Worth It

We really had a very good week of holiday last week. I only had to work Monday and Tuesday. Nathan and I had BSF on Wednesday morning and that was the last of our regularly scheduled program. We were off from Wednesday at noon until Monday morning (with the exception of regular church stuff on Sunday).

As we walked through all that we did over the holiday, I remember asking myself several times, “Is this really worth it?”

I cooked all afternoon on Wednesday. Apple pie, green bean casserole, purple stuff, and I went ahead and prepared a turkey breast for our own family (since my husband would shrivel up in the fetal position in the corner without leftover turkey sandwiches).

I borrowed a friend’s Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer to save me some time with the apple pie. With the ease that I thought this tool would bring me, I had the wise idea that the kids could help with that step. Almost immediately I began to regret this decision. Involving them is always just so stressful for me. I wanted to take my time and enjoy the process. Adding them into the mix didn’t help my cause at all.

I knew without a doubt that the time spent cooking would be worth it. But involving the kids? Would that be worth the stress?

I am here to say that seeing their pride on Thanksgiving Day at my aunt’s house when they saw the finished product and were able to say that they helped was well worth the stress.

On Friday evening we went to the Parade of Lights in downtown. Nathan took a later nap than anticipated, so we got a little bit of a late start. Along with trying to meet up with Nanny, it was an interesting evening, logistically speaking.

As we sat amid the myriad of cars headed into downtown… without moving… sitting, I asked Mike, “Do you regret this yet?” “Not yet,” he responded.

This was Nathan’s first parade that he would recall. And the boy had himself a blast. There was one point where a fire engine (ladder truck no less) had just passed, followed by some motor cycles, followed by a band. Poor thing didn’t know what to look at. He kept just looking back and forth with the most incredible “kid full of wonder” look on his face. It was at that moment that I looked at Mike and said, “This makes the whole evening totally worth it.”

That along with the motorcycle riding Elvis troupe and the evening was complete. Because a parade isn’t a parade without a motorcycle riding Elvis troupe.




Saturday brought a trip to the zoo. It was a little chilly for our neck of the woods. We shivered. We complained. But I just have to say that a trip to the zoo with the kids is ALWAYS worth the mild discomfort and setting aside of household chores and other things I “ought” to be doing. Without fail.

This trip in particular was worth it from an animal perspective as we got to see a mama lioness with her 4 cubs pouncing and playing all over the place. It was the neatest thing to see and the kids loved seeing these animals so active. We just stood there and watched for quite a while and I decided to capture the scene on video.



Just as I ended recording this footage, the mama lioness walked right up to the edge of her area, eyes deadlocked right on me as if she was about to pounce, and barked at me (for lack of a better word). My heart jumped a little. I’m not sure what triggered such a reaction from her to be directed at me as we were not the only people standing there, but I backed slowly away from the railing for a minute. She pretty much looked as if she could have jumped over the ravine between us to get to me.

We thought she was over it, but then she did it again just a few minutes later when I was standing closer to Mike and the kids. It freaked Nathan out a bit as he was done with the big cats at that point. We later decided that it either MUST have been she didn’t like my leopard print sunglasses or that she was just in a bad mood as her male counterpart was taking a snooze while she was stuck with the four kids.

So many things this weekend. And all I think were worth it. Even watching the debacle of a football game Thursday evening between A&M & t.u. We watched as a family and made s’mores in our fireplace. SO worth it.

The only thing that may not have been worth it was me going shopping Friday morning. I didn’t get up at 3 am, so the things I specifically went looking for were sold out by the time I got to the Wal-Marts and Target after rolling out of bed at 7:30.

But that’s the way it goes when you try to drown your football woes in retail therapy.

Am I alone in my evaluation of family events? Does anyone else out there ask themselves, "Is this really worth it?"

Maybe it's just the business person in me, but I'm not going to continue to do something, be it tradition or not, that I don't feel is worth our time or effort.

However, I think we will find that more often than not, when it comes to anything where we're spending time with our kids, it's worth it. Whether or not they will remember the specific event, it's worth it to me for them to always remember having fun with their mom and dad.

And THAT, my friends, is TOTALLY worth it.