Thank Goodness It's Monday Day | JOY for Today

We all know about TGIF, but what if this year we also became TGIM people? We're talking JOY all throughout the week, people!

JOY for Today Offerings:

• Did You Know... Five we didn't.
• Wolfe Stew Connects To valuing Mondays.
• Bible Verses and Quotes For Monday motivation.
• Activity Suggestions Welcoming students back, Would you rather, Family challenge
• Last Year's Post: New Year's Day

Did You Know:

1. Monday is the best day to buy a car? If you avoid the weekends when salespeople are busy you will get more attention, close the deal faster, and perhaps negotiate a better price by car shopping on a Monday. (The Fact Site & US News)
2. Stock market traders note and utilize a Monday effect? The Monday effect suggests that if a stock is falling on Friday, it will continue to fall on Monday but if it was rising on Friday, it will continue to rise on Monday. (Investopedia).
3. Monday means "day of the Moon"? In Latin, day of the Moon is the literal translation. However, Monday's name varies across languages. The Chinese term for Monday means "day one of the week," and Turkish and Slavic terms mean "after Sunday." (The Fact Site and Fact City)
4. Many songs have Monday in the title? Spinditty lists 75 of them. Check and see if the "Monday" song you're thinking of made the list. 
5. Monday is the only weekday name that has an anagram: 'dynamo'? An anagram is when all the letters from one word are rearranged to make a new word. If Mondays are hard for you, try reframing it as your dynamo day! (The Fact Site)

We'd Love to Know:

Which fact interests you?

Wolfe Stew Connects

What's your Monday perspective? Do you dread them? Love them? Or are you somewhere in the middle?

I mostly love Mondays. They tend to be my most productive day. If you find yourself cringing at this revelation of mine, keep reading; I have some suggestions for you. If you're right there with me (fist bump🤜🏼🤛🏼), let's turn others into Monday morning people too!

This is my challenge to you as 2023 approaches: let us commit to treat each Monday with JOY by finding the value in it. Here's my thoughts on how:

1. Honor your rest. God modeled rest for us because He knew we'd need it. By allowing yourself rest, you are reenergizing to hit the pavement on Monday. I choose one weekend day for errands, household cleaning, and catching up on undone weekly goals and the other day I rest. 
2. Set goals. While I always plan an impossibly long list of tasks to accomplish, I have two tips to not feel overwhelmed or discouraged:
• Tackle one goal at a time and keep the next one ready in my mind. If something else comes up, I write it down so I can address it later.
• Choose one primary goal that absolutely must happen before I am "done." This is especially helpful for uncontrollable interruptions. The moment I realize I won't be able to complete my entire list, I turn all my attention to my primary goal. Then, when that's done, I can choose to be done or keep going. 
3. "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4 KJV). 
• Offer a sacrifice of praise by choosing to praise God even when you don't feel it.
• Play a song to lift your mood. (Brant Hansen plays "I Saw the Light" by the David Crowder Band if you'd like to borrow his "Monday Morning song.")
4. Uplift others. A lot of Monday morning work worry stems from the struggle to secure our place in the social network, which is why Monday morning water cooler talk dominates and is often polluted with gossip. Gossip pushes another down to lift ourselves up, the opposite of what we are called to do (Ephesians 4:29). Instead, socialize with the intention of lifting others up. Listen to what they have to say and encourage them in it.

What else might we do to find JOY for Mondays? Help us out with your best tip in the comment section below!

In response:

1. Make a Dynamo Monday Morning plan full of "I will..." statements, motivational verses, quotes, and pictures. Share it with someone who will hold you accountable to finding JOY for Mondays.
2. GROW with us in our journey toward identifying ourselves and others as VALUABLE (even on Mondays). Or engage in last year's GROWTH opportunity and learn to CHOOSE decisions that reflect your values (even on Mondays).

Bible Verses and Quotes 

Bible Verses

• "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4 KJV
• "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isaiah 41:13 KJV
• "When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." Psalm 94:18-19 NIV
• "Now may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 ISV
• "I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don't be troubled. Don't be afraid." John 14:27 ERV

Quotes

• "Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don't rent them out to tomorrow." - Jerry Spinelli
• "Monday Morning Blues? Why not change the color of your Monday to yellow and brighten up the coming week." - Kanika Saxena
• "The sun himself is weak when he first rises; and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on." - Charles Dickens
• "Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end, you are sure to succeed." - Abraham Lincoln
• "Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen." - Sukhraj S. Dhillon

We'd Love to Know:

Which verse or quote helps you face Mondays?

 

Activity Suggestions

Find ways to welcome your learners back from the break and each weekend! Download a printable version at our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

The Mr.'s Suggestion:

Eat a MoonPie!

Fitting, since Monday means "moon day." If you want to try a few recipes that use MoonPies, check these MoonPies.com recipes out. Or make a homemade version with Southern Living.

The Mrs.' Suggestions: 

Welcome Students Back in Style

• Welcome them at the door with excitement. Your learners missed you!
• Share what happened during break with this template from Happy Teacher Happy Kids
• Make a goal book and toast the new year with apple juice (from Not So Wimpy Teacher)

Establish a Monday Morning Routine

• Put on your Monday Morning smiles. Greeting students with a friendly face will help ease the transition from weekend to weekday.
• Give time for sharing what happened over the weekend. Consider journaling, sharing highs and lows, or completing a sentence starter: "This weekend I struggled when..."; "A connection I made to school this weekend was..."; "One word to describe my weekend would be...because...".

Discuss "Would You Rather..." Questions

• Miss school on a Monday or a Friday?
• Sing and dance to an upbeat song or force yourself to smile every time you want to complain?
• Start Mondays by talking about your weekend or getting right to work?

If you would like three "Would You Rather...?" questions for every January day, download this Wolfe Stew PowerPoint.

Participate in a Family Challenge

Choose a Dynamo Monday Motto to launch each other into the day. Steal one of ours if you like: 

• "Be bold, be brave, and mighty forces will come to your aid." (Modified Goethe)
• "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong; Do everything in love." I Corinthians 16:13-14

We'd Love to Know:

What you do to have a dynamo Monday?

We’re excited to share one more day with you and wish you JOY for Today and HOPE for Tomorrow. Come back next week for... National Vision Board Day!

Your Partners in JOY Finding,

Find even more JOY for Today in our monthly calendars, holiday, and seasonal posts.