A toasted marshmallow kind of day...

Every once in a while it is good to just "be". I hope this three day weekend gave you the opportunity to just have a moment or two of relaxation and fun. If not read on...We all need those kind of days to remind of the important things in life. Jana

My list was long going into this weekend....Research paper to be completed, power point slides for class project; power point slides and handouts for upcoming training I am doing, interviews to set up for work, in service schedule to get done...You all know the drill. It is the weekend and you have an "at home" list, but the work list seems to be taking precedence Family needs seem to be the very distant last on both lists, and fun is not a word in your vocabulary..

This weekend, I did something different. I put my family and friend needs first, and guess what? We had a great weekend, and I have no regrets. I spent Saturday taking a nephew, a friend and her daughter,son and a friend(can you say herd of children?) to the rain forest cafe and then to build bears...(Picture two 6 year old boys, two nine year old girls plus extra relatives who met us at bear building).

Considering that I have not spent significant time with this many children in some time I didn't know what to anticipate. But I discovered that when they are not your children, that children's behavior and comments are truly very funny and so inquisitive.

The restaurant fish tanks and animals were amazing to them. To adults, the fish are pretty, and the noise level is a tad annoying. The kids were enthralled..

Listening to the interactions in the car was like opening a window on personality development..As they fought over space in the seat, and who would sit where, (the girls used manipulation, and the boys used brute force...somethings never change).

As I watched them sing and dance to whatever music, and just being silly; it occurred to me that adults forget the need to have those silly moments, and that parents sometimes try to stop the silliness in fear of social embarrassment from their child's behavior.

After we built bears, the girls wanted to "shop" and I knew that the boys would not tolerate sitting in a dressing room..So we did something silly that their moms would never do....We rode the three levels of escalators up and down twice, then we ate ice cream,(I let them get chocolate, with sprinkles and make a HUGE mess)...Then, we threw pennies in the fountain, and of course we decided to wash our hands in the fountain, followed by a small splashing fight...

When my nephew got home; his favorite part of the day was when Aunt Jana let them do the silly stuff they never have time to do...

I created a memory for him that hopefully will trigger something in him when he becomes an adult and has children...

Yesterday, I finished the paper utilizing the college "all nighter" policy; I worked on the power point and it was then off to another family function. This time it was at the in laws...As I sat pool side I realized it was the first time I had used the pool all summer; and it was the first time in many years that everyone was home for a non-significant event, (wedding/funeral). Again a sad testimony to our priorities in life...As we swam, drank, had funny conversations about inane subjects that the intellectual relatives come up with while drinking...I felt relaxed, something that comes very rarely for me.. The laughter was genuine and enjoyable, we were being silly as adults know how to do rarely.

After dinner we did our traditional campfire and marshmallows...As my 5 year old niece proclaimed after her third of such; "I love the toasted marshmallow days aunt Jana, they are my favorite kind of days"...

I simply responded so do I Addy, so do I....

I hope you find time to have this kind of day soon too..