noises. You know what I'm talking about. The hacking, the snorting, the de-phlegming, the brushing-the-very-back-of-your-tongue choking...it is a guarantee. These noises will unavoidably wake up the two munchkins and I'll be right back where I started, only with a half hour less sleep than I would have had if I just stayed in bed.

So no, getting dressed does not help me get motivated for my day.

I've also heard that getting dressed will make me feel better about myself and cause me to have a more positive attitude. I could see this being true -- when I was a newlywed, 10 pounds lighter, and everything I put on looked cute as a button! When I worked in the corporate world, dressing up actually did make me feel good about myself. But I'm a mom now. I don't wear cute suits, stylish shirts or even heels anymore that often. I wear jeans, long-sleeved T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, tank tops -- you know, stuff that is semi-comfortable and doesn't have to be dry cleaned if my one-year-old rubs her snotty nose all over my shoulder.

So no, getting dressed doesn't actually make me feel better about myself anymore either. Maybe if I were to get off of what I affectionately refer to as the "fat lard diet" and drop those 10 pounds I'd be a little more excited to get dressed. But that hasn't happened so far.

So what, then? What's the good reason? Why should I change out of my pajamas?

I think I've come up with one reason. Just one. (Well, maybe two. Reason #2 could be for JP's sake. Staying in my PJ's is no way to get to baby #3!) But really it just comes down to one. It's a pretty big one, though.

1Cr 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or get dressed [Didn't know that was in there, did you?] or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I guess when I stay in my pajamas all day, I'm not doing that to the glory of God. I guess I'm doing that to the glory of comfort and laziness. And I guess if I were to get dressed it would have to be to His glory, since there's really no other good reason. So I guess the next time I have an all-day slumber party, you all should hold me accountable to what I just wrote!

9 comments:

~Mistee~ said...

Love Love your blog!! God Bless

Stuart B said...

Staying in peejays all day to the glory of God our Father...

Micah said...

I am glad you mentioned the JP part. When Missy doesn't get ready i don't think "what a jerk, why didn't she get ready for me" but when she does get ready it blesses me and I think "what a beautiful wife God blessed me with" (not that I think or JP thinks you or missy are ugly when you don't get ready but you get what I'm saying). Anyway, I like #1 and #2. Thanks

Lynette said...

This will change as the kids get older. They will have places to go and things to do (even if it's just to the park) and you won't have a choice! :)

The Petersons said...

Haha! Funny post! When we go to Cabela's with Malachi and Zach I insist that you actually wear clothes though. ;)

Anonymous said...

I love this, but your interpretation might be slightly off on that verse. I think all it's saying is do whatever you do for the Glory of God. PJ's or not...That's so American.

Sarah D said...

Well you do realize that this is why I hang out with you right? Youre only supposed to hang out with people uglier than you! This is how I get all the guys. So if you start showering and getting dressed every day, I dont think we can be friends anymore.
;) LOVE YA!

Lynn Harpel said...

Not to mention what you're imparting to you beautiful daughters...I mean right now they get dolled up each day cause Mommy does it for them, but someday they'll need the 'revelation of my motivation' to have been imparted to them! (just as your humorous sense of perspective has been imparted to you!) :)
To God be the glory...get things He has done. He makes all things beautiful in due time! Allbeit that time may be after 8:30am. :(

Brenda said...

Oh Audra :) It's like your writing a biography of my life. haha! I've started feeling guilty being in my sweats when Jon comes home and then changing quickly and getting my face painted because I'm going to the grocery store. I'm dressing up for the strangers at Cub but not for my own husband. That's been my big motivator. Plus I don't like how anything looks on me (amen on the 10 extra pounds piece!). I've finally given in to the fact that I should just buy some nice stuff that fits me. wearing a button-down shirt sure does a lot more for my self-esteem than a tee shirt!