The Best Thing we ever did as parents...

I'm not sure how long we've been doing this (maybe 4 years?) and I'm not sure who thought of this (His Lordship?) but at some point we instituted an idea we call My Night (very original and creative, I know). One designated night of the week, one of us gets up from the dinner table and is free from all parenting and house-keeping responsibilities and the other one is in charge. It's a beautiful thing let me tell you! Cleaning up from dinner, dealing with all the dishes and putting both kids to bed solo are totally worth it knowing my night is coming in just a couple of days. I think we must've been burned out from the challenges of parenting these 2 kids and between the two of us we weren't very effective or happy parents. But knowing you're free to pursue your passions for a whole night once a week gives you energy to spend in the other areas of your life. My night is Friday and I love ending the week this way and getting ready for the weekend with a full cup. Especially if it's before a Saturday His Lordship is scheduled to work.
The one thing I didn't foresee given our circumstances was actually enjoying the nights I was in charge. I kept thinking about all the work to be done and the hassles of guiding (policing?) bedtime on my own but once the dishes are done and the dishwasher started there's time for reading out loud or game playing before bedtime and I enjoy that time when it's just me and The Boy and the Em-ster. It took a while for me to get to that place. I also discovered that there is a sweet spot in his night. It's the moment The Boy is tucked in bed when I come downstairs and all is quiet in the house. I know I have 1/2 an hour, 30 whole minutes of alone time before I have to head to bed myself. It's in that time that I have begun to meditate or journal again depending on what I need to do that night. What a blessing to find that time to look after myself.
Who knew a little idea that on the surface meant not having to slog through the evening grind would produce such rewards?!