On Sisters and Facebook Pranks...

Last Tuesday, I was doing my usual and teaching a first grade class. While I was teaching, I kept hearing my phone buzz from across the room. Over and over, it buzzed every few seconds. Finally, when I had a break, I walked over to see what messages I was missing. I looked and saw that I had at least a dozen Facebook notifications. Almost all of them were some form of "Congratulations!" on my latest status update.

I spent the next few minutes racking my brain as to what I could have put on Facebook that everyone would be so excited about. My morning had been pretty uneventful. I'd eaten a pop-tart for breakfast and discovered a hole in my skirt. Surely those were not congratulatory events. Finally, I opened up my Facebook app on my phone and discovered that my status said (wait for it...)

Now, I understood all of the congratulations I was receiving. The only problem was... I'm NOT pregnant. Apparently, my darling sister decided to visit my mom. Mom happened to be taking care of the kids at my house. Since I don't make it a habit to log out of my Facebook account on the home computer, Kirsten just had to mess with me. Nothing new there - she is my big sister, after all.

No matter how many times I tried to rescind the pregnancy, someone else would only see the headline on their newsfeed and congratulate me. It became the practical joke that wouldn't die. Just when I thought it was over, someone else who hadn't been on Facebook would log on and congratulate me all over again. I even had a person or two tell me they "just knew it!" Really? I'm not sure what to do with that (go eat more chocolate). 

Here's how it played out in screenshots:

The status that started it all...

This is Kirsten's version of showing that it was all a prank. Unfortunately, no one even noticed this. PS: I have serious issues with both clowns and sticky fingers.

This is my version of pointing out the prank.

I don't think this qualifies as an actual apology. It certainly doesn't sound very remorseful.

Trying to get the word out (& stem the tide of texts and messages regarding my fake baby).

Now she really doesn't sound sorry at all, does she?

Some folks still hadn't figured it out.

What more can I say?

Luckily, I have a pretty good sense of humor. Even though I kept having to correct people, I did think it was a funny prank. I just hope Kirsten braces herself for some revenge. I know I can enlist my nieces' help. I'll just have to lay low for a while... lull her into a false sense of security and all. When she least expects it, I'll have some payback ready. They say it's a bitch.

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The Restaurant Paradox

My children have been raised in restaurants. Patrick went out to dinner for Greek food at The Aegean when he was just four days old. This exposure to restaurants has made the kids understand that there is a certain level of behavior expected when dining out. That is not to say that they are always perfect, but, for the most part, they know what is expected of them.


However, we all know that children, by their very nature, can be unpredictable. Which is why we take steps to try to assure that our restaurant experiences will be positive. We try not to go out too late. We bring items that will entertain them so they will be able to sit quietly. We go to restaurants that are considered family-friendly. All of these steps are taken to attempt an enjoyable meal. Unfortunately, there is a strange phenomenon that has occurred during our last few trips out to eat.


Last week, we decided it would be easier to go out and grab a bite to eat instead of cooking dinner. We'd all had long days at work and school, but we figured a quick trip to the local UNO's would be a fun, easy treat that the kids could handle. We were wrong. The kids were antsy.  Multiple drinks were spilled. Charlotte shouted for the sheer fun of it. Sean bumped his head as he was crawling under the table. In all, it was chaos. The only saving grace was that we had the children trapped seated in a booth waaaaaay in the back of the restaurant, so the only annoyed patrons were PJ and myself.


Then, a few nights later, the whole family was invited out to a sunset cruise in Boston Harbor and dinner in the North End as part of a birthday celebration (all of this after a day of apple picking). I was a little leery of how the kids might be, but I thought it would be fun. Our dinner reservations were for 8:15.  A little late for my kids these days, but still manageable. When we arrived at Dolce Vita, the place was completely packed and they informed us that it might be another 15 minutes until they could seat us. We stayed on the sidewalk and watched people bustling about while we patiently waited. Unfortunately, fifteen minutes stretched into an hour (where I was no longer patiently waiting). PJ and I each had a sleeping little one and the three older children were sitting on the sidewalk entertaining themselves with games on our iPhones. By this point, I was convinced we had a disaster on our hands. After all, my kids could barely handle UNO's, where they actually have a children's menu.


Who in their right mind would take five kids under age eight into a crowded Italian restaurant on a Saturday night over an hour after their bedtime? Then again, whoever said I was in my right mind?


Dinner was fantastic! Our table had a long, padded bench where the little ones slept. The older kids were excellent while they split a steak for dinner and then the girls fell asleep, too. PJ and I got to enjoy a long, delicious dinner, adult conversation, and even stayed for drinks and dessert. (We did find it a little tricky trying to get 4 sleeping children out of the restaurant!)

Sean slept through all of dinner.

The girls lasted until the steak was gone.

Who knows what you'll get from kids? Mine have been raised in restaurants, but they still have their bad nights. They couldn't handle UNO's with crayons and a children's menu, but they had no problem waiting an hour to sit in Dolce Vita and enjoy the sirloin. I suppose they just like to keep me on my toes.




Addendum:


I've been told that I missed a big part of this story. In addition to having a lovely meal in the North End, our dining experience was enhanced by a visit from my drunken sister. Apparently, the old lady doesn't get out much these days. We were fortunate enough to have her big night out coincide with ours in both time and location. She came over from across the street to join us briefly.  She also sat on one of my sleeping children, drank my water, and ate my bread (in the hopes of soaking up some of her alcohol). We even took a picture to commemorate this lovely visit:

Scary how much we look alike!

Consider yourself added, NurseNoodle! ;)