Monday Morning Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was mostly good with sucky circumstances.

Friday, we resumed the Happy Hour Play Dates! We drank Jack and Limoncello, which tasted way too good, and went down too fast. Had to break them up with water in between, or I'd end up under the table. Also had watermelon and popcorn and hot links and cheeseburgers and chips and salsa. I didn't eat any of the meaty things, and mostly stayed away from the chips, so I thought I'd done pretty well. The Youngest didn't have baseball practice, so we stayed a while.

Saturday, The Youngest had a Baseball game, and then the boys and I were supposed to go to Brannan Island to meet some friends, hang out and have dinner. I made potato salad in the morning, before it got hot. Friday, The Dude was saying he didn't think he would be going because his allergies have been really bad lately, and he needs to study for his final next week. That's fine, we weren't going to spend the night or anything. Then on Saturday, he thought the ball game was at 1:30 and was saying we shouldn't go because we wouldn't have alot of time. In actuality, the game was at 11:30, and we would have a nice afternoon and evening. Then The Dude was saying it would be too hot, so we shouldn't go. I was undeterred. I told him that I understood he doesn't like us going places without him, but if he didn't want to go, I was. Otherwise, if I sit at home with him, then resent having to do that just because he doesn't want to go. The truth of the matter is he didn't want any of us to go, and has decided that because he isn't allowed to drink anymore, he doesn't like hanging with that particular crowd because they do still drink. So after the game, he busts out with, well we don't have any money and if you don't have enough gas to get there and back, and enough cash for park entrance, you won't be able to go. I didn't have enough gas, nor enough cash for entrance fee AND gas, so I stayed home, resenting that he got us into this financial mess. This is after telling The Boys that we would not be going to where I said we would. I told them the truth, that we didn't have enough money to do it. The Oldest talked to The Dude, and then The Dude was pissed off at me for telling the kids the truth. Too fucking bad. They deserve nothing less than the truth. They need to know that while their needs are going to always be met, (house, food, clothes) the extras are not at the top of the list, and sometimes that is disappointing to all of us. Did some laundry and busted out the Slip n' Slide for The Boys.Spent hours out back watching them play. Later in the afternoon, The Dude, knowing I was already angry, suggested I raid a kid piggy bank for cash and just go. That is something I WILL NOT DO unless we are at such a low point that it's either the piggy bank, or no food to eat. And I mean NO FOOD. I'm pretty resourceful on that front, using tortillas instead of bread for PB&J when needed.

Sunday was more of the same, the weather was HOT, and I moved the Slip n' Slide to a different part of the lawn after the muddy ruts in the lawn from Saturday only started to recover.I also started teaching The Oldest how to do laundry after he went through 4 pairs of shorts on Saturday. I did some sudoku puzzles, drank ice water and photographed the sliding. I also tried some macro shots of the classroom pet we have at the house this weekend. Can you guess what these voracious things are?

If you guessed Silkworms feasting on Mulberry leaves, you would be correct! They went through a grocery bag full of leaves in just 2 days and three nights!

Oh, and on Sunday at 4:30 The Dude comes out back to tell me that we'd been invited to a friend's house, 30 minutes away for a BBQ dinner. I told him it was not a good idea. The Boys were already well past their enjoying time in the sun and water for the day, and it was way too late, on a school night to go that far away for dinner. Mostly because we'd get there, eat, then stay and visit for hours. Not to mention the fact that I didn't have enough gas to get there and back, and no one was paid since yesterday when I had the same circumstances. Guess what? All of a sudden he has money to buy gas, and he's worse than the kids with the "c'mon, let's just go, the kids will be fine, it's a free dinner (I guess so, but that's kind of a distance to go for a free dinner), c'mon, but (the kid back from Naval Academy Prep) called and invited us, and I really want to see him." I told him that I was perfectly fine with him going alone, but the boys and I were not going. Then he pulls the, "but then you will have to deal with the kids whining when they find out where I've gone." I wasn't going to tell them, I guess he was planning on doing that. He didn't. He pestered me some more, to the point I finally said, "Fine. you are worse than the boys, for crissake, let's just go." To which he replied, "No. Just forget it. Your just being a bitch about it." He then called the friends while standing next to me to tell them that I was being a weenie about it. I got up and went in the house to find the silkworms trying to escape their enclosure for lack of fresh food. Fed them and sat to watch them for a while, which calmed me down. The Youngest started vomiting and having diarrhea (which was clearly due to being in the heat too long), so I'm glad that wasn't going on while in the car!

The Dude then decided to pull out the George Forman grill and grill up some steaks from the freezer. Ate more of the potato salad and some cole slaw for dinner. The Dude was in a better mood, but I wasn't. I was fried from being in the sun for 2 days in a row. The boys had fun, and we may have had a breakthrough with The Youngest (who is always cold) agreeing to try out the top bunk where The Oldest (who is always hot) currently sleeps, and with the summer fast approaching it would be a great change for them both.