The Cool Kids (and me!)

The time winding down to the start of school has got me feeling more and more irritable. I don't know why, I would think that the big day being so close (9 more of them!) would have me elated. It hasn't. I am at the end of my rope and feeling just..... irritable. I am trying really hard to keep it together and not let my frustrations show, but I find that I generally think I am doing a much better job of that than other people do. Teena talking and whining and doing her own thing makes me want to scream. Genea trying to control every facet of our days and me trying to Be The Mom instead of her is exhausting.

I've been tired. And I am whining! My house is a wreck because I keep thinking..... I will have all day to do that very soon. I am putting a big effort into having cool projects for the girls and making our days relaxing and interesting with little surprises and a few days of super big fun. 

So this weekend has been a fabulous one. Okay, check this out. I got to meet the real Corey from Watching the Waters. Seriously, in person! (btw y'all, she is a tiny little thing! Super secret tidbit from an insider!). And, I hung out with Sarah of Five Frozen Chamorros who lives here in town with her 5 kids and here is a super secret tidbit about her.... she handles her 5 kids and a bunch of strays, including mine, like some kind of Mom- Savant. I swear, like Rainman could brilliantly add and multiply a billion numbers I never even heard of, that's how she is as a mom. We hung out at Sarah's house on Thursday with Angie (who is in the pic and who also lives here and knows Corey) and then Angie had us over to her house for dinner in the evening. Folks, I tell you, Angie has a house that could be in a magazine and she can make a grand margarita! All this courtesy of Corey's Mom Matching!

Anyway, there were a few other people at Angie's house for dinner and they were adoptive mom's too. Now I know I have read a dozen times from other bloggers who have adopted traumatized children and they all say the same thing- it is such a lifesaver to be able to be around people who get it. Oh my goodness, how true that is!  When you are around people who "get it", you can let it all out. Like other mom's get to do on a daily basis because their stuff is "normal". Our stuff is "not normal".

What I didn't expect is that there was almost no lag time. We introduced each other and exchanged basic pleasantries, then we were all off and running. All of us mom's sat down at the dinner table and talked and talked and talked like we had known each other for twenty years. It was amazing and fabulous and wonderful.

Corey and Sarah and Angie went off to run a marathon on Saturday. I'm guessing I don't have to discuss the many ways in which that was not going to include me. 

Today, we met at Sarah's house again for a big barbecue. We had 2 dozen pictures taken on various cameras. I made a point of saying that whoever got to make a blog post fastest would get the pic up first. I also duly issued the disclaimer that I reserved the right to put up the pic where I looked the best. Sorry if you were picking your nose.

Sarah, Stephanie (who is a blogger in the area but I could not find her blog to link in the post), me (yes, I know, if this is the best pic then I really need an Oprah Makeover), Corey and Angie.