It's been a long day, so all you're getting is a crappy list.

The title pretty much says it all, so let's just jump right in, shall we?

1. We began our day by tidying up Jude's mohawk. I cut his hair into a 'hawk back in March or April, and because his hair grows inordinately quickly, I have already had to trim it at least three times. It should have been four because this last one was WAY overdue. (Sidenote: If any of you were wondering, I have discovered the secret to the perfectly straight, perfectly centered mohawk. Take a washable marker and draw "borders" on the head. Only shave up to the border markers. Wash the marker out when you're finished. Bada bing. You're welcome.)

2. I babysat my youngest niece on a whim this morning while my sister-in-law (this one, not this one) went to the dentist. She (my sister-in-law, I mean; my niece is an infant and not able to work, even in countries with no child labor laws) paid me for my "efforts" (I use this term loosely because the baby napped 2/3 of the time she was with me) with Sheetz MTO coffee. I was more than pleased with this form of currency.

3. I went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time in my life this evening. My oldest niece (who also belongs to the aforementioned sister-in-law) turned 7 last week, and B's mother set up a party with The Mouse (this one, not this one) for her family and ours. B had to work until 9:00, so Cara came in his stead. We ate pizza, played skee ball (and a bunch of other games, but let's face it: skee ball is the best), climbed on things (okay, the kids climbed on things - the adults supervised), and cashed in our tickets for some dollar store quality, Grade A crap prizes.

3. a. Scout is TERRIFIED of all things in costume (I need her to get over this by the time she is 7 because my lifelong dream is to take the kids to DisneyWorld for Christmas when she is 7 and Jude is 5), so during the big birthday song and dance, wherein Chuck himself graced us with his presence, she clung to me like a baby spider monkey and cried, begging to go hide in the bathroom until he was gone.

3.b. My niece made out like a bandit at the prize counter, primarily due to her special birthday girl status (which raked in something like 700 tickets without her having to play a single game), going home with a jewelry making kit, an arm full of bracelets, and a pocket full of candy. My kids? Well, they're a bit below the typical Chuck E Cheese demographic, so they didn't do as well. Scout snagged herself a rainbow Slinky (which she promptly tangled in her balloon string before we had left the parking lot), a mini-box of Tinkerbell crayons, and two small plastic frogs (I'm sure she would have gladly traded all 340 tickets for 17 of the frogs if I'd let her). Jude walked away with a temporary tattoo and some Smarties. All in all, it was a lovely time for them (except for that whole "giant, terrifying mouse" business... although Jude did just fine and was actually boogieing down with him at one point).

4. Before the party, my sister-in-law, my tiny humans, and I all went to Michael's for a few much-needed (and a few much-wanted) crafty items. While we were there, Scout happened to spot a FABULOUS Charlie and Lola pop-up book, in mint condition, in a clearance bin for $5.99, so we snatched that up faster than you can say, "Soren Lorenson." I also snagged some yarn to make scarves for my kids (I know, I can't even make one scarf, so why am I stocking up on supplies to make three? I have no excuse other than the fact that hoarding runs in my family.), some supplies for our kids' traditional Father's Day gifts, and some new embroidery hoops and stamps (because I can never, ever resist the $1 stamp bin at Michael's).

5. Any day that starts with drawing on your kid's head with magic marker and ends with a trip to Michael's and Chuck E Cheese is a good day. It's also a long day, which is why this is so late and why it's all you get for today.

The end.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...