Happy Valentine’s Day!
This is the first time since moving here that Dad was home
for Valentine’s Day, and Mom didn’t go to Crystal Springs
to be with him. That was nice for all of
us, and not fighting any Dark Magi Masters today was a bonus – though I might
have picked that instead if I’d ended up dealing with any major tween
drama. Fortunately, I didn’t have that
problem either.
Dad and Ethan had little gifts for their favorite girls this
morning; we did a special breakfast; and Rowen and I both had roses delivered
to our classroom again this year. Most
of the other girls, including Mrs. Warren, were sent flowers too. That was only a problem for one boyfriend,
since the other exceptions had done something different and equally worthy of
girlfriend approval and appreciation.
As an aside, here are some hints for guys that I learned
through the grapevine today – all of them suggesting that you should know your
girlfriend before picking out that perfect gift. Don’t buy chocolates for a girl who is
obsessed with her weight; even if she’s a size zero. Do not buy anything that causes an allergic
reaction. Never, and I repeat – NEVER –
re-gift a Valentine’s present – especially if your current girlfriend remembers
seeing a previous girlfriend wearing it sometime in the past. Don’t be one of the few boyfriends in your
school doing nothing because you think it’s a stupid holiday – that strategy
won’t end well for you unless your girlfriend honestly agrees with you.
I am so glad that I haven’t crossed over!
Moving on, but not really, most of the kids and teens had
fun today. The younger kids played
games, had parties, made crafts, and exchanged Valentines to all of their
classmates and friends. There weren’t
parties for the tweens and teens, but that didn’t make the day any less
entertaining for most of us. That didn’t
mean that the single students in our school – like Rowen and me – weren’t able
to have a little fun here and there too; but it definitely felt weird to be in
limbo between the younger and older kids today.
Rowen was having a tougher time than I was, thanks to having
to watch ‘Tommy’ and his girlfriend all day.
Hiding in the music room at lunchtime for our practice helped, and I
think that passing her regular doses of one of her favorite candies every time
I thought she needed one helped too. By
the time we were set free after last class, she was eager to escape; and we
didn’t waste any time getting away from all of the amorous after-school action.
We stopped in at the computer store; then went on to Rowen’s
house to pack an overnight bag for her before going home. With Dad home, the plan for tonight included
dinner and the Valentine’s Day party at Sheldon’s for them, and a sleepover and
babysitting for us. The big difference
this time is that Rebecca is staying overnight too, and she, Rowen, and I took
care of Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden while Mom and Dad were out. That was mostly because Alicia had a date,
and alternate babysitters were in short supply tonight for the same reason.
It was an all hands on deck night at the Inn, so Rebecca
didn’t come over right after school, but worked at the Inn
for a while first. Rowen and I were in
charge of feeding Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden, but it was easy to cook up
chicken strips and fries; make up a couple of veggie sides; and get them to eat
the ‘real’ food before finishing up our meal with the Valentine-themed Olde
Bakery desserts that Mom had picked up for us.
She was busy getting ready for her date while we did that, and Dad went
to do that too after getting home from work.
We’d finished eating and cleaning up, and had moved into the living room
by the time they were ready; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne stopped in to pick
them up on the way to the Inn.
Aunt Leanne was fired up tonight, and I’m sure that had a
lot to do with having her pregnancy test appointment today, and that we won’t
need to keep that little secret anymore by sometime tomorrow. They didn’t want to be making that
announcement on Valentine’s Day, and while that will make a difference for them
tonight; I doubt that the one day difference will keep them from getting
Valentine’s Day baby jokes directed their way in the future. After tonight, I don’t really have a problem
with that, since she spent some quality time teasing us; starting with asking
Rowen and I where our Valentine sleepover boyfriends were since Ethan had Naomi
and Ehlana had Aiden staying overnight with them. Other jokes followed, including commentary on
parental double standards and the need to take matters like this into our own
hands. Dad tried half-heartedly to
defend me while trying not to laugh, but Mom did laugh; and my brother, sister,
and their friends giggled their heads off and didn’t seem to mind being teased
too at all.
Rowen and I were saved by Rebecca’s knock on the door, and
she earned a bonus hug for that timely intervention. There were more hugs and kisses, and then
Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne left; and we were on our own for the next
six and a half hours or so. We moved
upstairs to my room and the lounge, and spent most of the evening there. The four younger kids wanted to play games
first, so we ran around doing that for the first hour and a half. That included everything from music time with
my keyboard to a fairly elaborate live show complete with talking dolls, action
figures, and stuffed animals. Play time
was followed by some cuddling while we watched television for a while; and then
it was time to get Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden ready for bed. That ended up taking nearly an hour by the
time we finished doing the snack, story time, and getting them changed and
tucked in.
That was all fun, but Rebecca, Rowen, and I were ready for a
break by the time we had the four toddlers settled in for the night. We grabbed drinks; sat on the sectional sofa
in the lounge; and had a chance to just talk while listening to music videos. So much is still different now between
Rebecca, Rowen, and me, but it didn’t feel that way for most of tonight. Rebecca was as happy as we were to be away
from most of the Valentine’s Day action – especially when it came to Jenny and
Shane – or even Michael and Lisa. We
were mostly able to keep our chat away from all of that except for a touch here
and there when we were talking about school, the Inn,
work, and everything else from shopping to upcoming free time and weekend
plans.
Rebecca doesn’t really have a lot going on except school and
work, and I didn’t realize just how much alone time she’s had while Jenny spends
more and more time with Shane. She still
wasn’t interested in any particular guy enough to join the Grade Eight couples
club, and I could still feel that same sad echo I’ve sensed in her since last
summer. Her reluctance to put her heart
on the line again and Rowen’s issues with ‘Tommy’ both seem like very good
reasons why I shouldn’t cross over and join them on the tween and teen
emotional rollercoaster. Yep, fighting
Dark Magi Masters definitely sounds better than that!
We managed to keep entertained until Mom and Dad got home,
and since it’s a school and work night, we kept the recap with them short
before Mom and Dad went downstairs to their room; and Rebecca went to her room
to get changed and go to sleep. She was
staying with us because her parents won one of the kid-free nights. Michael was staying with Tim after their
double date with Lisa and Nora; and Jake was staying at Stephanie’s. Rowen and I would have been happy to have
Rebecca stay with us, but having some privacy is definitely one thing that
Rebecca prefers now; and having her stay in Violet’s room did allow me to get
some of my nightly computing and studies done after Rowen and I were changed
and in bed too.
Rowen sat up and talked with me for a while as I studied,
but she and Mandy have both been sleeping for over an hour now. With company in the house, Mom and Dad
couldn’t use their wards tonight, but I can assure you that they are not
asleep. Use your imagination if you
want, but I’m not going there. I haven’t
had time to do all of my work, but I finished more than I actually expected to
before running out of steam. Tomorrow is
going to be a big day, and Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam’s news will definitely be
the highlight. The post-Valentine’s Day
gossip, analysis, and residual mushiness probably won’t be much fun for either
Rowen or me, but at least life should start getting back to normal – whatever
that is for tweens – by next week; and stay that way until March Break or even
Easter if we’re lucky.
For tonight, though, I’ve had enough, so...
...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor;
logging out!
