In our effort to carve out time for both the kids and ourselves over the weekend, Mike and I often end up dividing and conquering. I’ll watch the kids while Mike runs some errands or he’ll watch the kids while I try to write some of my book.

Switching off who is watching the kids is a great way to get stuff done, but what sucks is that really, my absolute favorite time is when the four of us are spending it all together.

No, it’s not particularly PRODUCTIVE, but what’s life when you’re constantly checking things off a list? Sometimes you just have to set the to-dos aside and spend time together as a family.

This past weekend, we did that in spades.

On Saturday, we went to a festival in South Hampton with Poppy and Nonna.

The festival included live music, a chowder competition, pumpkin decorating, a juggling act and face paint.

Poor Mike waited about an hour in line for face paint while I sat with the kids at the juggling show. But as we’ve come to learn over the years, roughly half of parenting is holding your kid’s spot in the face painting line.

Ultimately, Mazzy decided on Minnie Mouse and Harlow made a last minute decision to go as Elsa. It was the first time Harlow ever got her face painted and below you’ll see the face of someone who is not sure she liked the experience.

The face painting artist, who had been creating stunning work up until this point, did a hatchet job on Minnie Mouse. Mazzy hated it, wouldn’t let me take a picture and I can’t say I blame her.

Next, Mazzy and Harlow decorated pumpkins but when Mazzy picked hers up, the stem broke off and it fell to the ground, which was too much for poor Mazzy to handle. She claimed the pumpkin was now RUINED.

I tried to make her feel better by picking her up and standing her on the back of the pumpkin truck. There were other kids standing on there, so it seemed fair game but we were quickly shooed off and told that the kids on the back of the truck were “working the festival.”  AWESOME.

Poppy gave Mazzy and Harlow both lollipops to try to turn things around. He chose purple Dum Dum wrappers for both of them because he wanted to make sure they had the same flavor so they didn’t fight.

Smart thinking.

Except the purple Dum Dum wrapper is actually the “Mystery Flavor” so Harlow ended up with a pink lollipop while Mazzy was stuck with a blue one.

That’s when the crying started.

Picture Mazzy standing in the middle of a festival in the Hamptons, wearing Minnie Mouse face paint, holding a balloon dog in one hand and a lollipop in the other, crying that she was having THE WORST DAY. With a bright blue tongue, no less.

Quality family time, am I right?

Let’s just say Mike and I were happy to head home.

And no, I took no pictures of Mazzy’s meltdown.

Thankfully, Sunday proved to be a MUCH BETTER day. We went apple picking at Seven Ponds Orchard. The weather was perfect, the kids were in good spirits and it was awesome.

We picked apples (which Harlow took VERY SERIOUSLY)….

Walked through a field of sunflowers…

Picked green beans…

Got lost in the corn maze…

Milked a wooden cow…

Played in their playground…

…and took a hayride.

There were no tears on Sunday. Only sun and smiles and good times had by all. It was family time at it’s finest, which totally made up for the day before.

Even though we have no idea what to do with all those apples.