Wow, that was a long weekend. Whew. I mean whew. Worked all day Saturday then busted to the pizza joint to grab the eats for my oldest kid's birthday party, then it was home to start what has become an annual ritual at the Jabara household. The all girl birthday party sleep over. Between family and kids we had a full house of 25 people. It a picture perfect example of suburban life. Kids, parents, grandparents and friends. From the moment people started showing up until the last one fell asleep, it was non stop chaos, but in a good way. First up is pizza and Kool-aid, then get them washed up and send them downstairs to play. We get all of that cleaned up, then the kids are back up stairs to start the project. Cookie decorating (5 different shapes) with a variety of different types of sprinkles and several different colors of homemade icing. For every party there's always something new. Shoe decorating, colored sand in jars, canvas painting. It's like your neighbor's yard and it's always a competition to see who can do better or come up with the next best activity for a kids party. The wife came up with this and it went great. Every kid got to decorate 3 cookies, then they washed up again and went back down stairs. It's simply amazing how much stuff 8 year olds can get all over them selves. I don't do the laundry because, well, I don't do the laundry, but it always seems never ending. Anyway, then it was back up stairs for presents and cake and ice cream. Whew, I'm exhausted already and we're only half way there.
We get done with the ceremonial opening of the presents and in my mind I'm telling myself that I'm going to need to get my kid another room just to store all this stuff. When did we become so intertwined with possessions as a society? If you don't have the right Barbie or American girl doll. . . .well. . . .we should just not talk of such things. The wife and I really wanted to put "please no presents" on the invitation, but then someone would bring one and then someone else would feel left out. The one thing our kid doesn't need is more stuff. So after presents are done the relatives and the kids who aren't staying the night are all gone. Now it's just the 10 kids sleeping over (this thankfully counts my 2 as well) and my lady troop of trusty captains. My wife, my brother in laws girlfriend, and my wife's cousin's oldest kid (yeah the tree don't fork on her side) are locked in and ready to battle this all girl sleepover army. While I'm downstairs creating fort sleep area in the basement and getting the movie ready, my army is battling 7 and 8 year olds as each one gets her nails done and hair did! I've never been in the military before but i can only imagine what it would be like to peel potatoes all day long; it would be better then watching what they were doing upstairs. Daddy stays as far away from makeup, hair and nails as he can. I know that I have two girls, but a guy has to have his boundaries right? Everyone is now all done up, and in their PJ's, so its now Mr. Popper's Penguin's time. 3 spilled drinks and 8 bags of popcorn later and they're ready for bed.
I think they finally all conked out around midnight which was good except they were back up again at 6:30am!!! Where do they get the energy? Does that make me old? I stay up late, and wake up early, but I'm always tired. These kids. . . sleep just doesn't faze them yet. It's like they all stashed coffee in their pillows and just slept with it all night. As soon as I hear them up and around, I grab my workout clothes, and as quick as I can, I'm out the door to go "work out". By workout, that means walk around the neighborhood long enough to make it seem like I did something. All the while I was just getting out of the house for a while. 10 bright eyed and bushy tailed 8 year olds is to much for me to handle. By the time i get back, half have already been picked up. The other half get picked up soon enough and with each parent who comes to the door to get their kid, I get a wink or a smile or a nod. A common signal of thanks and approval. An "atta boy", and a "thanks, I owe you one" from each grateful parent who got to drop their kid off for a free Saturday night out on the town. They didn't say so, but I could tell a few of those parents had a pretty good time on their free night out.
That's what it's all about though right. The wife and I watch 8 kids for the night, and at some point that favor should be returned. Right? We should, by the covenant laws of our sub-division, be granted 8 free nights out on the town for every night we watch 8 kids? We dump our kids off and away we go. The problem though, is that we haven't gotten that favor returned? Must have sucker written all over our forehead's. Maybe next year we forgo the sleepover and just go the pony route? How hard can that be? A pony versus ten, 8 year olds? I'll take pony raising for $500 any time.
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