Back north. Home.

 

A weekend away…

Our wee foursome is home from a weekend getaway that was unimaginably fantastic.  Last Friday, I took the day off and we packed up and headed out to Fargo for the weekend with my BIL (Blaine) & SIL (Lis) & Maddie Dawg (his new nick name) and my sis (Jay) and BIL (B-Rad).  We checked in poolside to The Holiday Inn and vegged out (as much as is possible with little ones). 

Truth be told, I loved every minute of it.  And in my new quest to be introspective, I found myself challenged and looking inward at many times…

1.    Staying in a hotel with children is defying all rules on good hygiene.   Initially I was beside myself with anxious thoughts of all the G-E-R-M-S in our presence.   Germs in the pool, germs on the carpet, germs on the remote, germs… you get the picture.  I knew that in order for us all to enjoy ourselves, I simply had to LET GO.  And although it was NOT easy, I did. 

2.    We took the boys everywhere we went (minus a 2 hour girls power shop).  We took the boys to Tar-gey (as Mollie calls it).  We took the boys to Kohls, to Scheels and to Hornbachers.  We took the boys out for breakfast, lunch and even dinner at a steakhouse.  We rode the ferris wheel twice and dispersed intermittent candies and throughout it all, the 3 kids were unbelievable.  For me, that was really confronting the unknown and watching as we pushed the line a little further and our boys, including Maddie Dawg, stepped up to our challenge.  Honestly, I used to think so much about what-ifs when it came to taking kids out.  These days, I am embracing our family, coaching my boys on appropriate social behaviors and loving every minute that they spend carving out their personalities.

3.    I got new boobs, not IMPLANTS (although I could easily see why one might ask).  New purple BOMBSHELL boobs.  Yes, I invested heavily in ME!  I spent big time and money lifting my spirits (and boobs) at Victoria Secret.  As soon as I entered the store, I walked up the first sales clerk I could find and blurted out, “These are not my original boobs, those ones are LONG gone.  I donated my curves to my family and now I am looking for a remake in a natural kind of way.  The staff was AWESOME and so are my new girls.

4.    Jay.  I really related to Kath’s post about how much she loves her sister.  I feel the same way about mine, although I am much more fortunate that we three live in the same city.  Crys and I love about 1 kilometer apart.  Jay and I live about 25 kilometers apart WHICH I GET IS NOT FAR.  What it is however though is more planned.  Years ago we walked together, we had breakfasts together, we popped in to one another’s house several times a week.  This past weekend was a chance for us to really catch up, to have a few drinks, to laugh, to swap make up tips and for me it was a chance to be so grateful for my sis.  She really went out of her way to help me with the boys and to accommodate my schedule.  Jay – I *heart* you.

5.    The US really knows how to do it up.  I am always astounded at how grandiose everything is south of the border.  They have everything a young boy could imagine to transform himself into a car or a superhero.  Many times throughout the weekend G would shriek, “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.  I love it.  What is it?”.  And yet, the irony for me is that I couldn’t find a recycling outlet anywhere.   Great to go on vacation, better to be Canadian.

6.    My SIL Lis.  Each summer, Lisa Parnell and I spend hours at the cottage blabbing about every detail of our lives, our thoughts, our opinions.  With the weather what it was, we saw one another less and I really missed her laisse faire attitude.   Very little ruffles Miss Lisa.  I found myself thinking about how unselfish and relaxed she is as a momma.  Many times throughout the weekend, our room was instantaneously a wrestling ring.  Wee boys in diapees and gotchies squared off to wrestle with their dad/uncle.  They knocked over the alarm clock, stepped in potato chips all the while, laughing hysterically.  I loved watching it unfold but would have preferred them trashing Lis’s room.  Lol.  .

7.    Lastly, if my think tank wasn’t already full, Saturday as I snuggled in to bed, I thought to myself how much fun we already had had.  In a 2 night time frame, my hubby and I barely touched, but our boys were more than prepared to take advantage of the fact that our beds were within feet of theirs.  Every time I rolled over, I faced a new little one switching beds and spots.  Sweet dreams were not in the cards for us, but that was worth the trade off for family fun.

 

 OK – Here’s my push… what are you trading off?

 

Comments

[Judy Hollingsworth]

Glad you had a great time and were able to let go in one of those bacteria filled hotel rooms. I also agree and would trade a roll in the hay any day for precious moments spent with kids and family. With you being out of town and no blog to read first thing in the morning, I had to challenge myself further to stay on track without you there to push me and I thank you for those days.

[Krista]

Sounds like you had a ton of fun!

I'm on week number 4 of being back at work from maternity leave and I have traded off my old pressing snooze until the last second habit for waking up an hour earlier than required to have me-time while the kidlets and hubs are still sleeping. I spend that time reading blogs ;) with a giant cuppa joe! To my absolute surprise it has been easy to wake up as I look forward to my hour of silence before the madness that soon begins...

[Scheels]

Thanks for adding a stop at Scheels as a part of your trip! Stories like this is totally what we have in mind when we build our stores. We love when our customers can go shopping and make a memory at the same time. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!