Family Night--Ice Cream

I was so caught up in
the moment that I forgot
to take pictures. Here's a
dramatization. Chad peer
pressured us into two scoops.
Darby was the only one to
finish hers.

It's difficult to find time for living these days. Between a two-job home, house maintenance, fixing dinner, caring for the animals, homework, hockey, and other obligations, Hubby Dearest and I sometimes feel like we are ships passing each other in the night. If we feel that way about our own relationship, then you can imagine we feel even more distant from our Darling Darby, sweet surly teenager that she's become. Now we are also getting ready to incorporate volunteering into our hectic lives. We will, however, be volunteering as a family in an effort to stick together.

Nevertheless, can you guess how excited we were last week when Darby's high school e-newsletter gave us permission to have "Family Night"! The e-mail stated, "NOT DUE ON FRIDAY--Beginning this year there will not be any tests, quizzes, homework, projects or other assignments due on Friday. What this means for your student is that Thursday evenings can be a stress free evening, hopefully one spent with family, because none of our teachers will require that anything is due on Friday."

Having taught at a Plano high school, I can translate for you, "What we really mean is that 3/4 of our school are involved in Thursday night football. We know the football players, cheerleaders, band students and 10 fans attending the game will wait till the last minute if something is due on Friday and then complain that they couldn't complete their work because they were at the game 'having school spirit.' So we are cutting that squirmish off at the pass." Football is religion in Texas. Luckily, not in my household! We may go to one game as part of family night, but it won't be because Chad or I choose it.

We gave first choice to Darby. After an hour was wasted hemming and hawing about, "I don't KNOW-WAH!" We finally gave her the idea of going for ice cream. I snagged her into cooking dinner with me and we chit-chatted. After eating, Chad and I were good parents and helped her finish the chores she had been dragging her feet on. Then we were off! Nothing too exciting, but we did get away from "life" to have 30 minutes with living with just the three of us. There was talking about nothing in particular and making fun of the crazy scary murals that Baskin Robbins has on their walls. It was nice.

Next week is Chad's choice. Darby and I are frightened he really will make us play Risk. I told him no problem as long as he doesn't mind cleaning toilets when it's my turn to choose.  Not really! I am just going to use this time to play Scrabble, Phase 10 and make them teach me how to play Mario Brothers on the Wii (and NOT leave me behind to die because I don't know what I am doing). What are you ideas for family night?