The fake holiday*

Yesterday was Columbus Day. A day we celebrate in honor of Christopher Columbus for discovering the Americas. But did he really? We know the Vikings arrived in Canada much, much earlier. And of course, there's Amerigo Vespucci who is rumored to have hit the mainland a year or so before Columbus. Regardless of who hit it first? Was it really something that was undiscovered? I'm sure the Native Americans didn't think so.

But, because we need to give credit to someone, Columbus came out a winner. And so, the girls had a long weekend off of school. They got out early on Friday and headed back in this morning. At first, I was dreading the weekend. How could I keep them busy? How could I keep them quiet (while Husband slept)? How could I keep them entertained?

We ended up having a delightful weekend. The weather was great. Cool, crisp fall morning with comfortable afternoons. Friday, we headed out hiking with friends after school. It was great to be out in the woods on a beautiful fall days. But, since we had friends, it was more of a competition to see who could get down the trail the fastest. So we didn't get to really enjoy our surrounds. Still, it was peaceful.

Saturday dawned just as nice as the day before. We headed to the park in the morning for a bit. I was able to actually sit and read (!!!) while the girls played. They stayed in sight and kept checking back. There were no cries for help on the swings of monkey bars. The only complaint was from Einey - there were no kids her age there and she was bored. Couldn't I call one of her friends? She opted, instead, to grab a book and sat, curled up on a platform at the end of the monkey bars. I just shook my head and let her be. After all, who was I to tell her to put the book down and go play?

That evening, we headed back to the park. Again, I brought a book, but this time I didn't get to read it. They found a friend from school, so they were running all over the place. This little girl, is in the grade between Einey and Meenie, but as I've posted before, their school is so small, the kids have combined time together. And so, they were playing games. Hoping from one place to another. By the time we went home for the night, the girls were exhausted!

Sunday morning - another wonderful day. This time, we took the bikes and scooter to another park. We had to wait until after lunch, but it was again, relaxing. I sat in the grass and watched the girls go around and around on the track (I know, I should have been out there as well, but it was nice to just watch). From there, they joined another friend from school who showed up on the playground. We went home for a bit and then headed out to a friend's birthday party. It was an outdoor showing of "Alvin and the Chipmunk's". The kids had a blast playing and then sitting on a huge blanket with their friends. Of course, there was cake, ice cream and candy. What more could a kid ask for at 7 pm? But again, they were exhausted when we got home.

Monday, we again, packed up the bikes and scooters and headed back to the park for an actually planned play date with friends. We biked (alot) and then headed down on of the paths on foot to the giant rock (this thing is massive) in the middle of the woods, The kids went in and out, around and around and then headed back to the bikes. We rode some more and then went to the playground for awhile. When we got home, we started lunch. I got a phone call from a friend "what are you doing today, the natives are restless". So we made plans to head over and have dinner together and then let the kids watch a Halloween movie. I brought over Dora's Halloween and The Nightmare before Christmas (I know, not technically a Halloween movie). Jack Skelenton won out. I'd like to say that the kids settled down once the movie was in, but they didn't. But all was good. My friend and I sat and talked and the kids, well lets just say, the natives were restless. We went home a bit later, especially for bath night, but somehow, I got all three girls bathed, combed, teeth brushed and earrings changed (which can be a pain in itself) and in bed in a little over a half hour. And like the rest of the week, the feel asleep form exhaustion in minutes.

So, thanks to Columbus for a long weekend. The girls and I had a blast and it was the most relaxing time we've had in awhile. I've nearly forgotten what an empty schedule looks like and am looking forward to more "do nothing" days!

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P.S. I've caught up on my blog posts today, so be sure to scroll down to check out my latest posts. There are a few!