Recently, my wife attended a Montessori conference in New Orleans, leaving me in charge of our girls Ella (7) and Beatrice (4) for a long weekend. While this wasn’t my first rodeo alone with the kids, I was a little concerned about finding things to do with all of the cold and rainy weather. The good news was that we already had some plans going into the weekend.
Due to an in-service day at my kid’s school, the weekend started a little early. Thankfully, my girls are old enough to get up and make their own breakfast and crank up the litany of shows they enjoy. This allowed me a little extra time to sleep in — a rarity, and something you honestly have to take advantage of when given the chance.
After my morning coffee and their cartoon session, we needed a plan. What to do, what to do? Then it hit me. “How about bowling, girls?” They screamed in the affirmative and off we went to Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes to meet Uncle Chris. Bowling was the perfect option because it was an overcast Friday fraught with gusty rain and patchy fog.
Bowling alleys these days are legit for family fun since you don’t have to be skilled and they provide little ramps for kids to roll their balls down. (I considered using it, to be honest.) We had a fun, competitive game, and we even threw a couple of strikes. The shoes were quite the topic of conversation. But the funniest part was Bea rolling a bowling ball sans ramp. I swear it took 10 minutes for her ball to crawl down the lane and bump into the pins.
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The rest of the day was filled with games around the house and a pajama party with popcorn and a movie. While mom was away, the girls wanted to sleep in the big bed with me. I welcomed the company even though it meant a much earlier bedtime for me.
Saturday morning came quickly, and we were off and running to Crosstown Concourse for ballet. Whether eating, shopping, or just hanging out, Concourse is always a guaranteed adventure. We always see people we know, and I always get talked into buying the girls a treat at either
Lucy J’s or Mempops.
The girls wanted to hit the zoo, too. At the Memphis Zoo, we got to see a crocodile feeding at Zambezi River, goats and donkeys at the Once Upon a Farm exhibit, and a sneak peek of all the new Lego animals. The weather was still overcast and cold, so many of the animals were inside. The Tropical Bird House was the place to be that day.
That afternoon, we hit the playground at their school with our dog Chalupa to work off some energy. Then we headed over to The Kitchen Restaurant on Jackson so I could pick up some delicious hot wings to enjoy during the upcoming Tigers game. The girls had pizza, and we ended the evening with some classic Berenstain Bears books.
Sunday, I took the kiddos to the Kroc Center for an afternoon of swimming. That night, we had taco night (always a hit!) replete with all the ingredients you could shake a stick at. The girls were helpful and sweet, but they missed their mother.
Thank goodness for Facetime. After some silly phone time with mom, I got the girls to sleep in their own beds at a reasonable time. (Mostly so I could watch The Walking Dead.)
Monday, Annie would be returning from New Orleans. “One more day,” I thought. “I can do this!” Bea and Ella had a playdate set, so I was able to do some work. Afterward, we drove out to Bartlett for Ella’s gymnastics class.
Upon returning, Annie was home. The girls immediately ran to their mama, and I was back to playing second fiddle. It was a great weekend overall, and one we filled with making fun memories.
Thankfully, Memphis makes it easy to have family fun — even when mom’s away.
Jeff Hulett is a freelance writer, musician, and PR consultant in Memphis. He lives in the Vollintine Evergreen neighborhood with his wife Annie, two girls Ella and Beatrice, and dog Chalupa. He’s a fan of dad jokes.