A Perfect Saturday

Although we want to enjoy our times of relaxation to their fullest, we need to be considerate of the needs of those in our family.  Addie and I are home all week.  Brian is out and about all week with work.  When the weekends come, I want to get out (Addie just likes to have a good time), and Brian wants to stay home and relax.  So what do we do?

We alternate.

Some weekends we stay home and work around here. Some weekends we go out.  Some weekends we make a "go out" day of it at home.

On Saturday, After breakfast and watching a Sesame Street show in the morning, Brian went out and planned a surprise for Addie.  My job was to distract her from the fact that Brian was not in the house.  He went out, blew up her little alligator pool, filled it with water, and set up the bubble machine. When he was ready for us, I told Addie that we had a surprise for her.  I told her to close her eyes while I tried changing her into her bathing suit. She isn't good at keeping her eyes closed for too long... and when they are covered you can see a little eye peeking through the cracks.  When she saw the bathing suit, she asked if she was going into the pool.  Oh my, was she excited!

After getting her all lathered up in sunblock, she played in her pool to her hearts content.  Brian and I sat on the porch and watched and talked... and my warrior killed at least twenty of the biggest horseflies I have ever seen.  We all had a great time.  Eventually our conversation turned to our grill and Brian's newly developing talent for grilling.  He started throwing out some ideas for lunch- hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken.  After going back and forth in his decision, he finally settled on chicken.   

Now the scene looked more like Addie happily playing in her pool, Brian standing at the grill cooking his chicken, and me watching my two loves.  Addie finally had enough of the pool and came out and sat in the big chairs with Mommy.  After the chicken was cooked and ready we traipsed back inside for a lunch of barbecue sauce covered grilled chicken and macaroni and cheese.

Addie was tuckered out by the time nap time rolled around and without a peep or question hopped right into bed, made her requests of where each stuffed animal be placed, and we did not hear from her again until her nap was over.

Staying home can be quite an adventure for you and your family.  And it is another little moment which lays the foundation for quality family time.