Why I Never Bother With Plans

It’s Sunday. A day to relax and putter around and just enjoy before the craziness of the coming week takes hold. It’s a no brainer day, right? I mean, you can choose to do stuff, or choose to do nothing.

Such a simple, blessed day.

Why is it that I can never enjoy it??

Last week, a friend asked me to attend an acquaintance’s baby shower, to which I said yes. I figured it would be nice to hang out with gals bitching about motherhood talking about similar interests. Then my sister called to invite me to her anniversary BBQ. And in my family, you 1) celebrate milestones, and 2) never turn down BBQ. And…..both scheduled for roughly the same time. But I can manage to make an appearance at the shower and then attend my sister’s BBQ, right? So far, so good.

And now Little One wants to go dress shopping for her awards ceremony this week. Because hey, MOM IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TODAY!!

Fine…. FINE!!! We shall go shopping.

At least that’s something I do rather well

How YOU Doin’??

What. A. Weekend.

It all began innocently enough. I had plans to go to a scrapbooking party on Saturday. I planned this MONTHS ago. That was my first mistake. I forgot that school functions get scheduled just a month out. So, we had a UIL meet, and the Military Ball both scheduled for that Saturday. I figured I was still Supermom, and could manage to fit my stuff around that schedule.

Until Son cut his head open on Friday afternoon.

And the train stopped on the main thoroughfare due to malfunction.

And Little One had after school practice.

And of course I panicked.

So, after inching in traffic for what seemed hours, I managed to pick up all the kidlets, dropped off the girls at home, and raced to urgent care, where Hubby was to meet us.

Yes, those are staples. I call him Frohnkenshteen now.

And this was just on Friday. Then Saturday arrived, and decided that plans were for wusses, because the UIL meet went longer than planned, and Son had elected to go to the Ball early to help, and Eldest had a friend come over to get ready, and of course I came down with a cold. And so, my plans were scratched. Again…

But no matter. One day I will learn my lesson. I will make plans only a week ahead of time, and maybe, just maybe they will go off without a hitch.

And one day pigs will fly

Weekend Follies

Today is Hubby’s birthday, and we are still in the planning stages of doing…. something. Hopefully, we will have plans by the time I’m done writing this short post.

I doubt it, but it can happen.

We did surprise him with breakfast in bed, and he received Gift Number One: an assortment of his favorite teas. Sadly, Gift Number Two is still in transit.

*shakes fist at the Brown Truck of Happiness™*

But no matter. That just means he will get to celebrate his birthday all over again!

Oh, looks like we DO have plans now. I think there is a trip to the local tourist trap and the wildlife park. SQUEEE!!!!

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!!

Little Blessing

Yesterday, I finished one more rotation around Sol. I received hugs and kisses and my day was good, but sometimes I forget the little blessings I have around me. My Little One reminded me of one.

She made me a card, and reminded me that her gift is still full of love.

Forgive the crappy picture, since I took it while I was bawling my eyes out. Also, my phone camera is crappy, as well.

Sometimes, even at my lowest points, I need to make the effort to remember my blessings, no matter how small. We all do.

And she has achieved Preferred Child Status™, at least for this week. Have a great Friday!!

I Hate My Calendar

I really don’t know where the time goes.

Around here, November is Birthday Month. Three of the five kidlets in my family have birthdays, as do several nieces and nephews, plus many friends. Count back nine months and you’ll understand why!

Anyway, I was looking up who had birthdays this week, when I noticed the Ides were almost upon me. And my first thought was, “Uh, almost halfway through the month??” followed by my second thought, “CRUD!!!” It always happens: I never have enough time to properly celebrate every birthday while fitting Thanksgiving plans and getting ready for Christmas. But I try, and keep reminding myself that SOMEONE has a birthday today.

So, I really hope I don’t forget anyone. I can tell you from experience that being forgotten isn’t conducive to having a great birthday. So to my November Babies, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Here are flowers for y’all!!

*MUAH*!!!

Weekends Should Start on Mondays

I just do NOT understand why everything piles up on Fridays.

One kid has Sign Language Club, another has German Club. Then we have high school football, and tonight Little One’s band gets to play with the High School band, which means she gets to sit with them all through the game, which also means she has to stay until the end of the game, which translates to traffic jam afterwards. Tomorrow, the other two get to enjoy an ROTC trip to the USS Lexington for the weekend, and that means that Little One will enjoy having a sleepover for her birthday.

From Roamy, who knows me well

Just what I need: a bunch of screaming teens in the house, eating sweets and chocolate and drinking sodas and gossiping about the cutest boys in school. And I will be serving and cleaning up and praying the earplugs hold up.

Hope y’all’s weekend is far quieter

My Heart Hurts in a Good Way

Today…

*sob*

Today, Little One turns THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!!!

*sniff*

How did this happen??? I specifically told her she was NOT to grow past the age of ten. I know I did! I even made her sign an agreement. So what if she was asleep and it’s not her signature? That’s irrelevant!! The point is she is supposed to stay my little one, my punkin, my baby, especially since the other two disobeyed me as fast as they could.

But no…. She just HAD to go and start growing up. And not just in age, but in height, too. I am officially the shortest person in the family.

*wails*

But I will get over it. A birthday means cake, and fun, and happiness. And even though she is commencing her path to adolescence and leaving her childhood behind, that just means I get to throw fits and cry like a baby get to enjoy her new-found confidence and charm.

That is, until she makes me mad. Then all bets are off

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE ONE!!!

First Day of Freedo– I mean, School

Today heralds the first day of school. I was the only one excited. I can’t imagine why.

I went to get Eldest up, knowing that she wouldn’t have set her alarm for the amount of time she would need, and I was right. Her reasoning: she proved to herself this summer that she can get ready in 20 minutes.

(Insert maniacal cackle here)

Yes, I kicked her out of bed, and told her to get ready anyway. Son was out of bed by 6:30, and ready by 6:50. Eldest was STILL getting herself ready, and was out the door by…. 7:00 AM. So much for that 20 minutes.

Little One is on a different schedule, though. She still got up early, but then had a crisis: She had no PE clothes.

Me: We went shopping yesterday, and you said you didn’t need any!

LO: Well, Eldest was supposed to give me hers!

E: I did! But she can’t find the shirt.

LO: And the shorts are too big!

Me: And y’all didn’t figure this out until now??

E: Well…

LO: ….

Me: GAH!!!

But I resolved the crisis, as usual. It was a bittersweet moment when I saw her to the bus stop. But only for a moment, because peace and quiet had made a date with me back at the house, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting

Endtimes, or as It Is More Commonly Called, Back-to-School Shopping

Today finds me fortifying myself with plenty of caffeine. Why? Because aside the fact that it is too early (so I have been informed) to open a bottle of wine, I have to take the kids shopping for back-to-school stuff. Little One in particular is beside herself with the fact that this year she gets to have a locker and wants to decorate it.

Did you know you can buy wallpaper for your locker?? Neither did I.

Yes, my friends, you can actually purchase a chandelier for your locker. And carpeting!!! You know, when I went to school, our decorating was limited to school rules, as in, “NOTHING ALLOWED”. Sure, sometimes we skirted around that by using a few magnets to hold pictures or taping stuff we liked, but we had to operate on stealth mode, so it had to be small and very inconspicuous. I remember Mr. Profitt walking by one friend’s locker and bursting a blood vessel when he saw the wall-to-wall coverage of her love life. Good times, good times…

Anyway, the sooner I get this over with, the better off my eardrums will be, since I will no longer hear, “CAN WE GO SHOPPING FOR LOCKER STUFF, PLEASE, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE!!!???”

Trust me, this will take a while. She’s not easy to please. I think she takes after my grandmother

The Things I Learn

You know those commercials of idyllic life? Where the mom has an impeccably clean home, and beautifully furnished, and her son brings home his friends, and she has a beautiful platter of food for the strapping youngsters rabidly starving after being outside?

That’s not me, ever.

The ROTC kids like to come over after practice twice a week, and they like to take over the kitchen. Drinks, food, snacks, pretty much everything is open season. And the conversations are hilarious. I had no idea a burger could become petrified in the floorboard of a Toyota. I also didn’t know that you can slide into said Toyota like you are a Hazzard Duke with the General Lee. Not because it’s cool, but because the locks are broken.

Like this, but with only two legs.

And right now, they are playing Rockband™ while my ceiling shakes and my eardrums wince.

It’s kinda cool being the hip mom, though. Even if I do wear glasses and yell at them to get off my lawn