Nothing Says President’s Day Like Bribery and Velvet Encrusted Wall Art

Last President’s day I was a domestic goddess. I baked homemade belgium waffles with fresh strawberries and peaches, homemade whipped cream and real maple syrup. My son had a friend spend the night and we all had breakfast together at the kitchen table. I’m embarrassed to say that was the last time my waffle maker was put to use.

And the year before last? We took a long weekend trip to Seattle (a trip, by the way, that made an indelible mark upon the kids - they still talk about it). We went to the Public Market, rode the ferry, went up the Space Needle and had our very own personal goldfish from the Kimpton hotel. The weather was perfect and we avoided a serious sub-zero spell in our own town.

Clearly President’s day is a revered holiday in our house; a time to do something special. What? What’s that you ask? What did we do this year? This year we went to Target. We bought velvet encrusted coloring sheets; a bribe promised to the kids in exchange for playing upstairs. Last night Mommy and Daddy wanted to watch their movie - Super Bad (this is what I get for sending him to the video store with one simple instruction - nothing violent). And, what else? Well, this morning I managed to exhume the coffee pot from the mess of last night’s dinner. I even did a load of dishes. Spectacular I know. Obviously it was a cold cereal type of morning, no fancy waffles today.

Note to self - do not open bottle of wine until after the dishes are done.

But, really, this weekend was much more than bad movies, bribery and cold cereal. We kept our children at home. We did not allow them to be kidnapped by their friends. We insisted on family time (except for the Sunday night movie). We went bowling. We got suckered into giving the kids money for video games. We walked downtown and had pizza by the slice from a local shop. We went to the pond and fed the ducks. We played at the park. All five of us went to see Juno - a treat as we rarely go to the theater. We planted flowers. I took the labradork for a five mile walk. We had a great, great time doing the little things. We were a family.

This weekend I’ve realized it truly is the little moments that make family life special - fancy food and weekend trips not required. Right now we are headed back to the park. And, you know what? I might just make waffles for dinner.

Happy President’s Day!