This should be fun

Oh people. Tonight will be the dreaded “Calendar Meeting” in Whoville. Which is a periodic, mandatory meeting for all members of the household. It gets scheduled when things in Whoville are out of control.

We all hate the “Calendar Meeting”. Nevertheless it needs to be done. Too many things need to be pieced together to figure out WHENINTHENAMEOFGOD we can take a vacation this summer. And it’s mostly MY fault. The plan this year is a Boston/New York scenario. Best done before it gets hotter than the hammered down hinges of hell. But my June? Sucketh mightily. Throw in debate camp, my father's 70th birthday, and a photography class Precious Youngest wants to take and July is not looking much better.

Tonight, after dinner, we will pull out the ginormous calendar. Many things will be written down, color coded, checked and cross-checked. All to see if six consecutive days can be strung together. So we can have some quality family time damn it.

I'm thinking what I need is for someone to tell me that Boston/New York will not kill us dead with the heat/humidity in late July. Please?

Three Certain Things

The saying goes: In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. - Benjamin Franklin. We feel strongly that a third should be added. That the weather here in Whoville will basically suck for the Memorial Day Weekend.

Eight inches of rain. Flowers still languishing because it's too wet to plant. Periodic bouts of sun; too late in the day to be of use.

I managed to keep myself entertained by napping, eating excessive amounts of food and drinking a case a few bottles of wine. Oh, and shopping.

Despite the fact the our government has deemed our little family unworthy of an economic stimulus check we none the less sallied forth to do our patriotic duty and stimulate the economy.

At long last we are seriously making decisions on a kitchen update. The whole thing makes me queasy. I'm not big on upheaval. Nor am I a fan of strangers in the house. Nevertheless the kitchen has not had a major overhaul since 1996. It is time.

Unfortunately the range I want is proving to be a pain in the ass harder to acquire than one might imagine. And then there is the matter of getting a definitive answer as to whether or not I can have a microwave mounted over the imaginary range without getting rid of the cabinet above. Which CAN'T HAPPEN.

Oh, and what color paint for the walls. And what type of counter tops. And what kind of sink. Sigh. So I bought a tray.
At this rate the project will be done in August. 2011.

Oh, so you're THAT family

We don't have a rec room or a finished basement. We don't own any video games. There's no Guitar Hero or Rock Band in this house.

Good lord woman, you're thinking, what in the hell did thirty some high school children do to entertain themselves for SIX HOURS last night?





They played some badminton and ate some Bar B Que








They played Horseshoes

and Basketball





After the sun went down they made a fire and had s'mores. And yes siree, Homecoming Date, Prom Date and Junior Ring Date were all here.






At 11:30 PM, when the last guest departed, I went to bed. Precious Youngest and the BFF were on clean up detail. This is what I found this morning. Tables and chairs put away. Dishwasher unloaded. Trash picked up. Recyclables separated.









Teenagers. Sometimes you gotta love em'!

The best mother ever

You want to know what I did last night? I baked. Oh yes I did! See, I told you I’m the best. Brownies. Ginormous batch.

Why, you ask? Because last week we told Precious Youngest she could have some people over tonight. Because the last finals were today. And we’re nice like that.

But this morning? It poured down buckets of rain.

And the Saint? Is out of town.

And the people? Are close to thirty.

And I? Am still at work.

Grateful

For several months I've been driving an alternate route to the office due to road construction. I pass a church that has a day care center. From what I can see it seems pleasant; small and non-institutional. The center has a nice playground and this time of year some of the children are outside playing as I drive by.


Each morning I drive by a bit after eight o'clock. I see mothers and fathers taking their small children into the center. And I say a quick prayer of thanks. Thanks that was never me. That I was able to make the choice that I made.

I am grateful.

Postponed

So yesterday was Mother's Day. We went out for a nice brunch. Then the Precious Daughter's and I drove downtown. We had great seats: Center Orchestra, Row E.

To see this.

We had a ridiculously great time. The End.

Home

Remember last month when we drove Precious Oldest off to college? She's home. The Saint went up yesterday, packed up all her crappe and brought it back to Whoville. She got in after my regular bed time. But I waited up. Because, you know, SHE'S HOME!