What a manic weekend! We picked the grandchildren up from school on Friday, to spend the weekend with us, and I am now enjoying the peace and quiet again! I think it’s easy to forget how much effort it takes to keep 3 young girls in check, entertained, fed and watered for 2 days.
I was so grateful that my Daughter (Cloe) decided to come home, see the kids and help out, otherwise I think I might have lost my marbles. The Friday afternoon / evening was easy with games of Mexican Train and Monopoly engaging them, but it was a struggle to get them to sleep!
Saturday was planned with pancakes for breakfast and then a trip to the local pool for a ‘Wet and Wacky” session. Cloe then went shopping with them and gave me 3 hours back, to watch some football, do some housework and plan the evening / next day.
Sunday was easy because we just went out for breakfast and then followed this with a ‘free’ walk along the beach with some ‘not so cheap’ ice creams thrown in for good measure. The kids enjoyed getting wet and sandy, the weather was perfect for a walk and we even took the dog along so he got some exercise too.
I dropped the kids back home and then enjoyed the journey home, choosing my own music, again, and even having bouts of silence to give me time to reflect, relax and decompress 🤣. I can imagine the kids slept well, after 2 late nights, and I certainly slept well, after a more energetic (in a different way) weekend than normal.
It was a fun weekend that reminded me how great the family is and how much I appreciate everyone. We did have to prioritise some activities over others, to try and keep everyone happy, which did take some negotiation and, at times, some bribes. As you can imagine, there were moans and strops at some points, because you can’t always please everyone, but on the whole it was painless. (Thanks Cloe ❤️)
Now things are back to normal and, I have my routine back in place, I will go to the gym, get on with some work, do some housework, read some of a new book and then, at 4:30pm, drive my Son to pick up a new car. Back in control again and it feels nice!
I hope, that when my family look back on their childhood experiences, they are filled with great memories. The walks along the beach, after moaning about having to go, the support and love, the effort to please and entertain, the conversations in the car and the fun and games in the evenings. It is hard work making things look easy!
How was your weekend? Were you busy doing your ‘stuff’ of being involved with ‘stuff’ for everyone else, getting pulled in all directions?