Ceilidh wants a Playdate

Ceilidh has been harassing me to have some friends over for a playdate, specifically a classmate named Michaela. Since I rarely have the opportunity to meet the other moms at the school, I decided to write a short note to Michaela's mother suggesting we get the girls together for a playdate. I included my cell phone number and email address to make it easy for the other mother to get in touch. I instructed Ceilidh to pass the note to Michaela to give to her mother.
A few days went by, and there was no email or phone call. Ceilidh kept asking when Michaela was coming over, or why her mother hadn't called. I had no answer. Ceilidh swore she did give the note to her classmate. Maybe the note got lost in transit. After all, it was written on a square of a post-it. Incidentally, I recalled seeing an article in the Globe and Mail about Mommy business cards to hand out at the parks and school yards. Instead of your credentials and company information, the cards are designed for scheduling playdates with other moms and has all the pertinent contact info and a spot for important details like your kids' likes, dislikes and allergies. I scoffed at the idea when I read the article, but now I see the ingenuity in the Mommy cards.Is it too late to order them?

Well, there was an open house at the school last week. In between admiring the kids' artwork and schoolwork, and chatting with the teachers, we chit-chatted with some of the parents too. One of the mothers asked us if Ceilidh was going to attend her daughter's birthday part. We weren't aware that she had received an invitation and asked Ceilidh where the invite was? In my backpack, was the reply.
In an effort to raise children who will one day become independent and capable adults, we've given our children tasks and responsibilities that are age-appropriate. Like setting the table for dinner, and putting away their dirty dishes in the sink after a meal. Once they start school, they're also tasked with emptying their schoolbags. Letters and handouts from school go onto the kitchen counter where Mommy can read, sign and file away. Lunch bags are also taken into the kitchen. So I rarely check their bags. Especially Ceilidh's since she had picked up a habit of collecting rocks (see related post).

Well, after the open house, I went through Ceilidh's school bag and found not one, but two envelopes. One was the expected birthday invitation, but the other was an invite for a girl's day playdate from several weeks ago!
"Ceilidh! When did you get this?" I asked.
"Oh yeah! Michaela gave me that a long time ago."
"Why didn't you give it to me? You know you're supposed to empty your school bag every night. That's your job!"
"I forgot," was simple response.

Really, there are times my middle child reminds me of my sister Shunaha. The doctor at the Mayo Clinic. The same sister who has also mailed home her return airline ticket and then spent hours looking for it. The same sister who can't locate her glasses - because they're on top of her head.

Well, needless to say, I called Michaela's mom and apologized profusely for not ever responding to the invitation. We've tentatively scheduled another playdate for the girls, but now I'll have to check Ceilidh's backpack at least once a week.