Break-time

The morning wasn't too unusual, except for the fact that Helen didn't come to our bed until 6:00. By the time I got talked out of bed, it was after 7:00 and four children were awake. At 9:30 the four girls and Grace and I left, I dropped Marie, Katie, and Helen off at Tots, took Grace to the doctor, then took Grace home, then went back to Tots until it finished. And then...

A friend had asked me to come over today to help her put together a stool from Ikea, and since I was coming, to have lunch with her as well. That was already quite an anticipated treat. Then when Elisabeth and I arrived, we discovered that we were getting even more of a treat than expected: Barbie took us out to eat in a restaurant! I have actually been out to eat in a restaurant with just my husband (or just my husband and the youngest child) several times in the last 13 1/2 years, but this is the first time I can ever remember eating out with another friend and no children (Elisabeth was asleep at first, so didn't count), so it was quite a novel experience. Sitting at such a small table, not having to read the menu out loud, only looking for my own food--all cool. Elisabeth did eventually wake up and ate some of my rice and some chips (french fries, that is, or actually potato wedges, I guess--nice, thick ones made from real potatoes) that the owner gave her.

And then...after we finished eating, we kept sitting there, and talking! Finishing whole sentences and everthing! Just enjoying the warm breeze (we were sitting outside), laughing at Elisabeth playing with other customers, and just...sitting. THAT was the most novel part of it all. Wow. Amazingly, my children are actually pretty well-behaved in restaurants most of the time (I suspect because it's such a rare treat to eat out), but we do know when to leave, and that is SOON after finishing eating.

Just as we arrived back at Barbie's place, Jörn called to ask if I'd be home soon. Um...well, we hadn't actually started putting the stool together yet. So we did that, quick and easy (I do enjoy putting together Ikea furniture!), and I headed home. What a cool break in the middle of my day.