Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Adventure Saturdays, Mellow Sundays

Since spring of this year, my kids and I have done, what I like to call, "Adventure Saturdays".
These are Saturday only activities because my husband gets the car on Sundays (we only have one car) and serve several purposes.  First, they get me and the kids out of the house for several hours; second, this time gives my husband time to sleep since he works third shift (two kids + small apartment = not much sleep for daddy); third, these days are times for us to explore everything.

The places we've gone on these days include: Boston Museum of Science; our local Children's Science Museum; Two different zoos (a third one come this weekend); an Art Museum; Movies; an indoor playground; and visits to family.
Every single Saturday the kids and I take off for at least half the day and enjoy it.  These days create amazing opportunities for them to explore.  They are also a fantastic opportunity for us to bond.

This year, my son has developed a love of taking pictures.  He was so thrilled when I had photo albums made for him with the pictures he'd taken from one zoo trip.  You would have thought it was his birthday.
Generally speaking we spend between 2-3 hours at whatever place we go.  Sometimes it's more and sometimes it's less.  These days are always so much fun.  They are also very tiring.

Now, to introduce Sunday.  Sundays are our down days.  The kids and I kick back at home, play games, watch movies, and take walks to the park.  We may also get in some early morning grocery shopping.  Sundays are just as much about bonding as Saturdays - just in a different way.
On Sundays, my son helps me more with his sister, we fold laundry together, and learn the simple pleasure of being together without necessarily doing anything.

Sundays also teach me patience.  My son and I are enough alike that if we don't figure out how to manage each other now, his teenage years are going to be hell.  I have learned some of his triggers and how he pushes my buttons, just perfectly to annoy/frustrate me.  I am learning to mitigate the clashes we have and stop them in their tracks.  I will not proclaim to know all of it because as soon as I do, he'll find some new way to aggravate me.  So it is a work in progress and likely always will be.
Sundays we learn how we as a family work together and it gets better all the time.

Honestly, my favorite part of Sundays is when my son and I fold laundry together.  My daughter will play in her crib next to us and we will tell stories and sing songs.  Together we sort all the clothing then he folds the kid clothes and I fold everything else.  It is fun, goofy, and a little outrageous sometimes - we had the baby laughing so hard as I belted out "She'll be coming 'round the Mountain" and he was performing a wacky interpretive dance to it, by the end, we were all laughing.

I'll be honest, there are days when I just want to be alone and not worry about the little ones running around.  But I would never trade them for anything, the little moments and the big moments are all so awesome.