Tag: relaxing

Have You Had Your Dance Party?

Jane Leave a comment

Guys, have you had your Friday dance party?

What? No?? What are you waiting for??

A Friday dance party is a way to shake off the stress of the week and kick-start your weekend. No matter if your dance moves are shockingly bad! Just GET MOVING!

The weather turned this week here in Virginia. We were having warm, sunny days until the temperature dropped and it started to pour rain. Today, the sun came out again, and we were grateful to get outside this afternoon.

But even an afternoon of running (aaaaaand accidentally rolling in dog poop–LOOOOOVELY) couldn’t get out all the pent-up energy from a rainy week in lockdown.

Enter: Dance Party!

Our kids LOVE a Friday dance party. Our current favorites are the Day of the Diesels from Thomas and Friends and (*shudder*) Crazy Frog.

But really, any song that gets you moving will do. We’ve also gone through some World Cup songs (hello Shakira!) and some old school dance hits. The boys do love to do a Twist.

We put on the little Bose bluetooth speaker, pull something up on Spotify, YouTube or whatever and GET MOVING.

Mostly, we’re just running around like fools in the living room. Sometimes we attempt some real dance moves, but mostly we’re just being silly. And that’s the beauty of the Friday dance party.

It does not matter how well you dance or how cool you look. You’re sharing an unguarded moment of silliness, fun and joy with your family.

Put It In Your Calendar

Schedule it. Put it in your calendar. Make your Friday dance party a weekly event.

Pull up your favorite dance tunes (no, it doesn’t have to be Crazy Frog). Crank up the volume. A bit of boogieing before bedtime is definitely in order.

2020 has been a hard, and sucky year. Lighten it up. Add a dance party to your routine.

The Perfect Weekend

Jane Leave a comment

There was nothing special about this weekend. And it was perfect.

You know how it goes.

Weekends are supposed to be relaxing, but they can often be stressful. Whether it’s an activity to get to, a get-together that requires cooking something, or just the pressures we put on ourselves to get stuff done.

No Pressure

This weekend we had absolutely nothing on schedule.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

On Saturday morning I had to fight the urge to plan something for us. It was a struggle. I often feel the need to fill up our time with outings, activities, whatever.

It was a beautiful morning; would have been perfect for a bike ride. It was cooler, overcast but not raining. An ideal summer day for cycling.

But instead, we didn’t.

Instead, I slept in. We lingered over breakfast. The boys played. I made a picnic.

We went to a park, ate, threw the frisbee, blew bubbles, and then parked ourselves on a playground. Saturday night we had pizza and watched a silly movie.

Today, Sunday, was even more low-key. We didn’t get out of our pyjamas until the afternoon. Pancakes, knitting, reading, trampoline, paddling pool… We had our big meal of the day mid-afternoon.

We did manage to do the things we needed to. We tidied the house, put on a little laundry. I did my hair. Chico struck a couple things off his to-do list.

It was so relaxed.

I feel more refreshed after this weekend than a whole week of vacation. Perhaps it was the good book I started and finished in 24 hours. Perhaps it was the weather.

But I think most of all it was the fact that I wasn’t putting pressure on myself or anyone else to do anything in particular.

With no agenda, nowhere to be, no obligations, neither Chico nor I had any stress about this weekend.

And our extremely sensitive children felt that. They sensed zero anxiety from either of us, and as a result they were totally relaxed.

It feels so delicious, I don’t want it to end.

But let’s not mess with perfection.

So: Bring it on, Monday!

PS I also FINALLY finished the sweater I was knitting. Damn. It really was the perfect weekend.