Bed and Breakfast, and Lunch, and Dinner, and Breakfast, and Chauffer, and entertainment

We are hosting a group of Hayley's camp friends for the weekend. I was looking forward to getting to know them a little better, sitting around the dinner table, listening to their cute teenaged conversations, and providing a warm and inviting place for the girls to re-bond and re-connect.

I spent the morning at Genuardi's yesterday, carefully meal planning for the next three days, (not to mention buying last minute X-Mas gifts), with, I dare say, visions of happy teens dancing in my head.

I have now served three meals, and 75% of those I am serving aren't even interested in eating what I've prepared. Reheating pre-packaged mashed potatoes and plain pasta would have been enough.

They barely sit still long enough to finish their food, and g-d forbid they can carry on a conversation with anyone but eachother. Any little funny joke I make goes over like a lead balloon. (Oh my g-d, I'm the embarrassing mother). They left the dinner table last night, and not one little guest bothered to clear her (paper) plate and (plastic) silverware.

They were bored, within an hour or so, and then the conversation went to, can we go to the movies? (Why can't you just rent something, or for heavens sake, why not watch a movie in our own library?) Or, maybe, they can have people over. Okay, I acquiesce, how about three or four. A half hour later 9 more people walk in the house.

They hung out fairly quietly *okay, I admit it, i did fall asleep for an hour watching Shrek with Addie*, but I woke up to the sound of Conner (name changed to protect the family's good name) chasing Christina around the house with a toilet plunger.

The camp girls slept til 11, then joined us for brunch. Again, my cooking was not a hit. Instead of french toast bread pudding with warm maple syrup, the girls mostly ate life cereal. And as we sat around the breakfast table, I realized that they had no interest in our company, they saw just eachother. And their cell phones. At one point during the meal, each girl was busy talking or texting on her cell phone. It was obnoxious.

Anyway, I only have another day, til we redeliver them back to their parents. I'm glad to provide an opportunity to be with their pals, but I kind of wish I felt appreciated. Instead, I feel a little like the hired help.

Oy, this was depressing, didn't mean for this to sound so sad. I'm really not, just needed to vent and one day remember what a giving mommy I am.

xoxo

Okay

Is it okay to just be fine? Lately, I'm running into a lot of people, people from my past, people I once knew and know now and it has occurred to me, I'm really boring. At this point in life, people have so much baggage and drama! I have comfort and security (not that I'm complaining), but I feel a little like the odd man out.

"What have you been doing for the past 25 years?" I have (select what you like:) traveled around the world/married and divorced/ adopted from another country/received my masters and phd/ been a doctor - lawyer in space/ wrote and performed on my own cd/ learned how to play the guitar/ met fascinating people/ earned a lot of money/ lived independently/remarried/ refurbished a house/ left my career to seek my dreams/acted in community theatre/worked for a secret government agency/opened my own restaurant/have a huge social circle/moved to another state/ moved to another country/started my own charitable foundation/starred in an independent movie/found a cure for the common cold/gave birth to a child prodigy/ invented post-it notes/wrote a screenplay/bred weimereimers/kept up with my blog/all of the above.

I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I REPEAT - NOT COMPLAINING. But it almost feels like, "I got married, have three kids, 2 dogs, one fish and a mini-van/my laundry never gets done/I host Thanksgiving and Passover/never miss Project Runway and American Idol/go to summer camp/visit the Genuardi's twice a week/never miss a parent-teacher conference/make my kids buy their lunch instead of brown bagging it/keep up with my facebook" sounds just...I don't know, boring?

To be honest, though, this is everything I every wanted. I don't set the world on fire, but there is dinner on the table every night, security, comfort, a bundle of I LOVE YOU's every day and a little teenaged aggravation to spice it up.

Frankly, I feel like I'm living proof of happily ever after.

I'm Back, I think

I haven't been writing, cause I haven't felt like it. Life is complex, parenting is complex, and I'm not always in a good "bloggy" kind of mood.

But I realized today, if Susan (Wendi's friend) can be blogging from Russia while adopting her (beautiful) little girl, I can find I few minutes in my kitchen to say a few words.

Latest news in my life:
I joined the gym. I hate it, but I love my husband, so I'll show up now and then.
Bat Mitzvah is nearing, I'm getting nervous, but I'm so excited. The girls are starting to step up to the plate.
Half of my family has now decided to be vegetarians. Whoo hoo. Dinner's are going to be fun to cook.
Nutri-System gets really old after a few months.
I found my old pal, from high school, Sue. We'd lost touch years ago, and I found her by way of youtube. Boy, 25 can melt in an instant when talking to someone so dear.
Facebook is my latest obsession.
I organized all of our cd's and dvd's so now we can find them.
Cleaned out the freezer yesterday. Found year old roast beef. Can't serve it anyway cause I'm living in a house of vegetarians.
Found amazing video of Lionel Hampton featuring dear "Uncle" Milt Buckner. I can't get over it. Milt is the piano player practically jumping out of his seat. He was a fixture in my childhood, staying with us when in the Philly area, and always as warm and loving as can be. I don't think I ever understood, until very recently, what an extraordinary talent he was, and how privileged we were to have him in our life. He died in 1977 (I think), and although we weren't related by blood, I will always remember him as part of our family.