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Monday, August 23, 2010

Party Whine at the Whine Party

Teh Weeks of Parties begin at the Esperanza household. And our introverted heroine is already weary, just thinking of Teh Parties. She has not yet recovered from Teh Family Visit, and now with the parties.

First up: Mini Baboo gets baptized on Sunday. Family (of the helpful variety) arrives Friday and Saturday. Invited for Sunday Dinner: 11 people, plus Sweet Baboo. Including Mr. E's "boss" who will do the baptism. Menu: Chicken Fajitas, beans, guacamole, salsa, etc. And Cheesecake Pie for dessert.

Next up: Mr. E turns 40 the next Sunday. Big party, previously whined about here, I believe. We're planning for 150 guests at an Open House. Menu: darned if I know. The giganto cake is ordered, but that's all I've really figured out. I'm open for suggestions, but I have some requirements: finger food, can require cooking but must be able to be served cold/room temp, and not fussy (like requiring individual assembly).

Maybe I will recover before Sweet Baboo turns 3 (!) on October 1.

The Whine Party is open, but you have to plan your own menu. Sorry, the hostess is already partied out.

25 comments:

Liz Miller said...

Food: Costco. Fruit, pre-cut veggie platters, 7 layer dip, chips, smoked salmon, crackers, hummus, etc.

Miranda said...

Or some place that does deli/fruit/veggie trays...

Whine: I am high on caffeine and exhausted out of mind. Really bad combo.

Whine: It is 9pm. I still need to do laundry and pack for Work Trip 2.2.2 (2nd in 2 weeks of at least two days) that starts in the am.

Whine: Older Son was recruited into the marching band on Saturday and left band camp this morning. 6:30 am, to be precise.

Whine: I now on the line for $700.

Whine: And another fireplacing volunteer committee.

Whine: And a pooktacular fund-raising commitment.

Whine: Have I mentioned how I am the only person working my house? And that two others are of legal working age? Including Marching Band son?

Anti-whine: I love the city I am traveling to and my dance card is very full for those times I am not in a training session.

kathy a. said...

or trader joe's, if you have one. i don't think they have the platters, but lots of fruit, veggies, chips, dips, crackers, cheese, breads, etc. sandwiches on baguettes sliced lengthwise, then cut into small pieces. pasta salad. tater salad.

for a crowd like the open house, i'd go with lots of what's easy. borrow baskets and platters if you can. bite-sized is the key, except cheese platters and salads, which they can figure out themselves. maybe some small bowls of nuts and whatever. this won't be a meal, and you've got cake, so 4-5 bites per person should do it.

Miranda said...

Oh, I forgot the Whine that Must Surely Win The Obstructed Synapse Award.

I negotiated a sweet deal for Friday where I would get paid overtime to work in my pajamas only for the hours I chose to work. It took vast amounts of charm and charisma to pulls this off, Pixies, given that I work on Team inNOOOOOvation, but I did it. Bow down before the awesomeness that is my persuasive skills.

Yeah, I left all the files I am supposed to be working on at the office.

amy said...

@Miranda -- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *amy collapses from teh sadness*

Miranda said...

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, I emailed a colleague and he scanned the files in for me. He's a peach, let me tell you.

Off to the peer recognition app so he can trade points for gifts/gift cards.

Unknown said...

Today is my twins 18th b'day. Daughter is not speaking to me because I had the gall to ask her to show up and help around the house.

Our final eviction notice came yesterday. We have to be out in a week with no place to go.And no money to get there.

Good friend's daughter who is mentally ill and developmentally disabled has been missing for 4 days. We are getting minimal help from police. MINIMAL. We think she might be in York ME. Can't get police to team up with Maine police.

Other friend's kid was in serious car accident in a stolen car driven by a kid he didn't even know that was stoned, at 3 am.

What do all these kids have in common? All 17.

kathy a. said...

hot hot hot hot hot
flashes, hot weather, hot me;
fan fan gasp fan fan.

kathy a. said...

AW: we had a lovely family/friends picnic this weekend! great food, great company.

W: i've been planning this since april, and apparently i screwed up the reservation process because my site was reserved by someone else. just about had heart failure. no cell phone service in the park. 30 guests en route.

AW: mr. ranger man directed us to another site! husband brought posterboard for a sign re-directing everyone! i used DUCT TAPE and a tablecloth for another sign near the new destination. yay!

W: one of my sisters missed the [large] signage, and she was pretty darned grumpy.

AW: otherwise, good time had by all. daughter's best friend came from out of state! dads gathered round the BBQ! the gang of little girls ate 3 x their own weight in sugar! teen boys hiked and did not get poison oak! lots of cousins!

esperanza said...

I hear you on the hot, kathy a. It's 99 right now, at lunchtime. Last night at supper, we sat and watched the thermometer climb from 99 to 108 (in the shade). By the time the dishes were done, it was back "down" to 99.

AW: a/c

kathy a. said...

oy, esperanza. i shouldn't even complain, except that it is 96 here, sure to rise later -- and friday, we barely broke 60. no a/c.

but i have this internal hormonal thermostatic malfunction, so i'm capable of breaking a sweat involuntarily at any time, at any temp. living in serious heat like you do, i'd need to spend all my time in a walk-in freezer.

esperanza said...

no a/c trumps any outdoor temperature.

esperanza said...

Two simultaneous brother-in-law dramas. That we found out about on facebook. Sigh.

Madeleine said...

Prize for experanza for family drama x2 on facebook.

W: SnugglyGirl's new song on auto-repeat, as of this morning, is a sweet ballad based on a video game. Sample lyric: "the finish line is just around the bend/I'll pause this game so our love will never end."

AW: Could be worse. The tune is lovely and the singer has a nice voice. The video is on YouTube if any of you have a M@r10K@rt fan in the family.

W: went pants shopping for the girl last night, and returned the stuff I had bought without her the previous week. She's 10, but she's got hips and doesn't want low-rise pants. Oy. (I mean, oy at the lack of decent choices. I am glad she doesn't want low-rise.) The adjustable waist pants help a bit. Also boys pants, in a large enough size to account for the expectation that boys have flat butts.

W: Everything will shrink, she will grow, and we'll probably be going through this again sooner than I'd like.

kathy a. said...

double trouble family facebook dramas! oy!

madeleine, yay for her not liking low-rise pants! and yeah, what is with the lack of selection? i just didn't realize the problem extended to the 10-y-o crowd...

emergency visit with someone; his son died yesterday, an apparent suicide. hug your kids.

amy said...

kathy, I'm on it. Hugs to all the pixies in the house, too! ((hug))

I have a complaint brewing, but I'm waiting for one more piece of communication to help me determine whether I really have grounds to be as p!ssed as I feel.

On the up side of things, the hug I just gave my son elicited several unsolicited kisses. I <3 those so much!

KLee said...

Lots of drama here, but it's all of a doable variety.

I got a call from my principal back in early July that we were expecting expanded enrollment at my school, and I could stay. I was going to be in kindergarten, though working with someone I wasn't real thrilled about working with. I figured I'd give it the old college try, and just be glad I didn't have to leave, and on top of that, still HAD a job.

I happened to go into school on Friday, and poked my head into the principal's office. she said, "Oh, good; you're here! How do you feel about PreK?" I said, "Uh...I like PreK...." and she said, "Great! You'll be in PreK!" So, I no longer have to work with someone I'm not thrilled about; am now working with three completely new people, and it looks very promising.

The bad stuff about it is that it seems our PreK system is completely awash with paperwork. After our initial training today, I feel pretty dang overwhelmed. The good thing is, the higher-ups realize that we are all new to PreK, and won't have a good grasp on it for a while, and are prepared to cut us significant leeway.

So, I have spent the last 3 days hauling furniture around one-half of a tiny double-wide trailer. We've redone the floorplan several times, but there is no way on God's green earth to fit 20 4-and-5 year olds, 2 adults, and all the crap that needs to be in this room in this small area.

There's a checklist for EVERYTHING. And, you wouldn't believe the crap that HAS to go in this small area -- we have to have a math center, a science center, a writing center, a music center, a block center, a dramatic play center...The list goes on and on....

And the detail! OY! The Dramatic play center has to have at least 3 housekeeping elements, like a play fridge, stove, sink, or hutch. There has to be a table and chairs, a dress-up section with at least 3 different kinds of costumes, including shoes, hats, scarves, purses, and pretend jewelry. There has to be at least 3 dolls, with clothes, a crib or doll bed, a high chair, a diaper bag with diapers....

And ALL of the areas are like that....I think I will die, and my body will be found in a couple of weeks, buried under a few thousand pages of checklists....

I have come home bone tired every day this week. I hope it settles down some once school starts....

Boy, I'm EXTRA whiny today... I think I need a time-out.

Yankee, Transferred said...

It's me, YT, with a whine about being taken advantage of. I have to be quite circumspect because there is a law suit in the wings, so no details, but here is a poem to get it off my chest:

Don't think you'll really get away
With your huge scam-no, not today.
And not tomorrow, either, bitch,
On my behind you won't get rich.
I helped you find your footing once
You think forever I'm your dunce?
The rules were clear
I sadly fear
You won't look cute
in an orange suit.

Suffice to say someone stole from me, and they are GOING DOWN.
AW: Older and Younger Daughters both rockin' the schoolyard.

amy said...

Well, the piece of communication I was waiting for hasn't come in yet, and I don't know when it will, so I'll just proceed with being whiny.

In a nutshell, it's about money. My walking teammate's husband has been a jerk all summer long about our fundraising efforts and training time, but now he's stepping up the jerkitude. We each had to raise $2300 in donations, and much of the money we gathered was in cash. So now is the time to divvy the cash money up and deposit it to our accounts so we meet our minimums. Jerkboy is crybabying because we are each going to be depositing a different amount, so his tax write off won't be the same as mine or the other teammate's. Um, seriously? Nice charitable attitude, pal.

amy said...

The news is just in about my friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before my breast cancer walk. She's having a mastectomy on Friday and starting chemo after that. It's unclear how large the tumor is, but they think about golfball size. But it hasn't spread to her bones or lungs, so there's something good there.

She tells me about the choices she has to make and she asks me what I think I would do, and I've been honest. I have no idea. In fact, I have no idea how to help her in any way, except to tell her I love her and I think she's beautiful and I love the wig she's picked out. It is very sassy.

Then I find out this week that my husband's high school friend's mom died. When did we get old enough to have friends whose moms are dying?

Then I feel guilty for how I have been so preoccupied with being happy about my best friend moving back to MI.

amy said...

Nominations:
Madeleine for back to school clothes shopping with a hard-to-fit/hard-to-buy-for kid. I totally feel your pain with my too tall, too skinny kid. But, I'm lucky that mine is 6 and probably willing to wear sweatpants to school for another year.

Margalit for a Sesame Street award -- these whines brought to you by the number 17 and the letters WTH?

YT for style! Kathy for style!

Kathy for FrontiersWoman with the duct tape.

KLee for being an awesome preK teacher. KLee, you do more with less every year, but your job is SO important. It's the preK and K teachers who teach our children to love learning. I am grateful to every single preK and K teacher in the world who loves what they do. *mwah*

esperanza said...

ok, I made a comment but it vanished into the internet. Hm.

Here is what it said:
Whine on, y'all. Awards tonight.

kathy a. said...

hi, YT! oh, that sucks. but stylishly done, as usual. and congratulations on your daughters, forging ahead both!

amy, i'm sorry about your friend's cancer diagnosis. but your friendship alone is a great gift.

A. Nonny Moose said...

Pull out your tiniest violins, because I'm back. There was something estate-ish that came up that we all need to sign on a short deadline. So, first we got bad advice from the good trustee about scanning the thing. Then good advice from the lawyer about how she needs hard signed copies. Then a terrible flurry of pontificating emails last night, mostly from one person, some sent blind-copy so I have no idea who saw what, but I'm sure [and thankful] that I didn't see it all. Make. It. Stop.

Anonymous said...

huge antiwhine: I just found out I have a job!!!!!!! I have been hired as a teaching assistant for 6th grade, in a great district, with hours that work pretty well. It's a great foot in the door, and I'm absolutely thrilled!!!
Have been scrambling this week to find childcare coverage for meetings that are coming fast and furious leading up to 1st day of school.

Am awash in logistical details, but in a good way.

Hugs to all the pixies!

--Neighbor Lady