Easy and inexpensive sleepover

This weekend my just-turned nine year old had a sleepover party. We survived. No one got hurt. Nothing got damaged. The budget wasn't broken. Everyone had a great time. My middle son helped out a lot, the oldest one a little after coming back from watching his High School football game. Although it was rainy outside, and we were restricted to staying indoors, there was no rough-housing and it worked out really well.

So what did we do?

Used evites for the invitations. Since we were not inviting the entire class, we couldn't distribute invitations in class anyway. $0

The kids were asked to bring a sleeping bag, a pillow, and labelled hand-held electronic games. We invited seven, but only four could come.

We had pizza for dinner (where I live, when you show your PTA membership card at Papa John's, there's a buy one 14", get one deal, no matter how many pies you order). So I picked up the pizza on my way home from work, and kept warm in the oven. We ordered six, two too many, but this way the family has leftovers. The kids each had two or three slices; so did I. :-) $41-ish, but had I ordered only four (which was all I really needed to feed them and my family), it would've been $27-ish.

Gave the kids water bottles; made customized labels, with their names on it. $3 for the water?

Kids came at 6:30pm. After dinner, we had cake (I made it from a box, I admit). With frosting, let's say $2.50.

Then the kids watched a movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. (We rented two DVDs from Blockbuster, so that's what, about $8?).

I made a few bags of store-brand microwave popcorn. Let's say another $2 or $3

Then we opened presents and then made T-shirts. I bought a package of "6-for-the-price-of-5" undershirts and printed out a bunch of coloring pages so the kids would have outlines of things they would like. Sometimes it's hard to come up with (and execute) ideas on your own. I cut up a box so that we could tape the chosen coloring page to the cardboard, and insert inside of the undershirt. This way, the boys could see the outline, they'd have a hard surface to write on and the markers wouldn't go through the shirt. We used Sharpies we had in the house. About $6.50 for the shirts.

Then we ate fun ice cream pops (based on candy bars). Maybe $2.50 (yes, I use coupons and sales whenever I can.)

Then the kids played Wii, their hand-helds and old-fashioned Twister. Then I had the kids brush teeth and get into pjs and get into their sleeping bags for a "midnight showing" of Ratatouille. All the guests were asleep by the end of the movie.

The next morning, I made chocolate chip muffins ($2 ish?) and they put away their stuff and played Wii and hand-helds some more until their 10:30am pickup.

Throw in another $4-5 for chocolate milk and soda.

The kids' time was structured for the most part and they loved the t-shirt (except for those who had to dress differently for where they were going next, they all wore their new t-shirts).

The fact that there were not a large number of boys, the time was structured, and my older sons helped out made it all a good experience.

The whole thing came to about $60 (using the lower figure for the pizza). One boy told me it was the best party he'd ever been to. My own son said it was much better than his last two parties. Both of those were with his class and other friends in a public park (free), with an arts and crafts activity (under $20 for everything, thanks to what's in the house and/or dollar store), cupcakes ($3 ish, made from mix), other nosh and drinks (another $10-15?), playground and outdoor toys we brought.

No book today

Not sure if there's any point in blogging when no one reads my blog. I used to think I'd focus on the lessons I've learned in life, and that the columns would, collectively, become the basis for a book, and so it wouldn't matter if I had readers or not. Truth is, I'd like someone to read, give me feedback...but even worse, too many of my entries are not the kinds of lessons I had in mind (so where's the book?).

Today's no exception.

In other areas, my mother's still waiting for the angio. The HMO needs to approve procedures done out-of-network. I guess they haven't done it yet.

And I had an idea for my youngest son's Bar Mitzvah party--four years away! I know I'd like to have a comedian, and not a DJ-&-dancing party. A cross between a stand-up and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

I figured out the perfect party favor. While my mother thinks it's a great idea, my husband says, "No way!"

Are you ready?

To remind you, the focus is comedy; my youngest is a born comedian, his timing is impeccable. He knows how to play an audience. I keep thinking he may grow up to be a stand-up comic, a used car salesman or a defense lawyer.

Anyway, back to my brilliant idea: How about custom imprinted whoopie cushions that say, "I had a blast at [name]'s Bar Mitzvah!" Even funnier, we'd put them out--inflated--on everyone's chair!

Inappropriate, but funny as hell, no?

Postponed

My mother's angiogram didn't take place yesterday, but will this coming Friday. Something to do with paperwork. Yes, she has an HMO, but it will cover everything, and with the best doctors, at Columbia-Presbyterian. So don't believe everything you hear about HMOs! The paperwork for the heart surgery actually went through first, but that won't be scheduled until after the angio, which will be performed by a Dr. Warren Sherman. The actual heart surgery will be performed by Dr. Mehmet Oz. Two people have asked me to get his autograph (he frequently appears on Oprah and elsewhere)!

She's on eight different medications and under orders to take it easy. And, best of all, she finally quit smoking! Yesterday was a week, and I am so glad...we all are.

So...I'm here for another week at least...and have a big proposal to finish for Australian brokers. In fact, that's what I should be working on now!

I'm also trying to figure out ways to earn extra money. I've got a small "shop" set up on Cafe Press, but none of the items are terribly in demand. I've got to become more creative. I thought about trying to sell stuff online and am even testing the idea out by selling something in the Facebook Marketplace (I've even got a buyer for one item I placed there). But it makes more sense moving forward to use ebay. First I need to figure out what stuff to sell. As I go through a room, I look to see what sits unused and unwanted. These items may as well make someone else happy!

A few days later

It's been a scary few days, but my mother is now stable, and even was released from the hospital today. And, hard as it is for her, she must take it easy.

She now faces heart surgery. Sounds like one valve must be replaced (I think the aortic, the one with calcification) and another either repaired or replaced (the mitral valve, the one which was repaired 34 years ago in Open Heart Surgery). They'll know more when they do the cardiac catherization. In addition, she has pulmonary hypertension and apparently emphysema...

Later this week, she will be admitted, and if testing and assessment go well, surgery will be scheduled for a few days after that. I'll probably be flying up Sunday. I'd like to talk her into coming down South to recuperate at our home.

On another topic, given the financial problems this county (and many other countries) are going though right now, apparently the government is thinking of distributing a new dollar bill.

Fear

The moment my father called tonight, I knew that something was wrong. My mother was in the hospital with congestive heart failure. She'd had difficulty breathing and there was fluid in her lungs.

I called my brother. He called my cousin the cardiologist, who spoke with the ER doctor.

She's apparently stable now and is being kept in the ER overnight. Some of the tests came back, and the doctors decided that tomorrow they'll move her to the Progressive Care Unit (PCU)/Telemetry Unit, which is less intensive than an ICU. Taken with the fact that she's got some color back and is not on a respirator, I must take this as a good sign.

My brother is flying up tomorrow morning. My cousin will go on Sunday and hope they let him see the chart. (Actually, he said, a patient can request to see his/her own chart...and then show it to someone else.) Once she's in the PCU, I will send flowers. I feel very badly that I am not flying up, but I just can't, for a number of reasons. I think my mother will understand and, in fact, will even protest that my brother's come up (she's already telling my father that he doesn't need to call everyone--one sister was called and came to the hospital. The one in Florida will be called tomorrow, as will her brother).

At any rate, I want my mother to feel that we are there with her, even if we cannot be. Flowers. Not sure how else. I should have the kids call and speak to her too, once she's settled in a room. Any suggestions?

And can anyone please put my mother in his/her thoughts for a refuah shlemah, a complete recovery? Thank you so much.