I began to panic late Sunday night. Labor Day would be Mark’s only weekday off till Thanksgiving, by which time Smudge might be here. Time is running out for our family of 3 to spend time together as a family of 3! At about, oh, 2:00 in the morning I insisted to Mark that we do something fantastic to celebrate the holiday. Good man that he is, he acknowledged he didn’t understand my concern but that we’d do whatever I wanted.

I forgot that our greater metropolitan area does NOT know how to do holidays. When I checked yesterday morning, I learned all events were done on Saturday or Sunday; nothing special to go to on Labor Day itself. I should have remembered from the 4th of July…no matter what day the 4th is, activities are always done on the Sunday closest to the holiday. Dumb.

Mark suggested that we go downtown to the fountain plaza, let the Menininho run around and get wet, then walk through the plaza together and grab some dinner. It wasn’t the grand day out I’d envisioned, but it was a blast!

M. was not shy about running into the fountains at ALL. I loved watching him laugh as the water shot higher and higher. When we first arrived, there were a handful of other small kids around, each manning their own water spout. After a while though, a bunch of older kids came by. One, who looked to be about 8, came and sat on the spout the Menininho was playing in so that he could not play anymore. When M. tried to share another boy’s spout, that kid hit him in the stomach. Yes, I told that kid off. Seriously! Where are these kids’ parents? Yes, kids will be kids, but it’s a parent’s job to teach their children to be mindful of others, especially babies.



Anyway, we left soon after that because I was afraid M. would get hurt more. We had a great walk through all the little shops and restaurants of the city. Basically every place was closed for the holiday, so Mark had to do some research to find a restaurant for dinner. He was actually able to find a Mexican restaurant that did gluten-free. The food was really pretty good so I’m sure we’ll be heading back there again!

We finished up the evening chasing the Menininho around the living room and trying to narrow down nursery themes.

What did you do for labor day? Those of you with more than one child, did you freak out about spending more family time together before the 2nd child was born?

For those of you new to my blog, every Friday (ok, most) I post links to some posts that I’ve enjoyed reading over the week and encourage all of you to do the same and link up here.

I’ve read Mom 101 for quite awhile, but her post A rivederci, Gino really spoke to me. It’s a beautiful tribute to Gino’s Restaurant, an establishment that shaped her formative years, especially her relationship with her grandfather. It closed last month after 65 years. Check out the entry; it’ll tug your heartstrings.

I just came across Wood Turtle’s blog and will be reading much more frequently now! Wood Turtle writes about islam and feminism. I was introduced to her via her post MILFing it for all its worth. She discusses being sexually harassed by a teenage boy while running in a park and how the incident was kind of turned around on her and what that means about society as a whole. Really fascinating and I definitely agree with her! As the mother of a son, I feel it’s my responsibility to raise him to treat women (and men) with the respect they deserve and not allow him to think that actions like grabbing a woman’s rear end is in any way appropriate.

I had a wonderful Mothers’ Day yesterday! Once a year my husband makes an exception and brings me a meal in bed (he’s not a food in the bedroom sort of guy). This year I got a cheddar omelette.

Now, let me explain to you about this omelette. Apparently cooking eggs is a genetic trait passed on through the Z. family men. I never liked eggs, not until sometime in college when Mark’s dad made scrambled eggs one morning while I was visiting and I ate some to be nice and holy cow they were GREAT EGGS! I’ve tried to replicate said scrambled eggs and I just can’t do it. But Mark: he can really cook ‘em!

So this omelette. It was amazing. Spots of a golden brown, not at all soggy, perfectly folded. Great way to start the day.

Our church has this tradition of doing a luncheon for all the women, and that was great. The men were in charge (but who is anyone kidding…it was all their wives!) and there were chicken salad sandwiches, croissants, a variety of fruit and veggies, and sweet bread and brownies for dessert. 2nd meal of the day I didn’t have to share with a hungry toddler smacking my thigh with an open mouth. That’s a biiiig deal!

After Skyping with my in-laws for a bit and having a failed attempt at a grilled cheese sandwich (moldy bread! travesty!), Mark made me my favorite pancakes. A-MAAAAZ-ING. 3rd meal of the day I could enjoy on my own.

Are you noticing a theme here, with my Mothers’ Day?

I’m finally getting my appetite back.

Got a few very thoughtful presents, took a nap, chatted with my mom and grandmothers, and spent time with my boys. In a word, excellent.

How did you spend your Mothers’ Day?

Also, don’t forget about the Guidecraft Puppet Theatre Giveaway!