I've found that part of being an active, fun, and spontaneous mom is planning (lol spontaneous). I've mentioned before that Hubbs and I have Bub four days a week- Thursday through Sunday. Like most other adults, we work during the week, so I find that making plans for the weekend is a big help in getting the most out of our time with the munchkin.
We spend a lot of our time during the summer at various craft fairs, festival, and carnivals. Two big pluses I have found with these activities- they're usually cheap and there's always something different. This is our third summer together and we have our favorites, but there are always new ones popping up. Plus, Bub is getting more out of them as he has grown from mostly stroller-bound to walking around, and isn't afraid of rides anymore.
This past weekend we, along with Grandma and Grandpa, went to The Seafood Festival and The Greek Festival that we go to every year. The Seafood Festival is on the water in Sayville and it was a beautiful sunny day. There was great music, great food, pirate shows, a petting zoo, face painting, airbrush tattoos, kiddie crafts, and lots of local vendors out with their goods.
We had a funtastic time walking around browsing all the goods, buying knick knacks and talking with random people about jewelry, cigars, our tattoos, and our face painted child (he got a Batman mask and then a bat-signal airbrush tattoo). We sat on the grass by the water, listened to music, and Bub ate a quickly melting Spider-Man from the ice cream man that left us both a sticky mess, but we cleaned off in the portable sinks with soap and water (which we wiggled off as there were no paper towels). People stared as Hubbs, Bub, and I played, laughed, and had ourselves a great time, and I would like to think they stared because its nice to watch a family out having fun together.
After a quick nap-time at home, we went out for a Hibachi dinner before the Greek Festival in Port Jefferson. It had grown exponentially from last year, and the first thing we did was buy ride tickets (because Con waited patiently alllllllll day til it was time for ’the ride fair’). He went on everything about three times, laughing in the cars and teacups, making friends on the kiddie coaster, and being brave for Jennimamma (because I'm scared of the big slides that he lovvvvves) and brave for himself going on the carousel for the first time.
Hubbs and I got some time to ourselves when Grandma said we could walk around and she would take him for another round of rides, and we shopped around, making friends with a jewelry vendor who told Hubbs he was the luckiest man around for having a girl like me and offered him half off anything we were going to buy (which is awesome because something labeled 30 bucks becoming 15 is always something to be excited about). Hubbs bought himself a bracelet and me a charm bracelet, while the vendor advised us to move to Hawaii and have a happy life together.
We watched a fantastic firework show, and played carnival games with Bub. He won himself a red angry bird by getting two baskets in a basketball game (I was so excited when the net swished I jumped up and down clapping and cheering). We bought him light up sling shot helicopters, and made sand art together.
I held him when he cried because he didn't win the game where you squirt the clown to make the balloon pop, and felt bad that he was so sad. Hubbs and I explained he did such a good job and you can't win every time, to which he responded, “I know, but I tried really hard.” He didn't throw a tantrum and he didn't wail over it, but he was tired and the disappointment turned into tears easier than it normally would have. When we told him not to cry, to be happy he did such a good job, he told us, “I just can't help it right now, I'm sad I didn't pop my balloon.” I told him that there was nothing wrong with crying and rubbed his back, still telling him he did a really great job and reminding him of his basket toss success. He had finished crying before we were halfway out of the fair, and was back to being his happy baby self, asking to see his angry bird.
At home he didn't fight me when I explained we had to wipe off his black batman mask because of the white sheets, and he helped me wipe off the green dinosaur I had on my cheek. He slept with his angry bird.
Sunday we took it easy, he helped me weed the beds in the front of his house while also practicing kicking a ball ’really, really high like daddy’ who was also doing yard work. I showed him how his slingshot helicopter worked and he delighted himself in being able to make something fly. He spent some time in his iPad, and we drew on his chalkboard together (a wall we painted in his room), which he had previously filled with ’J’s and hearts for his Jennimamma.
It's always a sad affair, dropping him off to his Aunt Lisa (who is awesome and wonderful and who we all adore). It's filled with ’I love you’s and ’we’ll miss you’s, but he has gotten used to it and hardly ever cries over it anymore. I always tell him that we’ll be seeing him in three days, and let him know of fun things we’ll be doing when he comes back home.
This Thursday I plan on surprising him with number 4 donuts from Dunkin Donuts, because they’ll make number donuts if you order them and 4 is unequivocally his favorite number (at least until he turns 5).
