Joy: Indoor picnic

On weekends, the last thing I ever want to do is make dinner. Am I weird? (Don’t answer that too honestly…) So you can imagine my delight, nay, JOY, when my daughter had the genius idea to picnic for dinner. At first they wanted to go outside for the feast (they’re really into the idea that it’s warm out there…even asking why haven’t we set up the swimming pool and hammocks and can they eat popsicles). Sometimes I get tired of saying “no,” so I struck the kiddos a deal: if they looked out the front window and saw grass instead of snow in our front yard, then we’d dine outside.

As they beelined up to the living room windows, I crossed my fingers that global warming hadn’t taken effect in the past 25 minutes…and, while I was at it, sent a coupla positive vibes to the polar bears.

Phew. Looks like the snow in our yard (and, I can only assume, the polar bears) were present and accounted for. Indoor dining it was.

Nothing like a little cheese, veggies, apple slices, crackers, and “fancy” mini PBJ samwiches eaten on a blanket in the entryway to make it feel like spring. That was joyful. Short-lived, if I’m being honest, as the kids started arguing about who would sit where. There may or may not have been tears and a piece of thrown cheese involved. But the joyful moment was already documented, so there you have it.