My Saturday night was spent at a swanky restaurant listening to my lovely family members complain about the arrangements I made to celebrate my dearest mother’s birthday. There we sat at an unbelievably elegant restaurant (which pleased my mother to no end) & I had to endure one sibling at a time whisper snide remarks about what they’d have done differently had they gotten off their fat butts & actually planned something.

I made the choice to have the restaurant serve us the 5 course wine tasting menu because that’s just the kind of thing that would tickle her (& it did...& if anything gives me a couple of hours of peace with my mother...I’LL DO IT).

Sister #1 was pissed that it was a little bit on the expensive side...”I don’t think I brought enough money,” she whined...mind you...her father in law had just left them a tidy sum of cash...so, it’s not like she’s lacking the funds.

Sister #2 thought we should have booked a private room (which would have cost extra & therefor made sister#1’s head explode). Money IS an issue with sis #2...but she doesn’t live like it is...so...hooray for her?

My brother was a peach through it all...saying thanks to me for planning it all & drowning out his wife’s complaints over the menu choices by telling jokes at her expense (worked for me).

The great food & wine was a little bit wasted on me...because I spent most of the meal trying not to cough up my spleen...but all was fine in the end...Dad thanked me for planning it & Mom was happy (for now at least).