We headed in to Family Day weekend 2018 with much less extravagant plans than last year's ski trip to Banff. We hardly had any plans at all, actually, besides tickets to the lacrosse game Friday night. Monday was a stat holiday for me so I booked Friday off, since Matthew was home, so we could enjoy a little added family time.

​I still woke up early that day to enjoy some me time. I did a meditation and snapped the Instagram story photo above cozied up by the fire reading... about 5 minutes before the girlies joined me. It was still a much slower pace than normal starting with snuggles in our pyjamas. Even though I am home with them, working my daycare, I look forward to the days of being "off" with them again... Later we made a family event of going to the dog park. Which rarely happens. It had finally warmed up around (enough) around here to enjoy some fresh air so it was nice to get out! and all together!
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​Saturday morning was a nice break from the usual rush off to ballet and gymnastics. We hung out at home on the snowy day... By the afternoon we were itching to get out and about and made the last minute decision to go to a movie. It "flowed" great for deciding just over an hour before showtime. (And if you know me, I love when plans flow...) We went to see Peter Rabbit which we all laughed at and enjoyed! The girls have only been to one other movie in theatres so they were excited! Not to mention happy about more treats coming their way again ;)

​After the show, not ready to head home, we went next door to Chapters. The perfect place to stroll around on a snowy day, if you ask me. The girls chose a new princess treasury storybook, Matthew picked up a novel for work and I eyed up all the adorable baby goodies. For having no plans, the day turned out pretty great!
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​Sunday was another slow one. I have no pictures from that day to remind my "mommy brain" of what we did. We hung out more and Matthew spent some one on one time with the girls. They did a workout together and went shopping. This gave me some extra relax time and a chance to work on my new vlog. Have you watched it yet? See this post :)

​Monday morning was for girl time! Daddy slept in after a late night hockey game. After lunch we headed downtown to Eau Claire to take in free Family Day festivities. (And this would be our example of plans that did not "flow"...) I guess tons of other families were seeking entertainment inside from the cold. The place was packed and lineups for any sort of activity were ridiculously long. After looping around, grabbing a coffee (which even that was disappointing) we left feeling like we should have chosen something else for the day.

​Determined to make the best of it, and do something more than hanging at home, we decided to brave the cold and head to the lake for a skate. It had warmed up just enough for a little outside time but was still freezing and short lived. Nevertheless, it was better than earlier, and seeing the girls skating at sunset with their dad made my heart happy! It's been such a special thing for them to do together this year.

​It was a great ending to a slow weekend that reminds us of what matters most -- time together. Exactly what Family Day is all about!
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Coming at ya with another weekend recap... a month after my last post because time is just flying!

​Last weekend was oh so good! The perfect mix of busy and relaxing, which I'm sure I have written about before because it's my favourite. I'm talking about the kind of 'busy' that is doing lot's of things that you actually want to do, and all of them flowing along nicely. Not the too much, "shoulds" and unlikeable busy things. And mixed in is the relaxing down time. The flow between the busy, of simply slowing down, enjoying company and not rushing anything. Aw, dreamy, right?

​On Friday morning, we got on the ball early with a hair appointment for miss Autumn. Girlie can see again! We had her bangs trimmed before Christmas holidays but she was looking like Cousin It prior to here hair cut. This got us out the door at a decent hour so we could enjoy a morning out!

​We headed to the Calgary Farmer's Market next. It had been a while since we had been there. They host lot's of fun holiday events, that are free, so it was a great way to enjoy St. Patrick's Day with the girls. There was a photo booth, craft table and live Irish performances. The girls enjoyed playing, listening to music and eating out for lunch. We left just in time for naptime, with full tummies and in the green spirit!
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​​Later that evening Matthew and I headed out for some adult only shamrock shenanigans. We had planned to meet friends at a pub downtown but knowing line ups were huge, and after hearing it wasn't that great anyway, we lined up at the Rose and Crown instead. It was close to our buddy's place in case we wanted to join some friends after all. It took us over a half hour to get in, making us extra hungry and thirsty ;) We managed to find a corner of a table upstairs to enjoy some beers and pub food. After eating, we went downstairs to change up the scenery. We ended up running in the a buddy from home and joining his table of friends! Running in to people is what I miss most about living/going out home in Newfoundland. Although, surprisingly enough, it still happens here in a huge city! It kind of made our night to find some familiar faces and carry on the shenanigans... Until I carried on a little too much, literally turned green and couldn't keep my eyes open, ha ;P And then it was time to go home and rest during the calm before the storm of hangovers with kids...
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​We had a lazy Saturday morning, which I did my best to give myself grace (for the night before) and enjoy. It was a beautiful day though, so I couldn't let the day pass, staying inside. Late afternoon we headed out for a family walk to a playground a few blocks away. Halle's first big bike ride to the park of the year! Yay, for signs of Spring! It was a sweet, simple family moment - the best kinds.

​The fresh air had me feeling better and more energised. That night a friend and I went to the late showing of Beauty and the Beast. It just came out and was a great way to have a little birthday 'me' time. I loved it and have been singing the songs all week (... along with Moana.)

​Sunday was my actual birthday! (And my sisters by the way - Happy birthday, Leah! xo) We woke up, got ready and were out the door on our way downtown for breakfast. We wanted to check out OEB which we had never been to before and heard great things about! The night before my friend told me about the 'list' I guess they use to reserve your spot instead of making a reservation, since it's a breakfast place, but we decided to wing it anyway... We showed up, not on the list, and the host told us it was a two hour wait! Thankfully, that Paddy's day luck was on our side ;) and they happened to have four bar seats along the window ledge that don't count as tables or held spots. We took it and got in right away! Halle ate a waffle the size of her and we all really enjoyed our food and the service.
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​Next up, we headed to a Nellie Breen park since we were not far from the Inglewood hood, which I just love because it reminds me of home. Also, I love playgrounds just as much as the kids, so of course I would want to do that on my birthday. In fact, it's probably the best thing you could do to not feel older on your birthday ;) Although, I kind of like getting older... hmm wiser... ok roll your eyes and ask me this in a couple years...

​Once again, we headed home in time for Autumn's nap and spent the rest of the day there. Matthew cooked Jiggs dinner. It had been a while and was requested by Halle, and never turned down for me. So, it being Sunday and my birthday seemed like the perfect day to have it. We finished off with ice cream cake for dessert. (The girls licked their plates.)

​We FaceTimed our families, which is the next best thing to them actually being here to celebrate.

​Then the busy and relaxing holiday weekend was done and I went to bed happy and grateful and wee bit older.
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