So, remember those grandiose plans for our Barrett Family Challenge? Well, we kicked things off this week and made some magic happen. This weekend we managed to complete our first two and I thought you might enjoy hearing how we got things started.

The challenge, to recap, was to plan, coordinate and execute a 5-person, family-only activity for us to experience together before the end of Christmas. Each event was judged based on budget, activity, and levels of family interaction.

Bling was first, opting for the customary dinner and a movie. One might thing this is the low-hanging fruit on the bunch. What we did not find out until later was that he chose this event for the explicit desire to create an opportunity to share a critique the evening together, like old times. That warms this mama’s heart. Counting on the family car ride home to debrief the film and enjoy one another's company without distraction was harder than he realized. Since my last client was supposed to ring me at 4:30, I was meeting them all downtown, which foiled the imagined conclusion of the evening. It was even saltier because my client was a no-show. That happens sometimes, but the level of planning that was orchestrated unnecessarily was, to be honest, disappointing. I too enjoy those family car rides.

Back to the story…we had dinner at a local restaurant and watched the conclusion to the Star Wars saga. As a child of the 70s, I found the conclusion to be kind of "meh." George Lucas could have brought it home for me better than Disney. I’m a purist. Mr. BigStuff couldn’t sit through it. The boys we satisfied. But what we all loved unanimously was kicking off the holiday together.

Next up was the Emperor. Saturday night he taught Bling and the Professor how to cook the perfect steak. This was morphed from a cook-off into a lesson based on space and the desire to create an opportunity for us to all make dinner together. Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Mashed potatoes and Steaks for the win. Bling was disappointed that we removed the competitive vibe from the event, but we all agreed that he was the best potato masher in the family. And that movie download, we managed to make that happen over dinner. Two points for Bling. Two down, three to go.

We then hit a big bump along that road to excellence. Mr. BigStuff got the flu a mere 3 days before Christmas, and he likely contracted it the day of our first family event. I am personally happy that my kids deftly navigated this obstacle and persevered. The overall attitude? “The Show Must Go On!”. Here’s to the next round of events, starting tomorrow. Stay tuned for part 2 after Christmas.