I was sleeping soundly on the couch in my living room since my house is too small to provide everyone a bedroom. It was seven on a Saturday morning, my one morning to sleep as the kids are generally with their dad or sleeping in as well. Not this Saturday, this Saturday Bethany was so excited about our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge that she came to my side shook me and asked me if it was time to get up. I asked her what time it was to which she responded, “Six fifty four.” “Argh! Bethany no it is not time to go. I am going back to sleep and so should you,” was my response.
No sooner did I begin to enter the rem phase of sleep, when Bethany was shaking me again, and asking if it was time to get up, this time it was seven thirty. By eight I had given up trying to sleep in and started to pack the car for the trip. I still had to run to the store to get some things I had forgotten. Pop, chips and a new shirt for Scotty, and this time Scotty wanted to come along. We went to Walmart again and Scotty picked out his shirt, but that wasn’t enough, he threw the shirt in the basket and said; “Ok now I need another shirt and two pair of pants.” It was his birthday, what would you have done? I bought him two new outfits, boxers and socks; he walked out of there with a big grin on his face.
I spent so much money at Walmart I had to head to the bank and get more money before we headed to the Lodge. Believe me I am not made of money and until my next paycheck we are going to be tight, but I wanted Scott to have a memorable entry in the pre-teen years, if it took spending a little money it was worth the loss of a few funds.
We withdrew the money from my bank and headed home to finish packing the car. There was still an hour and a half before our planned departure time. We just sat and waited for twelve thirty to arrive so we could leave. The kids asked if it was time to leave every 5, and it was getting old, so at twelve ten I told them to get into the car and let’s go. They ran yelling into the van, and off we went.
Our first stop was to pick up Austin, but since he wasn’t expecting us until twelve thirty he wasn’t there. We waited until he and his grandmother arrived and then loaded him and his walmart bag into the car. Next we picked up Ginny, the one friend my oldest daughter was allowed to bring, then Bethany’s one friend Brooke, who has a crush on my son. Our last stop was across town to pick up Scott’s friend Colwin, then on the road.
An hour later we arrived at the Lodge. We met the kid’s dad there, as well as a line out the door of folks waiting to check in. I sent the kids to run around the lodge with their dad as I waited to get their wrist bands for the water park. It took nearly an hour of waiting, during which time I got to know the lady in front of me quite well. I was relieved to finally be first in the line when one of the employees closed his register after sending a patron to their room. A line out the door and they let this guy closes his register. I wouldn’t have been so upset but he didn’t leave the front area he just didn’t wait on me. Finally one of his co-workers took called me to her line, and then he got back on his register. She checked me in but didn’t give me a room, only handed me the wrist bands and told me to come back at four for the room keys. I had to purchase three guest wrist bands since the room only provided six, another 45 dollars out of pocket per day and we swam two days. At least their dad wasn’t going to be there the second day so I didn’t have to buy him a second wrist band.
The kid’s dad took them down to the pool while I waited for the room. As I was sitting in the lobby I realized that no one else seemed to be waiting for a room and that the girl who checked me in was just too lazy to take the time to give me the keys. I went back to the desk where keys are dispersed and asked for my room keys, they were given to me right a way with no hassle; It wasn’t four.
Now I had to find a cart, I couldn’t lug the bags of eight people very efficiently without the use of a cart. There were people sitting in the lobby waiting to leave but not budging with their carts. I didn’t understand why they just didn’t move their carts out to their cars, which is eventually what they did but the stood in the lobby commiserating for some time before they finally proceeded to the circle drive to load their vehicles.
Then I spied an empty cart sitting on the second floor. Assuming that someone was probably too lazy to return this cart or too impatient to wait for the elevator, I headed up and claimed it for myself. After the long wait for the elevator I finally made it to the car and methodically loaded each bag so that nothing would fall, or so I thought. Upon hitting the first bump I was proven wrong. I tried and tried but couldn’t get the cart over that bump. Everything fell, I managed to keep the cake from falling but I was getting extremely frustrated. Finally someone offered to help and got me to the first door and over the first door jam. I wasn’t so lucky at the second jam and the cake fell to the ground face down, and so did I.
I had done all I could to make that cake perfect for my boy and now it was totally destroyed. I had it well wrapped so it was still edible but it was messed up. Sponge Bob and Patrick were all screwy, and the words were no longer well placed. That was it, I had taken all I could, as I heard guests saying things like “I was thinking I should help her,” and “I thought about trying to grab the cake.” I fell to the ground next to the cake and bawled. I just wanted my son’s birthday to be perfect; he deserved to be the center of attention, he deserved the best.
One of the guests took the cake to the front desk where they held the mangled mess of cake and décor until I could get the cart upstairs and unloaded. After I had everything in the room and settled my perspective became lighter and I laid on one of the beds and breathed a sigh releasing the stress. Then there was a knock at the door, it was my fourteen year old daughter and her friend, they asked at the front desk and found the room. Following right behind them were the five little ones and their dad. They walked in and I presented the cake. (I had to get that one out of the way quickly.) Scotty didn’t seem to mind, he had been swimming with his best friends. A mangled cake was the least of his worries and after all it was edible.
I ran down to the restaurant and purchased three large Pizza Hut pizzas. While I was waiting for the pizzas to be cooked I watched the competition for the strongest man in the world. The funniest competition I have ever witnessed, but I digress. The pizzas were delivered to me and my bill even included a gratuity, that’s all the waitress got from me. That will teach them to take away my freedom of will. When I arrived back at the room Scotty wanted to open the presents. His dad got him a portable DVD player, and I got him a two DVDs and a CD as well as the trip to the Lodge. Bethany’s little friend got him a Naruto action figure.
The boys settled in to watch the DVDs, and my two girls started showing more severe symptoms. Both had extremely high fevers and both spent the rest of the day sleeping while the boys played in the arcade and swam. Later Sara and her friend walked the hotel and scoped out the teenage boys that were wandering around. Sara was so sick that she didn’t last long and returned to the room to sleep.
This morning I couldn’t drag her out of bed. She was sicker than I have ever seen her and complained that she just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to cause Scotty’s party to end prematurely so I wrapped her in warm towels so graciously provided by the hotel, and tried to make her comfortable until the kids were ready to go. Bethany seemed to recover surprisingly well and is now at her friend’s house.
The kids had a blast, it was the kind of weekend that no cake mishaps could over shadow. The birthday boy had a fun and got much of what he wanted. Another event to remember.
Thanks DM but sometimes I wonder. Like tonight fighting to get them to go to bed. I will tell you motherhood can be a chore especially when you are doing it as a single mother. Sometimes I just want to give up but then I see them smile or hear them laugh and I am reminded of why I work so hard.
Recommended Posts
FreeAtLast
Here's part II
I was sleeping soundly on the couch in my living room since my house is too small to provide everyone a bedroom. It was seven on a Saturday morning, my one morning to sleep as the kids are generally with their dad or sleeping in as well. Not this Saturday, this Saturday Bethany was so excited about our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge that she came to my side shook me and asked me if it was time to get up. I asked her what time it was to which she responded, “Six fifty four.” “Argh! Bethany no it is not time to go. I am going back to sleep and so should you,” was my response.
No sooner did I begin to enter the rem phase of sleep, when Bethany was shaking me again, and asking if it was time to get up, this time it was seven thirty. By eight I had given up trying to sleep in and started to pack the car for the trip. I still had to run to the store to get some things I had forgotten. Pop, chips and a new shirt for Scotty, and this time Scotty wanted to come along. We went to Walmart again and Scotty picked out his shirt, but that wasn’t enough, he threw the shirt in the basket and said; “Ok now I need another shirt and two pair of pants.” It was his birthday, what would you have done? I bought him two new outfits, boxers and socks; he walked out of there with a big grin on his face.
I spent so much money at Walmart I had to head to the bank and get more money before we headed to the Lodge. Believe me I am not made of money and until my next paycheck we are going to be tight, but I wanted Scott to have a memorable entry in the pre-teen years, if it took spending a little money it was worth the loss of a few funds.
We withdrew the money from my bank and headed home to finish packing the car. There was still an hour and a half before our planned departure time. We just sat and waited for twelve thirty to arrive so we could leave. The kids asked if it was time to leave every 5, and it was getting old, so at twelve ten I told them to get into the car and let’s go. They ran yelling into the van, and off we went.
Our first stop was to pick up Austin, but since he wasn’t expecting us until twelve thirty he wasn’t there. We waited until he and his grandmother arrived and then loaded him and his walmart bag into the car. Next we picked up Ginny, the one friend my oldest daughter was allowed to bring, then Bethany’s one friend Brooke, who has a crush on my son. Our last stop was across town to pick up Scott’s friend Colwin, then on the road.
An hour later we arrived at the Lodge. We met the kid’s dad there, as well as a line out the door of folks waiting to check in. I sent the kids to run around the lodge with their dad as I waited to get their wrist bands for the water park. It took nearly an hour of waiting, during which time I got to know the lady in front of me quite well. I was relieved to finally be first in the line when one of the employees closed his register after sending a patron to their room. A line out the door and they let this guy closes his register. I wouldn’t have been so upset but he didn’t leave the front area he just didn’t wait on me. Finally one of his co-workers took called me to her line, and then he got back on his register. She checked me in but didn’t give me a room, only handed me the wrist bands and told me to come back at four for the room keys. I had to purchase three guest wrist bands since the room only provided six, another 45 dollars out of pocket per day and we swam two days. At least their dad wasn’t going to be there the second day so I didn’t have to buy him a second wrist band.
The kid’s dad took them down to the pool while I waited for the room. As I was sitting in the lobby I realized that no one else seemed to be waiting for a room and that the girl who checked me in was just too lazy to take the time to give me the keys. I went back to the desk where keys are dispersed and asked for my room keys, they were given to me right a way with no hassle; It wasn’t four.
Now I had to find a cart, I couldn’t lug the bags of eight people very efficiently without the use of a cart. There were people sitting in the lobby waiting to leave but not budging with their carts. I didn’t understand why they just didn’t move their carts out to their cars, which is eventually what they did but the stood in the lobby commiserating for some time before they finally proceeded to the circle drive to load their vehicles.
Then I spied an empty cart sitting on the second floor. Assuming that someone was probably too lazy to return this cart or too impatient to wait for the elevator, I headed up and claimed it for myself. After the long wait for the elevator I finally made it to the car and methodically loaded each bag so that nothing would fall, or so I thought. Upon hitting the first bump I was proven wrong. I tried and tried but couldn’t get the cart over that bump. Everything fell, I managed to keep the cake from falling but I was getting extremely frustrated. Finally someone offered to help and got me to the first door and over the first door jam. I wasn’t so lucky at the second jam and the cake fell to the ground face down, and so did I.
I had done all I could to make that cake perfect for my boy and now it was totally destroyed. I had it well wrapped so it was still edible but it was messed up. Sponge Bob and Patrick were all screwy, and the words were no longer well placed. That was it, I had taken all I could, as I heard guests saying things like “I was thinking I should help her,” and “I thought about trying to grab the cake.” I fell to the ground next to the cake and bawled. I just wanted my son’s birthday to be perfect; he deserved to be the center of attention, he deserved the best.
One of the guests took the cake to the front desk where they held the mangled mess of cake and décor until I could get the cart upstairs and unloaded. After I had everything in the room and settled my perspective became lighter and I laid on one of the beds and breathed a sigh releasing the stress. Then there was a knock at the door, it was my fourteen year old daughter and her friend, they asked at the front desk and found the room. Following right behind them were the five little ones and their dad. They walked in and I presented the cake. (I had to get that one out of the way quickly.) Scotty didn’t seem to mind, he had been swimming with his best friends. A mangled cake was the least of his worries and after all it was edible.
I ran down to the restaurant and purchased three large Pizza Hut pizzas. While I was waiting for the pizzas to be cooked I watched the competition for the strongest man in the world. The funniest competition I have ever witnessed, but I digress. The pizzas were delivered to me and my bill even included a gratuity, that’s all the waitress got from me. That will teach them to take away my freedom of will. When I arrived back at the room Scotty wanted to open the presents. His dad got him a portable DVD player, and I got him a two DVDs and a CD as well as the trip to the Lodge. Bethany’s little friend got him a Naruto action figure.
The boys settled in to watch the DVDs, and my two girls started showing more severe symptoms. Both had extremely high fevers and both spent the rest of the day sleeping while the boys played in the arcade and swam. Later Sara and her friend walked the hotel and scoped out the teenage boys that were wandering around. Sara was so sick that she didn’t last long and returned to the room to sleep.
This morning I couldn’t drag her out of bed. She was sicker than I have ever seen her and complained that she just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to cause Scotty’s party to end prematurely so I wrapped her in warm towels so graciously provided by the hotel, and tried to make her comfortable until the kids were ready to go. Bethany seemed to recover surprisingly well and is now at her friend’s house.
The kids had a blast, it was the kind of weekend that no cake mishaps could over shadow. The birthday boy had a fun and got much of what he wanted. Another event to remember.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmiller
What a MOM you are!!!!!!!
:eusa_clap: 
:eusa_clap: 
Edited by dmillerLink to comment
Share on other sites
FreeAtLast
Thanks DM but sometimes I wonder. Like tonight fighting to get them to go to bed. I will tell you motherhood can be a chore especially when you are doing it as a single mother. Sometimes I just want to give up but then I see them smile or hear them laugh and I am reminded of why I work so hard.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmiller
:B)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.