Never on a Sunday

Today is Father's Day...but J had to work. His new job entails at least 50% of the weekends. We are slowly getting used to it...anyway I digress.

The kiddoes and I *were* going to go to church...really we were...but as it happened three loads of washing and a threatening sky put paid to that idea.

We rang Grandad and Opa...even A and C managed a very tentative little conversation...the first time for either of them, my babies are growing up.

Everyone seems to be finally on the mend so I decided today all hands would be back on deck to get the necessities sorted in the morning.

However,by the time we got to hanging out the washing and E was taking things off as soon as the rest of us could hang them, A was determinedly hanging things in her own unique, artistic way, C had skived of to the bedroom to play with the cars and O...actually he was working hard Bless him...I just wanted the job done so I made the decision to bring the late afternoon video session forward just a wee smidgeon...like 6 hours.

I have this constant tension in my head between wanting to get the work done MY WAY and in some semblance of efficiency and wanting the children to develop a work ethic and the skills to be useful and appreciated teenagers-spouses-parents. Today we achieved a bit of both and then when the work was done the sun had come out so we went for a walk.

O pushed E in his very own new stroller...just for him (thanks Oma and Opa) and I pushed the terrific twosome. We walked for about 6 km, stopped at a playground, grabbed some chippies and scrambled under an obliging tree to wait out a passing shower on the way home. O only complained after almost 1 and a half hours of walking which I was impressed with, A and C threw nary a tantrum between them and E was super cute pointing at all manner of things and excitedly exclaiming, "Duh, duh, duh."

To top off a day in which not one of the rascals was sick, screaming or stubborn, J finished work early and was home at three...yaaay!

We will do Father's Day in earnest tomorrow...but today for me was a rare balance of work and play...we enjoyed each other and we enjoyed exploring more of our little town...

And O is thankful we live on a plain!