A Long Weekend


A Long Weekend
By Allan Olson
In comparison to the previous weekend, last weekend was quite unadventurous. I know I did as little as possible over the two days, while the kids had to clean the living room after they trashed it on their unexpected day off. They also ended up cleaning their bedrooms on Saturday – a horrible punishment for any child.
For reasons I can’t understand, the boys were able to perform the simple task of cleaning their room very quickly. At least they said they were done. When I went to check, somehow I found more for them to do in their room, and eventually, after a few trips back, they did get the job done.
The girls, on the other hand, wow! They didn’t put up as much of a fight, but they certainly took their sweet time. I would sneak downstairs from time to time and find that they were trying to watch television like the boys were allowed to after they were done with their room. I had to chase them back to cleaning their room. Then I would forget about them for a while as I got lost in a good book, and the next time I remembered to check on them, it looked like progress was finally in the works, but then it all went backwards. They had the room nearly cleaned at one point, but another spot check to their room found it in an even bigger mess, with more toys out. The two of them were just playing away until they saw dad coming, then scrambled to pretend they were working. Eventually they did manage to complete the task, and all was good.
On Saturday evening we all enjoyed a night out at a basketball game, and by the time we got home it was time for bed – for everyone.
Sunday was more of the same – not doing much but starting on plans for Nikolai’s big tenth birthday party this weekend. Early in the afternoon the kids all went outside (except Abigail). I was just getting ready to join them when the fighting began. It ended with both boys unhappy, resulting in a couple hours of timeout to chill some attitudes. After that Nikolai went back outside, and Abi and I joined him. We helped dig a tunnel through one of the large snowpiles in the yard. After I determined it was good, Nikolai crawled through. He struggled a little, so I widened the tunnel some more and then made an attempt myself – that nearly resulted in some more shoveling to get me out. I was crawling through the short tunnel and trying to exit when I realized I couldn’t – at least not with both shoulders at the same time. I backed up and stretched one arm out in front and then proceeded to snake through, and after some serious pushing, I made it.
Nikolai was cold, so he went back in. That made sense to me, but Abigail wasn’t ready so I volunteered to stay out with her. We ventured into the deep snow in the back yard and after I laid down, she decided she would bury me. I kept telling her, “Not the face – NO SNOW IN THE FACE!” Once, twice, thrice, four, five, okay, honestly I lost count. She kept “accidentally” getting me in the face, and then down the neck – that was the final straw. I got up and man, was I cold. I decided now it was my turn. I started throwing snow at her. She laughed. “It’s cold!” she squealed. “I know,” I said. After that, we retreated to the house to thaw out.
This weekend will be all about celebrating Nikolai’s birthday. A couple of family members and a couple school friends are coming over on Friday and Saturday to celebrate, adding a few more kids to the mix. A full house is bound to be interesting.
Thanks for reading and remember to watch out for school buses on the roads; they are carrying a precious cargo – our children. Also please exercise caution when venturing out on the lakes. Thanks for reading, and have a great and safe weekend. For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com

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