Shower? More like Deluge

Ever get yourself into a situation that seems harmless at first, then spirals out of control? Yeah, I had one of those this week. But hey, it gave me something to blog about. How's that for ripping the silver lining right out of that cloud.

My situation started about six weeks ago. I found out some very good friends of ours are expecting. The Mommy-to-be's mother called me and asked if I would help host a baby shower. Sure, I'd love to help. Another friend, we'll call her Josie, would also be helping. She would get in contact with me to let me know the date.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. They'd picked the date, it would be October 29th. Could I find a venue and book it? Sure, I said, and even though it was Halloween weekend, and a lot of places were booked for parties, I managed to find a good place - close to Mommy-to-be's house, and near a grocery store in case we needed extra supplies.

Soon I got an email from Josie outlining all the things Mommy-to-be did not want at her shower. This included games she thought were tacky, food she didn't like, and decorations she didn't want. I replied and said no problem, but did either of them have any suggestions as to what we should have? No, whatever I went with would be fine.

At this point, the gentle whirlpool into which I had been sucked was starting to pull me in deeper. I could see it coming, but I couldn't get out. Swim, little Momster, swim!

Long story short, over the next week I put together party games and got the props ready, and I contacted Josie on several occasions so that we could go shopping for decorations and food. She couldn't make it on any of those days. I ended up going on my own. I knew that Mommy-to-be was planning a Sesame Street theme for the baby's room, so I ordered some cupcakes at the bakery near the venue that were decorated like Sesame Street characters. I asked Josie to pick them up on her way to the shower.

Finally the day arrived and Mommy-to-be's mother and I showed up early to decorate. We had everything ready to go when the guests arrived. Josie showed up 30 minutes late - with no cupcakes. She forgot. I ran next door and got the cupcakes, as well as some extra cheese and crackers that Mommy-to-be thought we might need. Everything else went perfectly. All that printing, cutting, shopping, cooking and decorating came together nicely.

At the end of the night, Mommy-to-be got up to make a little speech. She said how happy they were to share this joyous occasion with friends, thanked everyone for the gifts, and thanked her good friend Josie for all the work she did on the shower.

You've got to be *M#F@! kidding me!

So this is my question: How inappropriate would it be for me to send Josie a bill for half the shower expenses? Cast your vote in the poll on the left and help me resolve this situation in a way that is either socially graceful or will ensure that I will never be asked to do this again.

Five Things the Dad Does Right

The Dad of the house. In ours he's the bread winner, the guy who brings home the bacon. The big cheese. Sometimes he's taken for granted, sometimes he's misunderstood, sometimes he's a thorn in my side. On father's day, I'd like to point out the things he does right. Just this once.




1) He says no and means it. He's strict, but in all the right ways. The safety of our kids is his top priority, and he aims to make sure they grow up to be responsible adults. That's why he says no to breaking curfew, enforces study time, and supervises weekly chores.

2) He gives good advice. He has a few choice bits that the kids will carry forever (mostly because he says them so often there's no way they will ever forget). Always carry extra money - just in case. If you fall down, keep your head up. Admit your mistakes and learn from them. Don't put that in your nose.

3) He's the planner. I'll admit, 98% of the fun family activities we do are because Hubby took the time to plan them. Bike rides to the park, weekend trips out of town, a day at the movies, family vacations - you name it. He works hard, and he likes to spend his down time doing fun things with the kids. He helps make good memories.

4) He's not afraid to get silly. As much as he likes to pretend he's the macho man, he doesn't mind slipping into silly mode. Coincidentally, this always seems to happen at bedtime. My favourite is watching from the bedroom door as Piglet dances his bedtime dance, with daddy's help. It's very hard not to laugh out loud and ruin the moment. His bedtime stories are second to none, and usually end in some sort of melted ice cream catastrophe.

5) We're a good team. Raising kids is a team sport, and if you're going to do it right, you need good team players. No one wants to be left running the plays all alone, and no one wants to work with a ball hog. I think we do a pretty good job of working together, and playing to the strengths of the other. If I fall down on the job, I know he's there to pick up the slack. He's the defense to my offense.

Happy Father's Day, Hubby. I hope you enjoy every kiss, every snuggle, every hand drawn card, and every toast crumb in the bed. You deserve it.