The Elements That Make For (An Unexpectedly) Great Sunday With Young Kids.
On Friday evening, upon asking Brian to snap a photo of me in this Anthropologie dress (that I am IN LOVE with!), Alexa stepped in as art director and demanded I do this pose. I humored her in the moment- but looking back, I owe her a thank you because, other than a shot of my girls at their recital (which I feel funny using as a header image), not sure what pictures I have in my camera roll to accompany this post.
Some Sundays aren’t. We wake up cranky (and, yes, often slightly hungover), the girls get up too early and we give them iPads in hope that we can get an extra hour of sleep (then the drama to take away said iPads later ensues), we can’t agree on plans. nobody wants to get out of the house at the same time, the weather stinks, and the countdown to bedtime starts before breakfast is even on the table.
But this past Sunday was simple, and really good.
Most likely, much of this can be attributed to Saturday night. By 8:30pm, all 4 of us were on the couch watching “Adventures in Babysitting” (the original, and note- despite what Brian thought he remembered going into it- I don’t think it to be very appropriate for a 4 and 8 year old, but, you do you…), eating popcorn, and dozing off (I went first, then Lex, only Goldie and Brian were left watching the ending credits). Most Saturday nights, Brian and I go out (sometimes with the kids, sometimes not), and whether we intend to or not, we stay out late, have a few (or many- usually many) cocktails, and pay the price come Sunday morning. But this Saturday night was strictly PG (except for the movie, which I swear must be PG-13).
Anyway- this past Sunday morning the girls slept until 9, and Brian and I sprang out of bed before 8 (sprang may be pushing it, but at least we didn’t roll out and land with a thud on the floor). We enjoyed a lazy few hours in our pjs, then got a surprise visit from my best friend/next door neighbor/person who gave birth to Alexa and Goldie’s best friends, Miryha. The kids played, we sat out in the backyard and caught up on life, then Miryha and Brian offered to take the kids to lunch so I could work out (currently obsessed with Obé , post coming soon with more info but basically 28 minute live stream workouts). I did a killer cardio HIIT class, followed by a sculpt class, and, well, working out on Sunday doesn’t happen often for me, but when it does, everything is better.
With time to spare, I even packed up the girls costumes, snacks and water bottles for their dance recital (usually I am a frazzled mess running out the door screaming upon realizing I forgot the sequin scrunchie or something, and subsequently everyone is on edge).
The afternoon found us in a middle school auditorium, watching Lex and Goldie perform in their hip hop dance recital, and I swear, their dances combined may have been 4 of the best minutes of my life so far. ADORABLE! I never thought watching someone else do something could make a person so happy they were about to burst, but alas, I wasn’t clued in on the details of little girls, moms, and hip hop dance recitals.
Beaming with pride, and double fisting cupcakes, the girls chose Sakura (our local Japanese/Hibachi spot that is basically a birthday right of passage for any kid who has grown up in Westport since as long as I can remember) for dinner. Upon arriving, we happened to spot two of our closest family friends eating together. Even though Brian and I thought we wanted a quiet family dinner, the truth is, watching our girls and their girls excitedly form a kids table was pretty sweet. It also meant enough room at the adult table for us to pull up chairs, sip Sake and talk about things other than which dance did we like best/which costume was cutest/when is the next recital….
Home by 8, showered (not sure if soap was involved, but whatevs) by 8:15, and, thanks to Brian, by 8:30, I was in bed clutching my iPhone watching videos of Lex and Goldie’s dance numbers over and over (and over!). I even had time to do a face mask (currently obsessed with THIS- slather it on for 20 minutes and the glow is immediate and noticeable) AND test out these new ColorScience Hydrating Eye Treatment Masks while he took on the role of ringleader in the Sunday night bedtime circus. SCORE!
A combo of a good nights’ sleep, a sweaty cardio session, spontaneous catch ups with wonderful friends, and watching my girls do what they love on stage made for that perfectly-unplanned-yet-just-busy-enough day that I want to remember always. (Hence, recording it here- hope you enjoy reading these little diversions into my personal life as much as I enjoy writing them…)
xx-JF