heat & a rant...

so the summer is officially here.. it hit the mid to high 90's over the weekend.. YUCK! I am not a big fan of the heat, but this is feeling really yuck.. fortunately, my sweet and kind sister came over yesterday and after her & did some shopping, she helped DH put air conditioners in the bedrooms.. making for a very pleasant sleep.. I cleaned up the fans and those are helping in other parts of the house.. the basement in our house really is a good 10 degrees cooler.. so we have been hanging out there some.. which we like to do anyways.. :)

the rant part of the blog.. it goes out to all the mother's of kids who have birthday parties..
THINK.. please seriously THINK about the space you have to do projects in and the number of adults to do it with.. the story is this.. DD goes to a birthday party on Saturday, it was home party and an outside affair.. which would make sense.. there was a moon bounce or bouncy house , but since it was 90 plus degrees, kids were sweltering and and not that into it.. which is okay, the kids would have amused themselves somehow.. but they decide to do a craft project.. Fabric Painting t-shirts. ... umm.. okay.. messy, but if properly planned for, not a problem, well, this was NOT planned for, no water source to clean up in, no wipes not a blessed thing.. thankfullly, my sweet child was too into being the bounce house alone to sit down at a small crowded table to paint right away... when she did want to paint, I did convince her to wait until there was space.. no problem, she drank a juice box.. worked out..
so, she happily chooses a stencil, applies it and paints it, then wants to add more, mixes up colors.. I don't care, go to town, this will be a great t-shirt for bed this summer.. works for me kid -- live it up.. well, she had a great time and got paint on her hands, which she then lovingly holds up to me and pleads for help to clean up.. I tell her to hold up her hands and don't touch anything until I get back with wipes.. there is a relative of the mom hosting the party who tells her it's okay, you keep painting, I will help you and as I turn to get the wipes, Miranda wipes her hands on her brand new overalls and spills paint on them too.. I freak.. I spent a long time looking for these overalls, paid more than I wanted to and even just ordered a pair for the baby so that they can take photos in matching outfits at the end of the summer.. well, the host mom turns and tells me that the paint will wash out.. it's water soluble.. not to worry.. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!
it's fabric paint, well, I wiped off what I could and figured I would clean the rest at home.. nothing came out, the shorts are trashed and last night, I could have SPIT nails over it.. I know that it's just a pair of shorts, but I was livid..
MY ADVICE TO MOM"S WITH CRAFTS AT PARTIES:
1. if you plan to do a painting craft, have smocks or warn parents.. in the invite say, bring painting clothes..
2. plan enough space for kids to do the project, not 15 or 16 five year olds at a tiny table with permanent paints.. let them paint only a few at a time if you need to..
3. ask parents to each help their child and to help clean them up
4. have clean up supplies available..
5. if you must do a craft make sure it is age appropriate.. HELLO, fabric paint for 5 year olds in 90 degrees is NUTS...

again, I reserve the right to blame the pregnancy hormones on this one, but I am also speaking from years of pre-school experience here too.. I am still so mad about this overalls -- working on letting it go... but oh was I mad..

all in all, DD had a great time at the party.. she left saying that she forgot to eat anything but her cupcake, so we ate lunch as soon as she got home.. sweet kid that she is.. I really have to say that for a 5 year old, she is accepting the limited play time very well.. we try to get her outside to play in the yard more often, but she doesn't enjoy it as much as she used to.. DH can not chase her around with his broken foot and I can't chase her either feeling like I have a basketball in my way and the constant contractions and now the heat.. I try to spend time creating art projects or playing games, we are reading lots and lots more now.. she is very patient about things not being as immediate as she is used to.. I am tired and dh just can't do the things he wants to.. she really is a great kid... I am so blessed... she really can't wait to see the baby either.. she talks to her, lifts my shirt and kisses the belly, is interested in if she is sleeping or kicking... it's cute..
Now, I know that sibling rivalry will effect us as soon as the little one comes home and things really change, but we are trying to bridge off some of that now and making plans to spend special time with her doing big kid stuff.. done the research and we are planned.. but lately, our plans don't go as expected, so we will have to wait and see...


If I knew better, I would say that I am off to bed, but I am in the middle of washing DH bandages and he need s them for bed tonight.. so I gotta finish that first..

:) Monique