A good kind of tired

When I got up this morning I just could not get motivated. So I curled up in the recliner, flipped on PBSKids and was soon joined by my two daughters. And it wasn't too long after that I dozed back off. We stayed in that recliner through Clifford AND Dragon Tales and part of Caillou, but I just can't hack that whiney four year old that talks like a freakin' baby so I got up and turned off the TV. Soon after that the rest of the house came to life as well. Some mornings you just can't get moving till you've had a little PBS and a nap.

And while I stayed in my pajamas until noon, it was still a good day. Mom called around 12:30 and said she was heading my way and could I meet her half way with Abby. So I loaded the kids into the van, all of us still in our pj's, and met her at the church.

Today was Abby's day with her Grammy. Sam has gotten a little bit more attention lately what with the mucho karate action goin' on now and I felt like Ab's kind of been neglected. I mentioned to Mom that I'd like to take just her to lunch at the Olive Garden before school started and then the two of us watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Mom said that she'd actually been thinking of taking Ab to Olive Garden, too, but she was going to draw the line at a HP movie. Olive Garden is Ab's favorite place to eat, even though all she ever gets is spaghetti. For some reason, to her it's "fancy". So I relented and let Mom take her there for lunch. I still get the HP movie. Fine by me.

She was excited all morning. She wore her star and rhinestone tank top with a navy skirt, I flat-ironed her hair and she wore her big hoop earrings and chunk heel sandals. The child that I left with my mother today looked a lot older than a nearly 9 year old. *sigh* Sometimes I get really scared when I see just how big my kids are getting.

So I came back here and fixed lunch for the other kids, then got to thinking I hadn't picked up my free indian food this month. Or at least, I thought I hadn't. So a quick call to the magic free cheese place and sure enough, no I hadn't picked up my food. Mrs. Coach took my order and told me to get my rear in to pick it up. When I told her I was still in my pajamas and I'd probably just send Mr. Diva, she said, "Oh just come in in your pajamas. Look, I just read a story about your underwear. There's really nothing left to the imagination." She did have a valid point. But I didn't go to town in my pajamas. Standing in the free cheese line once a month is one thing - doing it in your pajamas is something else entirely.

I also picked up Tater's tots while I was in town. When we got back here to the house we all put on our swimsuits and hit the pool. Well, I did for awhile, but it smelled funny to me so I didn't stay in long. It had been covered for two days and had a stale smell to it. The kids of course, didn't care, but it bothered me. When they got out, I vacuumed it and chlorinated the hell out of it. While I was doing that, Mark the Builder showed up with his two boys and their motorcycles. Mark was going to help Mr. Diva with the sheetrock in the playhouse and the boys were going to take advantage of our 40 acres. So of course, Sam wanted to play, too. All afternoon we watched those boys - two motorcycles and a four wheeler - race all over the field. Sam rode Tater's tots around, which made him feel like hot stuff. He looked so big, yet so little all at the same time. Funny how they do that.

Around 7, when Mark and his boys left, I had one sheetrock-dusty husband, one dusty and sweaty son and a windblown and dusty daughter and I was in no mood to cook, so we went to Pizza Hut. We were sitting there eating and Sam said, "This is almost a family dinner. Except we're missing Abby." That was all it took - Kady teared up and said, "IIIIIIIIIII MIIIIIISSSSSS MYYYYYY SIIIIIISSSSSYYYYYYY!" Oy. But I gave her a quarter and she got a slimy, sticky, ooey gooey thing from the gumball machine and forgot all about ol' sissywhatshername.

We stopped at Mark's house on the way out of town to tell him that we wouldn't be home tomorrow night, so they couldn't work on the playhouse then after all. What was supposed to be my husband just going in by himself to relay the message turned into an hour long visit. Mark showed me their pool, deck, shop, playhouse, den and man, it made me wish my husband was a builder, too. Someday when Mr. Diva grows up I hope he's a carpenter, too.

We got home and put the kids to bed and I just looked in my kitchen and all of the sudden got really tired. The dishwasher needs unloaded and reloaded. All of that free food is sitting on my table waiting to be alphabetized in my pantry. The trash needs taken out. There's also a container of chocolate milk on the counter that has sat there all day and I am trying to decide if it's worth it to open it come morning and wash it, or to just toss it and buy another one. I think it was all of .97 at Wal*Mart. I think I can spare that dollar.

Tomorrow is Sis' birthday. 29. Her last year of being a 20-something. Ha! We're going on the ritual gambling run to collect her free monies. It's just not a birthday around here without the free money Native American gambling run. I can't wait. Not just for the gambling, although I admit I am excited about that. But I am looking forward to a night with the grownups. I might even have another apple-tini. They're not really all that good, but they're so pretty to look at and they're on special at Quapaw Casino this month. Better take advantage of those $2 drinks, especially if they're pretty ones.