{Friendship Friday} Milestone friend dates

First off - a few quick announcements...

1. don't forget tomorrow is the day for sharing your patterns!
2. please follow along with 31 days of Enough Time and if you comment too, I'm going to love you forever (blogging is becoming very lonely these days). I'm thinking I need to put it on my prayer list for God to give me some nice commenters... or encouragers :) like I used to pray for friends

Then I started interviewing nannies today for Nanny S's 4 months maternity leave. Just... interesting. I saw 3 ladies, the 4th couldn't find my place and phoned me when she was already very late so I told her to come tomorrow since she was still at least 20 - 25 minutes away.

Okay, onto the topic.

So about two months ago, I saw Robyn post something about a date night on Instagram for a Friday night and it just triggered a series of thoughts:

• hmmm, we haven't had one of those forever, unless you count Casting Crowns
• hey wait, we should start having people over again in the evening (I'm a big noise nazi so I haven't done so since the babies were REAL babies - 4 - 6 months)
• brainwave, let's do it with Robyn and family

So I commented on her instagram that they should come over to us for their next date... with the kids... and we will have supper.

Which we did.

I can't remember if I told her but they were guinea pigs for this night-time entertaining thing :) because they're very easy people. They're not fussy, have lovely children, are chilled parents, and so are really easy to have over.

It also helps that her kids are the same age as mine, kind-of.



These days with everyone gluten-free this and that, and banting this and that, I've kind-of stopped thinking about having people over.

In the "old" days (a few years ago), I'd ask people if they didn't eat something, or they'd ask me, and it was usually something like, "I don't eat peas, neither of us eat peppers, but we'll fish it out if you cook with it". These days it's very different and difficult. If I make a baked pasta dish, are you going to only fish out the bits of mince and eat that? :)

Mince = ground beef

I can't also ask people over and say, "well you bring your own food and we'll eat my stuff" - that is just wrong.

ANYWAY, so it was refreshing when I asked Robyn what they don't eat, what they drink (we don't drink alcohol so that's off the menu) and so on, and she said, "WE EAT ANYTHING" and really, they do.

Even the kids.

Anyway, my two were WAY too excited to have their own guests.

We set the table in the kitchen for the kids, and the one in the dining-room for the adults.

Everyone ate all their salad, pasta and garlic bread, and Robyn's chocolate cake.

Success!


The kids were all good - no fighting or tantrums by anyone. When Robyn and kids came over the first time, I do remember Connor not wanting to share his bike (I think it was a boy/ boy thing - he had shared nicely always with other girl guests). This time, all was well.

It really was a successful evening and gave me hope for more such suppers with other friends, if they're keen ;)

Do you go out at night with your kids, or do you have people over?

We go out to eat VERY occasionally with the kids, but it is very literally a "leave at 6, arrive at Ocean Basket at 6:15 and order straight away, eat and home by 7:15 - 7:30". We go there because they're fast :)

You'll notice no photos of the evening in this post because Robyn and I were both talking too much and didn't even take out the phones or the real camera.