I adore weekends. I adore the week too for many
reasons-but there is something just awesome about a weekend to charge your
batteries and energize you around the people you love and get you back in the mental
place you need to be for another big
work week.
Both are needed to make the other special. Weekends are
special because the career week is so demanding and weeks are needed as given too
much time off with family or for hobbies it is not even a fraction as
appreciated.
I did not have a fabulous week. At all.
By Friday night I was burnt and was really contemplating
not even going to the cottage at our usual 9:30 pm (early as usually it is
11pm!). But Chase has a job and both he
and his parents have massive work ethic. We packed and went.
We stopped for a late dinner at McDonalds at 10:15 pm . The
five of us all exhausted and spent from our weeks and our day. And we had a
blast!!! We laughed soooo much and wrestled over Easter Egg McFlurries..Hubby
ended back in line three times to get more and everyone was looking at us wondering
if we were all drunk (we were not!) It was crazy and silly and fun and just
turned my mood right around. I just adore this family and the older they get
the more fun it becomes.
Over dinner we all had a long discussion about the fact
that Chase makes 11$ an hour and although
at the ski hill for 8 hrs often only has 1-3 hrs so work and so he can make as
little as 11 dollars or as much as 33$. And then he usually spends it right
after the hill on Tim Hortons or a sandwich or a poutine! The irony! He
admitted that he thinks in terms of hours worked now when he spends money vs in
terms of cash..it was fun to hear him articulate it like that. And then he said something that will stick
with me.
“Life
just have so many tasty things!”
Ain’t that true childJ
And I love the way you see it
And I adamantly agree.
So damn tasty life can be.
And this kid impresses me to no end. Second letter of
acceptance to CEGEP yesterday in his first choice programJ two down and one left to
go. And his grandma said she saw him in the village yesterday while he was
getting his haircut and she was at the depanneur and he ran to her and flung himself
in her arms and said “Didi!”. He is so loving. And then tonight after dinner he
has a party with the ski monitors and asked his Dad if they can stop and get a
couple of beers which is fine with us at 17.5 yrs. Then I heard him shuffling
in his room and came up with a knapsack and a little bashful and shy. I was
worried as why did he need a knapsack on his back without the beer yet in it?
What was in it? I asked him to show me as I had a horrible thought that maybe
he had drugs in his room or something!!! Had our lenience and coolness with
teens backfired?
And he opens his back with a shy grin and he says “I took
one of Dad’s non-alcoholic beers and ripped the part off that it says non-alcoholic…just
in case I feel pressured to drink more than 1 beer I will have it”.
God bless this child’s soul. What an amazing example for
his siblings. He is a star. And so smart and responsible and safe. I adore this
about him.
And our others two kids are adorable this weekend too.
Beauty with her huge social life and big bowls of popcorn and her big hugs and
questions about Bears break up with his adored girlfriend. Bear sleeping in
until 1pm today and him going and doing 4 hrs of homework without needing to be
even encouraged and his big funny grin and messy hair. All the little tickle
fights and silly jokes and laughing.
When it comes down to it-we just have a grand time
together (I would say a good 80% of the time) the other 20% not so much. But
this fun together makes me so so happy and proud and they all listen to us and
respect us and most of the time even agree with us and our point of view-it is
shocking to me. When they were little I always felt second best as a Mom-feel I
could do much better. But as a mom and dad of teens we really feel we have the right
formula going here-it is exactly (so
far) as we planned it out. It’s all paying off. More and more we are moving to
democracy and just figuring it all out together as we go along. And so far it
is working really well. I hope that stays. I hope that we will have the smooth
sailing with Bear and Beauty that we have had with Chase. It has been such a pleasure
(most days of the week with many off days). But in general will always look
back to his teen’s years with fondness. He graduates from high school in a few
months! Past 18 yrs old not much bad teen stuff can happen then right???? (or
am I wrong???) I guess my assumption is by that age they are adults and make
the decision that are right for them.
It gives me glimpses into the future and the time we will
spend with them as they are adults with their own lives. I am quite sure my instincts
are right and we will be a very close family both in an emotional sense and a
physical proximity sense. It just makes sense to me and I have the feeling to
them too. It seems to be what we all want and will aim for . We have the
cottage life to thank for this. I won’t sell the cottage unless wild horses
take it away. No way. It is the foundation of our couple and our family.
My career and demanding schedule have always allowed me
to feel so grateful for the shorter but really sweet times I have with my
family on the weekend. My career has always allowed me to feel blessed and
grateful for this time in a way I never felt on maternity leaves etc. when I
took it all so much for granted and the abundance of time with the kids did not
work with my instinct to want to work and have a career outside of my home.
My one hope will always remain to have this balance of
work and home in my life.
This formula we have worked so hard to build is magical
and feels so right and good for all of us.
Where the week is the week and for work. And weekends are
for us.
what I know for sure is that this is the kind of family that does best when we are all super busy and high achieving in the week and all look forward to that down time individually and together on the weekends.
I hope all my foundation is solid and strong and
trustworthy. I hope I can trust in it. I hope I can trust in the process.
