I read a while back about how writing a narrative of your day is a great way to get a bird's eye view of how things are going in life; for your children's education, your home atmosphere, etc. The goal is to randomly pick a day and not just a good one! I hope to write one each month in 2020 - it will be interesting and revealing when I look back in 2021. I am specifically thinking about what the little Meadors are learning as they live in our home, so that's my focus. You can read previous posts here:
The morning starts and it is Monday. Dale heads to the gym, Sammi and Rex play while I make oatmeal. Bradley is eating a date in his metal, yellow high chair. All is peaceful. The weather forecast declares a 98 degree high and our A.C. is broken so it looks to be an uncomfortable one, or at least a day to practice patience and kindness.
After morning chores I exercise while Brad sleeps, the kids playing, and I sit on my yoga mat post workout thinking about the day. Could I do it? Could today be a day to take the three children to the lake for an all day swimfest?
In a flash it comes to me: picnic lunch, cookies in the afternoon, swimming instead of sweating, stories to read in the shade, sand toys, my own book to savor on my blue travel lounger, and then an easy picnic dinner so we can stay as long as we like. YES.
Dale will finish work and drive his new motorbike up to meet us for dinner. I rush around packing lunches, dinner, swim-bag, diapers, and at 11:20, we are in the car, slightly breathless, definitely sweaty, but on our way to cool Lake Easton.
After an hour we pull into the crowded lot. Many others are here to enjoy beautiful forest and shady lake. We load up our wagon and claim our own good spot in a slender strip of shade on one end of the beach. It is instant fun once we set up our small camp: my lounge chair, our picnic food, sand toys, towels. Sammi and Rex start building sand towers and rivers at the water's edge.
We eat lunch, swim, I rock the baby to sleep, then I swim with the kids some more with one eye on the wagon turned crib. The water is just right. It's so refreshing.
There are lots of families here. A mom, auntie, and four teenage daughters on one side of us, and a Bulgarian family on the other with a dad who fires up a hot pot there on the beach and cooks some delicious smelling food.
Rex eats about 14 cookies that afternoon but I am in full on vacation mode. "Sure, have another." He is in disbelief but ecstatic. Veggies, Smeggies is my motto today.
I read in my chair. The kids play. We swim. More cookies eaten. Rinse and repeat.
At about 5:30 we move up to a bluff overlooking the blue water where there are picnic tables and a playground. Dale rides his motorbike in and we crowd around him in excitement. There are less people now, and the slight whisper of wind is in the tall pines. We eat taco soup and chips and drink cold water. It is lovely. We are dirty but utterly relaxed and happy.
Then it's time to pack up and head home. We follow Dale on his motorbike for part of the way before he gets off the freeway for a safer backroad home.
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