Family Time

This weekend has been great. I've woken up happy both mornings (rare for me unfortunately), baked a TON, and gotten most things around the house taken care of with some time to relax on the side.

This morning we went to the Garfield Conservatory as a family. Not a big outing by any means, but an outing all the same. It took Ian a solid hour of convincing to get me to go. I surprise myself sometimes by how reclusive I can get, especially in the winter.

I see the weekends as "get things done" time and Ian sees them as "do stuff as a family" time. Somehow in my world I am convinced that we can't do both, the two can't coexist. Ian is out to prove me wrong and this morning he did.

While he watched Ainsley and Louise napped I washed two more loads of laundry (Ainsley had her first accident in bed this morning and was VERY upset about it, we've since recovered), cleaned the upstairs bathroom and put away the 4 loads of laundry that I did on Friday. After getting up with the girls at 6:15 and simultaneously finishing the orange rolls I made last night (turned out ok, not as orange-y as I would have liked) I was TIRED! I was kind of looking forward to just hanging out while Ian took Ainsley to the conservatory. I could have cleaned the powder room without Ainsley underfoot and then done an exercise tape in the peace and quiet.

But when Ian pleaded with those wise steel blue eyes I had to cave. He's right. (I know, right?) Family time should trump just about anything. When I look back at our daughters' young days I won't (hopefully) dwell on the weekend mornings spent cleaning and organizing, but cherish our family time. Dance parties every weekday night and short walks outside are fun, but going someplace, even close and for a short time, is a good thing.

I am of course glad that I went. It was fun to have Louise in the front pack and get to hold her hands while Ian chased after Ainsley. Louise loved the light, the warm tropical feel of the air, and touching every leaf and mossy stone she could get her chubby little hands on. It was fun to see how Ian and Ainsley spend quality time.

I told Ian just to give me more of a heads up next time so I won't come home to overly cooked bread in the bread maker (it collapsed anyways, so I guess it didn't matter). In any case, it was totally worth it.