The Pool is OPEN!

Today was the Official Pool Opening.
Great reason to have friends over for a bbq & drinks. It also coincided with my youngest daughter's 4th birthday and niece's 18th birthday so a great excuse to have 2 birthday cakes & repeated singing of Happy Birthday.  That always brings a smile.

I enjoy the shopping and menu prep and I even enjoy the last minute clean up and organisation except today it was done with 3 kids who would just not let up!
Mum, we're hungry...
Mum, I've finished (pooing, youngest still needs help)...
Mum, the dog got out...
Mum, I've spilled water on the laptop...
Mum, the dining room is a fucking pigsty AGAIN!
You catch my drift, right? Needless to say I started drinking prior to Beer O'clock and the arrival of my guests and the bruschetta never made it into the bowls. I'm pretty sure the tomatoes are still sitting on the bench actually.
However, I did have a really good time. I had given up on perfection at the precise moment my first guest arrived -great timing!
I find I hold myself to some pretty high standards but generally don't have the same expectations of others. I'm not sure why. I don't think they are less capable I just feel that I have to always do my best or be exceptional for others. It does seem a shame though that my expectations of myself are high in possibly the wrong places. Instead of driving me to be a better wife and mother or home maker they push me to be good at my job or like today, put on a good party. Does that make those things more important to me or do I just realise that I can actually do that stuff well so why not push myself to achieve a little more where I can?
On the flip side when I just threw my hands up, poured a drink and accepted what I'd done was good enough I had fun and didn't give the missed things a second thought.
How and when did I become so highly strung? I guess it must have been a subtle process -I'm pretty sure it didn't happen overnight...but it did happen! Apparently. Now I have to figure out how to reverse it.
More days like today will help I'm sure, lucky for me it's heading for the fun time of the year and I have family & friends happy to enjoy some down time with me.
So tonight I have a big thank you to send out to all the friends who joined in the Pool Opening today (even though we didn't get to swim in it) and to our 10 kids and 3 teens all of whom allowed me to take a step back and enjoy myself - imperfections and all...when I reflect on the day the only thing that really could have been better was the weather and even I can't control that!