HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WEEKENDS

Thank-you Baskin-Robbins for sponsoring this post and our weekend picnic.

Confession: I live for the weekends. Weekdays are busy. Motherhood is busy. From sun up to sun down, we are left squeezing in naps, lunch time, work, swim lessons, workouts, cleaning and more. The days fly by in a blur and then the weekends appear. These magical weekends are where we have the opportunity to make new memories, to slow down, to be present. With the busyness of our day-to-day schedules and routines, here are a few of my favorite ways to make the most of Saturday and Sunday. 

Start A Tradition

Picnics have long been one of my husband and I's favorite traditions. Remember our first picnic with Brody? Or our infamous peanut butter picnic? Or Brody's picnic themed 1st birthday party? Yea, we like picnics! 

Every month we try to schedule in at least one family picnic. We mix up the locations and mix up the meals to keep it fun. This month, when our friends at Baskin-Robbins invited us to try their new Warm Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches, we made a picnic out of it. We grabbed a few of the delicious treats at Baskin-Robbins and headed next door to one of our favorite parks. I sat there under a tree sandwiched between my two favorite people, taste testing each other's ice cream sandwiches--these are the moments I'll treasure forever. 

Maybe your tradition is breakfast in bed on the weekends, or relaxing by the pool--whatever it may be, keep it going. Traditions often turn into some of our children's favorite memories of childhood. I always look forward to our picnics together.

Keep it Sacred

With so much time spent apart during the week, the weekends in our house mean just the three of us. No playdates, no all day plans sans the hubby and Brody, no mom's night outs. The weekends are sacred time for us together. We love getting out of the house and going on adventures. These adventures are just that much more special when we go on them together. We just hired a part-time nanny, so I am hoping we can squeeze a few more date nights into these sacred weekends.

Treat Yourself

We strive to eat fairly healthy during the week, but on the weekends, we treat ourselves! Perhaps we'll try out a new restaurant or maybe we'll go out for a post dinner treat. This weekend's Warm Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches were the perfect treats for our toasty temperatures. We had fun mixing and matching our favorite ice cream flavors with the tasty cookie options. Hint, Pistachio Almond ice cream sandwiched between two dark chocolate chunk cookies is amazing. Brody was a fan of the rainbow sprinkles (most of which adorned his bowtie, lips, and shirt afterwards). I would suggest adding a trip to Baskin-Robins to your plans next weekend to try one yourself. They're seriously that good. Our little weekend food splurges also give me a little break from cooking--a win win! 

Log Off

Putting my phone down. Logging off of my email. Limiting my time on social media. Choosing to be present. With the weekends going by far too quickly, I want to make the most of them. This is an area I still struggle with, but I am trying to be more cognizant of. When I have down time, I'm so programmed to reach for my phone or computer. I am trying hard to reach for a book or a magazine--anything but electronics. A little break from electronics is always refreshing.

Plan Ahead

To make my weeks go smoother, I reserve a little planning time on Sundays. This time is spent making my to-do list for the week, setting my goals, planning a few dinners, and putting away laundry. I try to lump the planning tasks together (usually reserved for Sunday evening post bedtime). This strategy prevents me from having to worry about completing the tasks the rest of the weekend because I know I have time allotted to finish them on Sundays. A clear head, a clean house, and a plan for the week ahead are the keys to having a productive week at our home. 

What are your favorite ways to spend your weekends?