Thursday, October 6, 2011

Birthday Hell

Turning 7. I can't believe we are planning our 7th birthdays and it's getting to the point where I feel like we are planning a mini wedding. Do you remember that episode of the Brady Bunch where if we invite the Ditmeyers then we have to invite the Browns and if we invite the Browns then we have to invite the Smiths and so on and so on...and that was for a bbq. This is the samething. And it's like ok the kids have become friends with kids and now separated in 1st grade and with 2 kids I can't mentally and financially host 2 parties back to back for 20+ kids each party and plus kids outside of school! That's insanity! and then there is the issue of where we have it. We can't have it at home, because the house is not large enough for 20 kids and we are November birthdays so outside is not an option, plus the husband is anal retentive so I would just rather not hear it, thank you very much.

So I start of with a guest list to see how many kids we are dealing with and try and steer the kids in the right direction and make sure we are not leaving anyone out. I looked into a few options. And I need to point out that I am just appalled at some of these prices...I mean I just feel like I've been raped by just LOOKING at them on the website! So a certain place that shall remain anonymous, but you basically go there and the kids jump around. They advertise that they can play games, 3D Dodgeball!, and you get a private room for cake and pizza...you get i think 3 pizzas, and all this for $18/head on the weekends. It's less on the weekdays. Well how many has a weekday party and really?! $18/head to jump around on a trampoline?! Man! I'd like to shake the hand of that genious who came up with this. People are paying it. it's insane.

Then I have my own issues where I need things to match...and I get a bit crazed, but I admit it. If the invitations don't match the cake, napkins and goodie bags, then everything changes. And also, I can't pay full price. I have twins! I'm paying for 2 sets of everything!!! and yes yes, I know people have more than 1 or even 2 kids, but to do it all at once is a bit harsh. So after much finagling I have settled and convinced the kids that Madison is doing a princess theme at a place where they paint with her girls and Tyler will have a sports theme and doing laser tag with his guys.

I suspect that these birthdays will only get worse as we get older. However I think as we get older we will narrow the guestlist down to the BFFs and smaller but meaningful events.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Mean Girls Club

It has been a crazy start to the 1st grade that is for sure. What a transition for ME from kindergarten to 1st. We now have homework which I have to get accustomed to. It's not difficult work obviously, but it's more discipline on me as a mom. I feel like I am being watched. So we have these reading logs we have to sign. The kids are to read 15-20 mins every night, write down the name of the book read, if they read it themselves, we read it , or a sibling did and then we sign it! and I know if I said we did that my kids would rat me out in a second...especially Madi!

And I have been trying to get in the habit of making myself come out of my home office early and checking for homework and helping them while preparing dinner and getting them showered. Instead of realizing it at 830PM and saying "oh just f*ck me there's homework!" ugh! One night I was exhausted and was gross and had to take a shower and of course Tyler announces "oh yeah, I have homework!" wonderful! it was a color by number. So I explain it to him and set him up at his table. I tell his father and he responds with "well what is it?!" I tell him it's a color by number. "What do I do?" Did he seriously ask me "What do I do?!" Did I want to punch him in the face? yes. so I explained it to him just as I did to his first grade son. Jump in the shower come out. He's on the computer. Tyler has colored in one shape. Again...just f*ck me now! As Tyler would say "cheese n rice!"

Today Madi comes home and shows me this list. It was a list of all the kids in her class. She then shows me how she and her girlfriend has made columns and labeled the columns "gff" that was originally "bff", but bff means boyfriend so they changed it to gff. So I had to explain to her the meaning of a bff. There were a few other silly columns but the one that stuck out was the "D" column. What does "D" stand for you ask? the "D" stands for decide. The girls need to decide if that child is someone they like or not and therefore a friend. I believe this is the start of "The Mean Girls Club"

As we finished dinner and were cleaning up she tells me, "Mommy, I think Kyle is going to be in the "D" column." ME: "really? I like Kyle, I don't think he should be in the "D" column." She looks at me and does it anyway. Looks like she will be the president of "The Mean Girls Club"