Monday, December 06, 2004

A very social weekend

(This post is probably typed with sticky fingers, as my company's December "Gluttonfest" is underway. Every day someone brings in any manner of food item for us to gorge on. It's shameful really, but also really delicious. I have done well in avoiding giving into my baser instincts so far today. I hope to remain reasonable in my gluttony--even though that is a contradiction.)

This past weekend was an unusually social one for my family. Normally we go home on Friday, eat, get the kids to bed, Tegan and I watch some TV--usually ST: Enterprise, and then go sleep.
On Saturday's we slouch around in pajamas, watch cartoons, and try to clean parts of the house, begin the weekend's laundry, and (if the weather is nice) get outside and do something memorable and utterly fabulous with the kids.

(The intense desire to ACCOMPLISH great things with the kids is always strongest on weekends. This is a syndrome of modern parents that entrust their children to daycare during the week and might attempt to overcome residual guilt on weekends. Not that I feel guilty about using daycare, because I really don't. I think our kids are better socially adjusted and learn more due to daycare than they would if either Tegan or I were home with them.)

On Sunday, we go to church, continue cleaning, laundry, children activities, etc.

But THIS past weekend was a whole 'nother ballgame. Friday night we met up with another couple with kids Ariel and Ruth's age. We ate dinner out (yummy Greek food) and then went to see all the Christmas lights at the local zoo. The weather was not too cold and Ariel had fun. We got to be outside, get walking exercise, get in the holiday spirit, etc.

On Saturday, Tegan and I got to have fun. We joined up with other friends for a Christmas party and this time, we got a babysitter to look after the kids. THAT was a good time also and a nice opportunity to be adult (as best I can be sometimes) as opposed to being parents.

Yesterday we put some nice Christmas lights outside--no inflatable Santa's or mechanical reindeer--and successfully figured out how to set them up to timers that the previous owners left behind. Now we won't get glares from the other neighbors around us that had already lit up their houses.

(In another aside, we noticed that in our neighborhood there are definite "zones" of Christmas decorations. Some streets are almost completely--or at least half--lit, while some others are almost completely dark. Is that the Jewish part of our neighborhood?)

So, we had an enjoyable weekend, but last night as the kids' bedtimes approached, Tegan and I were both zombies, sitting down while the kids cavorted around us.

Being socially active can be rewarding, but it can also be exhausting.

2 comments:

lulu said...

Burb's comment about trying to accomplish something fabulous on the weekend hit a nerve. I had a lousy weekend because my expectations for such an event were casually and predictably stomped on by my husband. Grrrr!!!

My goal is to do one family thing per week. This family thing could happen after work, like when we went to see The Incredibles, but it usually happens on the weekend. It's usually nothing big. We go to COSI, we go to dinner, we go to the library, yadda yadda. Yesterday we were supposed to go to a holiday party thrown by the Jaycees and our county's childrens services org. Kev and Stevie were up for it so I RSVP'd to a few hours of bowling, pizza, and Santa. I also hoped to catch up with some of the other foster/adoptive families we've met. For a few hours of a Sunday afternoon, it was not a bad trade.

10 minutes before we needed to leave, Kevin still hadn't taken a shower. Stevie started flipping out because 1. he was tired and 2. he doesn't really care for Santa. I was sure he would be fine once we got rolling, and we would leave before Santa showed up with all of his menace and evil.

But Kevin (grrr!) used Stevie's reluctance as HIS excuse to flake out! Now, this has happened many, MANY times before, and we've talked again and again about how a once per week outing is just going to happen. Read Burb's day care explanation.) Also, I worked ALL DAY Saturday in anticipation of being able to hang out and do fun stuff with the boys on Sunday.

Instantly angry, I said "forget it, I'm going out" and left for 9 hours. I went shopping and to see a movie. I loved the movie, but I was sad and miserable the rest of the time. Not what I wanted to do, and I fear that The Resistance will continue. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

David said...

When you often say that Kevin doesn't want to leave the house, you aren't kidding, are you?

That's too bad, especially since no one should EVER pass up any opportunities to go bowling.

(And I hope that you can take Stevie to the zoo for the Christmas lights. Don't waste those tickets!)