"There Aren't Enough Days in the Weekend."

I'm pre-blogging today. I know that tomorrow morning (Monday) will be too busy due to appointments, so weekend re-cap will have to happen before the weekend is actually over.

For those of you that asked, The Boy's middle school dance was, in the words of Austin Powers, a "smashing success". The Boy sported his ridiculous blue polyester suit, black glasses and fake teeth. His buddy had intended to be Mini-Me, but at the last minute, his bald cap would not cooperate, forcing him to make a costume change. He decided to be a thief. As I put the finishing touches on his black face paint minutes before we left, he jerked his head and gave me a fat lip. Had the two of them not looked so funny, it might have really hurt. The Husband took a couple of pictures, and we took them to the dinner. They assured me I didn't need to walk them to the door, but I embarrassed them and did it anyway. When they saw several parents mulling around, they relaxed a bit, and I think I even saw a quick look of thankfulness on The Boy's face when I greeted the mom at the door, but didn't go in.

Little One was spending the night away, so The Husband and I decided to enjoy a dinner out. We were both a little quiet, and I imagined he was feeling the way I was, hopeful that The Boy was having a good time. I was wrong. He was reviewing his weekend football bets in his mind.

A few hours later, The Husband volunteered to go pick up The Boy. I quickly accepted his gracious offer, enjoying my book and the peace of the house. But at the last second, I dove into the car, realizing that I might miss out on any conversation about the dance. The Husband just shook his head and stared at me. As we drove up to the school and got in line, we rolled down our windows and heard the music blaring from the building....Hannah Montanna's 'Party in the USA' (The Husband calls this a "teeny-bopper song"????? Isn't that the point?)....Michael Jackson's 'Pretty Young Thing'....and then a couple of slow ones. I felt a little nervous, once again hopeful that The Boy was having fun. The Husband was busy giving his critique of the music, the car line, the weather....etc.....Finally, the kids poured out, and there was The Boy, laughing and chatting away with his friends. As he climbed in the car, he said "Yes mom, I danced with 5 girls...all slow dances....only fast ones with the guys. It was pretty fun. Is there one in the spring?" Well, I was just so happy. It was obvious he had had a good time. I asked who he had danced with, and he listed the girls...some were by choice, some had asked him....and one was out of kindness. I wanted to hug him, but he was too busy making 'guy' jokes with The Husband.
When we got home, he actually said...for maybe the first time ever...."I'm actually a little tired." He sat and watched TV with us.....and all was right with the world.

The next day was all about Halloween. Little One came home from her night out ready to plan her costume. Would she wear boots or high tops? Would her hair be straight or braided? Would she wear one or two gloves?...so many decisions to make. Not so much for The Boy. His only decision was whether or not to wear the entire Austin Powers costume...or lose the glasses and teeth. I reminded him that those were the items that made the costume funny. "Who cares?...I need to be comfortable." The Boy had invited his good friend from last summer's baseball team to trick-or-treat and spend the night. We'll call him Z. Now Z is the star of his school's football team...so he came as...who else? Himself. He wore his football jersey and a big smile. The sight of he and "Austin Powers" was hilarious. As they left, I called out to them to stay in the neighborhood and stick to the sidewalks. The Husband gave me a look that said "Really, can you let them be boys and leave them alone."....So I did. Thankfully, it was The Husband's year to walk Little One and her friends around. This meant I got to clean the kitchen and hand out candy in peace. I wanted to dress up while I handed out candy...but Little One forbid it. The Boy, in all of his sweetness, said "No need to dress up...You can just be Hot Mamma". That's my Boy.

When they all returned (Little One was having a friend for the night too) they dumped the candy on the floor and began trading. The Husband has always insists that he gets a 10% cut, so he took his share. I chatted on the phone with The Senior who was filling me in on the exploits of the Tike, who had gone as Thomas the Tank....all was right with the world.

So this morning, tired after Halloween and the World Series...I decided to stay home from church. I asked The Little One and her friend to act out a passage from the Bible in lieu of Sunday school. They chose The Nativity Story...and proceeded to act out a precious rendition of the birth of Jesus, culminating in the birth our cat...The manger was a trunk, which accidentally crashed close and almost decapitated the cat.....and that was it for the Bible lesson...

That's it for the weekend...I'm filled with relief and thankfulness...and ready for the week ahead, which includes a zoo trip, play rehearsals and more baseball....