I've felt kind of lost the past few days. After a week and a half of all consuming studying and worrying about midterms I don't really have anything pressing going on. Yes, I have a ton of things I COULD be doing but, alas, I have not found the motivation. The FLY Lady sits on my shoulder and reminds me that I could take 15 minutes and clean out the bathroom closet of all my no longer used/needed stuff. But, it seems too overwhelming so I ignore her. Maybe another day.
My niece, KH, is arriving today from Wyoming. At the ripe old age of 12 she is flying alone to come and spend 6 weeks with us. It will be a mutually beneficial 6 weeks as I could use a "mother's helper" with the kids and she could use some time away to find new adventures that just aren't abundant in Wyoming. She will be going with us to Rochester later in the month to visit C's family. She has never been to NY so it will be a treat for her.
O is here and he wants to type a message:
I have a XbOX.
I guess that is all he has to say this morning!
Anyway, we are all anxiously awaiting her arrival today. O couldn't sleep last night he was so excited to see her. M danced around the house singing a made up song about her coming to stay with us. KH, you have excited people here waitin' for ya!
C spent a busy long weekend working on odd jobs that have been on his list of things to do but he has not had time to do them. He repaired a hole in our closet that was cut to access a spigot that needed repaired on the outside of the house. He repaired the leaky shower head in our bathroom. He took on the repair/remodel/renovation of our powder room. He has been a busy little beaver plus he had dealt with my extreme stress induced mood swings and dealt with the kids demanding his time because he is home. Today was his first day back at work since last Thursday. I hope it is not a long, miserable day for him.
We finally got the kids' party planned. It was a tough battle to get through. We didn't want to spend lots of money on something big for either of them as we don't want to make that a habit/expectation every year. I wanted to combine their parties out of sheer practicality for planning and executing purposes. C was very much against a shared party as he wanted them each to have their own. At this stage, I really don't think it matters much. Each of them wanted a big party at Fun Max Jump-In which is one of the local bouncy places that the kids can't get enough of. But those parties are not cheap. To make a long story short (too late!!), we decided to do a Fun Max party for the two of them together. Get it all over and done with in one 2 hour period and the two of them will be happy. We invited way too many people (O knows more people than C and I combined!) so, hopefully, all of the 40 some kids that were invited won't come. If 15-20 come then I think it will be a success for everyone involved. Now I have to spend the next couple of weeks discussing/deciding/ordering cakes (although I'm leaning towards cookies myself!) and figuring out what to put in the goodie bags.
By the way, who in the heck decided that it was a good idea to spend big bucks on a party for 20 kids, provide the food, cake, entertainment AND have to dole out goodie bags of cheap crap after the fact? Was the party not enough? Seriously. Maybe I should just not mention it. But this routine has gotten so ingrained in their expectations. I guess I AM the mom who hands out string cheese, organic fruit roll ups and honest kids drinks for O's snack day. Why can't I be the mom who refuses to provide goodie bags? Or maybe I can think of a way to break out of the routine without alienating everyone. Packets of wildflower seeds? Not so kid friendly. $5 gift cards to Chick-Fil-A? Maybe, but so much more expensive than the cheap crap you can buy by the dozen from Oriental Trading Company or your local party store.
C was advocating having a gathering here at the house. I almost choked him. 20 + kids running around the house?! It would cost us just as much to get some sort of entertainment/activity plus the food PLUS I would have to prepare it all, clean before and after.......Is he nuts?? No wonder these party places rake in the dough. You'd end up spending the same amount plus having to do all of the work yourself!
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the party front. Both kids are excited that cousin KH will be there to help celebrate.
As usual, I know there is more I was going to mention. I didn't make a list so my mind is blank. Happy July 1st to everyone. OH! And I'm past due for May and June b-day celebrations! I'll get to that ASAP!
