After two months of no-gos, it finally happened today. We got out of the house for an extended period of time. And it didn't involve spending money, a doctor's office visit, or any bribery on my part. In fact, it took no pre-planning at all. In fact, all I had to do was show up.

In a room that was painted like Noah's Ark with the inscription 'Of such is the kingdom of heaven' on the wall were two adults just waiting to not only watch, but apparently care for my two little guys. There was soft music playing and some sugar cookies to frost. I got a pager in case of head wounds, and I....left. But wait. I'm still getting to the best part.

I spent the next hour talking to other adult women. And making butterfly valentines. They were supposed to be a mommy-child craft, but none of the childs were even remotely interested. But now I have four butterfly valentines for my boys. By and large, a real win-win all the way around. Plus, they had rolos there. I was in heaven for two hours this morning. I could have cried with relief if I had had the energy.

I can't even do justice to how good that felt today. One lady was commenting how nice it was to just get out now and then, and I replied that I, for one, was REALLY glad I had gotten out this morning, because I was feeling ready to murder my children a couple hours before. They all laughed like I wasn't being serious.

Let's just say that I'm not the only one benefiting from these little outings. They supposedly meet like this every week. It almost makes me feel giddy. That, and I finally finished 'Pillars of the Earth'. Wow.