Dear Journal:

I’ll be honest with you, I’m kinda wiggin’ out over here. But, it’s okay. It’s all normal type stuff, or stuff that used to be normal. We’re not even dealing with anything huge or life-changing. It’s just, we’ve been doing this covid stuff for a year now, a full year! And, it’s time for a party. I know other people would say NOOO! But, we cancelled my daughter’s 5th birthday party last year. She sooo wanted to go to Chucky Cheese, but we stayed home and had cake and presents only, just us. She was a good sport about it, but now she’s turning 6 and desperately wants to have friends over.

So, we’re having a party this year, outdoors, with masks, a few kids, decorations, way too much sugar, and a pinata! We buy them at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Las Maracas, and it’s such a deal. Plus, what kid doesn’t love a pinata?

I’m excited and stressed because I’m not a party planner or thrower. I tried to avoid buying cheap plastic toy crap, but everything came wrapped in plastic packaging that can’t be recycled anyway. And, then there are the presents. She wanted a beanbag chair, but did you know those little Styrofoam pellets just end up in the dump or worse, the oceans? Polluting our food? I don’t want to think about how much plastic we end up EATING in a year, due to plastic pollution. I want to do better, but I feel like I keep failing at environmentalism half the time.

So, I made some compromises. I said yes to a beanbag cover, one without pellets that doubles as stuffed toy storage (which we need anyway) and we talked about why that’s important. It seems like a win-win (until I take into account shipping and packaging). Still, it’s better.

All these different competing needs pulling me in different directions. The biggest one is that I’ve got a book due at the end of the month (ie, now) and I still need to write the ending. Eek! Do I let the kids watch TV and Kids YouTube so I can work? Or, do I play Candyland or Go Fish with them for the thousandth time? Or better yet, do crafts, attend scouts on-line, or coerce my kids to get the garden up and running with me? The to-do list is never ending. I guess juggling is what parenting these days is all about. But still, say it with me. Less single use plastic!

Song of the day: Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.