Moma's Night Out

So, I got a night out.

Every six weeks there is a Praise and Coffee night. I love them. I love helping plan them. I love sitting in the back watching a room full (65 including me, Sue and her daughter) of women getting to know each other, praise God with all their heart, cry tears over something poignant, and drink gallons of coffee. It truly is a beautiful thing.

Last Praise and Coffee, I had a sick little guy and never made it. I have had a countdown for this get together. And to add to the mix, one of my very dear friends was sharing her heart, just a sliver of it, with all the women there. I didn’t want to miss it.

So it would be this week that my handsome hardworking hubby got put on third shift. For one week only. This week. The week of Praise and Coffee.

I was not about to call my mom to help me out. Even if I had she couldn’t because she was out having a girls night out of her own. Nor could I load four boys up for a girls night. So, I was home. Alone with four boys. Again.

Until I thought of the new renters, the ones I didn’t scare away ( http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=184165921746089096&postID=2205841090911317955 ), and the teenage girls that seem to adore my boys.

So, for the first night ever in my life, I hired a baby sitter.

It was rough to decide, not due of the baby sitter because I trusted her totally, it was the ‘is it worth it to drive out for Praise and Coffee’ (that's seemed late for a first time being left with a baby sitter), ‘is it wise to leave the boys at bedtime’ and on and on. S2 had soccer practice and I knew he had a ride home, but he was fighting a cold. S1 was capable to watch the boys and keep them in line and help the baby sitter out finding things. S3 was told he could only hug the baby sitter one time (which he told her about and did as soon as she walked in, because he loves this girl so very much and I was afraid she would be hugged out by the time she got home). And S4, well, as long as he had chocolate milk and knew he wouldn’t be cut off he know he would be fine.

But I couldn’t decide. The baby sitter probably thinks I am about the most indecisive woman she has ever met. I hope not, but I am sure that is how I came across. An hour before I had to leave if I was going to leave, I committed to it and she didn’t seem too surprised by that.

I put on my big girl earrings, the huge hoops I wear when I am feeling sassy and fun, and decided to be like my sister, DP, who would tell me to go out, have fun, shop, drink an extra coffee and live it up. Sometimes you have to listen to your little sister’s voice in your head. That’s why God gave me my sister, she is opposite of me. My hair that had been pulled back in an exhausted bun turned out to be wavy curly looking. You can’t let a good hair day go unnoticed.

But leaving I thought of the football movie I had left for them to watch and thought to myself, “what if the boys decide to act out the football moves they see on TV….that. would. be. bad.”

And I am glad I went. I got there an hour late, cried tears over the story of my good friend’s story of her eight year old son’s year and half journey with cancer (he is cancer free now) and the stress it put on her marriage and the heartbreak and the joy and the truly awesomeness of God.

When I got home at 9:30 (I left early, as much as it made me sad because there were so many women I knew. Social interaction, I crave it, like I crave coffee….but, I am a mom…) all the boys were still awake. All of them. I was sure they would have crashed out exhausted, but they were just zoned in front of the second movie I had picked out for them just in case they had time. They did. And the baby sitter did great, the boys did great, my hubby was glad I went, I was so thankful to be there for my friends (even if I was just sitting in the back after arriving late and left early).

So why did I share this all with you? Because, I just want to encourage ya’ll to get out a bit. It’s good for you. Put on your sassy earrings and meet up with some girlfriends. Sue tells you how to have a Praise and Coffee in her vlog, check it out (http://www.praiseandcoffee.blogspot.com/). You can’t go wrong when you are praising God and drinking strong coffee! Especially when it is a Pumpkin spice latte. There are women out there with a story to tell, a story of how God is using them, and it’s good to hear them, to be encouraged, and it is good to laugh. Laugh till you cry.

So that is my thought for you all as I am severely caffeinated before I go to bed to get up at four am live in my ‘real’ life again.