Weekend Fun Recap: June 27–29

This weekend was packed with fun! I also had a lil meltdown over how packed it was—and how much of my to-do list fell to the wayside. But I remembered that I’m learning to have fun, tried to prioritize it, and overall enjoyed myself! My week and my time budget have started fresh, and nothing bad happened because I didn’t get to everything last week.

Summer Fun List Update

It’s time for a quick check-in on our summer fun lists! We spent more time at the pool, had playdates with our neighbor and friends from school, and saw both grandmothers, so the girls’ lists are progressing nicely. We still need to do a Sky Zone trip and have a game day to finish off their lists.

I have not gotten as far on my list, but we were busy having lots of other fun this week! My summer issue of Victoria magazine showed up, but I haven’t read it yet. I did FINALLY finish that darn tree in my  Spring Street puzzle, so I can move on to a summery option. (One piece is missing in the photo above because the toddler got to it.) I was going to do this Capeside Victorian next, but I might swap in this 500-piece Beside the Sea first. I need a quick win! My LEGO French Cafe is still in the box. And I always want to eat more ice cream! There is more fun to be had for sure!

Family Game Night

For family game night, my husband picked Muppet Clue, which we got him for Father’s Day. The board and characters were cute, and we were impressed by the little metal weapons, which were from a variety of Muppet shows and movies. The board includes some special cards and rules, but we skipped those for this first round. We appreciated that the board is designed with the rooms much closer together than in traditional Clue. This helped the gameplay go much faster!

Visiting GG

About once a month, we visit my husband’s grandmother, who lives about 20 minutes from us. We are so thankful that our kids get to spend so much time with their great-grandmother (GG, no frills)! My husband came up with the idea to gift her a calendar with our visit dates filled in (we adjust as needed since her social calendar is as full as ours!) for her birthday several years ago, and it’s been a hit repeat gift ever since. She always makes brownie sundaes for the kids, and they do a craft or play a game. This time, they played  Mancala and Trouble. The toddler enjoyed terrorizing the (very patient) cat.

Family Game Afternoon

We spent Saturday morning with GG, so I was ready to rock and roll on my to-do list in the afternoon. Then my kids asked if I wanted to play a game with them and Dad. Dad had already agreed to play Animated with them, a cooperative Disney-themed board game that I do really like.

I said yes. But I have to admit that this was a hard yes for me. This game takes a while (we spent about an hour and a half on it). It’s complex. And I didn’t have time for it in my schedule. But because I’m learning to have fun, I decided to go for it. And I did have fun, even though we lost. The game is visually impressive, and completing your movie board can be very satisfying for an Enneagram One. It’s also good practice for learning to work together! Our family tends to get laser-focused on our individual tasks, and we would have had better success if we’d worked as a team. If you like Pandemic, you’ll enjoy this much happier take on a cooperative game!

(Side note: Despite playing multiple games at GG’s and spending the afternoon playing Animated, middle kid said this did NOT count as a game day for her summer fun list. Expectations might be a little high…)

Family Movie Night

We may have opened a can of worms here. Because I tend to be a black-and-white thinker, once I know I’m not going to finish my to-do list for the day, I sometimes throw the whole thing out the window. It’s all or nothing, baby! So I decided to keep the fun vibes going and suggested a movie. I was really thinking this would be more of an “at-home date night” for my husband and I, but then he suggested that the girls might be old enough for Star Wars.

Nerd alert: I love Star Wars. So sharing this with them did sound fun! After a brief debate about movie order (we started with A New Hope, obviously), we piled onto the couch. The classic opening scene began: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….” “I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.” Pause. “STAR WARS!” Introduction scrolls by. Opening scene. “I DON’T YIKE IT I SCARED I WEADY TO GO TO BED!!!” Pause to put toddler to bed.

We finally got going. The girls loved it, despite finding it a little scary. They had lots of questions that we were only too happy to answer. We might have two Princess Leias for Halloween. The only problem? We let them stay up past 9 to finish the movie—something we’ve never done before. I have a feeling they’re going to want to do that again…  

Small Group Pool Party

Our beloved small group has an annual pool party, and Sunday was the day! I prepped 48 jalapeno popper deviled eggs, as described here, and we headed over for swimming, cookie cake, and world-famous homemade Heath Bar ice cream. The toddler was in peak toddler mode trying to keep up with the big kids. They are super sweet with him, but given the commotion and the proximity to water, my husband and I spent a lot of time chasing him and managing meltdowns. We had to make a rapid exit once we were past bedtime and knew we had hit the point of no return. Still, it was fun to be together and enjoy the pool, lovely garden, and delicious food! Their pool has a sun shelf, which I 10/10 recommend for trying to enjoy the pool with a toddler.

Reading Recap

I had a full schedule this week and knew I would need to make some cuts to my time budget somewhere. Choosing a much shorter book than I usually read definitely saved me some hours! I picked up The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I absolutely loved Kimmerer’s surprise hit Braiding Sweetgrass and was looking forward to picking up her latest release. It’s a short little gift book, clocking in at just 112 pages (many of which are pictures), about, appropriately enough, gifts and how various economic systems approach gifts and abundance. Kimmerer is a beautiful writer, gently challenging our ingrained paradigms with her wise perspective.

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How was your weekend? What do you do when you have to choose between fun and completing your to-do list? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!

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