Thursday, December 27, 2007

The Day I Went Stupid

OK, maybe I shouldn't talk about that event as a single specific day in history. A more appropriate title for this entry might be

My Most Recent Adventure in Stupid

or it could be

Today I went Even Stupider


Either way, there are three, 3, EXTRA children in our house tonight. Which means there are five, 5, humans who are less than 10 years old sleeping in the back of the house. Which might explain why I am in the front part of the house...

Anyways, back to the stupid.

The Talker and I were going to have some bonding time today while we made a 400 mile round trip run to pick up a few old parts for my truck. The plan involved leaving here at 7:30, arriving in Dallas by 11:30, meeting up with the parts guy in Dallas and heading home. I was thinking that we would be home by 4:30 or 5pm. The boy would have just enough time to watch a couple of Star Wars movies on the ride, and we would get to hang out all day. Big bonus that we would get some hard to find parts during the trip.

See, it was a good plan.

But an hour into our trip we were nearing Sis' house. So I asked the boy if he would like to hang out with his cousins instead of with me all day. Right. He chose to play at the cousin's.

So I made the parts run. Had a good time too. An iPod full of George Strait and Willie Nelson = a good road trip though central Texas, including right past Willie's birthplace in Abbott. Since I was leaving Dallas before 11:15, I decided that a 45 minute detour to Mom and Dad's was in order. Let them pay for my lunch, I always say...

My two other nephews were hanging out with Mom and Dad today. And the whole herd is headed to our house on Friday. So I kidnapped the 4 year old nephew and we headed back to Sis' house to get The Talker. It would be just two boys and an old man taking some 40 year old truck parts for a drive on a December afternoon...

Then things just get ridiculously stupid.

When I got ready to leave Sis' house, I loaded up her two kiddos, also. Now we are up to 4 kids and me in the car, WITHOUT the truck parts that started this whole deal. There wasn't enough room for the kids AND the parts, so I left the parts with Sis to be delivered on Friday.

By 6pm The 4 kids and I were meeting up with The Boss Lady and The Princess at a Burger King for dinner. So we dined in high style. All 7 of us. OK, one nephew didn't actually eat, but he never eats, so we weren't surprised about that...

Tonight we are having our first co-ed slumber party. 2 girls in one room, 3 boys in another. And they must have worn each other out. They were asleep in less than 20 minutes. OK, it took The Princess an hour to fall asleep, but that is pretty quick for her. And she only woke up Girl Cousin once in the process...

So Father of Five, my hat is off to you, man. You and other parents with big families are amazing. But besides that, I bet you all are smart enough not to pick up 4 extra kids while on a one day road trip.

Heck, even my friends with no kids are smart enough not to do that...


View Larger Map

5 comments:

Leighton @ My Best Investments said...

Brave, brave man.

You are actually a few notches ahead of me on the parenting maturity continuum, because I spend my time trying to shed children rather than gathering them.

Good luck!

Mike said...

I am not a smart man...

Please leave stunts like this to the professionals or to those who are truly insane in membrane

Terry said...

What part of Do Not Attempt This At Home, do you not understand?



Wait is it Friday already? and maybe that boy would eat if you gave him a SACK LuNCH....

The Father of Five said...

Hey... Not only do I have 4-5 of my own home at any given time...

They usually have friends over, and if they don't - my wife watches the neighbors children.

Very often, we have either seven or eight children in our house - five of them being ours.

Thanks AtHomeDaddy for the "shout-out"! It's nice to be acknowledged once and while! Heavens knows the kids will never appreciate it... that is until I am long since dead and gone...

MyBestInvest; I don't know if it's about maturity - I too am often torn between keeping them, and trying to "shed" them... Perhaps that is what brings "balance" to my life!

Oda Daddy said...

You should have stopped by and picked up my kid as well. She pretty much gets along with anyone. Next time give me a hollar.

-OD