Long weekends are just the best, aren’t they? Having our offices closed on Friday was one of the best things to happen to me in a while. It meant that I was able to squeeze in so many of my favorite things – I didn’t feel like I was compromising at all. It was such a mood lifter that’s carried me through this week. This weekend we have a birthday party and hopefully making it to Brooklyn to watch my SIL demolish a half marathon. Beyond that, I’d like to maybe make a cheese plate and take advantage of our courtyard. We spent Saturday evening out there with some of our neighbors and it was so lovely – the perfect weather for it.
I scheduled a full day for myself on Friday. It’s rare that it aligns where I have the day off work but Finn is still in school and Albert is at work. It meant I could do whatever I wanted – no responsibilities – and I planned the heck out of it to ensure I experienced all my faves. I started by running some errands that put me right in the neighborhood of Lexington Candy Shop to I leisurely sipped my coffee there with a book and a BEC. I made an impromptu stop at Warby Parker to buy some fun new specs and then headed downtown to a 305 Fitness class. I used to be 305 Fitness OBSESSED. I was doing it multiple times per week and was taking class with my favorite instructor every week for about 4.5 years. I even did it through the pandemic. But then I had a baby and found it hard to take classes, especially since they closed most of their locations. This was my first time back since before Finn was born and I remembered just how much I loved it. I can’t wait to go back; it’s definitely worth making time for. I showered at the gym and put on a sundress that was ideal for strolling the West Village. I popped in and out of stores and grabbed a bubble tea before taking myself on a sushi lunch date. I started walking up toward Union Square to catch the subway…which put me in the vicinity of The Strand. It may not have been on the schedule but it was just the kind of thing I buffered time for. After browsing, I headed back uptown to join Finn at school. I initially planned to leave him there for another hour so I could enjoy some more me time, but all the other parents were taking their kids home early and I couldn’t be the only one to leave my child! Plus, I’d accomplished all the things I really wanted to do and was excited to have some extra time with my little dude. We grabbed some coffee and then Albie met us for pizza and happy hour. It was such a wonderful day!
Like I mentioned, I stopped by Finn’s school on Friday afternoon. They invited moms and mom figures to spend an hour with the class for an art project in honor of Mother’s Day. I always see the great art he churns out and it was fun to actually participate. I also loved watching him interact with his classmates and see which activities really capture his attention.
I was particularly attuned, this year, to the difficult emotions many people are processing on Mother’s Day. For those dealing with loss or fertility struggles, it can be a difficult day and I didn’t want to add to the pile of reminders by posting all over my feed. I did, however, enjoy a very sweet day with my family. I joked that my real Mother’s Day gift was the Friday off work where I got to just enjoy my day without the stress of planning naptime or snack time or enriching activities. And, honestly, that’s true. Being a Mom is great, but if Mother’s Day is about honoring Moms, it should mean honoring their full self – which often means acknowledging their non-parent side. It should also be about *decreasing* a mother’s stress. Breakfast in bed or brunch is great, but there is nothing relaxing about a toddler in a restaurant or having to clean up your own breakfast. I’m lucky that I have a teammate who gets that. The best Mother’s Day gift Albert could give me was watching Finn for the whole morning so I could go to a group fitness class and acknowledge the non-Mom side of me that makes me the Mom that I am (if that makes sense). He then brought him to meet me for brunch, which, no, wasn’t relaxing but meant I got to spend time with my boys and recognize the very much Mom side of me. It was a nice mix.
Peaches to Apples 