Ground Hog pasta party & Mini's tardy strategy confession

I posted a lot last week. If it was too much, I understand - if you like to talk about purses, then you might want to go back - that post is under 500 words. 

Please click the link if you missed my Driving with Bird Girl published piece and you'd like to read it. Thanks for the high praise and the time so many of you took to read it, along with my 80 billion posts. Much appreciated.

*****

My stomach bug didn't interfere with pasta party:  The Ground Hog day version. Mini stayed home Thursday morning to help clean up/organize the house. The riddle here is why no one made a move to make the house a little bit presentable during Wednesday's snow day. Best not to overthink it, because it promises to blow one's mind. Or maybe that was just me.

compliments of tenor.com

I spent the middle of the night Tuesday into Wednesday curled up on the floor of my bathroom. It was cold in there on the ceramic tiled floor. In order not to disturb Coach, I opted to wear/drape myself in clothes that were discarded in the bathroom. I felt a tad like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation when he gets stuck in the attic and puts on vintage clothing. 

I slept most of Wednesday, quite sad to miss a perfectly delightful snow day. I awoke a few times to hear people argue about whose turn it was to shovel. To think of the things I could've accomplished. Ah, well. At least families were already not planning to show up as most are teachers. Not an additional cancelled day. 

At 8 pm Wednesday, I forced myself out of bed to bake cookies for the party the next day. It was then that I heard Coach scold the kids for never emptying the dishwasher. And for leaving their pasta dishes for him to scrape and load. I was in a bit of a fog, but it dawned on me: 

Mini made pasta for lunch on their snow day, even though we still had pasta leftovers in the fridge from the original pasta party. Not to mention I was about to make MORE pasta the next day. What.On.Earth?

Coach tried to convince me not to bake cookies: "buy them at the grocery store." BLASPHOMY. No matter how weak I was, store bought cookies would not be an option.

It all worked out, even though Mini
came home upset because I hadn't finished
clearing the dining room table. I
was like I GOT THIS, BUT
 I'M MOVING SLOW.

Thursday morning, I said I felt like eating Jell-O. With celiac disease, toast and crackers aren't options, well - I don't stock them so they aren't options when I'm sick. Mini offered to make me Jell-O. A moment later, I noticed her stirring. Wait, did she boil water? Nope, she stirred it in cold water. College is around the corner, in theory. 

Another Mini story, while I'm thinking of it. She shared with us in early January that she couldn't be late for school any more. 

We started at her, as in:  GO ON, DO TELL. 

What on earth could prompt our always tardy kid to decide to be on time? 

Mini:  So, I have gym first period. I can get to school late, because there's always a line of late kids, waiting to get a pass to go to class. I just wave at the office person and say I'll get my pass at the student center, you know - to alleviate the line. Other kids go to the student center, I just don't bother. I walk past the student center and go straight to gym. No one notices that I haven't gotten my pass. No idea why other kids aren't smart enough to do this. I get to the locker room and everyone is still changing. I enter the gym whenever I'm dressed. It really doesn't matter.

BUT today, (this conversation took place the first day back after break) they wouldn't allow anyone to go straight to the student center. They rerouted us through the library. I was like, HUH? Then in the library someone asked me if I was with a field trip. I was like NO, but they made me line up to get a pass there. I couldn't escape. They blocked the hallway. My usual plan wasn't working. Ugh, I'm going to have to start GETTING UP ON TIME. 

All I can say about her first semester late-kid scheme:  genius with a twist of WHO TELLS THEIR PARENTS THIS? I admit to being proud. Is that wrong?

*****

Music at Ground Hog Pasta Party:  Reg asked Alexa to play Bruno Mars. I could tell some teammates were not fans. Some were digging it though. Then the music changed. I liked the change better. Then it changed AGAIN, like mid song. 

Me to Reg:  IS TANK REMOTELY CONTROLLING HIS ALEXA FROM COLLEGE? 

Reg:  I think so.

Girl table rocked.

I texted Tank. He confirmed. We died laughing. Most of the team remember Tank from his Mr. High School reigning days last year, so they appreciated his remote DJ efforts.

Before the kids arrived, I pulled Mini aside and asked her is she thought Curly could join the girls in the dining room. Curly knows the girls from doing camp with them in the summer. Mini allowed it. 

I may not have done right by them training them to clean up, but something is clicking 'cause they can play Alexa tricks remote, be sweet to sisters, and wiggle their way out of tardies. 

Did you do stuff in high school that you didn't tell your folks? Or did you share everything? If you were Tank, what music would you have selected for the team?