Please No Presents!

Jack-Jack & Trip-Monster are turning one year old this Friday.  I. Cannot. Believe. It.  We're having a small party for them on Saturday, since, you know...Friday sucks for most anyone gainfully employed.  We're even having the party in another state to make it easier for family to come.  Isn't that so nice of us?

Well, it's about to be not-so-nice.

We are driving 4 1/2 hours Friday afternoon (you know...the boys' birthday).  Why are we doing this?  So we can throw their party 1/2 way between Tim's parents.  This is done in the hopes that both of his parents will be able to make it.  The FIL is definitely going to be there.  Tim was going to drive and get him if his doctor hadn't released him to drive, yet.  The MIL?  I've got no clue if she's coming!  Well, that's a lie.  I've got a couple of huge clues that she won't be there.  Really woman?  You've got a valid reason to miss your only grandchildren's first birthday party?

The MIL has told the FIL, because even though they've been divorced for 20 years and all of their children are grown and they live in different states they talk all the time, that she doesn't know if she'll have the money to come.  I'm not sure why she wouldn't have the money.  It's not as if we didn't plan this party months ago.  It's not as if she didn't borrow money from someone for gas to drive across two states when FIL had his recent heart-attack.  It's not as if we've asked her to bring any presents.

But what has the MIL told us, you ask?  She has been extremely vague until tonight.  Tonight she told Tim that the doctor told her she couldn't ride in a vehicle for more than 30 minutes because her foot would swell and she has a blister on it (MIL is diabetic due to very poor health habits AND she smokes).  Hmmmm...that sounds a little odd since last week I was told her doctor had released her back to light wheelchair duty at her job which he knows is almost an hour drive away.  This is also a little odd since she told me about the blister the same time she told me about being released back to work and the doctor hadn't said anything at that point about any of this.  Plus, why can't she prop her foot up in the backseat while her good-for-nothing husband drives?!?!?!  It's not like this is just some random event she's been invited to...this is her only grandchildren's first birthday party!!!  And I can just about BET that these will be the only grandchildren she'll ever have and can guarantee this is the only first birthday they'll have.

To be even more convenient to the in-laws (and in all honesty some other friends that were invited that I know are on a beyond shoe-string budget) I wrote in large lettering on all the invites "Please no presents!"  Did you guess that she also tried to use the no-money-for-presents excuse?

To say Tim is upset about this is an understatement.  The fact that his mother abandoned him for some guy when he was 9 was forgivable.  The fact that she has fed his brothers' addictions and co-dependancy is forgivable.  The fact that she doesn't feel the need to call when his grandparents are deathly ill is forgivable.  But this. Is. Not.  He's already said (many many many times) if she doesn't show up for their party then she's out of their lives.  I will no longer email or mail any pictures or videos or other updates.  He will no longer call her so she can hear the boys giggling and "talking".  She will be written out until she can get her priorities straight.  (did I ever tell you about driving up to visit her only me and the boys just so she could spend time with the boys and she ended up planning something else at the same time. she'd had two months notice I was coming and was only home for an hour while I was there.)

Needless to say, I support this 100%.  It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit to not have to listen to her say "Twiiiiii-iiip! Can ewe say Mammaw?"  His name is TRIP and YOU are NOT his Mammaw.  MY Mom is his Mammaw; like I told you BEFORE they were born.  (She said she didn't want to go by Mammaw-"last name" even though my Mom has been called Mammaw for almost 12 years and I'd really rather not confuse my boys.  There needed to be some way to distinguish the two.  My Mom was even nice enough to say she'd go by Mammaw-"last name" too!)

So that's the drama we're rolling into this weekend.  I honestly hope the woman isn't there just so I don't have to play nice.  She's a good person, but plain sucks as any form of maternal figure.

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On a completely good note I keep getting requests for stuff that I've been crocheting!!!  That excites me to the Nth degree!!!  Of course right now I've got so much left to do for Christmas gifts that I haven't been taking many requests, but that will change very soon.  My neighbor even came over today and said she'd get her 15yr old son to give me an idea for a design that he'd like and then he'd take it to the skate-park that he frequents.  If the guys there like it I'll probably consign a load of them to the owner of the park.  Apparently true skateboarders are really big into supporting local people.  That rocks for me!

Well, I got sidetracked with Etsy and Ravelry just now and completely lost my train of thought (me?  imagine that!) so I'm going to stop here.

Wish me luck!