Saturday, October 08, 2011

Saturd'y

Once upon a time, I was a little kid who lived for Saturdays. I woke up super early to spend the whole morning watching cartoons in my jammies. Mom made us pigs in a blanket or cinnamon toast while Dad watched Pee Wee's Playhouse with us in the living room. I seem to remember that we all said Saturday more like Saturdee. Or Saturd'y.

Then one day I became a teenager who lived in a constant state of physical, emotional and hormonal exhaustion. I lived for Saturdays because I could sleep in. In those days, a successful morning meant not getting out of bed until 11 AM. At the earliest. Fun for me would mean going to the mall with mom and hanging out with my friends at night.

Ten years later I had married a great guy and had a smiley, beautiful baby boy attached to my hip. We lived in a big city four hours away from home. Saturdays could be kind of hard. Our family of three enjoyed being together, but if we had a lull in our schedule I sometimes thought, "What are we doing here? Everyone is spending time with their families and ours aren't here." I didn't feel that way all the time, but on Saturdays there was an ache.

A few years and another baby later, we are back Houston where I used to spend so many Saturdays sleeping the day away. Now I live for Saturdays because (A) my husband is home and (B) so is this guy.





Most Saturday mornings I make cinnamon rolls out of a can. I bargain with my kids/beg for mercy to get them to sleep late. They didn't wake me up until 7:30 this morning, which I considered a success! They watched Yo Gabba Gabba and Snow White in their jammies. We skipped taking baths and headed out to the country to play under trees and stomp around in dirt. We enjoyed the company of my parents, grandparents, an aunt, two cousins and three happy dogs. When we all had enough grime on our faces and under our nails, we took off in search of a snow cone stand. Then we got cleaned up, ate leftovers, and put the kids down early. This is the kind of Saturday I live for now.



29 comments:

deborah said...

There is something special about Saturdays, I think. My husband farms, so Saturday can be just another workday. When I was growing up Saturdays were always special, because my dad was home. Now, I like Saturdays, because we homeschool, so we have a break and we can do fun stuff or catch up on stuff.
http://www.adelightfulglow.com/2011/10/saturday/

Lauren said...

Amen! That sounds exactly like our day too :) I have a 4 year old boy and 20 month old girl, so I'm a year behind you in kids ages...but it's so familiar. God is SO GOOD! I have been praying for your new church and wish we lived closer to y'all :) Take care!

Bobbie said...

This Sounds like a perfect Saturday! Especially the family part! Love the last picture, y'all were successful in wearing the kids out!! Fun memories....

Cooking Up Faith said...

I think these kinds of Saturdays are the best! You said it so well! Mine was spent watching my kids laugh like crazy as they ran around and watched the rain. :)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

amyg1059 said...

Amanda,
I am right there with you!! I enjoyed a fab Saturday with my 3 girls...
I totally just saw that you were at .mom. I honestly dont know how I missed that you would be there. Meeting you would have been the icing on the weekend! That was the best conference I have ever been too!!!

Mix and Match Mama said...

I totally understand! A good Saturday used to mean dinner and a movie with my hubs but now it's the last thing on my mind. Well said Mrs. Baby Bangs :).

Tara G. said...

Sounds like a full, soul-satisfying day! Sundays are hard for me when we are stationed far away because of family dinners after church- it was at its worst when my husband was deployed and the kids and I were alone (but God was faithful!). Pee Wee- my brothers loved show and the movie (and when I actually visited the Alamo several years ago, all I could think of was him looking for the basement!).

Barbara Head said...

Amanda, when I was a kid I was much more "country" than you. We said "Sard'y". I did get to sleep late as a teen but 10AM was about as late as my mother would permit. My dad worked on "Sard'y". One thing I am eternally grateful for is that my life as a child and a teen was filled to overflowing with love. So many people today cannot say that. I am sad about that. But also I am grateful for a God that is growing young families like yours so that one day your children can look back on their "Sard'ys" and have fond memories.

R said...

Such true words. I live for Saturdays now, too, since I have a kindergartener for the first time. Husby is a freakazoid ultramarathoner now, so Saturdays have been his long training days for about a year now, but it's still so nice to just be with my three babies. :)

Kara Akins said...

There is something special about Saturday's. And I would think all the more for you now that Jackson is in school.

And seeing you at .Mom was a real treat. I even got my picture with you. After reading your blog for so long it was nice to see you in the flesh.

Thanks for sharing your family with us. It inspires.

Angie said...

You have a mini Curtis and mini Amanda! I'm serious...Jackson looks just like Curtis and Anna Beth looks just like you! So sweet!! :)

Mary H. said...

So true! So true! Adorable pictures

Sherri Smith said...

I know exactly what you mean. Weekends are hard without our families around...or any closer than a 24 hour drive or 4 hour flight away.

God has burdened my heart for my family, and I am praying He brings us closer to them in time for our Little One To Be Born to really enjoy and know the importance of family!

Deanna said...

Those two kiddos looked like they had a really fun day! :) Saturdays are great!!! Spent mine with my four grandbabies, making cookies, playing with sidewalk chalk and in the dirt! Have a great week!

Melissa F. said...

They are so cute! Glad you got to "sleep in" and that you are closer to family. It's always a blessing when you hear how others ENJOY being w/ their family. It gives me hope for the future w/ my own littles.

Denice said...

Sounds like a perfect day! My Saturday included a brief visit from my favorite college student and a cookout with old friends. It was a great day!

Kim Safina said...

My Proverbs friend/siesta <3,
"A friend loves at all times..."
Proverbs 17:17

Your "Saturd'y" story made me think of how the Lord delights in HIS people when our priorities are in check.
Yours are 100% correct!

I LOVED the blog story!

Harvest Blessings,
Kim
http://www.kimsafinathejourneycontinues.blogspot.com

mommysince02 said...

Such a full-of-REAL-stuff Saturday for you guys! I totally get the 'success' of the kids sleeping 'til 7:30am. My husband calls my side the 'owl family' - - it took years of marriage to adjust to him being UP and ready to rock at 6:30am Saturday mornings. This was pre-kids and God's mercy to train me for when (thank you, Jesus) we would be blessed with our first little human alarm clock that looks just like him. 'Course that's not what I was thinking when he'd rally me to be there when Home Depot OPENED. Ugh.
Hey - thanks for pointing Siesta mommies to zulily! Just got some great stuff for my crew. And I continue to pray with joy for your church every Sunday morning!

wmcswain said...

This might be my favorite post ever. We also love to spend "Saturd'y" with family and I love how much that little dirty face of Annabeth's looks like my little Bethy (who had the same dirty face yesterday and today. she loves dirt).

Jessica said...

Love it. :) You know it's been a great day when your kids are sleeping on the way home, huh? Sounds like a blast!

Allison said...

Okay, I have never heard anyone explain it quite like this before, but I definitely shared your Saturday-blues when we lived in Texas (far from home). I never could really figure it out either! I started to think I somehow just craved 'schedule' and hated free time (which is ridiculous!). But now that we're in Florida with family, Saturdays are totally different.

Karen said...

Hope you have a wonderful birthday this week.

Dionna said...

You took me back to my childhood thinking about Saturdays! :)

You should stop by my blog. I'm giving away a free children's book! Just scroll down a little bit to find it.
http://beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com

connorcolesmom said...

These pictures made me laugh!!!
My idea of Saturday has changed as well - I LOVE having my boys snuggle in the bed with me and watch cartoons or to eat breakfast in our PJ's at 10 AM :)

Time is so precious - we will blink and they will be grown and gone ...

BTW: HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet Amanda!
I hope you had a wonderful day full of blessings, love, and sweet surprises!
Much love!

Allison said...

I love your blog:). I love a good Saturday with special breakfast, dirt under your fingernails and early bed times. Saturday's will change with the seasons we find ourselves in but they all have the potential of being great opportunities for great memories. Cheers to Saturdays!

Melissa said...

Hi Amanda,
I recall awhile back that you shared a book that you were reading that really impacted you (something about comparing eachother's lives and the "american dream", etc - I think.) I've looked back at your blog posts and can't seem to find it again. Can you tell me the name of it? Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

This is so cute! I love this post!

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

Confession: I adored Pee Wee's Playhouse. Especially Jambi the genie. And yes I had to google how to spell it.

Love the pics of the kids. It seems impossible for them to be so big!

Colby said...

p.s. What *happened* to Saturday morning cartoons?