WONDERFUL EVENING

Last night was a wonderful evening, considering Scott was home sick all day. His turn for a change. Anyway, because he was sick, that meant that even if he would have had a meeting last night, he wouldn't have been able to go. It meant that he spent quiet time with Faith during the day and enjoyed looking at her Bella Sara cards one...by one...by one...until each had been viewed and commented on. It meant that he was home when Parker got off the bus and they sat...just the two of them and watched cartoons for a while in our bedroom. Last night there was no rushing to eat so someone could get someplace at a certain time. The TV was hardly even on...or when it was it was on quietly and only for some background noise...which we in this house seem to require.

We had a nice dinner...beef ravioli, mixed vegetables, breadsticks and salad. The kids even commented to me on how good it tasted. While I did dishes (the new dishwasher comes on Monday!), Scott helped the kids get their jammies on early and we just enjoyed being together. There must have been some "magic" in the air because the kids didn't pester or argue with each other ONCE! Parker even did his homework without fussing! I also gave him the following "special task."

A few years ago we gave Parker a Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book for Christmas. He's always loved helping in the kitchen and by the time he was three he could crack an egg like a pro. When he was a baby I used to sit him in his highchair and pull it into the kitchen with me while I got dinner ready. I'd put Cheerios on his tray and give him a spatula and told him to "cook." He would pretend to "cook" the Cheerios while I made dinner. Faith never really caught on to that little trick. Anyway, Parker loves the monthly menu plan we started back in January. Since we've gotten back from vacation I haven't had a chance to plan out April except for a few days in advance. So, last night this was Parker's task: to take his cookbook and plan out the main courses for the remainder of April and write the page number of the recipe on the calendar as well. I told him I would plan the "extras" such as breads, vegies, etc., after he was done. By golly, he took this job SERIOUSLY! He and Scott sat down together and Parker really worked HARD on completing this task. He did a great job and was SO VERY proud of himself when he handed it over to me!

The menu for the rest of this week and next looks like this:
* Hot Dogs
* Car-Hoppin' Chicken Strips (which Parker and Scott will have to prepare since Faith and I will be gone overnight in Rochester)
* Pizza (that's every Friday night)
* Beat the Band Burgers
* Soup, Salad, Bread
* Mount Lasagna
* Ham Cannon Balls
* Breakfast Night (waffles or pancakes, bacon, fruit)
* Hula Stir-Fry (using chicken)
* Leaning Tower Pizza
* The Great Cheesy Beef (Roast Beef Sandwiches)

It was a wonderful night of connection, peace and just completely and 100 percent enjoying being in each other's company and being HOME. The rest of the week will be pretty crazy so this was a wonderful way to spend an evening...sort of the "calm before the storm!"