A Weekend Alone with the Boys (and Some Running Too!)

This weekend it was just me and the boys. My husband headed to NYC for the weekend and I flew solo on parent patrol. Usually when he is away I will head to my mom’s house for some company. I don’t know why, but I feel really lonely when it’s just me and the kids all weekend. I would never hack it as a single parent (for many reasons—hats OFF to you all!).

This weekend, my mom was in Florida, so we stayed here in little Rhody. I made sure to have LOTS of things planned, so that I could thoroughly exhaust the little men! Saturday morning we had breakfast and then went to the Y, so the boys could play and I could squeeze in six miles.

After that, we went to my BFF’s house to play with her boys and stayed for lunch. I braved an after lunch trip to BJ’s with the boys- success! We headed home for a bit and then to went to an early dinner at Chili’s. This is where the poop hit the fan (not literally, thank God!).

The boys had packed their coloring books and crayons, so we were occupied for a bit while we waited for our meals. I hadn’t been to Chili’s in a long time, and I was pleasantly surprised by their options for the kids meals—definitely healthier options than a lot of places. I can’t stand when the only options are a hamburger, hot dog, or Kraft macaroni and cheese!

After the food came, the wee man decided he was not going to listen to ANYTHING I said. He was standing in his booster seat, jumping around, trying to escape, and just about everything else. I don’t think I would have been quite as frustrated if he hadn’t been laughing at me while he was doing it!

The waitress was definitely tuned in to what was going on at our table, so she came by with the check. This was probably the best case scenario for her and the rest of our section. We made a rapid exit with my hysterically crying two-year old. I can safely say it will be a LONG time before I do that again!

The hysterical crying continued into the parking lot, at which point I actually had to drag him to the car, since my hands were full with the diaper bag and the left overs. He tried to bolt in the parking lot and then screamed the whole way home because he couldn’t get a treat after dinner. Seriously, kid—the last thing I was thinking about was giving you a treat. It was more like how I could strap you to the roof rack (jk of course!).

Thankfully everyone was asleep by 7pm and I could relax! Sunday morning was long run morning. I hired a babysitter to watch the boys, so I could get out and enjoy the 60 degree weather for my 10-miler. I was so excited to negative split the run (see pic below). It was a nice easy pace and so nice to be able to have the time to myself. Truly a beautiful morning!

The weekend ended with family swim at the Y with me and the boys. It went well, and there weren’t too many tears when it was time to get out of the pool. I was excited to see reinforcement head through the door around 7pm—just in time for the bed time ritual.