Things are good here in La La Land

I ordered a sign for a lake girlfriend today. It says “Welcome to La La Land – population varies.” The term is a bit of a joke among us and the sign very well could hang in front of anyone’s cabin. However, as her husband, Bret, coined the phrase, I thought it fitting that it be theirs.

The whole La La thing started one typical day when the guys went to work and the moms stayed at the lake to take care of the kids. Bret came home early to find four of us lounging about on the grass by the water, sunglasses on, cocktails in hand, and asked incredulously how life in La La Land had been that day.

Of course, the day had not all been so relaxing, as between us there were 11 kids under 9, but through a lucky coincidence, all of the grandparents had arrived, allowing us a well-deserved break.

As the kids have gotten older, life in La La Land has become more and more … well, La La. This summer mine turn 13, 11 and 9 and basically take care of themselves. The boys live in their swimsuits so there are no dirty clothes. They spend all of their time with their friends. On half of the days I might not even see them if I didn’t track them down for a quick once-over and a hug. I know that wherever they are, they’ll be fed by one of the other moms, just as I feed them all when they are at our place.

All of the cabins of our friends are like home to the kids, and the fridges and cupboards are free domain. (Some cupboards tend to get ransacked more often than others, which a trip to Costco by another family always remedies.) Motorolas and cell phones keep tabs on who’s where and doing what.

Life in La La Land has truly become that. Friends, family, relaxation, fun, sunshine or rain, day or night, good music, good food, no worries … except maybe for wondering who is going to be making dinner. Tra-La La La.