still from wednesday…
so i had this brilliant idea one day last week [probably while i was in the shower- that’s where most of my brainstorming happens]. i haven’t seen much of elli since she started junior high. she usually walks up to the elementary school to hang out with her bajillion friends and doesn’t make it back home until dinner time. so i thought it might be fun to have a day- once a week, same day every week- where i baked tons of cookies and the kids could invite whoever they wanted over to have cookies after school. it would be a great way to meet some of elli’s new friends and also a great way to help kids feel welcome inside a home- instead of a park or some other random place they like to hang out.
but i wasn’t sure if elli would roll her eyes at my idea and think cookies were “so elementary school”- so i casually asked her what she thought about the idea. and i threw out wednesday as a possibility for the weekly get-together since it is an early-release day (12:50 for jr. high; 1:30 for elementary school). she totally loved the idea and we decided we’d talk details later.
fast-forward to tuesday.
several of elli’s friends are over, sans elli, and they ask what kind of cookies i’ll be making for tomorrow.
me: “um, tomorrow? what’s tomorrow?”
elli’s friends: “elli invited everyone over after school tomorrow; there are about 10 people that are going to come.”
first thought: “crap! i am teaching pre-school tomorrow and will have a house full of 4-year-olds all morning. i DO NOT have time to do cookies tomorrow.”
but then i remembered the inspiration behind it all: to create a safe, fun environment in MY HOME for these junior high kids to kick back in and so i decided it would be worth making cookie dough at 6 in the morning on wednesday- before preschool and frantically baking those 12+ dozen cookies {sugar rolled in sprinkles, oatmeal M&M, and snickerdoodles} from 11:30 until 1 p.m.
so i reminded elli when she walked out the door wednesday morning that she was welcome to bring anyone she wanted home with her that afternoon because i really was going to make cookies (and BTW, thanks for the heads-up elli because SHE never actually even told me that she’d invited everyone over).
after busting my rear-end to make 150 or so cookies and get my house picked back up from all of ray’s preschool friends, elli calls me after school gets out and tells me “jill is bringing a bunch of people over for cookies. i’m going to go up to the elementary school and then i’ll be home.”
me: “um, no you’re not. i just made nearly 200 cookies (the number seems to increase every time i think about it) for YOU and YOUR friends. you are not sending all of your friends here for me to awkwardly entertain while you go somewhere else.”
elli: “but MOM!”
me: “see you in a little bit. bye.”
in less than 10 minutes, i had about 15 pre-teens at my house, elli included. the number got larger as the kids started to text other friends and still more came as they passed our house and people hollered at each other to come in for cookies.
it was seriously loud and seriously chaotic and seriously messy, but seriously awesome. and exactly what i was going for.
and even though i practically wore myself out, i think i’m up for it again this week.
am i crazy? my mom would definitely say YES, i am.
but crazy people think of brilliant ideas all the time.
You are crazy awesome Amy! Thanks for paving the road for your friends trailing behind you with younger kids! I love how when you commit to things they all magically collide on the same day.
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful in your picture. Are you sure you took it at the end of the day on Wednesday?
I live with this woman every day, but I still had to stare at that last picture for a minute or two. Isn't she beautiful?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, a brilliant idea. Not unusual for Amy.
Big points for Damon there. I wish I looked that good at the beginning of my days, let alone the end. A girl can dream. Great idea with the cookies! I had cookie mess here on Friday (on a much smaller scale) and it made me think of your pictures, though I hadn't heard the entire story yet. I'd much rather have the mess and kids here, too.
ReplyDeleteUh...yeah that IS a brilliant idea!
ReplyDeletelove the idea. definitely something i would rope myself into also. you going to top it next week with scones? delicious.
ReplyDeleteYou are brilliantly crazy & awesome and I am forever grateful that my daughter has a safe place to "hang" after school...Thank you sooo much!!!
ReplyDeletepregnancy glow? i didn't realize it was such a good picture of myself. maybe because i look way more ragged than that in real life. but, yes, i really did take that picture at the end of the "party"
ReplyDeleteforgot to mention i had to practically kick several people out of my house at dinner time. and about 1/3 of them came back on thursday after school. so my brilliance may soon turn into the crazies if this is a daily thing!!
That is awesome. My friends loved coming to my house and my mom loved having them just as much. It was also common for her to make cookies, caramel corn, and we played many games of "Spoons". Sometimes my mom even joined in on the fun. Our friends still stop by to visit her without us there once in a while.
ReplyDeleteNo, your mom doesn't think you are crazy...if you remember, our house was where everyone went for parties and teen activities because we always had cookies and food on hand. (At least for the older kids...Matt wasn't interested.) and that was my philosophy too...I'd rather have them at my house where I could see what was going on instead of somewhere that might not be supervised.
ReplyDeletei can picture several of our family doing that. FUN!! ANDeven though it may be crazy, wouldn't you rather have everyone at your house than somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteThat's the kind of mom I want to be :)
ReplyDeleteU R MY HERO.
ReplyDeleteAmy you're awesome! What a great idea. It's good to make kids feel welcome in your home. Helps keep them out of trouble.
ReplyDeleteAnd how cute is Damon's comment. You guys constantly remind me that MAYBE real love does exist.
um deejay? i think its just DJ
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh- thank you forwarding this. I love it!
ReplyDelete