Sunday School Season Has Begun

     School Play season has begun. It was decided at the end of last school year, that this years' play would be "Beauty and the Beast".
     Originally, Kaila had deeply coveted the role of Belle, but, halfway through things, decided she really didn't want Belle at all.
     Auditions were held this week, and, Joe threw his name in to audition for main cast, along with Kaila. I figured that, being a 7th grader, his chances of a very large part were very small.
     This morning, I received a text from Kaila. She is thrilled to be cast as Mrs. Potts! I congratulated her, and went on with work, before wondering "Oh! What is Joe going to be?" and sent a text to Kaila asking. Her answer had me laughing with tears for literally fifteen minutes. Because, whoever auditioned my kid pegged him perfectly. I couldn't believe he was cast in such a large part, but, I also couldn't think of a more perfect person to play... wait for it:




COGSWORTH!
 




   Even now, writing this, I am still laughing. Just too perfect. I cannot wait to see this play. Seriously.


     Now that school is back in session, that means the schedules are going to start winding up again. I wish I could say that they had wound down for the summer in the first place, but, they really didn't. There wasn't much down time over the summer, either. Because of the insanity of the last several months, my normally organized life has not been. And my normally halfway clean house has not been up to my standards by any means. My flower beds were sadly neglected this year, as was "Clean the House Saturday" - mostly because we were rarely at our house on Saturdays.
     This weekend is IT though. Another brother is getting married next weekend, and my cousin from New Jersey is coming to stay, which is exactly the push I need to clean my house, and dig out the boys' room/guest room.
     Last weekend was going to be IT for all that, but, my children inconveniently all fell ill, and put the kibosh on those plans.
     Except, this weekend, Bearded Man and George are going fishing with a neighbor, Kaila has to babysit all day Saturday, except when she has to go sing the National Anthem for all the football games at school Saturday night, and Lexi fills in, and, Sunday begins Sunday School classes again.
     I can do this.


    Speaking of Sunday School. This year was going to be different. I was prepared. I spent hours one Saturday afternoon this summer, and did my lesson plans for the entire year. Enough with feeling that I was never really qualified to do this. I could and would finally get my act together and teach the daylights out of what will be the biggest class I have had yet. Since no one has thought to dismiss me from my duties, I suspect I am going to be teaching Sunday School until George's Confirmation. Not that I am counting or anything, but, that puts me at about another 8-9 years.
     Anyhow. I had my plans ready, my Sunday School teaching bag packed, new supplies bought, all my extra books at the ready, with answers to questions that I have no answers to, but apparently every 7th and 8th grader ever needs to know.
     8 days before Sunday school started, and, at the beginning of the "Holiday Weekend that was Supposed to be Clean the House Weekend" I woke up to a cheery email from the head of Sunday School. In which we were informed that the new books for our new curriculum were now in and sitting in our class rooms, and, we were all expected to be there for a teacher's meeting the day before Labor Day. And that Sunday school times had changed. Instead of 9:30-11:00 am, it will now be 11:00am until 12:30 pm (You  know, effectively killing most Sundays and any family plans for the entire Sunday School Year, as well as the hours of work I had put into my Sunday School year of plans that I had spent hours and hours on.)
     Looking blearily at my phone, I had to restrain the urge to throw it as hard as I could. And then pick it up and throw it again. But, I figured the Good Lord wouldn't appreciate that. Adapt and overcome and all that. Also, I was trying to be a good Sunday School Teacher for once, so, I figured this was a test. I think I might have failed it, but, on the "up" side, I did not actually write or send the email response I was mentally composing at the time.
     I left the sick children at home with Bearded Man and went to the Sunday School Teacher meeting. The Head of Sunday School is the most optimistically cheerful person ever, but she's also real enough to write things like "Thou Shalt Not Steal" on her classroom supplies. If I was any sort of decent teacher, I would head to my room early and get it all set up, decorated and ready to go for Sunday, but, once again, we've established that I'm really not. Also, the whole house cleaning thing really really needs to happen. So, maybe next year I will try again to be a good teacher, and, possibly attempt to be prepared again.


     Probably the stress of switching Sunday School plans was so horrible because it has been a really rough few weeks. Everyone has the odd bad day or so, but, I was having entirely more than is acceptable, and  my normal optimism was pretty much gone, by the time I received that email. I must have really looked terrible, because a co-worker handed me a bottle of wine and told me I should probably drink it soon. So, I took my bottle of wine with me last night to a "Stained Glass Painting Class" put on by the local library. I figured I owed my friend Wendy, as, she shared her wine coolers at the last painting class, so, it was sort of my turn. Armed with my bottle and two glasses, I headed over. Wendy wasn't there, but, I ended up sharing it with other ladies at my table. We proceeded to have a lot of fun, and, the entire bottle was gone by the time we were finished.


     Before I tell the next story, please please take it with a grain of salt. I am a pretty relaxed mom with my kids. I truly enjoy their company, and, we tend to laugh a lot. Kaila and I frequently have "Meme wars" via text, and, probably I should be a better example and a little more "mom like" sometimes, but, honestly, we will laugh so hard, while sending memes to each other from across the room.
     The other night, we were doing just that, while also talking in general. "Mom, I need chips." Kaila mentioned.
     "No you don't. I am not buying you chips."
     "I really really really need chips!"
     "I am really really really not buying  you any!"


Eventually, I got up to assist George with getting his bath ready, and was standing at the bathroom sink when Bearded Man walked in and said "Kaila said you want chips?" at which, without even thinking about it, I swore on top of my lungs. What I had just said had me clapping my hands over my mouth in horror, as Bearded Man and Kaila stood there laughing harder than I have ever seen, partly in shock.
Forgetting completely about George, who was sitting in the tub directly behind me, I walked out and apologized, but, we were all laughing too hard, and I was too horrified to even think about poor George. Ever the antagonizer though, he didn't miss a beat. Later, with the wide innocent eyes of a choir boy, he clasped his hands over his heart and announced he had been traumatized it, and thought he should probably "tell a priest!!" about his mother.


So, that's this episode's reason why I am going to hell.


I know that our church's priest is pretty tech savvy, as, I've seen him playing on his smart phone before church, and hastily putting it in his pocket as he prepared to begin things on Sunday. It is my sincere hope that he never, ever, finds out about this Blog.
I think too, that it's probably a good thing my mother doesn't read it, either...


Alrighty. Wish me luck, in my cleaning and Sunday School endeavors!