My favourite day of the year

Today, I would like to tell you about my favourite day of this year thus far. It was Saturday a week ago.

It was just another Saturday spent doing the things I love but let me give you an overview.

The morning started like any other, waking up and writing a little. I then got ready and went for a walk. While walking, I listened to some non-fiction to get my early morning education on (who said males can’t multitask!). I love going for walks early in the morning before the family gets up as it’s a great opportunity to have a little ‘me’ time and prepare for the tasks ahead.

When I returned home, the Warden decided to serve her lifers pancakes for breakfast. The meal was amazing! The best pancakes I’ve ever had and I’ve had my fair share of pancakes including from the world renowned Pancake House in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Pancake Palace in Brisbane, Pancakes on the Rocks Sydney, and the not so renowned Capital Pancakes on Alinga Street, Canberra.

Next up was a family visit to the grandparents. On arrival we were greeted to more food (thank you Mum). The kids were a little off that morning so I tasked them to a little in-house competition. Nate, my youngest boy, wanted to demonstrate how strong he had become so he dropped to the ground and pumped out 21 push-ups. This is where the fun began.

His sisters, Kora, Lupe and Kat, didn’t want to be outdone so they each had a turn and pumped out 1, 25 and 27 respectively. Everyone was now invested in the 2020 Push-Up championship and with an unspecified prize now on offer by Grandma, the kids were trying even harder. My eldest boy, Kit, is usually shy and doesn’t partake in these events but did this day and managed a very respectable 28 push-ups. But there can only be one victor and new 2020 push-up champion, with a grand total of 30 push-ups, Nate! It was great to see the determination and effort each of them had. The look of achievement on Nate’s face when he was announced the winner was awesome.

After saying goodbye to the grandparents, the next stop was the park. We typically go to a park each weekend. Like many parents effected by COVID restrictions, it was a challenge getting the kids to expend their energy on weekends when we didn’t have access to these facilities. With this no longer an issue, we were free to run around like headless chickens.

Once we had our fill, we returned home after the park. My children are really lucky as they get the privilege to do homework on weekends too. Unless it’s a birthday or Christmas, they each receive the gift of learning. I wanted them to work on self confidence this day so I gave each the option to complete their allocated assignment (math, writing, spelling, or geography – depending on the child) or they could skip the day’s planned homework if they stood in front of the household and sang one song unaccompanied.

I knew the girls would serenade us as they are my little backup singers at family functions. I wasn’t prepared for the boys to step up and take centre stage. It was great to see them all getting out of their comfort zones, I was very proud.

The afternoon was spent in the backyard. The fire pit was dancing while I hung out with the acoustic and the kids played on the trampoline. We sang a bunch of songs around the fire, earbashing the neighbours, and later in the evening ate dinner under the stars. I used the time together to ask hamburger questions (name two positive things and one thing you’d change) to get a little further insight on each of the kids. We also have a family event called ‘favourite part of the day’. It involves going round the dining table and each person says what the highlight of the day was for them. I implemented it years ago to help the kids think of positive things they had been a part of that day. It is a great exercise and now tradition in our household and I encourage you to try it with your family to see if it is of value to you.

I went to bed that night feeling like a very successful parent which I embraced since it happens so rarely but not due to a lack of trying. My best day ever wasn’t over though as the Warden woke me up in the middle of the night as she couldn’t sleep. We snuck out into the lounge room and watched a movie together, while the other little inmates were fast asleep, which really brought the day to a perfect close as a family is about more than just the kids.

PDR