Playdate

Are the dishes done? Is the laundry finished? Did the floor get mopped? These are questions that may go through someone's mind before they have company over, or may keep them from having company over in the first place. Well, I made up my mind right after having Riley that I would make an effort to have playdate for him at least once a month no matter the answer to these questions. I realized that if I waited until every home project was copmpleted or every chore was done to perfection or until all of our old college furniture was replaced to have friends over, then he would be in college and we both would miss out terribly.

The truth is, a lot of people get hung up or worried about these things and it prevents great memories from being able to take place. Sure, there are usually 50 things I'd love to have done before a playdate or any company in general, but in reality, I know that I would most likely be the only one to notice if it got done or not. At the same time, I know my friends care about me enough not to have unrealistic expectations of what should be accomplished and understand completely about the burdens of trying to do it all. This has been a tough lesson for me to learn since having kids because I lean towards the OCD end of the spectrum anyway and like a tidy house, but I have slowly began to let go, (but not completely).

Having friends over reminds me of this though because I get the chance to listen to their stories about their stressful week or how it seemed like a holiday because they got to shave their legs (don't worry, I won't tell the others). I got advice today on a place to check out if Riley needs speech therapy. The alternative would be to not invite anyone over because those never ending milk spots on the couch won't go away or the floor hasn't been swept (or mopped) in 3 days and the dust in most places on my bookshelves rivals the width of a sandwich. I would have lost out on the chance to talk to normal (mostly LOL) adults and more importantly, Riley would not get the chance to interact with other children close to his age and have a blast while doing it. So, my point is that although we don't get invited over much and I would be the last person to pass judgement on a sink of dirty dishes or a pile of clothes on the floor dancing a conga line to the laundry room, we still get to enjoy the company of some really great people and have them in our home no matter the condition. Riley deserves that. To be honest with you, his 2 year old buddies didn't notice a bit if the floor was mopped, laundry done, hole in the wall fixed, or toilet scrubbed down. They were WAY too busy having FUN (and it never even crossed my mind while I watched him squeal with delight)!

Here are a few pictures of our playdate today, just 1 of over 20 we've had in the past 2 years. Sometimes 2 friends join us and sometimes there are 8-9, but evrytime we invite all our friends. We can't wait until the next one!


Blowing bubbles with the big boys!

Playing with the parachute

Getting a tan

Socializing in the sandbox

Meadows' Moms

Running through the water with his naked buddy, Addie

Our best friends, Tabitha & Avery

Sitting in time out for throwing Cheerios

Sweet Addie rocking Isabelle