Kid-Free Weekend

One of the best things about having my parents close by is that they are occasionally kind enough to take Ava and Davis for the weekend. My parents aren’t so close to us that they can just babysit on a whim, but with some planning, we do get a couple of days off once in a while. This was one of those such weekends. Lots of fun stuff went on in Ava and Davis’ absence.

We had some drama before the kids even left, of course. I walked out the door to put the kids in the car, with the intention of going back in to get one other bag and my keys. Poor Ava thought she’d help, so she locked the door and pulled it shut. My bag and keys and phone were all inside. For some reason that is beyond comprehension, we don’t have a spare hidden anywhere.

I tried hard not to panic, but I was totally freaking out. I mean, I was supposed to meet my mom 20 minutes away. I ran to my neighbor’s house and asked to use her phone. Called my mom….was shocked when my DAD answered the phone. Long story short, my mom had forgotten her phone. That’s right. I had NO WAY to get in touch with her to say that we were stranded at home.

We were scheduled to meet at Nordstrom Rack (and yes, I also intended to shop), so I got the number to the store, called and spoke with a very competent and lovely person who found my mom waiting outside, and put me on the phone with her. My mom then drove 20 minutes to my house to retrieve my kids.

Okay. Kids gone. Time to play.

We went with about 4 or 5 other couples to dinner at Vivace here in Raleigh. We then followed that up with a PTA fundraiser for a local elementary school. The highlight was that The Connells were playing there. Yeah. So. I used to listen to them in high school. Maybe even middle school. I thought the guitar player was sooooo cute. I had lots of their cassettes, and later, CDs. So, I felt a little old seeing them at a PTA event. And that guitar player? Well, he’s a dad. And he looks his age. But they played really well, and it was tons of fun. And it was over at 10:30. Big night!

Yesterday I got up and went to a class at HEAT, this crazy new gym here. I’ve been there the last 3 Saturdays. It’s intense. And great. And the 9:30 Saturday instructor is just a little hottie. So, worthwhile. I’m sore today. Just not sure why I don’t have the body of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model after all these classes. Hmph.

The rest of the day was spent doing house stuff. Morgan worked on the part of the yard he likes to call “Sleepy Hollow.” I wish I had taken a before picture, but it’s a part of the yard that has been taken over by ivy. He pulled most of it up:

Lots of bags o’ ivy and dirt:

There’s still a  bit to be removed:

It was a lot of work. He smelled manly when he came back in.

I don’t do yardwork, so I did some indoor organizing. First, the laundry room (again, wish I had a before pic, but trust me when I say that it was BAD. I could hardly open the door).

I’d like to move that broom/mop hanger to the wall behind the door, so I don’t have to look at it when I walk in. Yuck. Hello, Swiffer!

Then I tackled our linen closet. Got rid of LOTS of stuff. I am the opposite of a hoarder. I like to purge. Goodwill is my friend. That and what Morgan calls the “Satellite Dump.” That would be the dumpster an an apartment complex a mile or so from here. I’m pretty sure we aren’t supposed to take stuff there, so please don’t report me.

Anyway, here’s our linen closet (I need Martha Stewart to give me a tutorial on how to fold fitted sheets).

So, that was the day. Then we grilled out and watch Good prevail over Evil. You may know this better as UNC vs. Duke. This dunk by Strickland was classic Tar Heel basketball.

So proud of how far these boys have come this season. GO HEELS!

Morgan is currently on his way back to Raleigh with my kiddos. I have to say, it’s been a great weekend, but I’m looking forward to seeing them. Hopefully they’ll be tired and get to bed early. ;-)