FRIDAY MOVIE NIGHT

The deal this morning was if the children ate their breakfast by the time the kitchen's oven timer sounded, they would get one extra movie night in addition to the one they would normally get on Saturday night. Time was running away from us this morning and I needed to come up with an incentive for them to be ready on time. Any mention of getting to watch something anywhere and the children's eyes light up as they know this is a special treat for them.

Reading between the lines, most harried parents would see this as a treat for us as parents as well. It is code for extra time alone to cherish a quiet moment. In tonight's case, it turned out to be my being able to talk with my boyfriend for an hour, if not longer. It was something I looked forward to all day as being together in person is not an option any time soon.

This weekend the children would have been with their father, but are with me instead since it is Mother's Day weekend in the States and I am exercising my rights according to the terms of the divorce decree. It is a sad state of life when we as humans have to resort to a piece of paper (or 40 in our case) in order to do what is in the 'best interests of the children', a phrase most oft used by the courts.

The children are excited about the special day on Sunday. As such, they were busy this afternoon after school wrapping drawings and other presents they made in school. In truth, every day is mother's day as I told my son the other night as I tucked him in to bed. He then said he wished there was 'Children's Day' to which I responded there was, albeit it is not something I have heard of being celebrated here in the States.

Tonight's movie was 'The Adventures of Clutch Powers' - a Lego movie which Sage selected a few weekends ago whilst we were buying supplies at Target. Saffron's movie of choice is tomorrow night, assuming I can find it amongst the piles of boxes scattered about the chaotic house. In any case, the extra movie night tonight was a treat for both me and the children as we embark upon the weekend together.