Family Night

I had to laugh last night when Jillian asked me if it was just me and my boys or if I had a man, too. Granted she only discovered our group, and thus my blog, a few days ago and had only known me for an hour. But, still, it made me laugh. It also made me think back on how this blog has evolved with me. When I first started all I had to post about was my kids, and my hubby. And post about them I did. From family weekends to homeschool days to dinner at night. That was my life. Not anymore. Since about three years ago this blog followed me from being a stay at home mom going to a working mom. From being a shy, insecure girl to being a bold, firm, woman. Okay I'm not THAT bold and THAT firm, but a hell of a lot more firm and bold than I used to be and I darn well will say what I need and want to say when I need and want to say it. I rarely mention my kids and my hubby anymore because they don't define me. That doesn't mean I love them any less. I love them more, actually! I am so happy as a person (usually, except when I go thru changes and have to fight my way thru being depressed back to the happy person I am!!) that I have so much more to give back to them. At the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, in between. I'm still cranky sometimes, but I don't take it out on them that they're all I give to so why should I be treated this way! I don't give everything to them anymore. I give a lot to me. I give a lot to my hubby. And I give a lot to my kids. But I make darn well sure that I am taken care of first. 

Well, I didn't mean to get all philosophical on you. I actually meant to tell you about my evening, sort of to prove this point. We got home this afternoon after a doctor's appointment where I found out Justinb has chiggers and a bad allergic reaction to them - not poison ivy, like I originally thought. Thank God! The boys did their chores, cleaned their room, drew me pictures,

played sweetly as all heck for two hours in their room with their legos and snorkel gear (um, yes, that's not a typo) AND their door closed. Hallelujah, quietness! Then their friend came to the door and asked if they could play and off they went to play baseball upstairs. I oh so very domestically made some artichokes for an afternoon snack (mostly because artichokes and avocados are the only two veggies Shawners will eat) and took them upstairs along with my iced coffee to watch them play. Before I went up there I called my good friend JenH to see if she wanted to sit out there and watch them with me. She brought her own iced coffee and sat and chatted with me for a good hour while our boys played baseball. Later, one of her boys spotted Justinb's teacher, Jo, driving up to her place. So I texted Jo to see if she wanted to join us. She texted back "On my way!" and brought cherries along with her. We chatted for the next hour before Brando got home and joined us for another hour. We didn't end up coming in until 7:30pm when I made pan-seared sirloin and rice pilaf for dinner, with angel food shortcake and strawberries for dessert. So there's my undomesticated domesticated girlie life that I absolutely love.