Saturday, September 02, 2006

A long, lazy weekend? I think not.

The original plan was to just enjoy the weekend implementing the strategy of the three r's. Rest, relax and read! I mean after all it's Labor Day weekend, right? For me Labor Day is just an excuse to eat some really good barbque and be LAZY!

But you know what they say about the best laid plans ........

Just as I was lining up my reading agenda, my assistant sent over my To Do List with no less than three deadlines for projects next week. Ok, so maybe a little less reading - I can live with that. I'll block off a few hours to take care of business sometime on Saturday and knock it out.

Then my sister had the BRIGHT idea that we should clean my parent's house for them while they are on vacation. OK, I'm down with that - just won't get to sleep in Saturday morning as planned. Well, there is always Sunday and Monday, right?

Scratch Sunday. Forgot I was in charge of teaching Sunday School. Oops, also forgot to prepare the lesson. There goes Saturday afternoon.

Then my sister calls back. Her son has a football game so she won't be able to follow through with her bright idea but wouldn't it be nice if I still go clean. Sure thing, Big Sis. Tack on another two hours of manual labor to my Saturday morning and switch my work schedule to Monday.

Hmmmmmm, are you still with me?

Needless to say, there's going to be a lot more LABOR than I planned on and a lot less of the three R's. But I guess it's somewhat appropriate given the name of the holiday.

Just so you know:

Labor Day is a national legal holiday that is over 100 years old. Over the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival.

It grew out of a celebration and parade in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in 1882 in New York. In 1884, the Knights held a large parade in New York City celebrating the working class. The parade was held on the first Monday in September. The Knights passed a resolution to hold all future parades on the same day, designated by them as Labor Day.

The Socialist Party held a similar celebration of the working class on May 1. This date eventually became known as May Day, and was celebrated by Socialists and Communists in commemoration of the working man. In the U.S., the first Monday in September was selected to reject any identification with Communism.

In the late 1880's, labor organizations began to lobby various state legislatures for recognition of Labor Day as an official state holiday. The first states to declare it a state holiday in, 1887, were Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Then in 1894, Congress passed a law recognizing Labor Day as an official national holiday.

Today, Labor Day is observed not only in the U.S. but also in Canada, and in other industrialized nations. While it is a general holiday in the United States, its roots in the working class remain clearer in European countries.

It has come to be recognized in the U.S. not only as a celebration of the working class, but even more so as the unofficial end of the summer season. In the northern half of the U.S. at least, the summer vacation season begins with Memorial Day and ends with Labor Day.

Enough of the history lesson. I have a grill that needs to be cleaned!

AND while I'm making my list, I'm also going to do some last minute school shopping. And I'm throwing a party for my oldest son Tyler who officially starts school on Wednesday. Yes, it's only pre school but it's school none the less and we are celebrating the beginning of his educational journey. And being the proud (and anal) mommy that I am - I started a blog to commemorate his school years. You can always stop by:An Educational Journey

Soooooooo what are your plans for labor day weekend? :)

4 comments:

  1. Poor thing! I think it's always like that. We plan to just do our thing, and next thing you know someone else plans things for you during YOUR time, or duty calls. That's a trip, right? Amongst all that you have to get done, I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend, sweetie. Stop by my place. I'd like to hear your opinion on my recent post, Something New.

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  2. This is so true for me too: people planning YOUR holiday time for you. This year, I am staying at home and relaxing for the holiday... and that is fine by me. Even though I would LOVE to hang with the relatives today, I just don't want to wear myself out!

    I too had to wash and clean the old dirty grill... go figure...

    Enjoy the rest of your holiday!!

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  3. I have been lazily sitting at the computer and taking baby type naps..just chillin...
    Clean the dirty grill yesterday...hate doing that though

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  4. Kayla: Loved your "Something New" post. Of course, I had to leave my two cents.

    ladylee: thanks for stopping by my spot! Hate clean the grill but the finished product more than made up for it.

    rose: gonna be coming to Da Lou in the next couple of months. I'll let you know when.

    urban: I also subscribe to the adage, "to whom much is given, much is required". When I complain, it is really tongue in cheek. I've been truly blessed.

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