While I spent the weekend catching some sunshine and floating around the lake on an inflatable raft with my fantastic gal pal, our husbands took the kids around the lake behind the boat - tubing, water skiing, wake boarding and wake surfing. The guys and our kids had their share of thrill-seeking, and us ladies had our share or calm and relaxation. All-in-all, a perfect weekend!
That's not to say my step-daughter was perfect. She seemed to forget some basic skills I've tried hard to teach her - clean up after yourself, ask your host/hostess if you can be of any help, no wet towels on the carpeted floor, etc... Maybe she thought she was at a hotel and the maid/housekeeper would come by soon to tidy up behind her (believe me, I would not want to be a housekeeper at any hotel where she's staying!), but she certainly wasn't concerned about being a good guest. More than once, my step-daughter's friend asked if there was anything she could help with, although it didn't do much as far as encouraging my step-daughter to help out.
Not only was she extra lazy, but she was also a bit of a bad friend. Several times throughout the weekend, her friend was hanging out with my everyone but my step-daughter. I felt bad for her, but she is definitely a go-with-the-flow type of gal, and was having fun no matter what she was doing. I'm very glad my step-daughter chose wisely when deciding who to bring. It's hard to watch her be one of those "mean girls" to her friends, but I guess we all put up with people like that in Jr. High and High School, and eventually figured out that bad friends are not worth having.
With regard to the issues we've had over the past couple months with my daughter not wanting to be with my husband and I in our home, she seems to be in a bit of a "lull". We'll see how long it lasts (my guess is until the next time we need to enforce our household rules). Of course, since I've been working long hours since our vacation, I may be missing out on all her mood swings. If that's the case, I can't complain too much about the pile of work I'm facing.
Outside of work, things on the step-mom front have been pretty calm lately. I'm starting to see that it's definitely and ebb and flow type of lifestyle. I'm planning on taking full advantage of this quiet period to spend a fun weekend with my husband for his birthday - can't wait for some time with him!
