I sent off another article to the Atlantic last night. I'm going to stick around the house this morning to help promote the article, but then I need to hit the malls and the supermarket. I have to put on the housewife cap for the next few days. 

We're having a party for Ian and his friends on Friday. I always have some nagging guilt that Ian and his friends don't have as much fun as their typical peers. They don't get invited to their birthday parties, and there aren't many after-school activities for them. Playdates are rare. So, every once and a while, I throw massive, over-the-top parties for them.

On Friday, I invited all the kids in his class, plus some who aren't in his class and told them to bring their siblings. I spent a ton of money on special foods. I'm decorating the house with heart shaped banners and candles. I invited the teachers. I have beverages for the adults. I think we're going to have thirty people in the house on Friday evening. I have a ton of cleaning, cooking, decorating to do for that. I'm a guilt-ridden Martha Stewart. 

Then on Sunday, we're flying to Puerto Rico. (The blog will be on hiatus for a week.) This upcoming trip brings with it another set of chores. Overhead suitcases were purchased on Monday; that chore can be ticked off the list. Clothes are a bigger problem. Summer clothes were shoved without ceremony in some boxes in the basement last September. I am weeding through them and determining whether they are too worn out to be seen in public. I think everyone needs new shorts. I have to get over my allergy towards paying full price for clothes, because there are no sales on summer clothes in February. Do we have flip flops? Sweatshirts? Bathing suits? How nasty are my toenails? Do I need a pedicure? I really hate when we go on vacation looking like hillbillies, but I suspect that three days isn't enough to straighten up. 

 Reading material. A vacation requires brain dead reading material. Wendy has thoughtfully suggested some appropriate fun reading. More ideas?