
It used to be that I loved having plans for the weekend. I liked the days, the hours, the minutes, to be filled with activity - with people - with noise.
Not so much anymore.
My husband and I work outside of the home while our girl is at school. It's hours of precious time spent apart from each other.
And while we do cherish our home time together, eating dinner at the table, discussing our day - and her bed-time routine that he & I don't want to put to rest - it's the weekends that I've come to love the most.
The weekends belong to us. It's become our time to really nurture our little family of three.

This weekend started off with some yard work: mowing the lawn and giving the trampoline a good Spring cleaning. I lit a cozy bonfire, and while my daughter and her bestie sprayed each other with the hose, we enjoyed some munchies & spirits, engulfed by heat of the fire, watching the day fade into night.
Saturday, Angie and I went to the market to buy flower beds and mulch. We cleaned out & created what is the beginning of a big flower garden. Between the digging, the planting, the sips of iced coffee under the hot sun, we laughed and joked and threw worms at each other. So much fun!
We saw two great movies (just for the record, my girl & I love horror flicks): ATM & Troy (Eric Bana as Hector? love. Brad Pitt as Achilles? no. yuck.)
Finally on Sunday, we lounged around for most of the morning before going to my dad's house to celebrate his Saint's day.

It's the one day of the year that he loves to have us all gathered around with him. I don't like his wife much, so for me to sit and spend time with him I have to tune her out and flash her my million dollar smile.
He's getting up there in age - and what I know to be true is that the only gift we have right now, is the gift of this day. (Thank you Leonie). Time is precious and I want to spend mine fully with those who I love most.
I don't want to look back and regret the time we didn't spend together and if that means being fake smiles for his wife - then it is what it is. I love him too much to miss being in his presence.
My weekends have changed. Together-ness, nourishment, nurturing... this is what fills me.
Thank you Amanda - for your weekending link up. It has given me time to pause, reflect, and to mindfully choose how I spend my free time.