I’m going a bit stir crazy with the long weekend. With E in Florida, I’m flying solo with the kids, and we have too much time on our hands.

Friday afternoon I was at their school watching the teachers fly out the door at EXACTLY 3 p.m., many ready to hit the road and grab a weekend of skiing in Austria or Germany. Lots of parents had pulled their kids from school earlier in the week and left for exotic locations. With nothing exciting on the schedule, all I’ve heard since Friday is “Can so-and-so come over?” and “What’s for snack?” and “What can we do now?”

We could do cooking or art projects, play a board game, take a walk, kick a soccer ball, throw a frisbee, and get out of the house. But somehow, we don’t, trapped by February’s pervasive malaise.

To compensate Mr. A and E-Grrrl have invited a non-stop stream of friends over to keep things moving. Even though things have gone smoothly, I’m not really good dealing with groups of kids that are not my own. I’m not the kind of mom who easily organizes games and crafts, bakes cookies, or sets extra plates with a smile. I tend to be quickly overwhelmed by short attention spans, loud voices, and messes that sprawl from one room to the next. Still, I can suck it up if I’m not tired, or I have something to look forward to for myself. That’s not the case right now.

Last weekend was overflowing with social commitments: Friday night I got together with the stamping and scrapbooking crowd, Saturday we spent the afternoon with E’s Belgian aunt, Sunday the kids participated in a family service at church and we spent Sunday afternoon with E’s Belgian cousins, and Sunday night my Bunco group met to gossip and throw dice.

This weekend, it’s just a lot of nothing for me and a whole lot of entertaining my kids and their friends.

Really, I’m trying to make good use of my time: I’m doing laundry, cleaning, making cards, and thinking about organizing photos, but the truth is I’m more than a little bored and desperate for adult company.

And there’s still Monday to face.

Bleah!

February 18, 2007