I Just Might Learn Something: Staycation Day Two

Big Brother has always slept with his bedroom door closed---he likes routine and so that's the way it has always been.  Whether due to the age of this house, paint, or [and] its hinges coming loose on occasion, he can't open this door without this harsh scraping sound.  This is the first morning Little Brother has been gone, and I didn't hear Big Brother open his door.  I ALWAYS hear him.


He first appeared at my bedside with crumbs on his face.  Later, I learned that he had finished off a can of his brother's [Gerber®] cheddar puffs in the kitchen before he came into our room this morning.  I was surprised to learn that how asleep/aware I am in the morning is directly related to my baby. He plays his own role in my daily routine.  We did manage to escape any accident, for which I'm extremely grateful.


Today, after a quick errand, we [my husband, Big Brother and I] visited Color Me Mine [a paint your own pottery studio].  My son likes to paint on paper, and I thought he'd love choosing and painting his own ceramic piece.  PERFECT staycation activity, right??  In reality, he was more excited about painting before we arrived.  I mean, he's 3.  After a few minutes of actually painting, he was finished. 

Improvise

  } Be willing to improvise, and remember to think happy thoughts.


***

Tonight, my sweet husband arranged for a babysitter and planned a fan.tastic night out for the two of us.  [A special Thank You to our adorable babysitter, who agreed to stay until 12:30 A.M. on a school night.]

If you live in the area, you MUST visit The Five Alls restaurant once.  Dinner is FIVE courses, and followed by dessert.  After 3 visits, it is still THE best meal I've ever had here in the city.  I love that their menu, with pricing, is available online which helps us budget for it.  In my humble opinion, it's worth every cent.    

Once you've been, if you've had a better experience elsewhere we hope you'll LEAVE A COMMENT with your recommendation! 

"...PACE THYSELF AND ENJOY."

Know that if you decide to catch a movie after dinner at The Five Alls [perhaps, The Avengers in 3D] the price of dinner really covers any movie snacks too, because you'll be so full you won't want any.

***

At the end of Day Two I was pleasantly surprised at how the 'usual' things:
} tidying the house
} quiet time
} playing in the backyard
} GROCERY SHOPPING, of all things 
} delivering dessert to a neighbor
} "dinner and a movie"
} snuggling in front of the TV
were what made our day great, more so than the one fun and unique activity I'd actually planned.  


DEFINITELY plan for one nice meal and some one-on-one time with your sweetheart.  Beyond that, the value in planning anything else isn't always the plan itself---but that the plan brought you and someone you love together.  


Goodnight Little Brother.

It's On: Staycation Day One

My boys are 3-years and 8-months old.  They do not observe any holiday or special occasion that merits extra sleep!  Weekends. Daylight Saving Time.  New Year's Day...  


...Day One of our staycation was no exception.  There's no appealing to their inner clock, but with my husband home for the day we just enjoyed lying there together [while THEY climbed all over us], instead of clinging so desperately to those last few minutes of sleep.

A much younger Big Brother.
Both of our boys LOVE peeking out of these blinds at the head of our bed,
and they climb all over us to get to them!

Watching Little Brother drive off with our friend J. tonight for a few days was momentarily unsettling, only because he's my baby. I'm with him most of the day, daily.  For the same reason, I'm also curious to see how we'll both do.  I know he's in great hands, and I am excited to spend a little one-on-one time with Big Brother.
   

An only child for 29 months, Big Brother has been a fantastic brother from the beginning.    He is kind to his little brother, and when he's not consoling his little brother himself he's waiting patiently for me to finish consoling him/feeding him/changing him...


After a fabulous dinner out [Thai food] with my husband and B.Brother, B.Brother and I took the stroller around the block in search of an ice cream truck!  We talked about his day, and when we failed to find the ice cream truck we came home and had an ice cream cone of our own in the backyard.  I LOVED spending this time with him.

As Day One draws to a close, I have this advice to share:


} "Update your Status."  Being home, and being "available" don't HAVE to go together. Decide in advance whether you'll be "available" or "unavailable" to all who know you [your employer, co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, and the like].

} Schedule that house cleaning!  It will be easy to slip into your daily routine, and spend more time than you intended making phone calls on an insurance claim [for example].  Let someone else worry about your chores, and spend the day how you want to spend it.  

How To Plan A STAYcation

This being the only weekend my handsome man will be home with us this month, for our upcoming 5th wedding anniversary we planned planned to plan a fantastic STAYCATION.  

I imagined it would go much like this:
After sleeping in, I'd wake up to a perfectly clean house...

...eat a delicious breakfast...
...get a 2-hour massage... 

...enjoy a relaxing bath...
{photo credit}

...wear something romantic...

 

...and find a pair of fantastic shoes to show off my perfectly manicured nails.  
{photo credit}


I'd schedule a massage and a shave for my husband...

Art Of Shaving

In the afternoon we'd try something new ... indoor rock climbing, indoor surfing, a sushi-making class ... and after a delicious dinner in the evening we'd catch an outdoor concert, a comedy show or a movie.  Of course, we'd always have the option of relaxing in a hot tub and then vegging out at home. 


{...location of said hot tub unknown}

Well, as you will find, this is a guide in planning a 
real-life staycation.  Dream big and read on.  We hope that you'll come away with a smile on your face and a few helpful tips for planning a wonderful staycation of your very own. 

Happy Thoughts

'tis the eve of our 5-year anniversary STAYcation and our 8-month-old is the one with a plan.  Our friends H, J and M are the best for inviting him to stay with them.  


Our 3-year-old will be here at home with us for the next 5 days! After 3 hours of shopping tonight, I also failed to find a gift for my husband.  I came home to him slouched in his office chair, staring blankly and uttering in a low voice something about how he's forgotten how to have fun.  When he mentioned needing ice cream I was in FULL SUPPORT of a late-night ice cream run! 


We learned that the following truth applies to planning a vacation, and to planning anything really:  planning, even far in advance, doesn't grant you immunity to anything.
}  your child-care arrangements can fall through
}  your spouse can be required to attend a work-related meeting last-minute...in CALIFORNIA
}  unexpected expenses can arise
}  you can catch a cold


An unexpected change can be difficult to accept without feeling angry, disappointed, hurt, offended...


...but even when another person's actions affect you, if there is one thing no one can take from you, it's how you respond to whatever happens to you.  Feeling these things doesn't improve the situation.  


In the end, you will have had a better experience if you fight to think happy thoughts.  


For me, spending some much-needed, one-on-one time with 
Big Brother is a happy thought:

Our 3-year-old, and "Big Brother" to our blog