Does anyone have weekends like this anymore?

Well we did go into London this weekend which is a bit unusual, but we live 45 mins by train away so it's not as massive a deal for us. Not a particularly expensive day out, kids travel free or cheaply with zip cards and our train fares were under a tenner return. We saw Muppets Xmas Carol at the BFI (cheaper tickets for this than our local cinema!), looked at some lights and decorations then home. Yesterday we got a xmas tree and put it up. One child helped to decorate. I didn't post on social media though!
Your weekend sounds nice. Tbh it sounds cosier and nicer than ours usually are, with everyone holed up on devices and a bit grumpy. I usually try to do parkrun or gym, and we try to eat together at least for sunday lunch, DS sometimes bakes, but it's not usually half as wholesome as yours sounds!

I work away during the week, I yearn to spend quality time if the kind you describe @Ranoutofideasfortheelves

Normally I try to get back in time for Friday pickup, then take DS to his swimming lesson. We eat a (normally) home cooked dinner together and then wander down to the playground for a bit. Come home for a film or cartoons, then bath and bed.
Saturday starts with a lie in then bike ride and picnic, a relaxed afternoon playing with toys. Then dinner and all three of us on the sofa.
Sunday DS has art class in the morning, it is in a shopping centre so we have a look around and a coffee while DS is entertained. Then we probably stay for a pizza. We play outdoors for a bit, then homework, dinner and an early night.
Monday morning I do drop off and go off to work.

This week was a bit different because DS had flu and I had my first round of root canal work

These are our perfect weekends but we don’t get enough of them due to the kids sports. Last two weeks all sports have been off and it was idyllic! Nothing was posted on social media.

This weekend we’ve been much busier, we’ve had fancy dress Christmas parties, dinner out etc. A few social media posts.

What I’m saying is, people will be busier at this time of year but you don’t share the mundane on social media.

Hygge Tygge!

Obviously people aren’t going to Lapland every weekend as I am sure you well know. Your excessively detailed description of how cosy and amazing your own weekend was comes across equally smug and humblebraggy.

I agree
it’s you telling us what a perfect mother you are.

Your weekend seems extremely wealthy to me, in happiness and contentment you can’t buy that stuff.

Many of my weekends look like that. Not so much in December as we take in a lot of the free community Christmas events and do head off to Lapland each December (my annual treat!).

However the rest of the year is slow weekends, baking, reading, crafting, play parks and beach trips. We also have held the rule of no extracurriculars at weekends as it’s family time

We probably only have one weekend a month where we go out and do something and that’s only on one of the days. The other 3 weekends are just like yours.

Exactly!

You made sure that your child felt safe, happy, warm and loved.

What more could you want to do?

Yes, you could have made your child feel those things in Lapland.

But there is no need!

The weekend you've just had sounds perfect for your Dd, the sort of weekend she'll have fond memories of when she's grown up.
Of course weekends at home are the norm, they're just not posted on social media. Yours sounds better than most because many parents are trying to get through a mountain of chores at the weekend whereas you had the time to watch films while your child was at her friend's home, that's something to appreciate!

You come across as a bit unhappy though and maybe a little bored and envious of the fun you think others are having. You don't have to worry about your Dd missing out because she's not, but maybe you could look into doing more for yourself outside of your family life?

Magical Christmas experiences don't have to cost money by the way. It's little things like a walk at night to see the Christmas lights everywhere and maybe stopping off at a cafe to have a hot drink or small treat like a gingerbread man that are special to a young child.

That kids of weekend is very rarely documented on social media so you wouldn't see it but my weekends are very similar. Some combination of swimming lessons, visiting grandparents/cousins, bike rides, cooking, watching films, crafts and cosiness. Sometimes we have big weekends where we are out all day busy, which we would probably take pics of for Instagram but otherwise, chilling at home. Nothing wrong with that!

I was smiling reading your weekend description- it sounds absolutely perfect!

Plenty of people have that kind of weekend, especially at this kind of year.

I don’t think anyone does trips to Lapland etc as a typical weekend but people only post when they’ve done something special. Everyone has chilled weekends at home. Your weekend sounds like you packed a lot in for a weekend at home to me! For me a weekend at home inevitably means a lot of time spent cleaning - both to catch up from the week and because spending all weekend at home means more mess is created, especially if I’d done all that cooking! It sounds like you spent a lot of the weekend in the kitchen! Does DH never cook? Swap out one of those meals to a take away on a Friday or Saturday night and it sounds like a dreamy weekend.

I never look at Instagram and your post makes me grateful for that. We all have different desires. I do what I do with my weekends (sometimes active and busy; sometimes more chilled). I don’t compare my life with others.

Sounds perfect 👌 don’t believe all you see on social media a lot of it is just made to look better than it is and the truth is very different

We do a mixture. The DC enjoy being close to home and having a fair amount of down time, i usually get jobs done and batch cooking. DD has been doing a lot of homework and chilling in her room, DS has been playing with friends but also baking and making Christmas cards. We went out on Saturday evening for dinner with family and a look around the xmas markets.

It sounds pretty normal to me… food/pj/film/bed is pretty much most people’s evening throughout the year. My weekend has been similar

At that age we had a mix of weekends. We love seeing friends so it was rare to have a weekend just us. But nothing wrong with your weekend. Though my husband and I share tasks so I wouldn’t be the one cooking every meal, thank goodness.

Your weekend is our type of weekend. All the packed Christmas organised activities are never as fun as the appear on social media. In fact for me they are utterly draining and usually a massive rip off/a let down. I struggle to feel the magic of Christmas jostling with a bunch of strangers for the day and my family feel the same.

Instagram is just rubbish!’

Oooh can I come to you next weekend OP? Sounds idyllic!
For what it's worth, we never once did shows, Christmas trips to London, ice skating etc as I never had the money. Time and fun with their family are what kids really need.

Nearly every post on MN can be answered with the advice: get off social media. It's easy.