One silver lining to living through a kitchen renovation is the ample crazy time at home. I’ve written before about capitalizing on the garbage time with the girls: various car rides, doing chores, walking to the bus stop.

We should be just about done with the kitchen next week (famous last words) and it’s certainly provided some stories we will tell and remember for years. And no one is too important or too busy to have some crazy time at home.

These moments are the best moments. If they’re rare, you might be doing something wrong. They should be regular. Maybe not renovation projects but the crazy, stupid times that feel discardable in the moment, but stick in the mind.

This was a crazy Saturday in its own way. No kids. Spas. Cooking classes. No beloved transfer station. No power tools. No manic Michelle with a to-do list. It was a little different than the typical weekend.

But first, before we left the kids for most of the day, we had to feed them.

October means Michelle lets down her guard slightly on the neon sugar cereals. Pretty sure this variety is just the leftover run of Boo Berry and Franken Berry mashed together.

Then it was off to the spa. I’ve had massages, mostly the therapeutic, sporty types. Not the full pampered treatment. It was… interesting.

On the one hand all the sweating felt very normal. I’ll always fit in any place where you are expected to come out of room dripping wet.

Also, just hanging out with your friends in robes. Vastly underestimated. I felt very Roman.

On the other hand, I could skip the salt therapy despite my love of pickles. Give me a good sauna over halotherapy please.

Do we look released and relaxed?

After the spa, there was a brief stop at home for a child welfare check and to drop off some pizza (pesky feeding needs) and then it was off to the city for an Italian cooking class.

Any class that starts with dessert and includes amaretto is okay with me. We made some very good individual (shortcut) tiramisus that would be perfect for a home dinner party.

Michelle took full advantage of the class to quiz the chef on his pasta making technique. He didn’t know he had Sicilian in his class armed with Nona knowledge.

An unusual but a very memorable Saturday.

Thanks for letting us tag along on your birthday celebration, Julie!