The Art of Losing Things: Part Two

Warning label: This may or may not be a rant. I don't know yet. The haze of a justifiable parental lecture is still simmering at an above average temperature in the temporal regions of my self. I am indulging in the silence of the house as it sleeps around me. And...I find my thoughts whirling around the contents of today.

First, I discovered that once again, my credit card had decided to abandon ship somewhere along the route that is my life. I do have an oversized purse that over the course of the day contains my lunch, purse, keys, books, work papers and disk drives, kids paraphanalia and those plastic thingamys that you really shouldn't lose. Except I lost it. I don't even have any idea where I lost it so that meant a call to the bank to cancel it and reorder. Sounds simple? It wasn't. I spend 35 minutes on hold, transferred phones and walked to and from a bus stop while dealing with it. Irritating but not earth shattering.

But HOW did I lose it? I have been very good about putting it in the same spot. It goes into a purse that has a clasp that actually latches. So, if it was there the last time I looked for it. WHY is it not there now? No one knows. I have a house full of I don't know, not me and what?

If that were all that this family of mine lost today...I would be less disgruntled. However, I went to get their dance stuff ready for the week only to discover that in addition to losing a Triple Flip outfit three weeks or so ago, they have now between them, managed to lose their entire dance bag. That bag had dance wear, two pairs of tap shoes and goodness knows what else. Probably PJ's, homework and ripped tights. So, still not overly concerned, I drove down to the studio to look for it. The bag is nowhere to be found. Checked with security who know nothing about it. Checked the house a million times (OK four but it felt like a million). Phoned my friends who now think I am completely mad.

Again, the question is HOW did they lose it? It must be an art. They happen to leave things right where people think that a miracle has happened and that the finders simply have to keep their stuff. They have created the black hole of "I must have new shoes at any cost". Perhaps they have a secret teleporter and their clothes go into a galaxy far far away. Oh and don't get me started on those asinine creatures of the dryer. Dryer Gremlins: I want my socks back. All the single socks that you have pinched over the weekend. I would appreciate one matching pair.
enchanteddollartistsconference.org

Result: I found tap shoes in the bag of too big shoes that will have to do, they will wear older clothes, they will pay for any replacements out of birthday money and I intend to attack the gremlins with a baseball bat and screw driver. That in itself is art.

And lastly Google Sock Gremlin...I was surprised at how infested our homes are!

Hooliganting: Dinner Shennanigans: The Art of Being Random

Hooliganting: Dinner Shennanigans: The Art of Being Random: Accidents are sometimes the best thing. I could be totally bent out of shape, but instead, I had a wonderful funfilled evening of terrible B...

Dinner Shennanigans: The Art of Being Random

Accidents are sometimes the best thing. I could be totally bent out of shape, but instead, I had a wonderful funfilled evening of terrible British humor, Big Bang Theory, crazy children that actually behaved and a dinner that worked out well. The thing is that I had invited some friends for dinner. My friends have just moved back and don't really know everyone, but I thought it would be nice to have a traditional family Sunday Dinner.

Dinner consisted of ham, asparagus, potatoes, carrots, and my kids favorite beets. Beets are a favorite for all the wrong reasons but at least they eat them. I was pretty impressed with myself. There were no smoke alarms. Nothing was burnt, and the wine was very yummy. The house was cleaned and table set and prepared.

Now this is my world. You know by now that nothing is really this simple. During prep time, I had an additional child added to the repetoire. There was a queen who needed to assist the cleaning process (think Cinderella meets batman and you might get there). I witnessed dancing and singing. There were at least 5 costume changes. But then the not my kid my kid got concerned that she didn't seem to have her own adult. At that moment, the phone rang and I learned that one of her adults had been exploring the possibilities of having his back bumper rearranged. So, the not my kid my kid was informed that an adult would arrive asap, but in the meantime, she knew she would be loved and fed just like my own. Off she went for the next game (Zhu zhus meet tinkerbell).

So, 5:30 came and went and I started to wonder where the dinner guests were. Dinner was pretty much done and I was relieved to see my friends and entourage show up. Children were fed first, as there is only so much room at the table. However, that group of friends was not the original invitee. We laughed, drank cupcakes (see cupcakes, california 2009) and toasted friendship. Once the kids were fed and the not my kid my kids mommy showed up to rescue a concerned little mite, the adults sat down and ate.

The best part was after dinner. Everyone just chilled and relaxed. We watched random episodes of TV and made fun of each other until everyone was done with both food, laughter and children. After all, sooner or later the children decide that they are too tired to be nice anymore and they become "others," those nasty beasts from the nether world. So, they are off to bed and the guests are off home. I have had a good evening...but I wonder what happened to our original guests? I guess they forgot. Sometimes, random acts of friendship can be the most rewarding!