Lists for the weekend

After a very peaceful and calm week last week, I've struggled a little to adjust myself to a somewhat hectic (although lovely) weekend. Two lists seem to have set the tone for this weekend.

A Saturday shopping list:

• two bottles of wine to take round to friends' for lunch
• a packet of Yu-Gi-Oh cards to be bought with C's pocket money
• a selection of posh olives - also for lunch with friends
• fresh orange juice, chorizo and cherry tomatoes for Sunday morning hungover breakfast (also in connection with lunch with friends)
• a newspaper
• replacement ballet socks for O (before ballet lesson which was before going round to friends house with rest of shopping)
  

A Sunday To Do list:

• go to a bookshop to spend O's pocket money (not on Yu-Gi-Oh cards...)
• homework with C (accompanied by discussion of new Yu-Gi-Oh cards purchased yesterday)
• bake a banana cake to put in lunchboxes for the week ahead
• think about what we're going to do for C & O's forthcoming birthday parties (I was alarmed to have it pointed out to me by C & O that they are only a few weeks away now - C suggested he might like some Yu-Gi-Oh cards)
• plan meals for the week ahead
• make yet another shopping list
  

All this shopping, baking, going out, chatting, drinking, planning, cooking, sorting and preparing is such a big part of family life; sometimes it can feel a little like being swept up in a whirlwind.

My favourite time in such a weekend is right now. Sunday evening. We've done so much and now the house is (vaguely) tidy, the fridge is full of good things, the children's cupboards have some clean uniform in them and all four of us have our work and school bags ready by the front door for the week ahead.

.