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How does one recap an entire week of ease and loveliveness? Of course we had fun. Of course it was easy (except for when we had to scramble to get out of SLC so we could make our connecting flight). Of course Vancouver Island is gorgeous. Of course I didn't miss my boys. Worry, maybe. Miss, nope. Of course I liked flying in a plane and being able to read my book without interruption. Need I even state those things? No. Here are the things that must be stated:
1. We saw Raffi at a market. He was signing albums that hadn't even been released yet. Not buying one was my only regret from the trip. Not because I like his music, but only because. I mean, there he was, two feet from me. And yet I did nothing. Nothing.
2. Canada has TONS of hippies, backpackers, and hitchhikers. It's the weirdest thing.
3. Sand dollars are black when alive. Huh. And stink when they're dying. And are probably illegal to bring home. Shhhh....
4. Tides are amazing. It's also equally amazing when tides go out and leave miles of beaches that are otherwise completely covered by water.
5. On our first honeymoon, I beat Chuck at mini golf. On this, our second honeymoon (well, that's how we explained this trip to the boys, thanks Berenstain Bears), I did it again. Apparently this feat occurs only once a decade.
6. If I moved to Canada, I'd have to visit all of the provincial parks, instead of state parks, obviously. I don't know why this sounds so **cute** to me, but it does. Ah, this park is just so, so...provincial!
7. Just because trees are really, really big, does not make them necessarily good looking. They can just be really, really big ugly trees.
8. Surfing was my favorite thing we did. It was exhausting and hard and my arms were so sore the next day, but it was so much fun. And yes, I even got up a couple of times, thankyouverymuch. Who knew Canada had good waves?
9. Wet suits keep you surprisingly warm, even in the waters off Canada's surfing capital. Not once did we experience cold while wearing them.
10. Sometimes the journey (when it consists of boat-height ocean swells, grey and orca whale sightings, super cool fog, eagles, a black bear, and sea otters) is even cooler than the destination, especially when the destination is wicked HOT hot springs, over 50 degrees (that's 122°F for us yanks).
11. In one bed and breakfast, our daily breakfast consisted of a beautiful fruit and yogurt parfait topped with coconut, a fluffy omelet (either spinach and feta or cheese, mushroom, and ham), pancakes, toast, and juice. This is what our Friday night breakfast-for-dinner should look like every week.
12. Our kayak guide wants to kayak from Alaska to the bottom of South America. Uh, I think I'll just wait for the Banff Mountain Film Festival movie about his trek to come out.
13. If anyone can recreate the French toast I had here, I will seriously pay you $15 (that's better than the exchange rate, by the way). Check it out: it's called the Peasant Toast and it was the best breakfast I've ever had. Ever. I chose to have it on French bread instead, and I'm pretty sure the slices were 2" thick.
14. Walking and walking for seven days in flip flops, even if they're Vibram-soled flip flops, is not the wisest of choices. (Note: Running shoes were donned on day 8 after knees were killing me.)
15. The tan line that one gets from wearing flip flops for seven days straight is, however, pretty cool. (Ack! Don't judge my scraggly toes! I know I need a pedicure STAT.)
P.S. Aren't you so happy that I posted a picture of my feet? You're welcome.
Our bags are packed! Be back (too) soon.
P.S. Rhett's bag pattern came from a tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew. Ollie's bag pattern came from a book. Oh, I love that Ed Emberley fabric.
P.P.S. I don't know why the boys look like they were put in the corner for naughtiness. But that's what they look like!
0. Most importantly, order yourself a batch of amazing weather. This weather should include blue skies, a good breeze, low humidity, and low(er) temps. This is the one make-it-or-break-it as bad weather will ruin even the best plans. Also, secure yourself some excellent company. Once you complete those tasks, carry on with the rest of these instructions.
1. When possible, schedule the 4th for a Friday. It means that you can party on Friday, sleep in and get chores done on Saturday, and then enjoy the Sabbath.
2. Because you hope and pray that your kids (and you) will sleep in on Saturday, get your long run done on Friday morning.
3. Enjoy a church 4th of July parade and breakfast with a lot of your favorite people. (The rest of your favorite people all live far away. Sadly.)
4. Go home and take a nap. This nap should be taken by all members of the household, but especially those less than three years of age and greater than 35.
5. Wake up and immediately head downtown D.C. to get dinner of burgers or pizza (or both). Finish that dinner with an amazing strawberry shake. Let your kids only have the minimum amount so the adults can enjoy the greater part. And by "adults," I mean the female adult.
6. Walk to your kind-of-work building to secure great seats six floors up. Enjoy the *AMAZING* weather relaxing with friends.
7. When the fireworks begin, watch them.
8. When the fireworks end, proceed straight to the metro, wait less than one minute, and get on the train from your uncrowded platform.
9. Upon arriving home, place children directly into bed.
10. SLEEP IN until 7:30 a.m. Do not let this miracle go unnoticed. It will not happen again until children are teenagers.
11. Go for another run because it turns out you ordered your weather using a 2-for-1 deal and Saturday was simply stunning, so you couldn't not run.
12. Enjoy being outside with your children.
13. Go get a great haircut while your menfolk go to lunch.
14. Pick out fabric for nighttime sewing project.
15. While the males are all (yes--ALL) sleeping, go get your own lunch of frozen yogurt and do some grocery shopping. (Some things cannot be helped.)
16. Play in the creek.
17. BBQ some ribs for dinner and eat outside because, yes, the weather is that good.
18. Put the kids down for a regular bedtime.
19. Sew a new travel bag for your older son to replace the one you made last week that was too small.
20. Go to bed.
39: The number of acorn "lids" I found in the washing machine after doing one load of Rhett's laundry.
4: The number of airplanes we saw fly right over our heads before both boys were in complete hysterics (the bad kind, not the good kind) and we have to leave Gravelly Point.
23: The number of UPS trucks we saw on one block of road one morning.
77: The temperature (and humidity) of my Wednesday morning run (and I'm talking pre-6:00 a.m.). It was terrible.
48: The temperature at my parents' house at the same time. Do you think I'm jealous?
1,000,000: The number of times I've daydreamed about going on my upcoming vacation.
Googolplex: The number of times I've nightmared about returning from my upcoming vacation. Googolplex is in honor of Rhett, who is currently obsessed with that number.
1: Number of minutes it took for the 4th of July t-shirt-making art project to turn crazy.
204 204 255: RGB color of the water after Chuck cleaned up two paint-stained boys. Note: All paint on boys was self-imposed.
Posting early because of the holiday. Happy 4th of July!
Weird Talents
- Picking the right number of pins needed for a sewing project.
- Seeing someone in a movie or TV show and identifying where I've seen them before.
- Knowing when I'm going to win a raffle.
Weird Un-Talents
- Picking the right-sized container for my leftovers.
- Leaving frozen cookie dough alone.
- Sneezing when I need to.
After the first week of summer went well, I had high hopes. But then last week happened. You'd think Rhett in Vacation Bible School for three hours daily would make it a breeze, right? Me too! But I was wrong. It was hard. The boys fought constantly. It was hot and humid. Ollie was grumpy. I was grumpy. Other than attend a funny dog trick show on Wednesday night and playgroup Friday morning, we didn't do much. And I'm finding that my boys are infinitely better-behaved when we are out doing things when compared to being lazy in the house, but I need them to have lazy days in the house so I can have lazy days in the house. So it was hard. It made me miss my full-time work days of summer.
But I have hopes for this week. Playdates with friends, a holiday, AND guess who gets to watch the D.C. fireworks on the mall from the roof of her work building? This girl (and her three boys)! This week will be better. It must be better. I still have 19 days to go.
P.S. Not only do I kind-of miss my full-time work days, but Chuck definitely misses his summer off! He's finding it awfully hard to work during the summer. Poor guy.
P.P.S. Oh, this is great. Ollie got sick on Saturday. He had a fever and was reduced to much less than his usually-crazy self. Poor buddy. Please cross your fingers it doesn't turn into hand-foot-mouth disease.
P.P.P.S. Summer is, once again, killing my desire to cook. I will not admit to what we've been eating for dinner.
P.P.P.P.S. Summer hasn't killed my desire to sew, however. It might have increased it because the basement is so nice and cool! I made another bunk bed book bag for a friend's daughter and two purses for my nieces for Christmas. I'm awesome.
In the spring, our front yard is inundated with "helicopters." You know, the seeds that fall from maple trees? The things that look like little whirly things as they're falling? Sure, the kids love them. But me? I HATE them. They land on my porch and then descend on the bush bed. THEN. Then they sprout. For months, 30 new little sprouts grow every day, and I have to weed them out of there. (And yes, I have counted.) Oh how I hate them. Next year I'm going to cover my entire front porch area with netting so they can't get in.
P.S. My old (but ongoing) nemesis remains my newspaper delivery man. We have a double-wide driveway, something rare in my neighborhood. And yet he insists on throwing the paper on the grass. Why is this a problem? Because east coast grass is soaked with dew! I HATE walking in it. And then the newspaper bag is soaking wet. I just don't understand why it can't be thrown on my driveway. WHY?! My life is so hard...still.
P.P.S. Not enough whinging for ya? Just wait! Monday there will be more! Yippee!
Ollie: Time for a adult quiz!
Us: Oooookay.
Ollie: How do you eat a mickey pancake?
Chuck: Uh, ears first and then the face?
Ollie: No! With your MOUTH!
As I'm getting him ready for a nap...
Ollie: When you are the size of me, you are going to take naps.
Ollie is whining for me to carry him home from Rhett's school.
Me: Fine. You want me to carry you? That means you're a baby, and I'm going to call you a baby.
Ollie: Fine. But I won't say "goo goo."
And yes, that is an inside-out shirt on his legs in the picture above and in the video below. I'm pretty sure the underwear needs no explanation. Which is good, because I have none.
So far, so good. Two Saturdays ago we woke up to a gorgeous day, so I knew we must immediately head to the zoo. If we didn't go then, it would be September until we got another chance. And the day did not disappoint. Plus, after having four kids for three days, we knew we could do anything!
Then on Sunday we had a nice Father's Day.
Monday we went to pick strawberries. In years past, I always felt left out when my friends got to go do this during their summers. Because I worked full-time, I couldn't. So I knew this was one of the things I wanted to do first. However, I'm not sure I'll go again. I didn't really like it and Ollie just sat there. So we quickly returned home and started preparing the food for "Strawberry Day!" (See how I knocked "berry picking" and "silly holiday" off the summer list in one shot? Sweet.) We had strawberry salsa on chicken, a strawberry drink, and strawberry poundcake. But I'm definitely happy with store-bought produce from here on out.
Months ago, I got tickets for Wednesday to go to the top of the Washington Monument. Who knew I'd pick the day when D.C. is the hottest spot in the country (at noon, at least)?! But we survived. It was actually quite fun! The twinner outfits on the boys was only half intentional--I promise. I wanted them in their whitest shirts (hot day, remember?) and they happened to be the same. So, what can I do except put the same colored shorts on?! For you locals: Don't be dumb like me and go during the summer. Go in the fall when (1) there are no tourists and (2) it's not sweltering.
They were definitely tired at the end, however.
And quite silly.
Friday was spent at the park, with some nice and lazy parenting...just how I prefer it.
And finally, Saturday morning we woke up to another un-hot day, so after my long run, we headed out to Fort McHenry (which is near Baltimore). It was surprisingly fun! We had perfect weather and really enjoyed ourselves. On the way home we listened to my "patriotic" playlist. Ha.
P.S. This week is Vacation Bible School for Rhett, so thankfully we won't be so busy.
P.P.S. These outings on Saturdays after my long runs are really wearing me out!
Who gets...
1. The orange bowl
2. The orange plate
3. The orange anything
4. The green towel
5. The long spoon
6. The new chair
Other...
1. Where Ollie is going to sleep
2. Who has more of anything
3. Why Ollie puts his hand in Rhett's cup
4. Who gets to hold Bruno's leash
5. What shows to watch
Kids are awesome.
I did it. I successfully parented four kids for three days, with Chuck helping two of those afternoons/evenings. I got two children off to school (and back) each day. I made lunches. I drove a mini-van. Chuck and I put them to bed (and they stayed in bed!). We fed them. We told them to get dressed. We even did fun things. And then we were tired. Very, very tired.
The Easy Parts:
1. Breakfast. All kids were happy eating Cheerios.
2. Nap time. Ollie went down way easier than he normally does. And little S, well, she was quiet and stayed in her room. Whether or not she napped was immaterial to me.
3. Filling the early mornings and afternoons and evenings. Even though we had warm days that threatened rain, we still got out and did things. And when it actually did rain, we stayed in and watched a movie. And in the mornings, the kids just played.
4. Dinner. This is easy when you feed them spaghetti and meatballs, hot dogs, and pizza. (Please don't think this is our normal menu. We just wanted to make this easy.)
5. Putting them to bed. Surprise! All kids went to bed, and stayed in bed. I'm sure wearing them out daily helped.
The Hard Parts:
1. Filling the days. For some reason, having just two around during the day was hard.
2. Knowing whether the girls were taking advantage of the situation. Does S's mom really cut off the crusts, or did I get hoodwinked? Just a lot of little things like this. It was constant and mentally draining.
3. Getting enough sleep. I just never felt like I had enough downtime and so when it was over, I was exhausted. I went to bed early the three nights after they left.
4. Little girl hair! I totally forgot about it the first day, and M went to school with the same braid she wore the day before. But man, this is just something I know nothing about.
5. The noise. This is not to say that the girls are loud, but man, my boys definitely upped it while they were here.
6. Chuck's "surgery" Friday morning made him less-than-helpful on Friday. Solo parenting to four is NOT fun.
7. I should have known better. My "adult snacks" supply was desperately low. Some Skinny Cows could have gone a loooooong way.
But now it's done. We still like the girls and their parents, and I hope no permanent damage to the girls was done. Maybe the worst thing that happened to them was being introduced to McDonald's ice cream cones. Whoops.
P.S. My running friends are too smart. When I posed my problem to them, they had a genius solution: run the last five or so miles with my sis. Isn't that just masterful? I don't have to pay. I don't have to lose tons of sleep. I still might get some Creamies and one (or two) Maverick cones. On the downside, I don't get to run a lot of miles with my sister nor will I get a fancy medal. But it's still the perfect solution.
Today is the last day of school and, being the planner I am (and boy am I a planner!), I've been gathering summer ideas for some time. Because of my work and our vacation, I have 25 days with both boys until school starts again.
Make-It Days
Crafternoons
Treats
Popsicles
Lemonade stand
Science
Water Play
Backyard baby pool
Water table
Sprinkler
Community pool
Splashground
Water park
Boating
Creek swimming
Big Field Trips
Smithsonians
Washington Monument
Aviation museum
BounceU
Great Falls
Roosevelt Island
Gravelly Point
Zoo
Berry picking
Beauvoir Park
Cunningham Falls
Little Field Trips
Libraries
Playgrounds
Hikes
Picnics
Nature centers
Wheaton Regional Park train
Michael's craft days
Regal Movies
Fire house tour
Night-time Activities
Rockville Town Square on Tuesdays and Fridays
Strathmore concerts
Bethesda Big Train baseball
Other
Silly holiday
County fair
4th of July in Frederick
Service
Playdates
Now to find the energy and patience to do them...
Usually I'm a quick decision maker. Hemming and hawing is not my thing. Sunday night, however, I got into this quandry: To Run Another Half Marathon or Not To Run.
I'll be in Utah for a couple of days surrounding our anniversary trip. On one of those days, there is a half in Utah County. My sister is considering it and now I am too. Here is my list of pros and cons:
Pros:
1. I get to run with my sister!
2. I get to run in humidity-free Utah!
3. I get to run in beautiful American Fork Canyon! (Alright, enough of the exclamation points.)
4. It's all downhill (except for a tiny bit), but not leg-killing downhill (unlike this race closer to my childhood home).
5. It's early, so we wouldn't miss out on too much of the day's activities.
6. It's partially sponsored by Creamies, so you know there will be some at the finish.
7. I could eat an unlimited number of Maverick ice cream cones that day.
8. Emily is not at all concerned with getting a certain time, just finishing.
9. I'd get another cool medal.
Cons:
1. My flight from Victoria gets in the night before at 10 p.m.
2. It's early: a six a.m. race start! The amount of sleep I will have gotten the previous night is not lost on me.
3. It costs $75 (which is not unreasonable for halfs, but still).
4. It's long. Thirteen miles and then some.
5. All long, training runs out here are now filled with humidity.
6. Even though it ends early, let's face it: I'll still be tired that day.
7. I fly back to Maryland the next day.
8. My flight from Victoria gets in the night before at 10 p.m. (Important enough to repeat.)
9. Again: a six a.m. race start!
ACK! You see?! You understand my hard choices?! What to do, what to do...
Last week at work I had a training that took me to work FOUR DAYS. Can you believe I had to make myself four lunches AND pick out four work outfits. Even harder than that was scheduling additional babysitting and easy dinners. It wasn't my favorite week. (Ooooh, but eating out Friday night at a local Latin place WAS amazing. It's my new favorite place.) But we had a lovely, easy Saturday complete with creek playing. I don't know why I bothered to roll Ollie's pants. Not only did he sit in the water, but he fell more than twice. So um yeah, next time we bring dry clothes for the walk home.
And why is this week crazy? Because I'm doubling the number of kids I have. Some good friends are going out of town for their 9th anniversary, and I (knowing I would be equally paid back), offered to watch their girls. I think previous-me would have been scared to death. And sure, I'm a little bit nervous about bedtimes, but everything should be relatively easy. Our four kids play easily, I have fun things planned (MUST have plans!), and it's only three days. It will be great. And then it will be greater when they take my boys later this year.
P.S. What's your favorite over-the-counter allergy medicine? This is my first time with spring allergies and I don't like it one bit.
Let's say your kid (and you) had a rough morning. Tantrums were going on all over the place. By the time you get the kid (let's just call him your "elder son," shall we?) to school, you are done parenting. But after multiple other tantrums by another kid who happens to live in your house ("younger son"), and a failed nap by "younger son," you're spent. But you also know that you're partly to blame, right? I mean, sure, the sons were 99% of the problem, but you know, someone else was responsible for the 1%.
Anyway, here's what not to do (the non-tip, if you will): resolve to have a do-over morning. You know, complete with pretending to sleep and then waking up to an after-school snack of cereal. Then getting dressed into pajamas and brushing teeth. But you won't want to do this because this would actually be a fun, light-hearted way to teach the behavior you wish had happened in the morning. Oh no, better to just expect the tantrum at the door and then go lock yourself in your room with your kindle until your husband gets home.
Now there's a tip.
I don't know about your kids, but mine are constantly phrasing questions in the form of demands. "Mom, may I please have some water?" has become "WATER!" To say that it drives me absolutely crazy is to underestimate my rage.
But instead of freaking out on the ungrateful, lovely children, Chuck and I simply respond to them, "That is not a nice question." It doesn't tell them what to say. It doesn't tell them what's wrong with the way they initially "asked." But man does it work! Sure, I've said it about a million times in the past two weeks, but it works. And in about ten years, I'm sure all our hard work will pay off.
P.S. While I'm talking about my children, take a look at this awesome school work by Rhett. I love it.
After all of your good input, and after deciding that we couldn't afford my two dream trips (Norway and Iceland), we are opting for Vancouver Island in July for our early 10th anniversary trip. I'm pretty sure you can guess that I'm a teensy weensy bit excited. And the more I plan for it, the more excited I get.
So far our itinerary includes: wandering a famous market, ferry rides, a sand sculpture contest, provincial parks, surf lessons, hiking, hot springs, relaxing on a beach, kayaking at sunset, and wandering around Victoria. And of course lots of good food. Pretty awesome.
Do you know what it doesn't include? Cutting up meat into little pieces. Worrying about what a missing nap might do to a certain toddler. Buckling and unbuckling road-weary kids in and out of car seats. Fights over bedtime. Oh, doesn't it just sound heavenly? I seriously don't know if I'll be able to come back.
P.S. English can be so dumb. Why don't "good" and "food" rhyme? Try it. First, rhyme good with food: Gude Fude. Now the other way: Good Food. That was hard. Whew.
P.P.S. We saw this duo at a folk festival this weekend. I could NOT stop smiling as we watched. Even better: the first bit she did in German. Totally bizarre but totally fun.
