Easy Evening at Home

I got home from work last night, and Hubby was chasing the kids around the house playing a mangled version of Hide-and-Seek mixed with Tag. There was lots of excited squealing, screaming and giggles. It was nice to come home to a happy house. I cooked dinner. Yes, you heard that right. I...me...myself...and I! I cooked dinner. Please, I caution you not to fall off your chair in a state of shock. You know by now, I'm sure, that, though I can cook...I hate to cook. I made chicken breasts, a salad, bread (store-bought and warmed) and gave the kids a piece of fruit. Little Bit gorged herself on cucumbers and Kiddo ate salad - and asked for more. They both almost totally neglected the wonderful chicken that I slaved over for all of 15 minutes. (The oven did the hard part.) But I'm not going to complain if they prefer fruits and veggies over meat. I'm a little bit pleased with myself that the chicken came out so perfectly. Can someone please reach out and pat me on the back? Ah...the pleasure I get out of little things. Then both kids got a bath. This was one of those "I hate bath time" baths where I got soaked and irritated. Both kids got clean, but I was the one who really needed the towel afterwards. They probably could have drip-dried faster than I could have toweled off! Sheesh! Bedtime was mostly a non-issue - thank goodness. Little Bit cried for a time, but eventually settled down and introduced herself to Slumberland. I read Kiddo his new book. He and Little Bit are both signed up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library where they each get a new book monthly until they are five years old. It's been a great program and the books are wonderful. Anyway, we read "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" which was very sweet, and we tucked him in and he was out in less than 20 minutes. I like easy nights. I like when I'm mentally capable of handling multiple things at once - especially at home. I multi-task like a champ at work, but for some reason, when I get home, it all goes to you-know-where in a hand-basket. I'm lucky if I can pick myself up off the couch long enough to be an active participant in the family. Ugh. But last night was easy. I want every night to be easy like that. It makes me feel like I'm a good, capable parent. TTFN JMS