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.  

Fill This Month With Love, For Free

As January comes to an end, the approaching tax season + a very small end-of-the-month paycheck has challenged me to find inexpensive ways to celebrate the month of love.  I am actually grateful for the challenge.  "Seasonal" aisles turned from  

red & green

to

red & pink weeks ago,

and my mind automatically went to, "What am I going to do?  How am I going to decorate?  What am I going to give?  What about a Valentine's party?"  I imagined going through a checkout with all of the items I'd need, and realized that I could easily spend all of my money on this holiday.  It felt like Christmas, in February.  As much as I would like to support local businesses this month, with no budget I was forced to shift my thinking away from what I'd buy and toward how I could celebrate the month for free.  

I declare that it is possible to fill this month with love and lasting memories, for free, with  

Love Notes.

Hide them, or leave them out in the open.

materials:

anything to write with

+

anything to write on

mirrors
{look what katie found}

acorns
{blue purple and scarlett}

toilet paper (OR paper towels, coffee sleeves...)
{jumbo coffee morning}

napkins (OR tissue...)
{see this incredible post at just something I made}

rocks
{blue purple and scarlett}

Hidden Hearts.

Don't point them out.  Just let your loved ones find them.

materials:

an eye for everything heart-shaped

Heart Origami

Try folding a grocery ad into a heart.

I wonder if I could fold one of my husband's shirts into a heart...

In books
{vintage french hen}

In toys
{lego}

On the way to the car, OR near the front door
{the paper butterfly}

{this would be sweet on someone's pillow}

When It Comes To Food

Any food made from batter---pancakes---can be shaped like a heart.

You can cut your food into the shape of a heart---cheese, bread...

OR

You can arrange the food in the shape of a heart---spaghetti noodles, vegetables on a plate... 

Random Acts of Kindness.

All you need is a recipient.  You can do something kind for someone as you go about your own day.
print yourself a reminder:

{courtesy of twiddler house}

{courtesy of photography by amber}

an idea list can be simple:

{spread kindness}

Find or Share Ideas

HERE , courtesy of SpreadKindness.org

+

HERE, courtesy of RandomActsOfKindness.org

More ideas to come!

A.