Now that summer is over, and school is back in session, I find myself craving uninterrupted family time, like we had during the summer months.  I know that school only started three weeks ago but this is the first year that my son is going all day (that is a whole other post!) and I miss the time we had during the summer, just the four of us.

Our days are now filled with going back and forth to school, making lunches, homework and new fall activities.  So before life gets even busier, we ran away to the cottage for the weekend, to reconnect as a family and reflect on the first few days of our new routines.  That meant no phones, computers (my twitter addiction doesn’t seem to have suffered!) or tv and lots of fleece to keep us warm since the cottage is not insulated!

The weather was perfect for playing outside during the day.  We chased frogs and sat on the deck to watch the ducks and boats go by.  At night we made do-it-yourself pizzas, played cards, did puzzles and snuggled together to keep warm.  I even managed to sneak away and do a little retail therapy at some of my favourite stores in Merrickville.  In fact the shopping trip became necessary (really it did!), once I discovered in my haste to get out of town, that I had forgotten to pack all our toiletries!

My kids love going to the cottage and always find creative ways to keep themselves amused.  And even though we do a lot of the same things during the summer, it just seems different in the fall.  The air is crisper, leaves are changing colour which means the landscape is changing and there were no bugs to chase  us inside.

It was peaceful, relaxing and a perfect way to unwind after a busy start to the fall season.  The icing on the cake would have been a trip to the Hershey Plant for some yummy chocolate, but sadly those days have past.

The best part was that we had fun as a family and can’t wait to do it again before we have to close up the cottage for the winter.

Do you find life getting busier?  Do you find ways to slow down and reconnect as a family?  Would love to hear other ideas on reconnecting.

Until next time, Live Well, Laught Often, Love Much.