“What are you guys doing this weekend?” My mom asked me on one of our daily calls (yes, we talk pretty much daily) this week.
“I don’t think we have anything planned,” I replied. And then I checked our calendar. Sure enough, this is the last weekend before the holidays with absolutely nothing on our calendar! So, I was looking forward to having nothing planned and doing whatever we wanted. Which turned into a date night, several trips to the museum, a visit to the library, a playground stop and more.
Here’s what the weekend entailed:
I have a decent amount of vacation time left this year, so I decided to take a few hours off Friday and hang out with FW. This meant we had some fun one-on-one time, which included going to the “pancake store” for lemon ricotta pancakes.
I have to say, I had a great weekend. It included everything I love – family time, running, good food AND a date night. And, it made me really feel like myself again!
Friday, schools were closed, so I stayed home most of the day with the kids. It was rainy, so once again we entertained ourselves indoors.Saturday started bright and early. I had signed up for a ten mile race, which fit perfectly into my training schedule, and B, FW and LM dropped me off at the start and cheered me on along the way.It was actually a great race! Even though it was 40 and super windy, I still managed a PR and ran much faster than I expected.The afternoon included a trip to the West Side Market, coffee shops, some donuts and hanging out.That night, B and I had plans to celebrate our anniversary with a night out!We started the night with drinks at Bar 32, which has a great super high view of downtown.And then, we got dinner. We enjoyed some oysters, fish and split a lobster roll.
Sunday morning, we slept in (!!) and then it was time to take FW to a birthday party. He had a blast running around and playing with his classmates.
I have to say, it was a really, really good weekend. Getting to spend a night out with B was amazing. I felt like myself again. Enjoying a not-rushed, no meltdown dinner, grabbing drinks and not waking up early was amazing. AND getting in a 10 mile run by myself? Those combined were great and reminded me that I’m so much more than a mom. I felt guilty at first, but had to remember to turn the mom-guilty off and remind myself that spending 5 hours (approximately how many hours of their waking time) away from my kids was a GOOD thing for all. Plus, we got in plenty of other quality time with our day off and the birthday party.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but I am so lucky to be in a great city with access to such a wonderful, thriving, cultural scene.
I happen to live, play and work downtown Cleveland, home of Playhouse Square, which is the largest performing arts center in the country outside of New York. And one of the perks of living here is that sometimes I get to see GREAT Broadway shows.
This week, I was invited by Playhouse Square to see The Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder. I got two complimentary tickets, so B and I enjoyed a night out.
At the theater!
We even got to sample some delicious pasta and treats from Maggianos at the media preview event before the show!
pre-show eats from Maggiano’s
treats!
perfect pre-show decor
Have you heard of the show? Here’s the plot in a nutshell:
Some highlights from the show:
The show was a blast. It was funny, had catchy music and was fast paced. Come on – when was the last time you saw a musical about a serial killer? Okay, I guess Sweeney Todd counts, and I do love me some Sweeney Todd – but this musical was less gory, less gruesome and the killer was more lovable.
Even B enjoyed it. We both laughed at the funny parts and clapped (and may have even cheered) at so many other parts as well. The cast was great – so many of the characters were unique and there’s even one guy who plays SEVERAL roles.
photo courtesy Playhouse Square, photo credit: Joan Marcus
I don’t want to give too much away – so go see it yourself! A Gentleman’s Guide is in town until November 15, 2015. In Cleveland? Be sure to go to PlayhouseSquare.com to get tickets before the show’s gone.
Disclaimer: I was given two tickets to see A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, as well as invited to attend the pre-show reception by Playhouse Square. All views, as always, are my own.