Weekend at Bernie's. Er... the Gamblin's

Weekends are my favorite part of the week.  I am sure they are most people's favorite part of the week.  When I was a little girl, I loved weekends because I got to spend time with my dad at his house (and he let me eat all the candy and drink all the soda I wanted).   As a teenager, I loved weekends because it meant date night with my boyfriend and time to sleep in.    In college, it was a chance to sleep in, goof off, and hang out with friends.   As a young adult, I went out on the weekends and slept late. (Are you sensing a recurrent theme with the sleeping in thing?).  Now I enjoy weekends because I get to sleep, not late, but a little later and hang out with Bud and the girls. The funny thing is that often we are busier on the weekend than we are during the week.

Friday night at our house consisted of me picking up Abby and Maddie from school, rushing home and getting them changed into soccer gear and eating a quick sandwich and then heading to the soccer fields for a game for Abby and a practice for Maddie.   Bud got home right after I left and picked Destiny up and headed to a soccer field a half hour from the house for a make-up game.   We all got home, showered and headed to bed.   

Saturday consisted of soccer pictures and games for all three girls.   We started at 10:30 at one field and ended the day at 6:00 at another field.   In that time, I also managed to sneak in a quick shopping trip to buy two birthday gifts, dropped Destiny off at a birthday party and picked her up.   Did I mention that is was 90 degrees here on Saturday?  Everyone was in a lovely mood with the heat.   We came home, grilled out, took the girls out for ice cream at McD's and then dropped Destiny off to spend the night with her friend.  I tucked a crying, sleepy Maddie into bed, watched a crazy Disney movie with Bud and Abby and folded laundry.

This morning, we overslept, missed church  and then had to pick Destiny up from her party at 11:00.  I talked to the mom too long and looked down at my watch and realized we would be late for another birthday party.  I had to dash home, drop off Destiny and pick up the two little girls.   This birthday party was held at my own particular vision of what hell could be...Chuck E. Cheese, "where a kid can be a kid" and a parent could become an alcoholic!   

Hundreds of screaming children hopped on sugar (because none of them really eat the pizza, they just drink the soda's and eat the cake) running around, a giant mouse dancing to reworked dance tunes, combined with ringing, dinging, flashing games does not make for a fun afternoon in my humble opinion.  My daughters would argue that I am sure.   Someone inevitably cries because we have run out of tokens or I won't buy them cotton candy or horror of horrors, I want them to get ready to leave.   Thank goodness there is a two hour limit on the party and when the tokens were gone we were done and out the door.   I was tempted though to ask the lady if the little invisible stamps didn't match if they would keep the kids.   

This picture took some persuading since they really were not into each other at the moment I took it.

All the kids from the party dancing .  Abby is the head next to the girl in the green shirt and between the two Chuck E. Cheese workers in red.

This is Maddie sitting and watching the craziness while sipping her Sprite.  She wanted nothing to do with the craziness.  She is so my child.  

Maddie did to Chuck E. Cheese in this picture what I have wanted to do since my first visit there as an adult.  Lop his head off!!

Behind Bars

The birthday girl with my girls.  Maddie has obviously had way too much too drink.

We got home to the beautiful site of Bud and Destiny cleaning out our pool so we can soon swim.   Bud and all the girls cleaned off our deck and did some yard work while I ran to Wal Mart for some needed groceries, an oil change and most important, a pedicure.  You gotta love how much you can get done at Wal Mart.   We grilled out with our friends/neighbors down the road and then came home to put some tired girls to bed.   Frankly, I am tired just reading about it.   Bud is now unwinding with Call of Duty 4 and I am thinking that the girls can buy their lunch tomorrow at school so that I can go and catch some shut eye.

Honestly though, I wouldn't change a thing about my weekend.  (Okay, maybe the Chuck E. Cheese thing).  I like to be busy and I am glad that the girls have so many opportunities to do things.