why I was hiding in the bathtub & a fabulous night to celebrate being women

Jason has been gone in California for work all week and yesterday by 7:20am I was sitting in the bathtub with my coffee and a book hiding from the children. Sad but true.  I just needed 3 minutes of sanity where no one was pulling on my leg or wiping something on me or having a catastrophe.  I remember a distant time in my life when 7:20 was roughly the time my alarm went off.  Now my son had already been awake and whining for almost 2 hours.  Oh,the depths of the tired. And now I sit with a sink full of dirty dishes and a washing machine full of dirty clothes that I intended to remedy before Jason arrives home this evening and the water is shut off.  So clearly in light of such a first world problem my only option is to sit here and tell you all about it. Becuase I am an overshare-er. It is what I do.

But really this week was pretty great. The girls and I stayed up too late and they helped a ton with Abishai.  We filled our days with play dates, time with our neighbors, and fun activities so the time would not drag until our Papa returned.  I enjoyed some of the reflection time I had and ..shocker..I know even though I don't usually chose time alone I actually benefit from it.  So overall it was a good week.  And then there were the moments I felt exhausted and like I cannot manage my own schedule let alone these three little people that demand to eat 3 meals a day. Seriously, by the time I clean the aftermath of one meal they are asking for more food.  And the snacks required. Don't even get me started on the tyranny of snacking. Some days this week I felt brave and awesome and some days felt like I was barely hanging on until the glorious time of day known as post bedtime (there is still the lurking danger of a little girl tip-toeing down to ask for water, tattle on her sister, or tell me about what she just read in her book) but mostly it is quiet and peaceful and I can just BE.

And while the quiet is great and needed so is the hum and buzz of community that reminds you that you are not alone.  Last night though my house was full of the sounds of women laughing, children running, and the smells of mehendhi and biriyani.  My friend Swapna taught us how to cook chicken curry and vegetable biriyani and can I just say if I was born an Indian woman I would have gotten kicked out of the culture by now.  There are at least 25 ingredients and so much work but oh, the smell and the taste!!! Another friend came with her daughter and did mehendhi for us all as well. I love this art form. It just reminds me of the beauty of being a woman and it is so relational and intimate because you are sharing space and being together.

Before we feasted I prayed and thanked God for the reminders that we are not only mothers but also women and as I said it I was reminding myself too.  Because some days I get lost in the to-do's and the whole keeping them alive thing and I forget the journey is best when shared and savored.  I'm so grateful for these friends and the chance to do life together here in this place that is feeling more like home everyday.









Great women and a great night.  We all need a tribe and for sure mine will always eat Indian food. And there are leftovers people so feel free to pop in,