Monday, June 7, 2010

F.U.N. Weekend

Well,... it came, it was fun while it lasted, but now it's over. We celebrated my birthday this weekend and it was jam-packed with fun activities.

On Saturday I was able to sneak away for a manicure and a pedicure. I took my mom along with me for some girl time. It's been SO long since my last pedicure, and I desperately needed it! And I cannot even tell you the last time I had a manicure. It was heaven!

I taught my monthly SNL class at Eclectica and then had a fun date with the hubby, which consisted of dinner and a movie. We went to see Robin Hood and really liked it! But then again, it is Russell Crowe we're talking about. And let's not forget the wonderful acting of Ms. Cate Blanchett.

On Sunday, we had the family over for grilled burgers and hot dogs. Scott surprised me by ordering a lovely and delicious cake from Karen, our wonderful cake maker (?). YUM!

We sang Happy Birthday and I opened gifts. I got lots of fun goodies, including books, jewelry, and some cute lights for our backyard. But my most favorite gift: Guess who's going to see Chicago, The Musical, in a few weeks!!! I tell ya, you gotta love a man who takes a hint (or a few,...verbal and written ☺) and runs with it.

Here is my favorite photo from yesterday afternoon:
Bwahahaha!
This boy of ours cracks me up! 
He was singing Happy Birthday after applying an ENTIRE jar 
of my hair gel to his hair, hence the crazy do!

And since I had such a great weekend, life decided to bring me right back to reality by having me serve my civic duty this week: Jury Duty! Ugh!

I know that many working mothers go through this crazy hectic morning routine every single weekday. They have to wake their kids up and get them dressed and ready and feed them breakfast and get them out the door and to their destination by a certain time so they themselves can get to where they need to be by a certain time.Well, this is where I tell you that my heart goes out to you. I've been there, done that. And I was not very good at juggling it all.

You see, I am not one of those mothers. I am a stay-at-home mama who likes to let her kids sleep until they wake up on their own and who likes our relaxing morning routine. I don't take my kids to child care. And our commutes are usually to fun places that don't have set start/end times, like the Zoo or the Botanic Gardens. So needless to say, this morning was a bit stressful for me.

But I did it. And I got the kids to their destination and I got to where I needed to be by 8:25am, with 5 minutes to spare. I then spent 6 1/2 hours sitting in a big, cold room, only to be told at 3:00pm to go home and come back again tomorrow for round two. Huh?

Needless to say, this is not the best use of my time. But I do have to admit one thing: when I finally stopped stressing over the whole thing and sat back in my not-so-comfortable chair to read, people watch, catch up on my blogs,  talk on the phone, etc, it was actually kind of nice. Especially since I didn't have to constantly worry about anyone's whereabouts, but myself. Suddenly, it was downright relaxing, if I may say so myself.

So, as much as tomorrow puts a bit of a strain on us yet again (although I don't have to be downtown until 9:30am), I'm kind of looking forward to a little more quiet time. Am I being selfish? I think not! I prefer to think of it as making the most out of a not-so-fun situation. Yeah, that sounds much better!

7 comments:

Krystle said...

Happy Belated Birthday Liz!! Dang I meant to come to the class this Saturday. I thought it was next Sat. Ah.

Michelle said...

Love the picture! Sounds like you had a wonderful birthday/weekend celebration!!

Anonymous said...

holy cow! Best face ever!
Amy :)

Quilly Nilly said...

Sounds like you had a fabulous birthday weekend, glad to hear it and who doesn't love Sam's new do - nice! Looking forward to this Saturday, see ya then.

Anonymous said...

Glad that you had a nice weekend... sounds like a divine one... I loved Robin Hood too... and well Russell Crowe wasn't bad to look at either ;P

I really hope you get to be done with jury duty soon. I can only imagine how stressful can it be.

Also as I was reading your description of how stressful working moms can get I thought... ummm sure hope she knows that is what is at the end of the line when kids start school. Even if you stay home you'll still have to wake them up and get them ready for school right? So enjoy it while it last!!!!
Angie

B said...

Happy Belated Birthday to you! It sure sounds like a great weekend!

I'm also glad you got a silver lining to your jury duty. Motherhood is hard. A little private time is not being selfish. I think it's survival. With a little "me time" you can continue to be the fabulous mother, fully charged and ready to go! I say take advantage of it. :)

Jessica said...

Boy.....I'm so happy I don't have a case pending in any court.......is this what jury duty is???? And all I have to do is, wake up early, get kids ready, leave them...and then RELAX.....wow I'm in!!!! LOL!!!!

I really like the comment of "B", and it is really right. I don't do "me time" and I really need it!!!


Anyway, I really hope you finish jury duty fast!!! My husband had jury duty and it was BAD!!! (I don't know if here in PR it's different, but it lasted for a couple of years - he would have to be callling to see if he had to go to court or not, and as I said, it lasted for a couple of years. I really hope ít's not like that over there.

Regardless of what we do, I don't think anybody enjoys jury duty.

So in the meantime, enjoy the "quiet time"

Love ya'