So, if I tell you I live in the Philly suburbs, you’ll probably figure that this post has got to be about snow, right? Because we were bombarded by a blizzard and blah blah blah we were snowed in all weekend.
And, because I know you’ve been reading my blog, you also realize were were snowed in sans-oven.
Finally, because you know me so well, you realize that I do my grocery shopping on Mondays. Not Fridays. No matter what kind of storm is coming. And, one more, that the house is cleaned every-other-Wednesday, period.
So, when 18 inches was dumped on us on Saturday, Whitney e-mailed asking about a snow playdate. Which, naturally, was at my house because we have the bigger and steeper hill and the playset with a slide which, we recently learned, creates a kick-butt sledding experinece.
They walked over in probably record time and Big and Middle joined them in the snow. The huz was stuck on a work call, the house was a mess, Little was asleep. So my few minutes of free time were not spent devoted to cleaning. Or attempting to fix an oven.
Instead I grabbed 2 boxes of Mac n Cheese and cooked them on our working stove. And when the kids came in, starving they ate and ran to the basement to play. Which left me to entertain Whitney and Hubby while Huz was still on the phone.
I opened the fridge. Empty. The pantry. Empty. The basement fridge. Beer. (Now, that was a good thing.) And in the freezer were about 4 boxes of frozen Texican finger foods, all needing the oven. Luckily, while I don’t do the grocery store on Fridays, I had run to Bed Bath and Beyond for Hot Chocolate K-cups and grabbed a convection/toaster oven at the same time. So in my tiny oven I heated mini chicken tacos, TJ’s chicken quesadillas, Taquitos and fish sticks. All afternoon.
The huz finally got off the phone, for a bit, and the adults enjoyed about an hour of buttery-nipple shots, beer, and toasted foods. In a messy house. With kids playing in the basement. And back out to the snow again. And back in again. And a messier house (not again. Still.)
And while our plans for a Christmas weekend with my mother-in-law and an 80th birthday party for my grandmother were scrapped, our unplanned events created one of our most relaxing (except for the work calls) and naturally fun Saturdays in months.
So what did I learn this week? That often the best Saturdays are spontaneous. No matter the mess. No matter the quality of the food. No matter the gifts and plans. Sometimes its better to just let life happen.
This post is in response to Jo-Lynne’s What I’ve Learned this Week Carnival. Thanks for inspiring me to write tonight, Jo-Lynne!
© 2009, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.
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Twitter: jolynnes
December 21, 2009 at 11:09 pm
That sounds like a blast. Can I be your neighbor?
We were snowed in too (WV) and we enjoyed some family time too! I love your blog design!!! =)
I dread spontaneous until it happens
Glad you had a good Saturday!
We never get enough snow to get snowed in!
I love those spontaneous gatherings, and it is amazing what you can find edible in a near-empty freezer when you are hungry
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