Tuesday's tips: How to gain weight, trash your house and lose your mind in just 6 days

I am the queen of good intentions and poor time management.

I am also the queen of taking on too many projects.

So when my mom asked if she could come visit us this week, I said, “Sure. We have nothing going on.”

Apparently “nothing going on” was code for “come witness me trying to juggle  house maintenance, throw a sleepover birthday party for my 14-year-old in Brighton while my nine-year-old has a gymnastic competition in Grand Blanc, host a writing group, make a quilt top for the school auction, finish reading a book to be reviewed, stay on my half-marathon training schedule, attend a planning meeting for gymnastics, write my blog and this weekly post.”

Did I mention that I turned 39 yesterday?

I don’t know about you, but I get a little bit loco when company comes to visit. In my head I envision a clean house, well thought-out nutritious meals, beautifully decorated guest spaces and entertaining daily schedules. My children will be on their best behavior, of course, and the weather will be sublime. No matter who comes to visit, even if it is my own mother, my intentions are to give them a vacation of a lifetime.

Unfortunately, what my mother got this time was pure chaos. All of our time was spent prepping for a party, throwing a party, prepping a project, sewing a project and dodging various dirty looks (or in some cases, flying objects) from my over-dramatic, less-than-cooperative children. Currently, my house looks like the remnants of an after-party. Pink paper flowers hover over our entryway while zebra printed paper lanterns dangle from our staircase railing. There is also a garland of pink and black decorating the mantle. Pink, grey and black balloons are also still floating at the top of my vaulted ceiling. Someone thought it would be “pretty” when you walked in the house.

It’s going to be days before those things drop low enough for me to reach.

The most important things got completed, while the more personal items were omitted. My next run is going to be painful, to be sure.

But hopefully, what my mother will remember the most, on her way back to Virginia today, are the moments we shared glasses of wine, splurged on restaurant meals, ate bucketfuls of junk food with her granddaughters, stayed up late playing Scrabble, spent way too much money shopping and celebrated another wonderful year.

Because those are the moments I already miss.