Spring Break at Home
Negotiating with kids, IKEA food and library fun
It’s been exceptionally warm here in this part of town so that means our Vietnamese neighbors are out partying again. In a small, nondescript house with a large backyard next to an urban farm, they’re screaming at the top of their lungs, everything from obscenities to lingering thoughts on life and presumably, drinking a lot of beer while doing so. These kinds of conversations don’t happen without lots and lots of Heineken. I know, because I’m Vietnamese and I’ve witnessed many similar events in my childhood, always with my dad as the center of attention.
Aside from drinking beer and telling jokes, my dad also instilled a love of literature in me. Books have always been an important part of my life and I knew I wanted to instill the same love of reading in my kids. I’m a firm believer that books can change lives. Which is why I took them to the local library recently, and why I’ve been taking them since they were babies.
Monday was the first day of their spring break, so we went to our neighborhood branch, where we ran into one of Lily’s best friends from elementary school. After they selected books to check out, the three of them ran off to play several games of hide and seek, leaving me time to get lost with my own books.
We ended up taking way more than we needed, but we don’t go to the library as often as we used to (they’re too old for storytimes, and we’re just busier nowadays) so we stock up in the same manner that we stock up at Costco—with three heaping bags of books, carried upstairs by yours truly.
Seeing as how this spring so far feels like summer, Lily wanted to get frozen yogurt on the way home. A flash of memory came back into my mind from months ago when I went with James and how it costs me $12 just for two small bowls so I said, “Absolutely not.” She grumbled and pouted but I kept my stance.
Later that evening, however, the conversation turned toward the fact that we are low on jam, which morphed into how much we love IKEA jam. One of us said, “We should go to IKEA to get jam!” which is the same as adding more kindling to a fire for me. I love IKEA; in fact, I did a brief stint there many, many years ago in the restaurant and if it weren’t for the fact that I didn’t want to work in a kitchen for the rest of my life, I would have stayed there.
There’s something magical about IKEA. It’s an experience, I suppose, for many families who drive far distances just to see the beautiful showrooms. I, on the other hand, live only 20 minutes away and thus, negotiated with my kids—instead of frozen yogurt, we chose IKEA.
We arrived early on a Tuesday morning before the store opened for breakfast, and there was already a line forming. They weren’t ready for us, however, so we stood in line for another 10 minutes while the staff finished setting up the food. Then we all chose a medium breakfast plate filled with crispy potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs and Swedish pancakes topped with lingonberry jam and helped ourselves to some coffee and lingonberry juice.
As someone who’s had more than a few IKEA meals in my life, I was less impressed by this meal, but for my eight and twelve-year-old who hasn’t had a proper IKEA meal in years, their reaction was more fitting of someone who’s just recently discovered something wonderful. They gushed as they chewed and mumbled “I love this breakfast!” (James) and “Hmm…this is yummy” (Lily)...which goes to show that it doesn’t take much to satisfy a child.
We took our full selves out and visited every single showroom, where we plopped and touched and gasped and oohed and ahhed over almost every single item, me making mental (and physical) notes about things I’d like to have for my next home and sending rapid fire texts to my husband asking for his opinion. Before we knew it, two hours had passed and it was time to go home.
I once listened to a podcast episode where the hosts, by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, did a deep dive on the company and I was surprised to learn that they are the only company who has lasted this long without taking outside investor funding. Instead, they generate their own revenues and reinvest that money within their own subsidiaries by focusing on how to bring that tactile experience to the customer. Perhaps that’s the magic of IKEA—they stir up your imagination by showing you what’s possible in your own home.
Delightful Discoveries of the Week
Every post, I’ll share a few delightful things that totally made my week. Here’s a few this week:
My husband and I just finished the first season of this show on Netflix. We both had different ideas about who killed Maddie, the main character who’s stuck in the afterlife, or the in-between, and the ending threw us in for a loop. It’s been a while since I watched a really good teen mystery/drama and this show is a perfect example of storytelling that keeps you guessing until the end.
Nothing makes me laugh and say “aww” more than seeing an animal on a human-made contraption doing something that humans generally do, like sledding. The cat in this video, Fitz, and his owner seem like they’re having a great time, and his outfits are just adorable. If you’re looking for a quick hit of dopamine, this is it.
I love these examples of how you can entertain your kids for free in the holidays. Well, almost free. You did have to fork out for food at Ikea but it sounds like it was worth it.