Welcome to The Mom Flow, where I share things that are on my mind in the hopes of helping you connect to your Mom Flow. Thanks for being here! —Erin Sousa
I love a good Mom-Day. I have been doing them for years as much as I can. Let me take a step back with some background: a Mom-Day is a Monday where I set myself and my household up for the week. For you, this could be anything you want, but I have a feeling you might be on the same page as I am with how I spend it. If I can fit in an appointment just for me (facial? Nails? All about it), I will too, but really, it’s about getting into my flow so I can show up.
I take a large part of my Monday morning to organize us with meals and groceries; these are the biggest stressors for me in a week because I feel quickly defeated if I don’t have food on hand ready and planned. It contributes to over spending on take out and leaves me feeling like I’m wasting money and not making healthy choices. I am a bit of a high maintenance girlie with my groceries, and overcomplicate with multiple stores but I am who I am.
Here’s the flow of a good Mom-Day:
Meal and life planning while Lola has bfst*
Check our family grocery list (just started doing this with Roberto on a share Apple Note that we collab on – try it, love it)
Creating a grocery order for pick up (I do this for dry goods and certain more pricy items… this may include a Costco delivery if I need to)
Kiddo school drop off
Shopping at my local small grocery store for organic fruits, veggies, dairy
Butcher for meats
Placing any other orders I may need like Amazon, clothes etc.
Work, ticking off those pressing things that are making me stressed
*mapping out the most important personal tasks for each day (or else I miss things and end up getting annoyed and bogged down – this is so important to my sanity and it feels soooo good to check things off my list)
I don’t do this every single week, even though I want to. Sometimes, life just gets in the way, and I defo feel it when I don’t.
This one’s for the grandparents
Grandparents are such a precious part of life. I grew up incredibly close to my grandma—my mom’s mom—who lived with us for a few years before she passed away when I was ten. I loved her to pieces (and still do). Outside of her, I didn’t have relationships with any other grandparents, and it’s only now, watching Lola with hers, that I fully understand what I missed out on.
One of the hardest parts of my life is that my mom can’t participate as a grandma the way she would want to. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 68, she’s here, but not in the way I always imagined she’d be. We miss her every single day.
And yet, seeing Roberto’s parents in Lola’s life has been a gift. They love her so much, and she brings them so much joy—especially being the little girl they finally got after raising two boys. Watching them with her is a kind of healing for me, a reminder of how special that bond is.
Of course, I’m also so aware of time and what an unexpected loss feels like. Lola’s grandpa turns 80 this year. They won’t be here forever. None of us will. And so, I’ve decided we’re going to step it up—including them in things we might not have thought to before. Not just for Lola, but for them, too.
You know how it is as we get older—we fall into routines, stick to what we know. But staying young at heart means trying, learning, and showing up in new ways. So this past weekend, I insisted Papa Charlie (that’s what we call him, FYI) join us at a birthday party with Lola. And honestly? It. Was. Amazing. He loved seeing her have fun, being part of her world. He felt needed, important, special, loved. At least, that’s what I hope he felt.
The thing is, we don’t always think to bring our older loved ones along. Sometimes it’s easier to let them stay in their comfort zones. But I don’t want to leave them behind—I want to make the effort. And yes, it does take effort, it takes thoughtfulness. But it’s never something I’ll regret. Giving a little push is ok to do. I definitely reflected on the fact that love, in its simplest form, is including someone in the moment.
There’s more! Keep reading this week’s edition of The Mom Flow by Erin Sousa; subscribe for free to receive new posts and support her work, here!
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