I seriously *do* want friends!

Oh my goodness, I'm so relaxed right now. Mal has typically only been interested in his computer at bedtime (for which I'm grateful; when he's active + sleepy, that = injury) but he's playing a game on PBSkids RIGHT NOW so I'm able to... well, not play Cars for five minutes or so. I mean, I have a genuine affection for Disney Pixar Cars, as you well know. But hours per day every single day of my life... I just need a break, friends.

Speaking of which: Two opportunities to meet and get to know other people have presented themselves this week, and I blew one off and am getting ready to blow the other one off. Which SUCKS. I think there is some misfire or maybe just abject laziness in my being that prevents me from working very hard to obtain what I believe I really want, which is close friendships for myself and for Mal.

First, Mal has a few friends he likes hanging out with. One is the grandson of a couple who lives around the corner from us. They typically have him one day a week, but last month had him for a week while his parents were on vacation. He and Mal hit it off, and have played together a lot. I like the grandma. She's a bit younger than my parents, but not much.

Then he has another friend he met at storytime. Even though Mal doesn't go anymore, we get together every couple of weeks. The mom and I get along, but when her son starts school in a couple of years, I'm not sure whether we'll stay in touch much, except maybe for things like birthday parties (their birthdays are a week apart), and probably then only for a couple of years. You know how it goes.

He has a third friend he's gotten together with a few times and really enjoyed, but that friend started school last week, so there's one down.

That little bit of reality had me reaching out to a few homeschool moms/grandmas I know about getting together, because each of the kids Mal plays with now will be in school by 2020.

As you might know, I'm not on Facebook anymore. I was on Facebook for ten years and made maybe one or two local friends from it, so I'm not concerned that I'm missing out on networking in that regard. Even within the homeschool community, I never found a place where I felt we fit in. There's an awesome group that has a centrally-located meet-up called "Yawp!" It's kind of a pay-as-you-can playgroup, with affinity meetings and fun events. The problem (for me) is that it's a half hour drive. People drive further than that and love it, but I desperately want the kind of friends I can ask to come over at the last minute, and they can be there pretty soon, if they're free. And, again, we have that right now in the kid Mal met at storytime.

So, I posted in NextDoor, which is a hyper-local social media site. I asked if there were any homeschooling moms with kids preschool age. I think the answer must be "no" but I did get one response.

"I have a newly 3 year old, a 1 year old, and expecting in January. Been looking for mommy friends myself! I started hosting a little walk once a week in Cedar Park and you should totally join! Very easy going and pace is whatever we want, nothing crazy. If you’re interested let me know!"

I tried. I really did. I messaged her. She messaged me. I know where the walk is. It's tomorrow. But here's my reality: 1) Mal won't "go on a walk." So he'll be in a stroller. 2) He'll want to chat, because he'll be bored (if he doesn't go to sleep, which would be HORRIBLE since that means midnight bedtime). 3) At 9 AM, it's in the high 80s, with humidity in the mid 60s. YUCKKkkk. 4) Are these fitness moms? I DON'T NEED FITNESS PALS. 5) I really want to sit on my butt while kids play and make noise and a mess around me. 6) IT IS TOO HOT TO BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW.

Oh, also, my parents are coming to visit tomorrow morning, and that's the excuse I'm going to give for skipping out.

There are what seem to be lovely women at the church Mal and I have been attending for the past few months. It's difficult to get to know anyone much at church, anyway, but with Mal running around and being ready to jet toward the end, I've been looking forward to an outside-of-church opportunity to chat. There's an upcoming meal, but it's when we're going to be out of town. And last night, there was a women's planning event at a local restaurant.

James got home in time for it to be conceivable for me to go. I had planned on trying at least a modest amount to go, but here's the thing about weeknights: 1) I feed James, and we eat dinner together, even if it's just one of us running to get more Cars while the other eats, and trading off these duties. 2) It's just difficult for me to leave the house in the evening. I need to go by early afternoon, or the inertia of the day slows, and the gravity of nighttime and sleep starts pulling on me. 3) I took Mal to Walmart at 4:30, and IT IS TOO HOT TO BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW. I was so drained by one vehicle trip into town, and I knew before we got all of the way to the store that I would be staying home once I got back.

That's it for now as Mal is back into playing with cars and only allowed me 10 bonus minutes to finish this blog post. Also, we're making Pop Tarts. So who needs friends, really, I guess.