Cancellations and Playland and Court!

Today was to be a joyous, happy day for all. The kids were planning to go to Otterville for 3.5 hours (ish) and lunch and then afterward we were going to head to my friend Bobbie's so she could show us the YMCA pool (indoor) with a cool slide. The kids were SOOOO excited today when they woke up. So was I, I must admit. We get to Otterville, play for an hour or so, order lunch, eat and play some more and about 15 mins before we were to leave, my cell rings. Bobbie isn't feeling well and must cancel. At first I was ok, and then I realized my kids would be devastated. They have not been swimming since last summer and they LOVE water. I started asking questions and found that Bobbie had since hooked up with another friend although not feeling well, and the two of them had decided no pool. Once I laid the guilt trip (which I would normally NOT do, except imagining my kids crying faces made me do it!) she then told me we were going swimming afterall. I then declined asking what exactly was wrong with her....stomach ache? No. Headache? No. She had no answer for me, other than "not feeling well." I finally tell her to forget it....she has cancelled on me at a rate far more than normal and I had 2 good friends sitting at Otterville with me shaking their heads in disbelief. So I hang up, break the news to the kids, promise to buy them a toy at the toy store on the way home (which we RARELY do, so this ended up being a special day, even with no pool) and even go as far as to say something REALLY stupid. Wanna know what that was? "We should go to Playland for dinner!" YAY!!!!! What was I thinking? I guess the fear of crying upset children all day long while Terry worked late tonite was far more than my brain could handle, because I promised the Hell of all Hell. McDonald playland on a Friday night, while it's raining outside. I guess it could be worse....I could have said Chuck E Cheese.

That said, we went to playland as promised and had to leave rather abruptly. What is wrong with parents today that they feel a structure made of metal, wrapped in a pool noodle, is an acceptable babysitter? I wish I could take a book and read, or my laptop and catch up on emails or even a nail file and make my nails all one length, but NOOOOOOOOOO! Instead, I have to monitor my kids...those little people that run around all day and rely on me for basic needs...those little people that need to be reminded to wash EVERYTIME they use the potty...not just when the stool is available....those same little people that can't make good decisions all day long even inside a playstructure. And not only that, but I seem to have to monitor all the freaking kids in playland. The ones that are screaming their heads off, the ones that are spitting at others, the ones that are jump kicking my son, the ones that are hitting Lillie with their feet and not letting her pass to the slide. Do I get paid for that? No. Instead I get a crying 3 year old who gets face paint all over my brand new and "still white after I wore it all day long" shirt. And I get to explain to my kids, who were not being bad to begin with, that we need to leave playland, because there are too many unruly kids there. I know that I am teaching them in some little way that things won't always go their way....there will be cancellations, there will be mean people, there will be short trips to fun places rather than the expected long visit....and that's LIFE!

On a totally different note...our courtcase has been decided on. We WON (we still owe $203, but not the $3k he was asking for--so that's a WIN in our eyes)!!!! Our old landlord is not getting the money that he sued for, didn't win the first time, appealed and now didn't win the second time. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he doesn't take it out of small claims and up to the First Court of Appeals (this would require an attorney for both sides and more likely lots more $$ on his part to file it)--so, keep your fingers crossed for us! Don't you love LIFE sometimes?!?!?