The best day evah

The party on Friday turned out to be a success, as was evidenced by the comment from my friend’s 4 year old daughter, “This is the best day evah!” I loved hearing that considering you just never know whether kids will have fun doing the things you think they will have fun doing. I had one medium sized pool set up, a slide pool, a baby pool, a sprinkler, and an inflatable castle. We also had a gazillion water balloons (see pic below) and the sand box on the deck, as well as a make-it-yourself peanut butter and jelly buffet with ice cream tubs to follow. My husband, the moms and I were opening beers by early afternoon. We all had our feet up, enjoying the fact that our kids were completely entertained for the afternoon, as well as being completely worn out at the end of it. The weather was hot, but bearable, and I have to say it was one of my most enjoyable days so far this summer. Everyone came out unscathed with no bruises or band-aids.

Which leads me to why it felt so good to just let it all hang out and take a vacation day from work. There always seems to be a tug-of-war over work vs. spending time with the kids. And I don’t just mean the day job. I also mean the cleaning, the yard work, my creative pursuits, or simply reading the Sunday paper. I know I’m not the only one who suffers from this, so I try not to stroke the violin too much. It’s a daily thing for almost every parent, I know. I just get weepy sometimes as I think of how quickly the time will go. Over the weekend, the time span of “15 years” came into the conversation and how 15 years ago it was 1993. And I think about where I was in 1993, which was my last year of college. While it seems light years and maturity levels ago, it also has gone very fast. And so I fast-forward to thinking about my life 15 years from now, when the kids will be 21 and 17. No more fun Fridays with a backyard pool, no silliness over water balloons and no one will want to be sipping Capri Sun from a straw. I’m not saying fun times will be over, but “fun” will have a completely different meaning, and rarely at that age does it involve your parents. What’s further distressing about 15 years ahead is that I will be 52 and my husband will be 64. Again, seems like light years, but it will certainly go quicker than the last 15 years has. I try to remain positive about the prospect of being 52, but something doesn’t sit well with me when I think of myself at that age, or worse, when I think of my husband in his 60s.

On the bright side…cheers to fun Fridays in the backyard. It’s good for the mind and soul.