We've been getting huge thunderstorms the past week. Our electricity even went out for an hour the other night. So when it cleared up last weekend we tried to make the most of it and went on a hike on a local, old closed road which was perfect for taking the kids as we could bring our stroller when they had had enough. In fact they both fell asleep on the walk back. We ate the sandwiches we packed at a picnic spot where we parked and then headed to our nearest lake where we swam and played in sand. Even though my Fourth of July wasn't the hotdog and apple pie eating, flag waving, firework display occasion I had envisioned, the weekend was even better than I could have hoped for.
On Saturday we managed to find a decent burger place - finally, we've been a little disappointed in the few places we've gone out to eat since we arrived. The kids sat well behaved waiting for, during and after their lunch without anything but a couple of pens and the back of a bill and an envelope to play with, well prepared Mommy... Don't tell him but my husband is always right. I pack a bag full of toys and there is a meltdown over one thing or another but keep it simple and... It was a really nice day without any drama from any of us prone to emotional ups and downs these days (myself included).
Yesterday we went to pick up most of the rest of the furniture that my parents have given us. I feel really blessed and like an adult now. It will be hard to bring any particle wood furniture into the house when it has to compete with some of the lovely pieces of real furniture we were given. I'm not even sure we are grown up enough to have them, but I will try. It was also so nice to be able to see my family just for a few hours (my niece and nephew were staying with my parents for the week) but know I'll see them again soon. And having pieces of furniture in our house from my childhood is like having members of my family come to stay. I woke up looking at a bureau that used to be in my parents bedroom and another which was in my grandmother's bedroom in Vermont and I couldn't help but smile. These are some of my family's heirlooms and I feel privileged that they are now ours.
On Saturday we managed to find a decent burger place - finally, we've been a little disappointed in the few places we've gone out to eat since we arrived. The kids sat well behaved waiting for, during and after their lunch without anything but a couple of pens and the back of a bill and an envelope to play with, well prepared Mommy... Don't tell him but my husband is always right. I pack a bag full of toys and there is a meltdown over one thing or another but keep it simple and... It was a really nice day without any drama from any of us prone to emotional ups and downs these days (myself included).
Yesterday we went to pick up most of the rest of the furniture that my parents have given us. I feel really blessed and like an adult now. It will be hard to bring any particle wood furniture into the house when it has to compete with some of the lovely pieces of real furniture we were given. I'm not even sure we are grown up enough to have them, but I will try. It was also so nice to be able to see my family just for a few hours (my niece and nephew were staying with my parents for the week) but know I'll see them again soon. And having pieces of furniture in our house from my childhood is like having members of my family come to stay. I woke up looking at a bureau that used to be in my parents bedroom and another which was in my grandmother's bedroom in Vermont and I couldn't help but smile. These are some of my family's heirlooms and I feel privileged that they are now ours.
