October Chaos

The panic has officially started. Everyone is already losing their minds over this hurricane, and we don’t even really know what it’s going to do yet. I understand preparing. Hurricanes can change quickly and sometimes you don’t get much time to make decisions. I’ve lived in Mississippi, Florida and Texas long enough to know the drill. We have generators, we’ll get whatever supplies we need, and if it looks like we need to leave, we’ll leave. But until then, I’m not about to fight somebody in Walmart over the last case of water.

Honestly, my bigger concern is all this rain. The ground is already saturated, and places like Pensacola could have a real mess on their hands if we get much more. We’ve seen that happen here before and in Louisiana too. Sometimes the biggest problem isn’t even the wind. It’s that there is nowhere for all that water to go. So we’ll watch it, make a plan and see what happens. Usually in October I’m thinking about Halloween, the kids finishing up the semester and starting my Christmas shopping. I am not normally preparing for a hurricane. 😂

I was so ready to get in bed and relax tonight, and then both kids started hitting me with everything at once. Gage casually informed me that he has a fall social coming up, plus a winter dance in the middle of November that he wants to take his girlfriend to. So that’s two outfits. Then he tells me about six of his friends want to come trick-or-treating over here and wants to know if Gary can do a big bonfire and make it a Halloween party. Of course Norah Harper immediately chimed in with, “Well, can I invite some of my friends too?”

So I guess we’re having a Halloween party. 😂 If the weather cooperates, Gary said he’ll set up our outdoor movie screen and they can sit around the bonfire and watch a movie. I’ll put food and drinks out on the back porch and let them have at it. I love these kids, but I do not want a house full of teenagers running in and out all night. If it rains, they are going to have to figure something else out because Plan B is not my living room.

Then Norah Harper tells me she thinks she has an F in science this semester. I’m not really mad because both of my kids do try hard in school, but I told her she has until next semester to get it up or there are going to be consequences. I just wish she had told me sooner because maybe we could have done something to help pull it up. Apparently tonight was just the night everybody decided to unload every school event, grade, money request and ride they’ve been holding onto.

At this point I think Gary and I need to start calling ourselves the Alcina Taxi Company. Everybody told me this age was going to be like this and they were not kidding. Money for this, rides for that, dances, girlfriends, friends, Halloween plans, school stuff. Then, just when Gary and I finally got in bed and tried to watch a movie, Gage came in and started telling us everything he wanted for Christmas. Gary finally looked at him and said, “Son, we’re not talking about Christmas tonight. We appreciate you and your enthusiasm, but we’ll get to that later.” 😂

These kids really do think money grows on trees sometimes. I know people probably think they’re spoiled, and I’m not going to pretend they don’t have a lot, but they also hear no plenty. They’ve never been the kind of kids who throw fits in stores because they can’t have something. They know they can ask, but they also know we can say no. And now that they’re getting older, they’re starting to understand money a little more too. Nothing teaches a kid how expensive everything is faster than making them spend their own birthday money. Suddenly everything costs too much. 😂

Gage’s Christmas list is currently operating on a budget more appropriate for a Saudi prince, and he doesn’t know it yet, but he is going to have to dial that way back. Some of the stuff he mentioned is just absolutely not happening. But he’ll accept it. That’s one thing I’m thankful for. My kids have what they need, they get plenty of things they want, but they also know you cannot have everything you want. Nobody can. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean you need to buy it.

And we haven’t even bought Halloween costumes yet, which I am not discussing tonight.

For the party, I’m keeping it simple. Hot dog mummies, Rotel dip, chips, some cookies from Walmart, maybe a cookie cake from Sam’s and whatever candy is left. I hate baking, and these are teenagers. They are not going to care if I spent six hours making cute little ghost cupcakes. They’re going to eat everything in about ten minutes and go back outside.

Mostly, I just want them to have fun. Kids don’t get to do what we did growing up. We were outside with our friends all the time, riding bikes and wandering the neighborhood until dark. They really don’t get that anymore. So when people say, “Your kids still trick-or-treat?” Yep. They sure do. And I hope they keep doing it for as long as they want. Let them be kids. They have plenty of time to grow up.

Besides, Gary and I get the candy tax, so there are benefits.

Now I just need everybody in this house to calm down and let me get through Halloween, school dances, hurricane season and Christmas shopping before they hit me with whatever else they forgot to tell me.

Because I know there’s more coming. 😂