Saturday, for us, was that day.
The boy and I are remodeling a house to move in to once we’re married. We both have great houses, unfortunately, neither of us ever planned on having four children. Neither of our houses will fit all of us.
Our weekends are typically consumed with working on the house. Whether it be ripping out the bathroom or painting, most of our free time is spent there. The kids don’t mind going with us if they aren’t with their other parents or their grandparents as the house has three acres and woods and lots of things to do outside, but Saturday?
Saturday I made the suggestion to the boy that perhaps since it was the first weekend in quite some time that we had all four kids, and because it was the first day of ball practice for two of them, and because it was going to be absolutely gorgeous, that we skip working on the house…
…just for a day.
The boy didn’t have to think very long before he said, “Yes, we’re taking the day off.”
We donned the middle two in their ball gear, packed a lunch and headed to the ball field. While Thing 2 and I were at her practice (why yes, I am assisting with the coaching again this year) the others rode bikes, played on the play ground, and tossed the ball around. When we finished, we made lunch and played some more, having an hour and a half before Thing 3 was to take the field across the street.
And you know what?
We had fun.
We played on the swings…. (and when I say we, please note that I mean everyone but me…it’s my job to capture the memories)
And we had some friendly competition when we figured out that we could fling our shoes while swinging. The winner was the one whose shoe went the furthest.
It wasn’t just the kids who were playing as it didn’t take long for the boy to get in on the action.
When we got back to the boy’s house we were slightly pink and slightly tired. Actually, as I was making dinner, I noticed that we were down a child. It didn’t take long for me to follow the sound of snoring and find Thing 1 crashed in one of the younger kids’ rooms. He was plum tuckered out and slept right through dinner arising only to color Easter eggs later in the evening.
There were no complaints when bed time was announced, partly due to the fact that they were afraid the Easter Bunny wouldn’t come, but mostly because they were tired.
All in all, it was a good day. So many times we’re just too busy to stop and just play, but sometimes?
Sometimes, you just have to take a day off.
Those are the days your kids will always remember.
Life will be there tomorrow.
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Heather Jacobson is a mostly sane mom and future step-mom of four kids ranging from thirteen to five. A corporate, career gal by day, her passion lies in helping others achieve success beginning at home with her family. Read more about Heather at Desperately Seeking Sanity where she blogs about life or follow her on Twitter.
