I know I'm behind the rest of the population when it comes to seeing new movie releases. I always wait until the library has a copy of the movie on DVD and then I wait in line (for months sometimes) for my turn to check the movie out. I know there are other options (Netflix, Red Box) but I like our method. The movie Moms' Night Out came in at the library just in time for Mark to go on a high adventure backpacking trip with Ian and Shane last weekend! Can you say Mom's Night Out? Yes!
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| On the trail to Lena Lake |
In years past, when Mark and the boys went on a Cub Scout adventure, I would stay home with the girls (and Daniel) and just enjoy a weekend off. I didn't worry about cooking dinner or doing housework because the little people would eat anything for any meal and they didn't really create any messes or mischief because we watched movies all weekend. But THIS weekend, I realized that my work load actually quadruples. I have to manage the dogs, which means making sure they go out before bed and getting up early to take them out on a leash one at a time so they don't run off. If I want a nicer looking floor, I have to pick up all the scraps of paper from Kai's ripping sprees. I have to make sure the food gets put in their reach and picked back up so Heidi doesn't eat it. And I have to clean up any barf or poop. These are all Mark's jobs. Then, I have to take out the compost, feed the chickens, and gather the eggs. This was Ian's job this weekend. And because I let the chickens free range for fresh grass and didn't close the gate when it got dark, I had to feed the chickens and close up the gate before I could take the dogs out since Kai is a chicken killer. All this happened in the freezing cold early hours of Sunday morning with Heidi screaming at the door inside.
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| At least I didn't have to SLEEP in the freezing cold (they had ice on their sleeping bags). |
And then there was the kitchen. This is usually a two person job. The three older kids rotate through dish washing/putting away and counters. Evie was the put away/counter person and Shane was supposed to be a dish washer. When the big boys are away, we still have six people using dishes, three times a day! And Heidi has some weird revulsion to me working in the kitchen. Whenever I go in to make dinner or do some task, she freaks out and screams and hangs on to my legs. This makes dish washing very difficult, which is one of the reasons why it is the kids' job.
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| The Scout Kitchen |
Luckily for me, I figured out my weekend wasn't a true weekend off by Saturday morning, when the boys all left. I chose right then to watch my movie. Most people I know got to watch this movie at a women's night at church or with their sweetheart after the kids went to bed (haha). I watched it Saturday morning with five kids, who all needed food at various times and a diaper or two changed. I missed a few things, so I watched the movie again on Saturday night. (Saturday Day was a whole different adventure that deserves a post of its own) This time I watched the movie on a laptop in my bed with Lula and Heidi jumping around while the three older kids watched a different movie on the big screen downstairs. I even went to bed at a decent hour so I could get enough sleep (there might be something wrong with me).
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| Mark on Upper Lena Lake |
I made everyone watch the movie on Sunday night when we were all together again. My older kids were able to understand a few things about their mom and they laughed at all the parallels between the funny moments in the movie and what actually happens in their life. My husband, who already knows and mostly understands me, could really identify with the husband in the movie. I just laughed and laughed. And cried a little. Because the movie is that good. I appreciate the movie even more because of my movie-watching buddies.
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| First light, Sunday morning, highlighting the mountain top. |
God is working big things in Mark and I right now. We haven't had much quiet time together alone since they've gotten home, so we haven't been able to really talk about the metaphors in our lives. Things like Heidi cutting two teeth and crying all night, Mark's busy work season starting again (did it ever stop?), Tuesday activities (can you say crazy?), Lula still refusing to be completely potty trained, Evie with the worst case of Horse Fever I've ever known, and trying to find someone to watch my kids during my 20 week ultrasound tomorrow have taken precedence over cozy conversation. But thanks to this movie, I can tell you that I'm a very happy and content Mama Eagle sitting in my nest with my eaglets. Which is a big turnaround from a few weeks ago, right?
