My Kids May Not Be Well Fed, But They Are Great Canasta Players

I always have such high hopes for getting things done over the weekend.  I actually had a chart….a CHART…for what we would do on Saturday and Sunday with each person’s name in different colors.  It was so beautiful.  I could cry thinking about its beauty.

The first part of the plan required me getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to go purchase paint.  I’ve spent countless hours on Pinterest studying the best grays.  I really wanted gray walls, but not too dark, not too blue, no yellow tones and perfect with my white trim.  Not too much to ask, right?  I chose.  It was a Benjamin Moore color and I was ready bright and early and on my way to the local Benjamin Moore store.

That’s when the plan came to an abrupt halt.

The Benjamin Moore store in town is CLOSED on weekends.  What?!  What is this?  1979?!?!

A serious, serious dent in my plan considering the main part of it revolved around this can of paint.  This was NOT in the chart.

What could I do?  It was either fret and fuss about it under my breath for two days or just go with the flow, change the chart and move forward.  I chose the latter (I like saying that, “the latter”, it makes me feel all literature-ish and brainy).

Instead of painting, I spent the day Saturday working on my computer and returning emails.  I’m now only about 100 emails behind from getting them all replied to.  I can’t tell you how much I wish I could sit down with each of you that writes to me and have a long talk over a cup of tea and some of Grace’s chocolate chip cookies.  It kills me that I can’t find the time to reply to everyone.  But there children to raise and new charts to be colored in.

On Saturday afternoon about 4:30 I said to Adam (my 11 year old), “Hey, there’s an hour ’til dinner.  Let’s do something….just you and me.”  He grinned and agreed, “Sure Mom…what can we do?”  I said it could be anything as long as it didn’t involve me spending money or running.  This mom doesn’t run.  He just couldn’t think of anything so I suggested we play cards.  Simple, pure, pleasure.

We played a bit and had a great time and after an hour we stopped to eat dinner.  Later that night the cards were still sitting out, so a few of the older kids and I started playing and before we knew it we were having a full on Canasta tournament that lasted until 5:00 the next day.  I mean it.  We sat around that table all day on Sunday playing cut throat Canasta, stopping only to go to the bathroom and wait for me to Instagram. We actually had stand-ins waiting to sub when someone wanted to run to the kitchen and get food.

We are a competitive and passionate bunch.

At around 3:00 in the afternoon we all were so drained from the hours of playing that we started to giggle over everything.  It wasn’t long before we were speaking in foreign accents and belching the National Anthem.  Don’t ask me why we didn’t stop playing Canasta at that point.  At the time it seemed reasonable to keep going.

When the last round was over at 5:00 we all stood up bleary-eyed and stiff-legged and stretched.  I looked around and wondered what the younger boys had been doing all day.  Had anyone fed them?  Was there a Lego disaster in their room?  Do I have to give back my mother of the year award?

Fortunately they were fine and had been so happy to have the day to play that they barely noticed my lack of attention.

And also don’t ask me who won because I am still a bit bitter about the outcome.

So guess what’s on the chart for this week….YEP…..painting!  I already went to the store and got it.  Early bird catches the worm and all.

Have a great week!