Much ado about...puke

I had a PC show last Thursday night. It was a wedding shower for a girl at my church who is marrying a young fighter pilot and moving to Arizona, at least temporarily. (I mean living in AZ temporarily, not being married temporarily. I am confident that this union will last!)

Back to the point, please, Buffi...

So, I was running late when the babysitter got here. Miss A is a really sweet college student from my church. She helps out in SugarPlum's GA's meetings and with Bear's stuff as well. My kids love her. She is a Jr. at the local University and she is a biology major.

Blah, blah, blah....The point, Buffi, PLEASE, get to the point!
By the time I got to the show, I had less than half an hour to prep and set up. Five minutes before the show was scheduled to start, I get a phone call form Miss A. Bear had thrown up in the kitchen. And, she tells me, "I just don't do throw up. I'll stay here until you can get here (well, I should hope so!) but I just can't clean that up." Then she calls me back to assure me that Bear is fine, she just need me to come clean up the puke. GAH!!!!!

I got home, Bear and the others are at the table making play-doh (and a HUGE mess). I grabbed the dust pan, scoop up the little bit of vomit from the kitchen floor, throw nastiness - including dustpan - out, check on Bear (he was indeed fine), make a crack about how I can't believe that A is a biology major if she can't handle a little puke, and head back to the shower. By this time, one of the hostesses has taken over the prep work for me, thank goodness! But I was so flustered and off my game by then, I was just a disaster. I can't believe anybody ordered anything!

I had decided that I was really going to be pissed. I mean, I had to, essentially, come home from work to clean up a little mess. I'm sure glad Bug didn't poop in his pants or anything! Then I got home and the kids were all asleep and A was sweeping the kitchen floor, had cleaned up all of the play-doh mess (after she had let them make cool sculptures with their play-doh and then baked them so that they would harden and be permanent!), AND picked up the toys and dirty clothes in the living room. Then she told me how great my kids are and what big imaginations they have. Then we visited for a long time about people we both knew from the town where she grew up and a bunch of other stuff. And I decided that I couldn't hate her because, all in all, she is a pretty damn good babysitter.

I just have to hope that nobody pukes next time.

I should be doing something else right now....

I am actively procrastinating right now. I have a PC show tomorrow morning and I need to wash dishes, get products ready, prep ingredients, assemble folders with order forms, catalogs, etc. I have done none of that. My hostess for tomorrow just called to tell me that she is expecting only two guests, so I guess that my motivation is out the window. I'm not mad or anything. One girl has sick kids, another one was informed that she has to be at work earlier than she originally expected and other stuff like that. These things happen. Hell, they happen to ME! She asked if I wanted to push the show back a few weeks. I am tempted. But I don't want her to think that I am being pissy or anything.

Also, my extended family has decided that now that I have the biggest house, that they will make the 3 + hour drive to Candyland for Thanksgiving next week. That's a minimum of 14 people here to inspect my home for the slightest bit of dust spend quality time with my kids and each other. I really ought to, oh, I don't know...finish unpacking, dust, sweep the floors, mop the kitchen, fold the laundry, clean the bathrooms, organize the linen closet, write a novel, compose a symphony, and/or win the lottery so that I can pay someone to do all of that for me.

But, no. I am blogging. Because that requires very little physical effort on my part. Which is a good thing.

***UPDATE***

I'm not sure what the heck was wrong with Blogger last night, but it wouldn't let me post this.

So the post-script to the whole PC story is that I cancelled it this morning after all. SugarPlum had a really bad migraine and decided to go back to bed. So I called my hostess (with the mostess...only not so much I suppose) to cancel so that I could be home to take care of SP. Long story short (HA!), SP wakes up at about 9:15 saying that she feels much better and she's ready to go to school. Heh. Soooo, I get everyone to school, come home and? clean house? No. Take a nap of course. I am exhausted. or lazy. Don't tell me your opinion of which.

Promises, promises....

Um, yeah, so about that whole "I'll post later this week" thing....

I've been scolded by more than one friend lately for the serious dearth of posts from Candyland as of late. I realize that it seems that I have all but fallen off the planet.

Our weeks around here are just crazy. The three SugarBabies are at three different schools. SugarPlum and Bear both have to be at school at the same time. Luckily their schools are only about a mile apart and SP likes getting there early. Bear still insists on me walking him to his classroom, which means that Bug goes in as well. Bug's school is only twice a week and an hour later, so we have a bit of time to go back home, pack his lunch and get ready. But the afternoons are just insane three days a week. Bear and SP have soccer practice on the same days. SP at 5:30, Bear at 6:00. At two different locations (natch). So I get the kids home on those days around 3:45, blow through homework, fix a picnic supper and get those two dressed for practice. The boys and I eat our supper on a blanket while we watch the first few minutes of SP's practice, then we load up and go over to Bear's practice. SP's coach delivers her to me when their practice is over and she eats her sandwich. By the time Bear is done, we get home just in time for PJs and bedtime stories! Wednesdays, we have supper at church at 5:00 and the kids have choir at 5:30 followed by Mission Friends and GAs at 6:30. Hey, at least we aren't bored! Add into that mix Pampered Chef shows on the weekends and the occasional weeknight PLUS two soccer games every Saturday. WHEW! I look forward to the one day a week that we can sit and just "be." As much as the kids love soccer and I enjoy watching them play, I am already looking forward to the end of the season and a little time off. Until basketball season starts. Heh.

Turns out that I am pretty darn good at this whole Pampered Chef thing. My first three shows have netted well over my goal for my first month and I have one more show to close before the end of the month. Plus, I have four shows already scheduled for October and two for November. I really love what I am doing. I have always been a big fan of the products, so I suppose my "passion" for it (how corny does that sound?!) has helped me sell it. If you want to take a look at my PC site, let me know. The "rules" governing those sites are a little fuzzy to me and I'm not sure that I wouldn't get in trouble for linking it here. But if you ask, I'd be happy to send you the link.

In addition to the whole sales gig, I am working at my church's Mother's Day Out once a week. In the two-year-old room. Yes, I am insane, thanks for asking. Actually, I am the "helper" to the other girl in there who actually does the plans and leads the class. I agreed to do it, initially, to help meet our ridiculous mortgage payments (yes, I know this is the house that I had to have, that is why I'm not complaining!)(okay, maybe I'm complaining a little bit, but I realize the hypocrisy)(but the house? totally worth it!)(could I have more parentheses?)(I'm multi-parenthetical!)(somebody stop me -please!). Plus, with me working there (at the church...stay with me here), Bug gets to go to preschool for half price. But I'm telling you, those five hours with little kids wipes me out for the day! I don't think I will ever be able to go back to teaching!

I am very extraordinarily blessed that my parents drive in every weekend to help me out. My mom lets me sleep in on Saturdays (unless we have a morning game) plus she cooks and does laundry! GrayGray plays with the kids and does a ot of yardwork and whatever else I need him to do. I do pay for these services in the form of extreme guilt trips. When I go out of town or even out for an evening, I get to hear about how traumatized the children are and how it's like they have lost BOTH parents. And if I should have to, heaven forbid, miss a soccer game?! Well, you might think it's the end of the world. Which has led to my having to make some very difficult choices. Like missing a good friend's wedding because I can't deal with the emotional price it might exact from my parents and children. But I can't say anything about it to my mom because I'm not sure I could do this without them. I don't want to cut my nose off to spite my face. (Didn't you hate that phrase when you were a kid? It made absolutely not sense to me.)

I'm telling you, this single-mom thing is for the birds. If SD ever thought that he might get rid of me, he's got another thing coming. I won't ever do this again voluntarily! And to all of my friends out there who are single parents: You have my utmost respect and my sincere apologies for my whining.

So......this is a long, long, long, long, loooooong way of saying, I'm sorry. I will try harder to actually post a little more often. No promises the rest of this week though. Today, I go have blood work and pre-admit done for Friday's thyroid biopsy. Not a big deal, really. Just a needle biopsy to confirm the scan I had done in May saying that I am cancer-free. I promise to let you know the results.

Thanks for sticking with me, y'all. You are the best!

*quick post*

I'm still alive, just unbelievably busy. The Pampered Chef stuff is picking up, but it is seriouly cutting into my blogging time. I'll let you decide if that is a good or a bad thing. Heh.

I have a show tonight to get ready for. Hopefully, I will have time and the energy to post Wednesday or Thursday. There has been a lot going on. Some of it even good!

Until then, thanks for your emails and notes of concern. You guys are the best!

*SMOOCHES*

*sigh*

Well, I took the dang Emmy post down because it was just pissing me off. I may put it back up when I find links that will stay the same.

I have a lot going on, but haven't been able to put it into coherent words.

SugarPlum and Bear have soccer practice on the same nights at the same time. This is good and bad. It means that I get it all over with at once, but it also means that somehow I am supposed to be in two places at once. Fun.

On the up side, it has FINALLY cooled off. We had been over 100 for over 45 days this month. Plus? We got rain!!

Bug gets to go to HIS "Meet the Teacher" for preschool tomorrow morning. I don't know who is happier, him or me!

I am trying to get my Pampered Chef business started and it has been more of a challenge than I anticipated. Of course, if I were a little more organized and less, oh, I don't know...chaos-oriented?, it might help. So, if you live somewhat close to me (if you know where I live) and you want to host a Pampered Chef show & get lots of free stuff, let me know! Heck, if you live anywhere and want to order something or do a catalog show & get free stuff, email me! Geez, pimping my wares on the blog. How low can I go?