We’re on our own this weekend and I didn’t really make any plans at all. Yesterday was sunny and nice out, we had a nice park playdat with my cousin and I got to go out for dinner with a friend (thanks to a generous auntie happy to babysit!)
Then today it was dreary and drizzling all day long. I figured we’d poke around the house playing but then realized that’d make for a loooong day. And one nice thing about having my little guy all to myself with no plans is that I can just focus on him. I don’t try to also do chores, catch up on email or make a meal from scratch. We can just let the day unfold. Here’s how we enjoyed a rainy day this Saturday!
Step one – Wake up, eat breakfast and text a good friend and make last-minute plans. Spend the morning watching boys scrap and share, and trying to imagine how ten years ago, we were such different people. No kids, no responsibilities besides work and rent and having a good time.
Step two – Get the toddlers help make pizza for a cheesy and delicious little lunch. Sneak in some snuggle time with my friends sweet baby, and eat lunch.
Step three – Drive home and realize that despite the dreary weather, and the cozy blanket, a nap is not in the cards so watch a little Bob the Builder instead and have a bit of quiet playtime. Then crank up the Beach Boys and dance around his room, before a little indoor hockey session.
Step four – Decide it’s time to get some fresh air. Marvel at the fact that your two year old is for once happy to ride in the stroller for a good long walk (yay excercise for me, and for the dog!) before getting out and playing at the park. Put up our rain hoods at his insistence and take a quick selfie to send to Daddy.
Enjoy the fact that even though the slides and swings are dripping wet and the play structure is slippery, he’s easily entertained. Poking a stick in the ground to cover it with sand then calling it a candle, marching around the park singing Happy Birthday, gazing at a dragonfly, calling up a tree to a squirrel to entice it down to eat a pinecone – these are things that give me a peek into how his little brain works and makes me love how creative he’s becoming.
Step five – Gently haul the dog and child home after an hour and a half of running and playing and swinging. Throw them both into the bathtub for a hilarious washdown, leaving the tub full of grit and sand.
Step six – Eat leftovers for dinner. Make cookies together for dessert and watch a bit of a movie while enjoying warm cookies under a blanket on the couch. Head downstairs to throw in some laundry and laugh at your kid calling out, ‘Mommy! I coming to get you!’ but let him help put the clothes into the machine.
Step seven – Bedtime. Tell few stories, at his request – one about Daddy and Herman, one about the Batmobile (a new word of the day) and one about Batman’s cape. Then as he snoozes, take some time to write, reflect, and listen to the rain pattering on the windows outside before doing some folding and curling up with a book (and a couple more cookies).
So there you go – our seven steps of piecing together a rainy day and enjoying as much as we could. Still, I’m hoping for sun tomorrow!