We're celebrating the last 24 hours of testosterone-free, lid-down livin' week!
We miss our fellas, really, we do. We don't miss their odors of many sorts. We don't miss their massive consumption of grocery items. We don't miss their multi-media preferences. We don't miss their odors...did I already list those? But we miss their smiles and their help.
SOOOO...
This evening we hosted a "no boys allowed" come'n'go pajama party. 11 girls came, 3 had to go, 4 were here to begin with and never left. That leaves 12 slumbering sweeties on my hall tonight.
Ashlin and two friends fill the mattresses in the pink room. Ardyn and her 3 buddies are sprawled out in the green room. Two of Ash's friends said they would prefer an isolated bed to the communal floor pallet -not in so many words - so they are sharing the purple bed. Elizabeth is on a pallet to my left. Mari and her very first sleepover pal are on a pallet to my right. Ahhhhh.
Everyone is tuckered out from all the dress-up, make-up, play dough, melty bead art, guess who, puzzles, painting, wii, junk food, band rehearsals, and nail polish.
Around 10, we all worked for about 10 minutes to put everything back where it belongs, and we agreed on a movie. Let me run that by you again...13 girls of different ages AGREED on a movie. I knew people were praying for me:)
I have really been relaxed about the whole thing. I haven't gotten much sleep this week - hubby gone, co-dependent slumber tendencies, etc. etc. Nonetheless, we have had a lot of fun planning and preparing. A little before midnight, I had one two-sentence outburst when several girls were in my [closed-for-the-night, already swept] kitchen peeling away crumb-lined cupcake papers and munching down blue-frosted sprinkle bites.
"You may watch the movie or go to bed. Go wash your hands!" The rest was mumbled as I stooped over to mop up the crumbs. Nobody heard me. As I closed the kitchen again, I announced that I was apparently cranky and ready for bed, but that I thought finishing the movie was a good idea.
As the plot climaxed, I put the five youngest to bed. As the credits rolled, I passed out the rest of the toothbrushes and tidied up the living room. There was a LOT of gigging, but these are all such sweet girls, it was a good thing.
After a few minutes of being "settled", I had to walk down the hall to the oldest, noisiest girls and give my speech. It was eloquent and effective.
"Hi. Everyone else in this house wants to go to sleep. I know you guys don't. You do not have to go to sleep. I'm not going to keep you from it. I just ask that you be quiet. Your volume is making it hard for us to do what we would like to do.
Four beautifully synchronized head nods indicating comprehension and humbled compliance)
If, for some reason, you ladies choose to hinder us from doing what we prefer, I'll come make some changes that will hinder you from doing what you prefer. It's totally up to you ladies. We cool? We cool."
Sopa pilla cheesecake, muffins, frozen fruit, zipper bag omelets and REALLY
STRONG coffee are on the menu for breakfast.
Sweet dreams everybody!
PS. The blog design is currently under construction...closure on another day:)
