Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sure is quiet

Um. Not to complain or be needy or anything but, gosh, is everyone on vacation? I know Jenny, my most faithful leaver of comments, is traveling, but all of sudden it seems that the trickle of cyberlove has dried up. I'd better come up with SOMETHING to dazzle the readers I keep discovering I have before everyone falls asleep or goes off to read The New York Times or something.

But therein lies the problem. NOTHING exciting is happening around here. Is it possible to write an entire blog post in which I do nothing but kvetch about the heat and how it is slowly but surely sapping any semblance of energy or motivation I previously had? Methinks this is whence the phrase "dog days of summer" arose. My gosh, I knew I was a bit on the lazy and dispassionate side, but lately? It's like I'm moving through my day in a vat of Jell-O.

For example. We just returned from my niece's 8th birthday party, an outdoor affair at which any sane guests (meaning the adults) all vied for seats in the shadiest spots. The insane ones, of course, were in the pool, taking refuge under water. But my sister-in-law, in the space of an afternoon, managed to transform her home from the tornado path it had reportedly been to company-ready presentability, and then throw a barbecue, complete with hand-decorated cakes, without ever showing a trace of sweat or a smudge of melted mascara. I'm not sure I ever saw her sit down for more than two minutes put together. I, on the meantime, was at my most celebratory while sprawled, motionless, in the hammock under a tree with my two year old. I actually had enough spare energy to speak coherently! And laugh! Out loud!

And here's even worse news. On Tuesday evening, it's MY turn to throw a party. Ian is turning eight, and he has the itch to boogie woogie! I managed to convince him (meaning, I wrote it on the invitations and mailed them, then informed him) to have the party at a nearby park and pool, rather than our house. The idea of a mob of hyper tweens, fueled by a frightening cocktail of testosterone and cake, stampeding through our house and small yard just made me need to lie down. Maybe permanently.

OK, so we're at the park, but still! Providing pizza, cake and activities for about thirty people (including adults and siblings) requires ENERGY. And ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.

Or maybe just plenty of CAFFEINE. And WATER BALLOONS.

8 comments:

Louisa said...

I like the latter option - viva caffeine and water balloons!

Anonymous said...

I would leave you a comment, but it's just too darn hot...

Jenny said...

Ha! Good to see I was missed. ;)

Despite sharing a name (almost) with your SIL, I'm certain I couldn't have pulled off the party you described...and I'd probably have run out of time to shower, let alone apply mascara. I wonder if there is a class I can take somewhere in how to be an organized party-thrower?

Good luck with your party in the park, sounds very do-able!

Tracee said...

Sorry you are turning into a slug. Hehe. Um, read my most recent post to find out why I haven't been over here reading away all my free time. LOL Completely worth the time taken when my family isn't under duress. :(

Anonymous said...

Hannah, I truly appreciate your glowing opinion of my party organization. :) However, you really need to take off your rose-colored glasses when looking at me. :) I felt like I was running around like crazy trying to get everything done AND have time to visit with each guest so they knew I knew they were there. I found my piece of cake well after the party was over, I had set it down to rush off to do something else and forgot about it. I had to apologize to Ashley because we were supposed to have a horse up and saddled for pony rides. I'm sure she was baffled by my excuse that it was waaaaaay to hot and I didn't want to walk around in the sun for an hour. "Mom, it'll be nice and cool since we're wet." My response? "NO!" I did sufficiently load up all the kids with sugar and sent them packing about an hour after the party was supposed to be over. It was exhausting.

And I must say that you organized an amazing party at the park! The pool was a wonderful idea, the pizza was a yummy treat, the water balloons were a major hit, the cake was VERY creative and quite tasty, and the only reason we left was because it was dark. We had a blast and Ashley begged to stay longer. It was great. :)

(and I hope this wasn't too rambling...)

Vanessa said...

Wow, you all invited 30 people! Ian sure does have a lot of friends! Sounds like a lot of fun! Happy birthday Ian!

Donna Baker said...

yea this heat is draining my energy! I've been SO behind in my Google Reader (just now catching up) I have sure missed a LOT!

Margo said...

I think the "dog days of summer" is true. Since I've been back in Austin, I've noticed my two girls lay around on the cool tile more than anything else. They look like slugs. ;)