Moms Night In

I'm blessed to have wonderful friends. I often refer to them as my "Crunchy Mama Friends." These were the women I actively sought out after the birth of my son when it was clear that my old ways of socializing and having fun were over. Those of you with children know what I'm talking about. After 5pm your evening is essentially shot. You're making dinner, cleaning dinner up, giving baths, brushing teeth, reading books, preparing for the next day, tucking littles into bed, reading another book, getting a glass of polar bear juice (ice water), tucking babes back into bed again, getting more polar bear juice...and you look up at the clock and it's 8pm. Except, unlike your college days, when you were JUST starting to think about going out someplace at 8pm, you are now well and truly exhausted. And your child still isn't asleep. The idea of finding a clean shirt that doesn't have peanut butter fingerprints on it, actually washing your hair for the first time that day, and finding a pair of matching shoes that aren't your slippers is overwhelming. So you go to bed too. And eventually your friends without children stop asking you out. Which is TOTALLY understandable.

But at some point you start to desperately crave adult interaction. And not just the interaction you get from your significant other. You miss girlfriends, or at least I did. So I went online and I sought some mamas out. Crunchy mamas. Mamas who thought outside of mainstream parenting norms and didn't think that decisions and way we chose to raise our son was crazy. And it was a little weird at first. I'd never been one to first cultivate friendships online. I'd always met people in real life and just clicked. Finding friends online was daunting, and a little scary. Sort of like internet dating for friendship.

Persistence pays offs. Eventually I discovered a group of women who would become some of my closest friends. Women with children - some with one, some with five. Women who understood the daily schedule of a stay at home mama. Play dates became as much about letting our children play, as it was about our chance to connect with each other and replenish that part of ourselves that can only filled by the company of other women. Occasionally we have MNO's. Moms Night Out (babes in arms are always welcome. Nurslings need their mamas of course). The Biggers stay home with Daddy, a significant other, or a sitter and we get a chance to catch up. I always feel like my cup has been topped off after an evening with these wonderful women. This weekend we had an MNI - Moms Night In, which I hosted in my house. I had a huge bag of silk ties waiting for egg dyeing. I just needed ready and willing participants to help with the dyeing.

So we came together at 4:30 in the afternoon for an evening of snacks and crafting. And more than a few crude jokes about blowing eggs. Don't tell.

Love how she rocks those glasses!

Playing dress up. Ties as fashion accessories.

Five hours later, and with over 12 dozen eggs dyed we wound down our evening. Nine women replenished, craft exhausted, and smelling slightly of eggs and vinegar. We made plans the next day to start a regular monthly MNO.
Wishing you all friendship that fills you to overflowing,
Simple Mama