Summer Picnic

I was talking to CH the other day and she made a great point. She said that after all this time of attending to everyone else’s needs and ignoring her own, she thought it wasn’t unreasonable to think of her own needs now and then. I say “amen” to that.

Of course, what sounds good in theory often falls on its face in reality. Case in point, the other night we had two options to go out in the afternoon, and all I wanted to do was sit back at home and relax, if such a thing exists. The day before we had to do hockey, shoppping for market, and karate. The next day, the kids wanted to go to the summer library picnic and then the potluck supper at our friend JM’s house. I told them we couldn’t do both, though I was thinking we would do both. I even bought tomatoes to make salsa, but then R and I talked it over and decided we needed to get home early so N could some sleep for hockey. So, I told them we could only do one of them.

They were bummed, but decided on the picnic, which I figured would be more fun. It was a dinner picnic, and I wasn’t in the mood to fix a picnic supper, so I employed my new afternoon activity meal plan. The way it works is you feed them breakfast, then a light snack around lunchtime, then an early supper/late lunch meal. If they eat supper around 3:00-3:30, then they’re not hungry at 5:00, and they’re good to go until bedtime. Usually in the evening they can have some cheese and crackers or some fruit. It’s kind of the Euro meal plan, and gets me out of having to fix dinner in the evening after the festivities.

Anyway, we went to the picnic and I just brough along grapes and watermelon. It was a beautiful afternoon, I have to say that, though the turnout was a little disappointing for A. None of her friends were really there, and I think she’s getting up in the years for these things. I think they’re really geared for younger kids. In the past, the picnic has been a lunchtime gig, but this year it was later.

They had fun, nonetheless, and they had storytellers afterward. This couple records CDs of folk tales and folk music, and they look like aging hippies, to say the least. It was fun, the kids enjoyed it, and I got to sit there and shut off my mind, though what I really wanted to do was work on the computer and write this blog. Of course, it didn’t work out that way, but what else is new?

Afterward, we went home and went to sleep. The kids have been pretty active this Summer, and it’s only just begun. What does the rest of the season hold for us?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Rene Cerney for the pic.