Weekends

Ever feel like the weekend isn't long enough? I usually feel like this EVERY Monday, but even more so today.

Saturday started slightly differently but no less busy than usual - no Irish dance class, so we substituted Mommy/Daughter getting our nails done together. Errands - Target for birthday presents, Home Depot for plants, Costco for a few things, Starbucks for caffeine. Home for a few minutes, then chauffeur Katie to a birthday party. Pick up wine for a Pampered Chef party I'm co-hosting, then head home.

Two hours until I have to go to the party. Time to rest, have a snack, and maybe check Facebook. Until the bomb drops.

As I get out of the car, my husband is mowing the front lawn - not unusual for a Saturday afternoon. Until he says to me: "Don't freak out. We're hosting brunch tomorrow. The count is 16 of us."

Me: (silently) Don't freak out? Are you kidding me?

Him: "I've got M {my sister} on the phone ordering food. They'll deliver it at 10:30."

Me: (silently) I'm freaking out. What about drinks, plates, forks, MY MESSY HOUSE, etc., etc., ???

Him: "It's all going to be fine. I'll do most of the cleaning and preparing - all the "heavy lifting" - if you could just do some stuff now, and maybe not go to church tomorrow, we can definitely do it all."

Me: (silently) Okay...but I will take care of the kitchen, and all the little details. Like clean tablecloths, clean towels in the bathrooms, drinks, plates, forks, glasses, etc.

Me: (out loud) "Alright. It is what it is. I have two hours now, and all three of us have about 4 hours between 7-11 a.m. tomorrow to do what we can to get it all done."

Spend the next hour or so finally getting rid of (truth is: HIDE) the clutter in the kitchen (numerous piles of paper from school, bills, and whatever else), and run the dishwasher. Check.

Throw tablecloths in washing machine. Check.

Calculate I don't have nearly enough matching plates of "everyday" plates, so will use china. Check.

Calculate I don't have enough OJ for mimosas (but plenty of champagne...hmmmm....) - call cousin to ask her to bring some OJ with her, along with a fruit salad. Check.

Realize I don't have enough chairs for 16 people to sit at the same time. Then realize I can borrow some from a great friend. Still not enough chairs, but I can stand, and so can my husband, and do the kids REALLY need to sit? Probably not. Check.

Then sis and I go to Pampered Chef party and we get home at 11:15 or so.

Throw tablecloths in dryer to be ready for tomorrow. Check.

Sleep. Well.

Wake up at 7:15 - plan to go to Starbucks. My husband is outside reading - not freaking out either. Encourages me to go to Starbucks, and stay there to drink and enjoy my coffee. And not to freak out - we have plenty of time to get stuff done.

So I do. I sit there and read the paper and drink my coffee. And then I look out the window to see Target is open at 8:00. I can do this. I can go buy those patio dining chairs I've been planning to buy, get some clean hand towels for both bathrooms, and tablecloths for the outside tables. So I do. And get home at 9:00 with 2 hours left to finish cleaning, set up dishes and glasses, make mimosas, shower, hair, makeup, and get dressed. Perfect.

My husband and sister have done an AMAZING job getting the house in order. (The main level anyway - and don't open any closets!) So I finish the last minute details (towels, table cloths, centerpiece, plates, glasses, forks, napkins) and transfer most of the food from "catering" serving dishes to my own. Check.

Shortly after 11, the guests arrive. The guests of honor are my mother's cousins from Ireland, visiting their son and his family who now live in DC. They are right on the heels of my Aunt, cousin, and her family. And brunch is wonderful. We visit, we laugh, we chat, we eat. A lot. A spontaneous basketball game breaks out and the moms claim credit for the talent of their children and grandchildren. A minor injury here or there, and lots of smack talk. (Mostly from my husband.) The food is good, the kids are good, and we simply enjoy being together.

Three short hours later, with full bellies and after the obligatory group photos, the guests leave. (But not before my WONDERFUL cousin does the dishes for me - despite my not terribly heartfelt "don't worry about it" she does it anyway. Because she knows me and knows they would still be sitting there until I got home from work on Monday. And perhaps longer.)

And yet, the weekend is not over. It's "opening day" for little league, so we head to the baseball field to watch my son and his team play REALLY WELL (they actually kicked little league butt!) and then head home. Check.

And then take my sister to PetSmart for a Kitty Climbing Post, and then home. Check.

Then go home. Eat a little. Update status on Facebook. Demand kids put pj's on, brush teeth, go to bed. Check, check, check.

Fall into bed. Collapse really.

It's tough when weekends are just as busy - if not more so, than during the week. But when they are busy with joyous occasions, it really doesn't matter. Less sleep and more chores than usual makes me yearn for a three day weekend at least every other week. But inevitably, I know it would get filled with more plans, birthday parties, playdates, baseball games, Pampered Chef parties, and family brunches.

And to that I say - BRING IT ON.

Because I'd rather have joy and fun and be busy and lose a little sleep so that I can spend time with my family, and extended family, and with friends. Because they are what make my life rich. Sleep and quiet time are fine and needed and help re-charge the batteries - if only to give you the energy to spend enriching your life with the people and things you love.