Taking time off on the weekends!

Our weekends are pretty crazy. Between shuttling Aryan for karate, swimming and skating, doing groceries, reading him books and making him read some, cooking, cleaning etc etc...I am not sure where the 48 hours of so-called rest and relaxation go. It's not so much a weekend but a week-start!

This weekend was different. I got an invitation for a Tea Party. My immediate thought was to say no. Excuse #1: There's too much going on (when is there not?). Excuse # 2: What is a tea paty anyway? Googled it to find out some interesting history, enough to perk up my curiosity. So I decided to give it a try and maybe my home would not, after all, come down on a pack of cards. Very bravely and cheerfully I left my husband and son after lunch, off to meet the 'girls', curious whether I would find it interesting or infinitely boring.

How wrong I was (fortunately). I met 5 other women, mostly working moms with kids around the same age as Aryan except one with 24 year old. We spoke about our kids, husbands, schools, admissions (yeah...the topic continues), our roots (turns out 4 of the 6 are from different parts of China, 1 from Scandinavia and yours truly from India), our interests...over warm tea and a delicious three-course snack plate. It struck me, that no matter how diverse our backgrounds were, our day-to-day struggles, challenges and joys were so similar. Dropping and picking up kids from school, parking, snow days, finding sitters for date nights (what's that?), deciding on which school was the best for kids, dealing with their weekend classes, wanting that self indulging mani and pedi...we were all so similar. And I think that created a wonderful connection on a dull, snowy afternoon in Evanston between 6 women from diverse backgrounds. It was an awesome afternoon, one that went way faster than I would have liked it to. Alas!

For those uninitiated, the tea party starts with the hostess bringing out a selection of teas. Hint #1: Be sure to choose a strong one, as the prix-fixe menu only includes 1 tea bag so it has to last the whole 1.5-2 hours of the party. As the group settles in and starts the chatter, the 3-course snacks are brought. Ours had finger sandwiches, absolutely yummy scones with whipped cream, jelly and strawberries and an assortment of desserts. Hint #2: If you are vegeterian or have dietary restrictions, be sure to check with the restaurant in advance and order items that suit you.

Fond memories of this weekend...where I took off from my normal chores and enjoyed myself! I strongly encourage all mothers out there, who devote all their time for their families, to do this once in a while. Great for you and for your family!