Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! Jourdan and John's birthday party at the park. We're so excited. We've been planning this party for about 6 months.....and I spent about six months in wages to pay for it, lol. We've been shopping all day. It's all we've done for three days getting ready for this party. I think we're ready.

I had a pleasant surprise today. I took all four kids into Grand Rapids and we were gone for almost 4 hours. There was no fighting, no bickering, no name calling, no picking, no bitching. It was amazing. I didn't yell at the kids, they didn't yell at me, and they didn't yell at each other. I think I'm on to something here. Just buy them what they want and they are too happy to bitch at me or each other. Sounds like a plan!

Jason told me last week that I never buy him cool shoes. Ok. Well, I just bought all his school clothes at Hollister and American Eagle. If you have kids and they wear any of this stuff you know that you just about need a second mortgage to buy an outfit. So, after that I get the shoe guilt from Jason. So, I tell him to get online and show me these "cool shoes" that he wants. Nike Shox! And.....and you better sit down for this.....they are $140! For one pair of shoes. One left shoe and one right shoe. Not gold plated. Not diamond enhanced. Not signed by any famous person. Just $140 shoes.

Once I got over the shock I told him, "yeah right". After buying him $100 cleats for football, a $15 pink arrows t-shirt, all his school clothes, $20 worth of socks, and metal inserts for his cleats there was no way I was buying him Nike Shox! Yeah, well remember I said he was happy today?

Actually I don't mind buying him the shoes he wants. We got 20% off at MC and he was very happy to have them. I'm happy that he's happy.....that's all that counts. Now, he has cool clothes, cool cleats, and cool shoes! For Jason, life is good. For me, I'm happy that he's happy. Nuff said.

I'm having a little tiny bit of anxiety over this party tomorrow. Most of you know that all is not well in my family. My sister and I had a falling-out and it has pretty much flushed our family down the toilet. We can't have a family event because my sister is a bitch. She said some things to me about my kids, Scott and about me that I can't forgive her for. So, we don't do anything as a family. My worry is that I still invited her daughter and I don't want her showing up thinking she's welcome. It'll just turn ugly and I don't want to be put in that position in front of all our friends.

I've asked my mom about it. She doesn't kow, she tells me, because she hasn't talked to my sister. Well, I've made my feelings pretty clear to her. She didn't get invited, but I don't know how else my neice would get there. Well, until she calls me and apologizes nothing will be right and she won't be welcome in any way with my family. I'm calling my mom back right now to talk to her about it.......she doesn't like to be involved, we'll see what she has to say.

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