Survival mode

I am gasping for air after this past week but especially this weekend. My boys have been home on fall break, which throws me for a loop. My schedule gets all out of whack, I get no time alone, no art time, and I play referee to all the bickering and fighting and tell them to be quiet at least a thousand times a day. It's been exhausting. As the weekend crept closer, it got crazier. Max was having his 6th birthday party this weekend so there were things to get for the party, the goody bags, etc... AND, there was the delivery of the new dishwasher, scrubbing down the house before the party, grocery shopping, cleaning up the back yard since that's where the party was, baking a cake, getting everything out for the party and ready, and also gift shopping for the birthday party Max was invited to just an hour after his own party ended! All that on top of regular life stuff. I can't tell you how tired I've been. My head feels foggy and my body just wants to sit. Sitting is something I've done very little of lately.

Max's party was fun for the kids but I almost ripped out all my hair. It was planned to be a party of building box forts in the back yard. The kids had a great time playing with all the boxes but our swing set hasn't seen so much action in many, many months! Put 7 boys and one girl (the other girls invited couldn't come) all together and let them loose in the yard and they were like wild banchees I tell ya'! I have decided that this is the last of the major birthday parties at home. I just can't take the craziness. Doesn't a few friends at a movie sound nice? Nice and quiet! :) Anyway, Max had his Darth Vader pinata so that made him happy... and he got his coveted lifesabers so he's ready to take on the dark side of the force... or maybe not... he likes the dark side! LOL! Oh, and once again, Max had to direct every part of the cake making from the shape, kind, frosting design, etc... so here are a couple of pictures:




Max's party went from 10-1 and then we had to be at the other party from 2:30-4:30. After spending the whole day outside with way too many kids and tons of noise, I am 100% chicken fried. Today I have felt like a zombie and had a major melt down in tears. Now my eyes are still hurting and I'm totally ready for bed.

Unfortunately, next Saturday doesn't look much better as there is another birthday party in the morning and a Halloween party that evening with the school's fall festival in between! YIKES! Calgon can't take me far enough away.....

Tomorrow is Max's official real birthday so I'll be meeting him with McDonald's for lunch. Then, Chuck has the job of taking him shopping with his birthday money which he's thrilled over! He has big plans... but I think Chuck is actually going to take him to the bank and have him open a savings account to put some of the money in so we can start teaching them more about saving. Max just asked about getting a real savings account at the bank a few days ago so I think he may go for it. He's not the spender by nature like Sam is. Max gives more thought to spending his money. Sam can't stand having it and will spend it on anything. He needs the savings account worse than Max!

OK, I'm heading to bed to read a little. I'm reading a book called "The life of Pi". I just started it but it's good so far.