I am really sick of the snow. Have I mentioned that? I decided to do something a little different to try to shake the winter blues. It was actually an idea that I got from a coworker - Tropical Party! Pull all the shades, crank up the heat, decorate with cheap party lights and drink margaritas and daquiris. Sounds like a plan to me!
Today ended up being much busier than I had anticipated. Before I tell you that story, I need to tell you this one...
Yesterday the kids and I hung around the house and didn't do a whole lot. But I knew I needed to go to the store eventually because we had a birthday party to attend in the morning. As I was cleaning off the car later on yesterday afternoon, a small beagle came prancing down the middle of the street. I thought this to be a bit odd, since it was really cold, and very quiet throughout the neighborhood. I called to him and he came right over to me. He was very friendly. I called the local police department to see if they could help me out- late afternoon on a Friday and a lost dog wanders into my life. Fabulous. I brought the dog inside (which he seemed very happy about), and that of course thrilled the kids. My daughter told me, "He's cute. I like him. I want him to live here." Tough patooties, sweetheart!! I happen to be enjoying my dog-free house. And this dog was definitely not a stray. He was much too good looking. He had a family somewhere, and I was going to find them. Well, this of course put a damper on going to the store, because I wasn't about to leave a strange dog alone in the house for any amount of time. So he hung out with us for a few hours. My youngest son informed me that his name was Luigi. "Oh really," I said. "You named the dog Luigi?" "Yeah," he said, with a hint of "duh, Mommy" in his voice. "Luigi the dog." "Fine, we'll call him Luigi, but we ARE NOT KEEPING THIS DOG!" I was sure to make it quite clear that this was a temporary arrangement. Long story short... I put a photo of Luigi on Facebook, and I'm not sure if the owner saw the photo or called the police department first, but either way... the dog's real name is Charlie and his owner found us. I was very happy, the kids were very sad, and offered to play with or walk Charlie anytime. And they still call him Luigi.
Which bring us back to Saturday... since I didn't go to the store on Friday, I had to get up and do it first thing on Saturday. My oldest son had basketball, so the 2 younger ones and I ran to the store and managed to find a suitable gift in a very short period of time, then headed down the road to McDonald's for the birthday party. The party was a smash hit, and all the kids there had a blast. Going home was not high on the priority list of my children when I said that it was time to pack up. Youngest needed a nap. I needed to get some groceries for the get together being held at my house, starting in approximately 3 hours. The grocery store could have been a lot worse, and I attempted to get the little man to nap for a bit (attempted, being the operative word- it didn't happen) while I finished getting things ready for the party. When the first guests arrived, any hopes of napping flew right out the front door. But, as it turned out, that was ok.
All in all, about 20 or so people showed up and crowded themselves in my very small dining room and kitchen. On the menu was crockpot mac and cheese, BBQ ribs (which I grilled outside on the grill, and burned), hot dogs, lots of fruit and fruit dip, and an assortment of chips and cookies, an assortment of wine and beer, and strawberry daquiris. A few of the guests wore appropriate tropical clothing (me, not being one of them, as I was too busy to change). The kids had colored sunshines and palm trees on construction paper and hung their pictures throughout the dining and living rooms. We weren't sweating, but I did turn the heat up. The highlight of the whole she-bang was bringing the turtle sandbox up from the basement, putting it in the kitchen and filling it with snow for the little kids to play in! They had an absolute blast! And almost every adult commented on what a great idea it was. I tried to say hi to everyone, but was busy running around, which is, ironically, how I like hosting, I think. All 7 kids who were there were very well behaved. The adults all seemed to have a great time chatting and meeting new people. I think I had one interaction that would have been considered a decent conversation, but I had a great time. It makes me so happy to see others having fun thanks to efforts that I have put forth. And what a great way to turn winter on it's ear! That is definitely going on my list of party themes to do again!
Overall, a great day, and lots of opportunities to find AHA.
Cheers!
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