On Saturday, I cried on the drive between soccer practice and swim class. Finn was being difficult, and it was not my best mom day. Yesterday, Finn was an absolute angel, and it was the best family day we’ve had in weeks. And so is life when mothering a toddler. Luckily, his good mood coincided with Mother’s Day.
Here’s the upside of being a two-mom family on Mother’s Day: there’s twice as much to celebrate. Here’s the downside: there’s no dad to make breakfast in bed, plan an elaborate “self-care” day, or give either of us a day off of mom-ing. So, on our first Mom’s Day a couple of years ago, we decided to have a low-key family day, complete with a lakeside picnic. Last year, we continued the tradition with a beach picnic.
This year, though, it was unseasonably cold and rainy. (Thanks, Chicago.) So, instead of doing an outdoor picnic, we opted instead for a lazy morning inside, followed by a walk in a nearby nature preserve.
Finn must have gotten the message that it was a special day, because he let us sleep in until 8:45! Then, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time: we all lounged together in bed for a couple of hours, being silly, cuddling, watching cartoons on the iPad, and enjoying family time. Things have been busy lately, and Sona has been working a lot of Saturdays (though, she’s done with that, thankfully!). And in the midst of it all, we haven’t had much down time as a family, and I’ve missed it sorely.
Clearly, Finn has missed it too, because even though he was a pill on Saturday, he was in the absolute best mood on Sunday, and I have to credit our having a lot of quality time together for that change. (Or maybe his teeth weren’t hurting. Or maybe he slept better. Or maybe the moon was in a different phase. Who knows with toddlers?!)
Anyway, we lounged in bed, took our time getting up, ordered French pastries for breakfast, and then made our way to a local nature preserve for some much-needed fresh air. Initially, we’d planned on heading 30-45 min. outside of the city to explore one of the many forest preserves just outside of Chicago, but since the weather wasn’t great, we opted for a smaller nature preserve in the city, which is just 15 minutes from our house.
The North Village Nature Center did not disappoint! This city never ceases to amaze me. One minute, we were smack dab in an urban center; a minute later, we were surrounded by trees, watching a small group of deer feed.
Finn wasn’t the only one who showed up for Mom’s Day; the nature preserve turned on, too. “Cue the deer,” someone must have said, as we encountered nearly a dozen–and very closely–in our 90 minute walk. We also saw bullfrogs, turtles, a family of geese, a ton of birds, and other little critters. Finn enjoyed the whole thing, never asked to be carried, ate an entire bag of edamame, harassed a couple of squirrels, and tiptoed around the mud like a champ.
After, we all came home and took too-long naps. It was glorious. And I wouldn’t have traded it for a fancy brunch or a spa day, even if tempted.
In true boy form, Finn was as enamored with the sticks, the muddy puddles, and the tree stumps as he was the animals.
