Countdown To Sleepover

Since tomorrow is Veteran's Day, there is no school. 

And so?  The Peanut is having a friend over tonight for a sleepover, which is the source of much excitement and anticipation.  The passage from tiny girlhood to girl headed toward preteen-ness is well underway.

In my bleary-eyed morning coffee gulping daze as I sit here?  There is a lot to do before I pick the girls up from school.

But before I do the necessary bits and pieces -- get the trundle bed ready for a guest, pick up wayward toys in the walking areas, etc., etc. -- I'm sitting here thinking about the things that the girls might want to do this evening:

Should I think about a tea party when they first get home?

Or will they want to head straight to the Barbies?

What's the most kid-friendly dinner for them?  Pizza tends to be my default choice, but is there something else that would be better?  (Honestly, though, is there anything easier than picking up a pizza that you didn't have to cook?  That gets it points right there for me today.)

Is it too early, do you think, to decorate a gingerbread house?  We did that when The Peanut had a friend over last year and the girls had so much fun.  Plus it was easy to work on while they were watching a movie, and didn't require constant supervision which was awesome for me.  It's close enough to Christmas to make that do-able, right?  Or is that just my wishful thinking talking?


Lots to think about on the front edge of this that just didn't occur to me last night.  That's what I get for being tired, I suppose, because normally I'm already well on top of something like this and then some.

C'est la vie.  But having spent a lifetime trying to be over-prepared for everything, feeling under-planned isn't a comfy spot for me.

Am I just over-thinking this whole thing? 

Perhaps I just need more coffee, but I worry that my ineptitude in social planning will rub off on my child in an unfavorable light.  Which pushes me to push myself to over-plan.  Story of my life, I'm afraid.

Anyone else have this issue when company comes over, even if the company is a 7 year old girl?  Where does this obsessive need for the house to be perfect come from, do you think?  Because in the day to day, I can let things go and live with them just fine if I have other things to tackle.  But company comes anywhere near our doorway?  Oooooof, gotta tidy in a big way.

Life is funny, isn't it?  But being a parent is a whole lot funnier sometimes.


(Adorable kitty catnap photo via jamestraceur.  I am such a sucker for cute animal pictures.)