I love weekends. It’s not every Sunday night where I can wax enthusiastically about the weekend (usually it’s just too busy), but today is definitely one of those I-so-wish-the-weekend-wasn’t-over days.
We left most of the weekend wide open for family time. We scaled down our commitments, saying yes to only one kid’s birthday party, one dance class, church, and Sunday school. My daughter and I baked brownies. We finally screened “Return of the Jedi” for the kids, a rite of passage that is absolutely one of the fun parts of parenting. We ordered take out pizza and let the kids have a picnic in front of the television—on a towel, of course, though that did not dissuade them from jumping up and down on their pizza doing the big scenes between Luke, Darth Vader, and the Emperor. We read more of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” saying goodbye to Violet Beauregarde and the gum behind her left ear.
We took pictures for our holiday card. This one didn’t make the cut.
We also made some progress on our long list of to dos in anticipation of the arrival of out-of-town family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday. My husband finished a yeoman’s task of clearing the ridiculous amount of leaves from our yard. The kids identified two bags of toys they’ve outgrown, getting them ready to donate. We turned a messy closet into usable storage (more on that to follow) for an ever-expanding Lego collection, finding 20 deodorants, six bottles of half-used suntan lotion, and four sleeping bags (all of which now have a new place in our house). Call me crazy, but spending some time organizing my home helps me feel I might just have everything under control
We continued the getting-ready-for-the-holidays theme by having a babysitter come by this afternoon to spend time with the kids while my husband and I tackled our basement, which had been overrun by sports equipment, toys, and the assorted detritus that seems to migrate to basements. I donated a truck full of toys at a Cradles for Crayons drop-off location. I pulled together a bag of clothes for Goodwill, including coats we no longer wear. We threw away three bags of trash.
I went for a run, and the kids played outside. We held onto autumn for a bit longer.
I also got in some reading time this weekend, and here are few pieces to share:
- For the Outlander fans out there: Highlight and Lowlight of Jamie Fraser’s Hair
- For the romantics: Rules of Engagement and Agreeing on the Really Big Stuff, Like the Proposal (I love this proposal story!)
- For those seeking a way forward: A Whisper or A Scream
- For those looking to help others this holiday season: Food Pantries – What to Give
- For those of us who remember: A Childhood Without Waiting
Wishing you a week of family, friends, and lots of pie!
Ugh, I need holiday card pictures. Can’t not send a card when your husband works at Vistaprint! Glad you had a good weekend!
that sounds like a great weekend and reminds me some things we need to do around our home! I did however enlist the help of my husband on my birthday to do some house things! We hung our curtains in the living room that had been part of our other house. And new sheers in a fun color, lime, in our bedroom first around the french doors and when I get the right rod sizes (what we had from our other house doesn’t fit) around our windows! Here it is more than a year later and still we are settling in!