A Just Us 5 Weekend

Do you ever have those weekends that leave you thinking, “Well, that’s just what we needed?” That was our feeling last night as the weekend came to a close. It was relaxed in the not-too-relaxed way a weekend with kids can possibly be but it still felt peaceful and easy because it was just our family of 5 hanging out together with no place we really needed to be.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, we eased into the weekend with some weekend crafting. This past spring, I bought a few more crafty kits for the boys to supplement the loom bracelets they loved creating so much. We made a few things together as we ate buttered slices of freshly baked zucchini bread and I’m certain I enjoyed our craft time as much as they did!

There are certain kid activities I genuinely enjoy as an adult as well and coloring, making bracelets, puzzling, creating with melty beads and making fun key chains are a few of them. One big perk I never saw coming as a mom is the fact that some of the things I loved so much as a little girl would resurface in my life as an adult with my children and bring that joy back into my world again. It’s a small thing that serves as a reminder to seek out hobbies and activities you enjoy and try to find the time to squeeze them into your life if you can.

Rhett, Ryder and I continued with our keychain creations as Ryan and Chase spent some time cycling through swimming in the lake, a short bike ride and an even shorter run together. The children’s triathlon Chase is gearing up for takes place over Labor Day weekend and I can tell some nervous excitement is beginning to bubble up. Ryder is also participating in a kinder-tri but it’s much shorter and practicing doesn’t seem to concern him in the least. Ha!

Once Ryan and Chase were done with their triathlon practice, we rallied and made our way into the city to Discovery Place Science to check out their new dinosaur exhibition.

(Denim jacket: Anthropologie / Tee: Target (but old) / Cargo sweats: Target (but last year — these are nearly identical / Shoes: Nike) 

We easily spent two hours at Discovery Place Science as the kids had fun in the various exhibits and we meandered through the museum.

On our way home, we popped into the grocery store and then the boys were ready for some free playtime around the house. Ryan wanted to do some yardwork and I was itching to get Pepper out on a walk and was thrilled when a middle-of-the-day solo walk with Pepper happened! I listened to my latest audiobook and we walked for about an hour on some shady trails before making our way home and checking in with the boys. At this point we were all hot and sweaty from outside time and changed into our swimsuits for a late-afternoon swim in the lake. The lake water has cooled significantly since early July and it’s at that perfect not too cold but not gross-warm temperature. We floated and splashed for a while until our stomachs told us it was dinnertime.

We then headed inside for pizza and movie night and watched Hercules with the boys. Chase was super into it as his interest in Greek gods and goddesses is at an all-time high after reading the Percy Jackson series and thankfully the bad guy in the movie is more silly than scary so the movie went over well with our not-too-brave crew.

After move night, we read some books together and got the boys into bed before Ryan and I watched an episode of The Diplomat on Netflix. My parents encouraged us to give it a shot since it’s been a long time since we’ve had a show we’ve enjoyed watching together and now that we’re two episodes in, I’d say it’s pretty good so far!

Sunday

Sunday morning was another slow start to the day. Ryan and I both did a little work on our computers before the boys were up and then around 7:30 a.m. everyone was outside and batting practice began! (The boys love using this tee.)

Chase and Ryder are really into all things baseball at the moment after checking out five Ballpark Mysteries audiobook CDs at our local library. I actually recently ordered a cheap boombox on Amazon so they can play their own audiobook CDs from the library and they’ve been loving it so much! They easily flew through all five books last week as they played with magnetic tiles, built Lego creations, etc.

As the boys played, I took advantage of some occupied kids and did a little food prep.

I made a big batch of egg muffins, some energy bites and some protein waffles. I’m especially excited about the protein waffles as I did a little experimenting and they turned out so well! I’ll try to measure everything the next time I make them so I can share the recipe with you guys. They remind me a lot of my banana bread protein pancakes but in waffle form!

Eventually we made our way out the door to the late morning church service before heading home for lunch and some afternoon pool time.

Though I am excited about fall and all things cozy, I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet. We’d like some pool and lake time for a few more weeks, please!

We biked to and from our neighborhood pool and eventually made our way home right around dinnertime. We grilled out (more of our favorite Paleo chicken thighs) and got the boys in bed early so we could catch another episode of The Diplomat before reading before bed.

And now I need to sign off and get the boys rockin’. It’s a BIG day for Ryder as it’s his first official day of kindergarten. He is very ready. My mama heart is not. Wish us luck!!