Friday, January 10, 2014

Make your own ... because I'm about THROUGH with responsibility. For the next five minutes or so.

So, mah baaaaaybeees have turned eight.

Bucket burst in on me when I was getting out of the shower (I had on a towel.) to announce that it was her birthday.

Instead of pulling a Mother Goethel like I have been  ("What?? No! Can't be! You just had a birthday LAST year!"), I serenaded her with the song of my people:

Happy Birthday to you!
You live in a zoo!
You look like a monkey...
And you smell like one, too!

Yes, my children are so, so lucky.
(I serenaded Bruise later, as he sat on the couch reading.)

I got SOME stuff done yesterday. Dishes, laundry, cleaning off my desk (it's not CLEAN-CLEAN, but it's a darn sigh better than it was!!), made a grocery list for getting birthday stuff (Bruise wanted to take COOKIES for his class, since another student in his group was bringing cupcakes. Bucket was adamant about cupcakes ... and it's not like I could make them -- food safety and all, so, well, I had to plan accordingly).

I also managed to do a couple non-priority things (thus, sluffing off priorities) -- I printed off nice-looking Articles of Faith for the kids' room and trimmed them (thanks to Michael buying me that paper cutter! Phew!) and put them in the IKEA frames we bought a couple months back for this project.
And I found my hole-puncher. Not the THREE-hole punch, I knew where THAT was, but the ONE-hole punch, so I went through my rewards cards/membership cards and punched holes and put them on a keyring and threw that into my purse.

I found a couple gift cards. One expired. Too bad on that.
The other, from when Bruise and Bucket were born still was good. And it was a $25 one (so I found out). AND I learned that I don't have to find a Baby Gap to use it at ... I can use it at old Navy, if I want! Yay! So that was nice.

And I found the little miniSD card that I misplaced. So I put that where it NEEDED to be ...
Cleaned up the kitchen and got the photos I borrowed from L (Dad's girlfriend) scanned so I can give them back at the kids' party.

Got a call from the bowling alley about the kids' party. Just stuff we needed to know (like we CAN bring ice cream to serve with the cake).

Emailed the kids' teachers about Bruise's assessment with the Speech specialist. Bruise is not eligible for Speech at school. But he does display a vocalic R (when working with him yesterday, it's really the "ar" sound that is most troublesome. There goes his future as a pirate.), but that I would be meeting with the Speech specialist to learn techniques/exercises that should take care of this distortion. ... And, if it doesn't right itself (with our efforts) in a year, THEN he would start Speech.

I also asked about treats for the kids birthday and other parent-teacher stuff. Which is how I knew that Bruise's group needed a non-cupcake treat.
It's not because I'm psychic. Not at all.

I called Michael, after having the kids work on cleaning up the floors (as I tackled tidying up the kitchen counters and a bit of the laundry room), so see about doing a family store-run after dinner (if I got it made in time) before the kids went to bed, so I didn't have to juggle ALL the kids AND fret about dinner AND the kids would be there to pick out what treats they'd prefer.

Well, no, that wouldn't work, since the Home Teachers JUST confirmed that they'd be coming over (which is a GREAT thing, don't get me wrong).
And, since it wasn't on the calendar, I had no idea about it ... and it wrecked my plans ... and I started crying. To Michael. On the phone.

He offered to bring home pizza for dinner (two nights of pizza in a row! And he had pizza for lunch! ... I don't mind eating the same thing often. I could almost be an engineer, according to The Engineer's Guide to Cats ... except Michael, who IS an engineer, NEEDS food variety) ... and either he or I could go out shopping.

So, we ate pizza, finished picking up before the Home Teachers came, had a good visit/lesson with them, put the kids to bed, and I headed out.

I ran over to Costco and almost didn't go in, since it was 8:27 and they close at 8:30. But I put my big girl panties on and grabbed a thing of cookies (they only had Oatmeal Raisin or a variety pack ... and with one kid in the kids' classes allergic to nuts, I wasn't taking chances), Pirate's Booty (that was another option. And Bruise had been craving it), flat pretzels (excellent with hummus and I have a CRAPLOAD of canned garbanzo beans in the pantry), and flowers (for decoration. And people will probably come over on Saturday after bowling ... hence the reason my house SHOULD be cleaned up).

Then, I scurried over to the Mal of Warts (this is what happens when I'm stressed and tired. I come up with crazy names for the Wal-Mart. My other favorite, which I didn't create at all, is Voldemart. Cracks me up every time) ... I picked up more cookies (since they have, like 25 or so students. And the Costco cookies come in packs of 24. D'oh!) and the cupcakes. And extra cookies for when people come over. And folders for stuff that's NOT in their Tuesday folders from school, so I won't get, SAY, a slightly DISSOLVED speech assessment report ... and a new backpack for my boy, who tends to drag his VERY NICE ONE so it's needing a break. And duct tape (because EVERYONE needs duct tape ... and after about five years, my current roll is running out) and moisturizer (because I am like Cassandra [Doctor Who] and I like me some moisturizer. And the last one that I bought didn't have SPF in it. And I'm noticing an abundance of sun damage. Freckles, I can handle, this isn't looking like cute freckles).

And, while there, I ran into a friend and we got to talking since she's not in my ward right now and we've missed each other. So we MMMM-HMMM'ed at each other and I talked to her daughter and we got caught up and swapped cell numbers.

And I finally made it home where Michael told me that I bought too much and that it's not a have-to-cover-every-situation thing, it's a stress thing ... and that I don't need to be stressed.

(But I'm just so dang GOOD at it!)

And we went to bed and I couldn't sleep (and I hadn't had ANY Cherry Coke, so you can't blame that! ... Though I did make cow's eyes at a pint of Cappuccino-flavored gelato ... I just like the smell and flavor of coffee. Blame it on my Nana's giving me coffee candy as a little. It's just so, so good!) so I played a few rounds of Doctor Who: Legacy (like Bejewled, but better and Whovian).

Once Bubbles takes a nap, I can wrap presents. Then Michael'll be home and we'll use a groupon (Pitas/Gyros! Yum!!!!!!) and I'll be ... mostly done.
Then, after their party and subbing at church, I can maybe, relax.

Until I start planning Bubbles's birthday party.
At least I have a FULL month to plan, right?

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