When I was living in California my mom and I had the most wonderful tradition. Every year my dad takes a group of students to China at the end of October and every year, while he was gone, mom and I would plan a pajama day. It may as well have been an official holiday for how much we looked forward to this event. It was one blissful day out of the year (occasionally two if he did a summer trip!) when we vowed to do absolutely nothing productive, eat whatever we felt like, and, as the name would suggest, stay in our pajamas all day long. The schedule looked something like this:

Whenever we felt like it: Breakfast of overnight steel-cut oatmeal we started in the slow cooker at bed time the night before. Although I do believe that one year we had purchased an apple pie from a fundraiser at church and we started our day with apple pie for breakfast.

Throw pumpkin-apple dessert in another crock pot for later consumption. This does not really qualify as being “productive” because it is so easy.

Sit in super comfy chairs with cozy blankets and commence the Gilmore Girls Marathon.

Whenever we felt like it: Lunch was usually fun “snacky” stuff. Crackers, cheese, specialty meats, maple-pumpkin dip with apples (made the day before!), and anything else that had struck our fancy when shopping for the big day.

Continue Gilmore Girls marathon while munching happily.

Some-time late afternoonish: Double Stuffed Oreos

Whenever we felt like it: Order Pizza and a side order of hash brown-jalapeno popper thingys. (What?! It’s a day off from everything, including worrying about nutrition!)

Continue Gilmore Girls marathon while eating happily.

Whenever we felt like it: Eat the pumpkin-apple dessert that has was cooked in the crock pot.

It was a blissful day of total relaxation. I’ve tried exactly two times since moving to Utah to have a pajama day on my own but I have to say, it is just not the same. Today was supposed to be one of those days but it is mid-morning and I can tell you it has not been a blissful day of total relaxation. For starters, it’s just not as fun without mom. Also…Lilly is not the insanely easy going baby and toddler that Trinity was. She requires decidedly more work. And my easy-going Trinity? She’s still pretty easy going, but she is in school so lunch has to be made, homework needs to get done, and she needs to be clothed in weather-appropriate attire (as opposed to what she picks out for herself!) hair needs to be done (“In two half hair tails, mommy?”). Dinner still needs to get made for the family and while I may have chosen a crock pot meal to make the evening easier, it was still more work than ordering pizza.

I believe the moral of the story is that, while a pajama day is a lovely ideal to aspire to, I may just not be in a place in life where it is possible. Maybe some day my parents will be in town on a snowy day and we can send Grandpa and Daddy away with the girls for their own adventure and mom and I can at least get half a day to be cozy, eat junk food, and lose ourselves in Stars Hollow…you know…for old time’s sake.

My easy-going baby Trin with Grammie!