I hope Mother’s Day was good for those celebrating it this weekend. Many years I produce some sort of think piece on Mother’s Day, but this year with the big kids homeschooling and the baby nursing pretty much every 3 hours around the clock (why? why? You weigh like 19 lbs – you don’t need to eat overnight!!) I have decided that Mother’s Day think pieces are not a current priority.
I did get the traditional breakfast in bed. My husband and the kids made French toast, eggs, and bacon, and then plated this with strawberries on a cookie sheet (we don’t own any fancy trays). They brought this with the coffee up to my bed, at which point five children climbed on me, nearly spilling the coffee. We took a quick picture (visit @lvanderkam on Instagram to see it) before my husband hustled the 5-year-old out of there. The 12-year-old held the baby while I ate the breakfast, which was nice. My gift: a Shutterfly mug made of pics from the baby photo session back in January. My husband also ordered four wine glasses with the kids’ photos on them, which I find hilarious. I imagine inviting some unsuspecting couple over for drinks and then foisting these glasses upon them.
I planned to go for a longer run, but I was quite tired (see the every 3 hours bit, above) so I wound up doing a trail 5k. I’d forgotten how nice a nearby trail is in late spring, and how I can do roughly three-quarters of the 5k on trails. The good thing about a 5k is that I can do them daily. I tend to run one of two loops on roads around the house, but the trail is much nicer. I just need to remember to head that direction. I marched the older kids out on part of the trail later for their daily constitutional. I had them all lined up behind me and as we stood on a side trail for a family of five to pass, they exclaimed “Oh my goodness, four on one! Three with two is so hard!” I made some general cheerful remark, feeling it wasn’t worth it to go into the detail that this wasn’t all my children.
I ordered Lego sets to do with the three older boys. My daughter just couldn’t decide on any Lego projects she wanted to do, so we talked about things we’d both enjoy and elected to purchase a dollhouse kit. Long time readers know that building a nice dollhouse and furnishing it has been on my List of 100 Dreams for a while. So we’ve at least taken the first step! I’m following a ton of miniatures accounts on Instagram, partly as a way to fill time I might have read headlines. The dollhouse is perhaps my Mother’s Day gift to myself.
Photo: I cross the creek on the rocks. Several of my children prefer to use the log. So far no one has fallen in, but give it time.
I love trail running. There is a real peace gliding through tall trees alongside a creek on a rocky path. I hit the trails yesterday with my kids and husband and we managed a solid 2 hours hiking before the complaints started (they are 4 and 2). The sunshine and fresh air never fails to boost our spirits. Sounds like you had a nice Mother’s Day despite the lack of sleep. Must be a growth spurt?
@Lori C- It was a nice mother’s day. And yes, constant growing. He is a tank!
We have discovered a nice little woodland nearby and I often walk there in the AM with my son. It’s amazing how much further he can manage on his balance bike. And then return in the evening with headphones for my own walk. It’s so much nicer to be on a trail rather than on the road. The funny thing is that I’ve been there in the before-times and found it too secluded to really feel comfortable, but now with lockdown, it’s much busier and feels safer.
@CBS – with you on the seclusion issue. I had stopped running on our nearby trails because of a slightly sketchy situation I encountered (long story) but they do feel much less secluded now with other people using them during the day. I take my phone and I tell people where I am going.
That is nice that you have trails so close to our house. That is something we do not have where we live, but we have great walking paths along a creek and are about 3/4 mile from a lake with a great walking/running path around it. So we are very very lucky to have the set up we do have. Walks in our neighborhood are saving my life these days, especially since our son is obsessed with ducks and we usually see some on our walks.
If you want some major dollhouse inspiration, you should check out the posts on dollhouses on Young House Love. Their son and daughter both have dollhouses and they helped them design them with wallpaper, tiny furniture, etc. They are AMAZING! But they also have done amazing renovations to houses so they have that inspiration to draw from!
@Lisa – ooh, I will have to check out Young House Love! I think this is going to be a fun hobby for me. And cheaper and less time consuming than decorating a real house.