Nico's Birthday Dinner, Baseball and Cleaning

After the vacation we just had, I was a little nervous for us all to go out to dinner. Leo said he'd be home by 5:30 which is earlier than we ever eat these days because baseball has started so I was excited. Nico chose Japan 77 so I was even more excited because it is one of my favorite restaurants, too. I'll try not to go on and on about how aggravated I was that we were all starving and ready to eat by 5:30 and Leo didn't get home until 6:00. I asked my mom if she would watch Gia for an hour since she lives across the street from Japan 77 and it might be easier if she could be somewhere she could walk around. Now that she is walking, she hates sitting. We dropped Gia off and I have to say, it was the nicest time we have all had as a family in a long time. We had some good conversations and no one fought. I worried the whole time that the dinner was taking too long because my mom works and I knew she was tired but other than that, it was a very relaxing dinner with delicious food. After dinner we hung out at my mom and dad's which was also nice. I love being from a huge family and I love when we are all together but sometimes it's nice when the kids get some alone time with my parents. I'm so happy my kids showed me the side of them that makes me proud to be their mom. They are lucky they did because I was starting to worry.

Baseball officially started last week but last night was the first game I went to. The first one was away in Wasco and Nico said, "Mom, I don't think you should come to this one. I'd rather you see me when I am feeling more confident. I am a little rusty right now." I wanted to go to the one on Sunday because he was playing his old team and I really wanted to see the friends that I had made while he was playing. It was beautiful out but it would figure that Gia was not feeling well and had a slight fever. Yesterday, I went and it ended up being really cold and I couldn't see a lot of the game because all Gia wanted to do was walk in the wet, muddy grass. I think it is going to be a long season unless my friend, Kay, brings her dog to every game because that is the only thing that kept Gia entertained. I am thinking she is not going to be a big baseball fan.

We have already established that I hate cleaning the house. It's not the cleaning part so much as it is that it doesn't stay clean for longer than a minute. My cleaning lady is coming today (I hope. There have been a few miscommunications on both ends the last few times). I wonder how many women are lucky enough to have one and I wonder of those women, how many have families like mine who feel that because we have a cleaning lady, they don't have to do ANYTHING? Even Leo last night, while I was putting away clothes that I was so tired of washing, folding and putting away that I wanted to put them in garbage bags to donate, said to me when I asked him to help me straighten up for today, "We have a cleaning lady. Why do you do that?" Well, lazy family of mine...how is she supposed to clean when your stuff is everywhere??? I will admit that while I was putting HIS clothes away, and I don't care if they weren't the majority (Nico), I kept imagining throwing something at his sleeping head. I'm sure he rationalizes playing basketball this morning as his way to get exercise but since I can never go to Lifetime at 5:00 in the morning, I think he should forego basketball, help me in the mornings and we should get fat together.