For me, simplicity is key. While that doesn’t mean doing nothing, it certainly means not overcomplicating anything and taking joy out of the little things.
The past couple of weekends have included plenty of aspects of what I would consider the perfect days off from the working week.
It starts on a Friday night. You need an event or something to look forward to, but it has to be low-key enough to take minimal planning or effort to attend.
As a father of two young children, babysitting hours are at a premium — and you can’t waste them.
A few drinks with friends while watching the footy. Dinner at an extended family member’s house where the kids can run around without judgment. A schooner or two at the golf club while you put your footy tips in. These all qualify.
Saturday morning is, unfortunately, an early one.
The realities of an 8.15am dance class set in somewhere between the first blurry eye opening and the call of “Daaaaad” from down the hallway.
But it’s not all bad — I get to watch and participate in Bonnie’s class, and the enjoyment I get from it is only doubled by the large, extra-shot coffee I am always odds-on to partake in afterwards.
The perfect weekend wouldn’t be complete without a tidy lawn, so it’s back home to fire up the mower and bank an hour of yard tasks before eldest daughter Eden’s back-to-back classes.
My wife, Grace, Bonnie and I cannot attend Eden’s classes — so we conveniently wait at the nearest brunch destination. Some Saturdays there’s an activation in the Maude St Mall, others we’re entertained by a quick shop on our way to and from sustenance.
Sport — of the local variety — is next on the agenda. A fortnight ago it was the Haisman Shield decider, where the kids ran amok while I chased them with one eye on the pitch and the other on the Allan Matheson Shield live stream. That was after a quick stop to watch one of the various practice matches happening across the region.
Last week it was me participating in a practice match — of which I’m still feeling the effects.
You need another event to cap off the Saturday — whether that’s as simple as making pizzas or heading out to a local festival such as Converge on the Goulburn — before you hit the hay for the night.
A Sunday sleep-in is a must in any perfect weekend, but in practice it is always difficult to achieve with small children.
The best solution we have come up with is one of us getting up with the kids and the other tag-teaming out after a suitable amount of time. Even just an extra hour each of sleep is a supreme luxury.
To cap off proceedings, attention turns to non-local sport. We’ve been lucky enough to get to both Essendon games to kick off the season — with Eden in tow — but even just settling in on the couch for a relaxing Sunday of sport is enough icing on the cake.
Tyler Maher is the editor of the News
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