over the weekend | the domes (and the list)

Coming up with things to do over the weekend can be both a joy and a curse in our household. We want to relax! We want to get stuff done! We want to finish projects and make delicious meals and get out of the house and do something exciting, and we want Ralph to take good, long naps on top of it all!

Sometimes we get lucky and it all goes exactly how we want. But most of the time we accomplish two or three to-dos, and the rest slip by while we're sitting down to drink our coffee and watch episodes of This Old House on Saturday morning. Then, out of nowhere, it's time for lunch and Ralph is tired, and I still need to put makeup on, and we still haven't decided what we're doing for rest of the day! It's a silly rut that we've gotten into every weekend that frustrates us both.

And then I realized if we made a plan-- an actual, tangible list-- we might be able to squeeze every last bit of fun and productivity out of our weekend. A weekend itinerary, if you will. I know, it sounds crazy and slightly overbearing, but a plan written down on paper (with boxes next to them that I can check when they're done-- thrilling!) totally works for me during the week. I love a good list, and so does Ryan, when he actually takes the time to sit down and make one. I figured, why not make one for the weekend, when the time we have together as a family is even more valuable?

So I did. And it worked.

Thanks to a bit of good planning, we ran all the errands, started and finished a couple projects, ate well, and made a trip to the desert dome for a happy dose of dry warmth and sunshine.

And we still had time for coffee and This Old House on Saturday morning. Boom.