Family Fun Day

Today was the first weekend day Justin, Robbie, and I have had at home without any plans (or obstacle courses) in almost a month. We didn't do anything too terribly exciting... I walked to Bagels By Us to get breakfast, only to find out when I took the first bite of my bacon, egg, and cheese croissant that it lacked bacon (the key ingredient in my opinion). While we were eating, Justin and I made a list of everything we had to do.

Laundry took up most of the day, since we hadn't really done it in three weeks. Not that we've been wearing dirty clothes for three weeks; I did laundry while I was in Kentucky, and Justin did enough to get by. But sheets and towels and the laundry we didn't take with us and the laundry that we accumulated over the past week... Well, it's twelve hours later, and we're still doing laundry. I think there's one load left. Surprisingly, it's also all put away.

It's nice to have someone to clean the house with, even though it's the most ordinary thing to do. It's a chance for us to turn up the music, get organized, and then enjoy the clean later. I'm currently sitting on a de-fuzzed couch with a twice Swiffered floor. I know the calm in the living room won't last longer than five minutes once Robbie is up in the morning, but it's nice to enjoy it while I can.

In the middle of our cleaning spree, we took a family trip to the mall. Poor Robbie. He looked at pots and pans (we finally settled on low-end Calphalon; much nicer than our Ikea pots and pans...). He toured the linens and pulled a bunch of napkins of the shelf while I looked at placemats. He got his animal cracker fingers on new clothes in the men's department. He patiently went into and out of waiting rooms. He picked out Halloween pajamas. And he (not-so-patiently) browsed through purses.

And then we came home. And the dog pulled the chicken off the counter and to the floor. Twice. And Robbie screamed his head off, hitting several new octaves. And I got frustrated. And Justin came to the rescue. And our family fun day became not so fun. But, eventually, I got the chicken cleaned up (and spitefully decided to throw it away instead of give it to the dog), Robbie stopped crying, and the laundry dwindled. Order has temporarily been restored. It's amazing how quickly that happens after Robbie falls asleep.

And so tomorrow I begin my last day of summer... Here's hoping there are no tantrums or ruined chickens to taint it.