With one parent down I’ve had double duty this weekend (but at least my mom’s still here)! So I had to combine the weekend’s posts into one.
Days 14-15:
Something(s) I'm Thankful For: A park a few blocks away that the kids love. We try to go there every week around the same time, and we usually bump into friends so it becomes a big impromptu play date! Also, I have pretty good luck with winning tickets given away from radio shows. Last month I won a 4-pack of tickets to the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival, an art fest I first attended during a weekend getaway with hubby for our first anniversary. Going to Laguna is a totally relaxing experience, and I was looking forward to bringing my mom and another dear friend for a one day escape, which would totally include a stop at the beach afterwards if we could squeeze it in. (For the record, we did!)
Challenge O' The Day/Weekend: Hubby ended up feeling sick all weekend, so he got lots of rest in and had to pass on the Laguna outing. On the positive side, it meant that my girlfriend was able to join us in one car for the Laguna drive, so it was a very fun girl’s day out (plus my son, of course!)
Lessons Learned: It would have been nice for hubby to have taken the kids for their first time to a location that we hold dear, but instead of focusing on how sad I’d be to be going without him, I focused on how fun the opportunity for a Girls’ Day Out trip would be! Also, when I realized the fest also takes place on weekends in November/December, I suggested to him that we go then, which seemed to have cheered him up! I’m already looking forward to going again with him and the kids in the fall, so that’s one event I have to look forward to already later in the year.
Oh, and when hubby was feeling well enough on Sunday he helped out a friend who was working at a local café. Hubby brought back extra pastries – lots and lots of them! Which I thought I would put in my “Something I’m Thankful For” section, until I ate too much and started feeling pretty sick. Oy, no more fried desserts for me for a while, thank you! So the lesson there is if your significant other brings home free boxes of doughnuts, churros, muffins, and other delectables, PACE YOURSELF!!!!
Daily Insight: Definitely another good day. The fest was harder for the kids, although a lady giving out animal balloons, a free booth to make your own clay bowl, and some ice cream for my older child definitely helped keep them satisfied. One thing I realized is that if I want to do something fun that the kids don't appreciate (such as actually get to see the artwork at the Festival booths), keep that activity to half a day and plan another activity for them to let loose and run around, without me having to shout "Don't touch that!" every few minutes. Definitely a successful day!