Valentine's Day ... Part Two

My Mom was put through a grooling 3 days of test and battles this past Valentine's Day weekend.  I guess though ... if you are going for the title of "Grandma of the Year", the events must show your strengths and weakness.  And by gosh ... I am pretty sure she aced the test.  She did not even have to do what she did ... but she did it without a second thought.  Clint suggested we buy her a trophy or plaque ... and I am thinking that might be a good idea. 

Mom ... Clint and I PROMISE that we are gonna have your car detailed!  *wink*  You know ... kind of like the consolation prize for a job well done?!?!?! 

Well ... last time I was telling you about my "Romantic Weekend" ... I ended it on the statement that nothing was set in stone because it all could change in a blink of an eye (or a puking kid in a car).  THAT IS SOOOOOOOO TRUE!!! 

Saturday morning, my Mom called from the motel in Ottawa and suggested that she just come to my house and stay there while Clint and I went to Embassey Suites for our Valentines "get away" ... and then ... as long as no one was sick ... she would continue on with her plans of taking them to the Holidome in Lawrence on Sunday, so they could go swimming and play miniature golf.  Clint and I decided, between the two of us ... that if someone puked before we left on Saturday ... we were staying home and taking care of our little "sickies".  *fingers crossed* that no one vomits everywhere.

Around 1:00 in the afternoon, my Mom decided that Eythen must be better ... so she sent Clint and I out the door ... and she took the kids to eat and to see "Tooth Fairy" at the movie theater.  Brave person in my opinion ... because if it was me ... there is NO WAY I would be leaving the house if one of the kids puked less than 24 hours ago.  But ... like I said ... she earned her "title" after this past weekend.  (Now you see why a trophy or plaque should be bought after all of this?!?!?)

I called often through out the day/early evening.  My last phone call was around 7:00 ... while we were at the FREE HAPPY HOUR at Embassey Suites.  Now, for those of you that do not know ... Embassey Suites serves FREE drinks from 5:30 till 7:30 ... as many as you want!!!  (A little free advertisement for Embassey Suites right there!  Maybe I can earn a free night or something???  Although, if I did earn a free night ... I am not so sure my Mom will be so quick to volunteer on watching the kids.  haa haa)  So ... let's just say ... that at 7:00 when I was making my ump-teenth phone call for the day ... it was a wee bit hard to concentrate on the conversation I was having ... at that point in time.  From what I remember of that phone call ... all was well ... Eythen ate a good dinner ... and everyone seemed healthy!  SCORE!!!  GAME ON!!!

Let's skip past the rest of the evening and early morning ... so we can keep this blog rated PG ... and fast forward to 2:30 Sunday afternoon. 

Clint and I had just checked out of the motel and was gonna go grab some lunch ... when Clint's cell phone rings (my Mom learned a long time ago ... that if she needs me ... call Clint's cell phone.  99% of the time mine is either dead ... or I have NO idea where it even is).  AND that is when I hear those words all over again, "Eythen threw up in my car AGAIN!  We just pulled into the motel parking lot and was about to get out ... when Eythen decided to up-chuck." 

HUH?!??!  Did my Mom just say what I think she did?!?!?  AGAIN?!?!?!  SH*T!!!  Earlier that morning when I called to check on everyone ... she said all was normal and she had just taken carpet cleaner out to her SUV and cleaned the carpets to get rid of the smell from Friday afternoon.  You have GOT to be kidding me?!?!?!?  How am I EVER gonna repay this woman for what she has gone through this past weekend?!?!?!

So ... my poor kids and poor Mom ... who had been looking forward to staying in a motel Sunday evening for months now ... were heading back to my house ... AGAIN!

Clint and I decided to head right back home ... but there was a 40 car pile up ... which took forever to get through.  So a few hours later ... we finally pulled into our driveway ... not knowing what battle zone we were gonna walk into.  Was puke gonna be all over the floor?  How bad was my house gonna smell?  Was my Mom gonna be packed and ready to dart out the door?  Was Breeanna, Harleigh OR my Mom gonna be puking by now?  SH*T?!?!?!  Can we just keep on driving?!?!?!

Eythen was in bed ...

Breeanna was coloring in a book my Mom got her ...

Harleigh was playing a harmonica ...

WAIT?!?!?!  Did I just say harmonica???

Where did Harleigh get a harmonica at?!?!?! 

That thing is SOOOOO getting packed in my Mom's bag when no one is looking.  That is definately a Grammy J. and Papa Gene's type of toy that stays at their house.

And there was my Mom ... sitting in the recliner with a smile on her face.  Gotta love her!!!

5:30 ... my Mom took the girls to Dairy Queen to eat ... and came home with Breeanna puking.  I really could not even make this up!  This is a true story based on actual facts all of the characters actually took place in the events.

So ... I think I am gonna join the club of "I dislike Valentine's Day" with nearly the rest of the world.  Who do I pay my monthly fees to in order to be apart of this club?

Valentine' Day ... Part One

Valentines Day ... a day that is about romance, kisses, love and the color Pink ... and ME!  That is my definition. 

Valentines Day ... just another day.  That is Clint's definition.

I had secretly been planning a full weekend for just Clint and I for about two months now.  My Mom volunteered to take the kiddos from Friday afternoon (she even came up Friday morning and went to all the kids Valentine's Day class parties) till Monday morning (no school on Monday).  I was so excited!  Clint has been working sooooooo, I mean SOOOOOOOOO many long hours ... we needed some couple time. 

I should have know better to get excited and look forward to something ... you would think I would have learned my lesson the zillion other times that things have gone wrong or not panned out just the way I thought it would.  Yes ... I know ... before you even say it ... I need to go with the flow.  Or some of you are thinking ... not everything always goes the way you want it to.  Or others of you are thinking ... what world does she live in.  Ok ... I get it.  Not everything is peaches and cream and life is a roller coaster so I need to enjoy the ride. But, sometimes ... I seem to think things out so much in my head that they become this fairy tale episode that begins to play out right in front of my eyes. But in all reality ... it turns out to be a soap opera with the title of "It's called Reality, Bitch".

Anywho.  I am not sure who was more excited.  The kids ... who made a count down last weekend, which they put on one of the doors upstairs.  My Mom ... who was sending "Dear Little People" emails to them, letting them know all the fun stuff she had planned for them to do.  Or me ... who planned out a candle lit dinner for Friday night and reserved the Valentine's Day package at Embassey Suites for Saturday night.

FINALLY ... FRIDAY!!!  The kids and I got up a bit earlier than normal ... so they could be extra cute for the Valentine's Day parties at school.  (Might I add ... I made Breeanna and Hareligh's outfit ... which is a whole different blog that I will get to some day.  And I found the sweatshirt Eythen is wearing, which says: Prince Charming  Melting Hearts Since 2004.) 

I dropped the girls off at their school at 7:30, like always.  We did our normal hand signals of "I love You" and our secret "gestures" that no one else knows what we are saying to one another ... and I drove off chatting with Eythen, in the backseat, about our plans for the day.  As I walked back into the house ... the phone rang at 7:45.  On the other end ... it was Clint telling me that he has some bad news for me.  Has he not learned after being married to me for almost 10 years (together for 12) NOT to start off a conversation like that.  In the 2.5 seconds of silence, after he stated those words, I thought to myself: he got layed off, he was in the hospital with his arm cut off, he was being held hostage, his hours got cut back, he lost his foreman's position, he got arrested and this was his one phone call from jail, he wrecked the car, he got pulled over, he got another speeding ticket, he forgot to pay rent, he forgot to pay his truck payment, the army recruited him an he is being sent off to the war, he got robbed, he robbed someone and was in a high speed chase ... you get the point.  Then after those zillions thought ran through my head, he tells me that he has to work on Saturday.  WHAT THE F**K?!?!?!?!  *sigh*

As the day progressed on ... my Mom, Eythen and I had a great time at the girls class room parties and enjoyed a SubWay sandwich together (gotta love $5 subs!!!  AND when someone else is paying for it!!!  Thanks Mom!!!) it was time to load the kids up and send them back to P.K. (for those of you that do not know "town terms" ... that is Parsons Kansas).  So ... the kids and I did our normal hand signals of "I love You" and our secret "gestures" that no one else knows what we are saying to one another and they drove off with my Mom.

30 minutes later ... my Mom's cell number is on caller ID.  Right away ... before I even pick up the phone to say hello ... I know something is wrong.  The only reason she would be calling me, was if I forgot to pack something ... but I knew I did not forget anything ... because she helped me pack their bags.  After I picked up the phone and said hello, she replied with, "Eythen just threw up EVERYWHERE in the backseat."  Then I hear Breeanna in the background saying, "AND it is all over Harleigh's new skirt!"  Then I hear Harleigh say, "AND IT STINKS!"  *sigh*  REALLY?!?!?!  WHAT THE H**L?!?!?!  The flu HAS to strike on my favorite holiday.  *stomping foot*  (Yes, I had a bit of a pitty party for myself ... and then reality bitch slapped me and said ... get into Mommy mode.)  My poor Eythen ... My poor Mom!!!

To make a LOOOOONG story short ... my Mom ended up staying at a motel in Ottawa (because her car smelled to bad to drive the other hour and 15 minutes.  Eythen threw up 4 more times ... and my Mom did her best (with the motel towels ... I am sure they love her this morning) to clean up her car.  AND ... my candle lit dinner was a success (except for the 4 times I called my Mom to see how Eythen was doing). 

I know all of you can hardly wait to see what is gonna happen on Saturday.  I know ... I know ... I know ... I am sure you can hardly stand the suspense!!!  Well then ... I will tell you.  8:00 am, my Mom called and said that Eythen "claimed" he was feeling better (although we are 50% sure he was saying that because he wanted the "surprise" that my parents bought him ... which was sitting at my parents house ... back in P.K. ... which was an hour and 15 minutes away).  So to be on the safe side ... my Mom suggested that she come to my house with the kids and spend Saturday night there ... and Clint and I could still go to Embassey Suites.  She thought maybe should would take them out to eat and to the movies ... as long as no one threw up again today *fingers crossed*.  Then on Sunday ... she had already made motel reservations in Lawrence (which she did a few months back when she volunteered to keep the kiddos on Valentine's Day weekend) at the Holi Dome so the kids could play mini-golf and swim for the evening.  So as long as no one pukes anymore ... the kids will be at a motel having a great time on Sunday ... while Clint and I enjoy a late check out of 2:00 ... and soak of the "couple time" that my amazing, caring, outstanding, goes out of her way, unbelievable, remarkable, spectacular, splendid, wonderful, amazing, walk to the end of the world and back, selfless, loving, nurturing, fan-flippin-tastic, marvilous, super duper kind of Mom is blessing Clint and I with!!!

Please note ... that these plans are NOT set in stone!  (That is reality giving me a heads up that he/she may need to bitch slap me again to bring me back down to the real world.)