Every Sunday I take my day of rest very seriously.
Each Sunday afternoon, it’s my time to have a nap to catch up on sleep.
After the last few full weekends, I’ve needed my naps to recuperate.
July and August are always busy months for us because we have three Birthdays to celebrate.
But this year, they seemed to be ultra busy with events and celebrating friends’ Birthdays as well. And August isn’t even finished yet!
When life is busy with work, volunteer commitments and raising a young family, it can be easy to let Birthdays slide as just another day.
But gathering friends and family over to celebrate makes the best memories for our children and will often outlast any present they receive on the day.
And so in writing this post, I’m reminding myself once again that the effort to celebrate is always worth it. Even when I feel tired and would very much love to curl on the couch and watch Netflix. Spending time with those dear and near to us (is that from a Christmas carol?!) makes life fun and full.
Last weekend, I headed out with my school mum friends to see The Bodyguard. I’ve never seen the movie, but love going to the theatre. The show was fantastic. And we dressed up for the occasion. Look at us.
I’m glad we decided to go. After the show, we headed to the Treasury Casino to see my friend’s husband’s band play a gig. The last time I went to the Treasury Casino was with my dad and it was during the day when they were tendering for the renovation of their bathrooms. I’d never been there at night. But the band was awesome and my friends and I were the first on the dance floor to support the band. Before long there were all sorts of randoms on the dancefloor. It was an interesting mix of people. But we had loads of fun and ended up getting home at midnight. Cause kids the next day (and church for me!).
Because we can’t get enough of each other, we celebrated teppanyaki style at my friend’s house on Friday for her Birthday. It was such a fabulous night and I got to meet mums who live on my street who I never realised lived close by. And their son is in Esther’s class. I’m so thankful where we live and the friendships that are being made in our suburb because we attend the local school.
On Wednesday we celebrated Esther’s Birthday. I still can’t believe she’s 7. Every parent must wonder where the years go as their eldest child clocks another Birthday.
We put on a Birthday party for Esther last night. I went really simple with a handmade cake – which Jacob decorated superbly, and pizza and garlic bread for dinner.
I somehow over-catered with the pizza and garlic bread and we now have two pizzas in the freezer for dinner this week.
The overindulgence over the past couple of weekends have hit me as I’ve been fighting a cold and my jeans are feeling a little firmer. Hence the need for my afternoon of rest on a Sunday!
But reflecting on these full weekends has me thankful for the amazing friendships I knew I needed but wasn’t sure how they’d come to be.
I often write about renovating your home or keeping the plumbing in your home well maintained, but a house and it’s interior are just things. What makes a home are the people that live in it and a full life is made even more brighter by the people that walk through the front door.
If we’re going to renovate or style our home, the end goal shouldn’t just be about how it looks, but how it serves the purpose of bringing those closest to us, together.
A life well lived isn’t about what we have in life, it’s the experiences and memories we make with those we have in our life.
And so I remind myself once again, that the effort it takes in building friendships and maintaining them is worth it. In fact, the parties and organising nights out with my friends are much needed. They are a welcome interruption to the monotony of life.
