Smellyann Strikes Again

Train Of Thought

Rob's mom, my dear MIL, recently suggested that we take Jack on a short train ride like Chloë did in September for her 10th birthday trip up to D.C. He is a fan of all things that go, especially if they have wheels and engines an' sech, so she rightly figured he would get a big kick out of it. To get the best prices, we had to go on weekdays, which meant Rob couldn't go along. So, I invited Jenny From the Block and her kids, M & G, along for our train trip to Richmond last week. Here are G and Jack playing Legos in the Newport News train station as we waited for our turn to embark. We got there waaaay early, so there was lots of time for that. Oops. I had counted on lots more traffic.

 

It was a splendid idea. Jack was positively giddy with excitement, and I think I heard the words, "Thanks for taking us on this train trip, Mommy," about 47K times in those coupla days. Not that I got sick of it, mind you. He was a born grump, so to make him really happy is one of my greatest pleasures.

 

Well, we were all pretty excited, truth be told. I'd love to take a cross-country train trip, with sleeper cars and the whole bit, some day. How fun would that be?!

It was hard to keep the kids confined to their seats, so fortunately they were free to get up and walk around, because they all wanted to watch the world go by as the train flew from Newport News to Williamsburg and then our final destination. (It was a very short trip, but the train tickets were cheaper than the gas to drive there, I swear!)

It took us a minute to figure out where to go for the proper bus, and I almost got into a smackdown with a woman at a different stop across the street, who was not listening to what I was telling her while I was busy not listening to what she was telling me. Heh. Eventually we got it sorted out and, thanks to her help and that of the actual bus drivers, we soon (not, more like two hours later) ended up at the hotel I'd gotten super-cheaply on Priceline. Woot!

 

While we waited for the bus, we watched more trains go by. I forget how many cars they counted, but this was a super-duper long one!

The hotel was mostly pretty nice, with respectful and attentive staff, but there were a few snafus, like the fact that they wanted a $50 deposit - which I didn't happen to have - and weren't going to waive the policy even though we'd already paid for the room (Jenny saved the day, thankfully), and the pool being closed for our entire first day, even though that's what the kids really wanted to go do most of all. So when we got in our room, finally, Jenny and the girls played cards on her bed, the boys played Legos some more, and I took a wee nap.

For dinner, we went across the street to the Chick-fil-A, because we wanted to let the kids burn off all their energy in the play place. They made friends with a gorgeous, statuesque young girl who is destined to be a model, from the looks of her. She was down-to-earth, though, and really enjoyed playing with our unsocialized, homeschooled kidlets. ;)

 

Jenny treated all the kids to ice cream after dinner, at the same place. Oh, there, you can see Chloë's necklace from her beau, S, can't you?

Before long, it was time to head back to the hotel and start getting ready for bed. Chloë & M both had "cute" sayings on their jammies, so they were all happy about that and posed for this "I'm Snow Cute as a Kitten" picture together. Then, after they had all brushed teeth, gotten their respective medicines and jammies on and found places to sleep, Miss Jenny read the five of them a bedtime story. It worked like a charm! I timed it: by 9:28 PM, all of them were sleeping soundly. Meanwhile, here it is 0420 right now and my daughters are still wide awake. What is the magic formula? A stricter bedtime routine, and a story. We used to do it. I think we will be starting that again, after this night. Ridiculous!

The following morning, we had a leisurely breakfast in our room (we'd both packed plenty of food) before heading to the finally-reopened pool for what was supposed to be most of the day. Um, hmm, seems they forgot to make it warm and not crank up the air conditioning in the pool room at the same time. We all froze! Even Jenny and I, and we didn't swim! Still, they braved it for as long as they could stand it, petering out one by one to wrap up in towels on the lounge chairs. Sophia's the second-youngest and yet the only one who could really swim. She was pretty dang cute swimming around with the other four hovering around the stairs together!

Oh, a funny: Sophia decided they were going to play spa, and she was giving all of the other kids massages on their chaises when an employee walked through the courtyard where we were. She jokingly asked if she could make an appointment for a massage, too, and Sophia didn't skip a beat before taking over to an imaginary sign and pointing out that it read, "For kids 10 and under only!" Just like that. There was no sign, let alone one saying anything about 10 and under; she's just quick with the humor like that. Love that kid!

To warm up the kids, Jenny decided to take us all next door to the restaurant, which was plenty warm, and treat us to lunch there. The décor was really cool and gave me some ideas...

Since we were in a "fancy" restaurant, M and Jenny decided we had to drink from our cups with our pinky fingers up and speak in British accents. Everyone but grumpy-boy participated, so it was a bit of a giggle-fest there for a minute. We were having a good time - even Jack, though he'd never have admitted it.

 

After lunch, we tried the pool again, but it was still too cold, despite the Engineer's best efforts to warm it up for us. So we went back up to the room, where Sophie and M took a "hot tub" together. M told met they were pretending to be two elbow macaronis cooking in hot water, which I found to be particularly amusing!

For dinner, we had the hotel shuttle drive us sort of across the street to the Steak 'n' Shake for a dinner of, um, ice cream milkshakes. Yup. That's all. Even I got in on that one, knowing full well it would make me sick to my guts. (And it did.) The cool part was I saw a Mattaponi Indian's truck, which I know it was because it said something about "Custalow Landscaping," and that's the last name of pretty much all of the Mattaponi tribe. I tried to find the owner, so s/he could pass a message on to Ol' George for me (remember our field trip to the reservation?), but I couldn't determine who it was. And, you know, I didn't want to assume too much. I did ask one darker-skinned man, but he was from New York and recognized me as a fellow New Yawka by my accent, too. Weird that I still have enough of a Hudson Valley accent to be recognized, though I haven't lived there since I was six! Anyway, blah blah blah.

 

The next day, our shuttle driver drove us to the bus stop we needed, after we checked out at noon. Time to get home again. We waited a while for the bus, so the kids checked out the mushrooms growing all around and had a quick lesson from us moms about different kinds of fungi. Hey, it's always schooltime 'round these parts.

 

Finally, we caught our bus, and no transfers this time. Only, the driver pointed out the wrong place for us to take a "short cut," and it turned out to be a really LONG cut, which wasn't terribly fun with all the baggage we were lugging around. Super annoying. And we couldn't find a bathroom soon enough for poor Sophia, who had a little accident and had to change in a dark stairwell during our trek to the right location. Thank goodness I'd brought a pack of wipes with us to clean her up well!

We eventually made it to the real, newer Richmond Amtrak station, which is actually quite nice. We found a parlor-type room unoccupied, so we claimed it for our rambunctious crew. We had a three-hour wait for our train! There was no place to stow our luggage and go wander around town, and neither of us had the energy to take it with us, so we sat and "needled," while the kids played various games with each other. It worked out okay; we were even eventually joined by a brave college student who we nicknamed "Anime Freak," because, well, that's what his shirt said. Shout out to Anime Freak!

I knit while Jenny crocheted, and then we made our way over to the platform when our train was called. There was another 20 or so minutes of waiting time there, where two elderly women glared at us, sniffed the air repeatedly and generally disapproved of our mere existence. Jenny later sent me this link on Pinterest for those women. Hee. When it was time to board, we lined up the kids between us, with a mom on either end as we'd been doing throughout the journey, and walked past those two snobby women. I couldn't resist. I smiled cheerfully at them and said, loudly, "Thanks for all the disapproving glares!" before marching past them with the rest of the gang. Anime Freak caught up to me and said, "Nice job! I hate people like that." I wonder what side the rest of the travelers were on?

For the rest of the journey home, it was pretty uneventful as the two mommies kept needling and the kids kept needling us to entertain them. Ha. No. So they busied themselves somehow, and we soon reached Newport News once again. Jenny had driven us up there, so as she drove home, I entertained the kids with that "A my name is Alice" game. M really liked that; she and Chloë played it between themselves about three more times while the younger three children dozed and chillaxed.

All in all, it was a pretty swell time. The seven of us survived each other, public transportation, the state capital, and non-child-friendly old maids. Win.

Fin.

Friday Fragments

Link up here if you're fragmenting with Mrs. 4444 today!

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Is anyone else shocked it's May already? For Heaven's sake, our pool will be open in 3 weeks already! I can't believe how fast the time is flying. We are so busy all of the time, it's almost hard to keep up with flipping the calendar pages, I swear. Man. I wish I could clap my hands and stop time temporarily, and just... breathe.

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I haven't been here in a few weeks, again, because of our packed schedule. Aside from our usual nutso routines, we've had a billion and one doctors' appointment, and Rob's had an accident that has kept me occupied carting him to those, work, and everywhere else, so... I am off my blog routine again. But! I am here now, and that's what counts, amiriiight?

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If you've ever thought about visiting my town, Virginia Beach, I just wrote this sponsored blog post about many of my favorite places and things to do here. Check it out if you're interested!

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I love this cute picture of Jack eating wings during a mystery shop a couple of days ago.  With the watch and everything, he looks so grown up! For a nine-year-old shrimp, that is. I've been doing lots of mystery shopping again lately to make some much-needed extra fundage. It's fun, but man, all the reports! Ugh.

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I swear, Virginia must be the vanity plate capital of the world. They're so cheap here, after all. Even I have one! I'm going to start taking pictures of the ones that amuse or interest me and posting them as part of my Fragments posts each week (or month, as it were). Can you see this one that I snapped today? It says "RR M8T." Arggghh, Matey! Hee. Do you have vanity plates?

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On Wednesday, the kids took part in the coolest thing. We drove up to the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA, to attend a special event: a ham radio chat - which NASA said couldn't be done - with International Space Station Astronaut Donald Pettit! Here, the kids first learned about the early age of exploration, in the times before, during and after Columbus' life, so they could later relate that Age of Exploration to the current Space Exploration.

Then, we migrated over to the closed studio, where we connected with three classes (in New York, Michigan, and Louisiana) and the astronaut in outer space, about 400 km above Earth, over Italy. Selected students were able to ask questions and hear Pettit's answers in real time, and we learned a lot about living aboard the ISS. Did you know it only takes eight minutes to get up there, but two days to transfer into the space station? Wow. I would kill to have that opportunity. Maybe one day they'll take an old fart like me and see what they can do with me. I'll be like the female John Glenn. Anyway, it was really cool, and my kids - especially Jack up there - got a lot out of the experience. Way cool!

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I took Rob in for his Neuro follow-up today, after his mini-stroke scares and subsequent finding of a benign brain tumor back in November. I was hoping for a more thorough check-up than the five minute "How are you? Fine? See you in six months" that he got, but I guess no news is good news. He hasn't had any weird things going on like he did six months ago, even after his accident, so I suppose all is well for now. He'll go back in another six months.

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Also today, I went in for a my regular dental check-up, fully expecting to have two new cavities. My teeth have been ultra-sensitive lately, especially in two places, so I thought fillings were going to be the order of the day, if not a full root canal or some badness. But the diagnosis was surprising: I grind and clench my jaw and teeth so much that it's causing my gums to recede, and my enamel to wear, which is causing the pain and discomfort. The dentist said he'd be happy to sell me a $600 mouth guard, or I can go pick one up at any drug or sporting goods store for five or ten bucks and try that. Hmm. Tough choice. But yay for no new cavities!

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Stay tuned for a post about our train trip up to Richmond last week; we had so much fun in our two short days. I'm so glad MIL suggested it!

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Aren't these newsprint nails so cool?! I am totes going to do this as soon as I find where I put the rubbing alcohol. Hopefully that'll work, since Rob drank all the vodka and stuff. Kidding. There's probably not even a beer in this house. I love this manicure, though. Trés cool.

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And finally, my 10½-year-old, Chloë, has a "boyfriend," S. Yeah. We've reached that stage. They're mad about each other. I even had to go on a ride with them to make sure they didn't kiss!!! WHAT?! She's TEN, FPS. I'm keeping a tight rein on this one and don't let them hold hands or anything, but S did recently give her a necklace in her favorite color, with hearts on it... oh, my word. I'm not ready for this part!

Since Chloë had a photo shoot for her acting and modeling "career" recently, my friend Saritah - S's mom - was joking about, "Great, my son is dating a model. That'll go to his head..." but yeah. He is. Hee.

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Well, I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll be back in a bit with my Aloha Friday question & some more updates from our latest travels and adventures. Ciao for now!

Fin.

Love The Moment in Virginia Beach!

  

Our family moved here to Virginia Beach, Virginia, just over 10 years ago, when we were at the end of my twin pregnancy. We were shipped over in an emergency evacuation from Guam in order to help save the twins' lives, and I had major reservations. As it's right next to Norfolk, which is a major military town (well, now they all are here, including Virginia Beach) and from which my husband had shipped out on several overseas deployments during his Naval career, he didn't much care for the area before we got here. I was excited about the idea of living back in the States, but having no idea what to expect, it was definitely going to be the beginning of a new adventure for Team Odette.

Virginia Beach has turned out to be a fabulous location for many fun experiences for our family. As my husband nears his retirement from the Navy after 20 years of service next year, and we are debating about where to live, the possibility exists that even after 11 years, this family full of wanderlust may remain right here in this area. That's saying quite a lot, for us!

Now, you can go to the Virginia Beach Visitors and Convention Center site and do lots of looking around - and, hopefully, planning - to see what there is to do in our adopted hometown, but I'd love to share some of the things we have done over the years and some more that - yes! we still have left to do. Obviously, since we arrived with a 17-month-old and have had a few children since then (most of you will know already that only one of our twins survived after birth, so we now have three living children aged 10 and under), this will be pretty kid-centric. Rest assured, if you're sans children, there is still plenty to do - or not do - in this beautiful city, the largest in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Click here to start your exploration!

Obviously, no post about Virginia Beach would be complete without a thorough mention of our miles and miles of beautiful Atlantic oceanfront. With a husband in the Navy, a wife who was a marine biologist pre-marriage, and three water-lovin' babies, the Oceanfront is a big draw for us. The beach is gorgeous, and the water temperatures are comfortable for the traditional swimming months of the year, with manageable waves for the little ones most of the time. (And there are plenty of lifeguards and notifications for hazardous conditions to keep us all safe.) The area boasts a long boardwalk, complete with all the kitschy shops, skyscraping hotels, and local seafood restaurants you would expect to find in a beach town.

These "no swearing" signs are a common sight near the beach, in an effort to keep our town family-friendly. I get a big kick out of them!

There's a long pier for fishing and crabbing - unbelievably, we still haven't done that, but it's on this year's "must do" list - and stores aplenty for anything you might have forgotten. If you get tired of the beach (you nut, you!), there are other things to do along the beach and nearby streets, like several miniature golf courses, a small rides-and-games miniature amusement park, and whole-family bike rentals scattered around the coast. If I've left anything off this list that you would want to do, drop me a comment and I'll be sure to let you know whether that's available, too. I know there's a great nightlife scene down there as well, but with three children, it's not a huge priority for us at this stage in the game, so I can't attest to the latest and greatest venues. One fun (and free!) favorite, though: during the warmer months, the city brings in a menagerie of entertainment acts from musicians to comedians to buskers of all kinds and positions them along Atlantic Avenue for everyone's pleasure. Oh, my gosh, I'm thinking of about 57 more fun things about the Oceanfront and could make this entire post about just that, it's so fun-filled. But there is so, sooo much more to this city, that it wouldn't be doing it justice if I didn't move on. And so I shall.

 

Another favorite area of ours is in the southern portion of the city, Pungo. It's where farmer upon farmer grows u-pick strawberry fields and the home of the annual Strawberry Festival, where the sweet fruit is made into every dessert, drink and concoction you can imagine. There are rides, games, and plenty of other fun things to do during the festival, too, but if you miss it, Pungo boasts a great pizza-and-ice cream joint, aptly named Pungo Pizza, that's a great place to stop when you're hot and tired from grabbing bucketsful of red, juicy berries!

One of my favorite destinations is at the corner of Dam Neck and Princess Anne Roads: the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market. There are plenty of local farmers with booths there, so if you're environmentally conscious and are trying to eat locally-grown, often organic food, this is your go-to place to shop. Virginia Garden is even an all-organic grocery store at the Market, and the owner, Michelle, could not be more helpful and informative if you're newly embarking on your organic journey. Her shop boasts food from Virginia's own Polyface Farms, which you may or may not know as the farm of Joel Salatin, the highly articulate farmer featured in the must-see documentary, Food, Inc. (And that $10 glass jug of apple cider at the store is totally worth it, by the by.) Love seafood? Visit Uncle Chuck's stand - all the fish, shellfish and more is freshly caught and is procured by Uncle Chuck himself. Take it from me - do NOT miss getting a 4-pack or two of his made-by-hand crabcakes. They are absolutely the best, and believe me, I have tried a heckuva lot of them in my 35 years on this planet! (Plus he's just a really awesome guy, so visit him even if you're not a seafood person. I love the dude.) The Farmer's Market has bakeries, butcheries, gardening shops, a sweets shoppe, and even live music on (I think) Friday nights. I love the place and would go every week if I could!

Hunt Club Farm is another one of my family's favorite places to go, especially in October when it's time to pick out one of these big, fat pumpkins for our front porch. If you go then, you'll also be able to visit the petting farm, let the kids loose in a gigantic pile of hay, ride some rides, eat candied apples, shop locally grown produce and gifts and - my personal favorite - take a hayride around the large property. Fall is not the only time to visit, though - my readers will know we've visited the Winter Wonderland in December, which is loads of fun; you can have a birthday party with pony rides and the whole bit, and they're now doing fun Springtime events like Easter egg hunts an' such, too. It's a great place to go!

A post about Virginia Beach would not be complete without mention of the recently (within the past five years or so) made-over Town Center, which is conveniently located just five minutes from our abode. We go there often and even did our 2011 Christmas card pictures at this very fountain! There are, I think literally, a billion different kinds of restaurants, from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to sushi to ice cream parlors and everything in between, nestled among every other kind of shop you can think of. In fact, the only two things in Virginia Beach that we don't have (yet) that I'd like to see are Staples and Whole Foods - but they'll come in time, I know! Anyway... Town Center is fun to walk around, "see and be seen," and get your share of gustatory delights. Don't miss Confetti, an ice cream stop. Trust.

 

Another fun place to visit for kids from 1 to 101 is the Virginia Aquarium, on General Booth Blvd just south of the Oceanfront area. There is so much to see and do there, you'll need to make a full day of it. They have an IMAX screen, lots of exhibits, a gift shop, and the coolest walking trail between the two sections of the Aquarium. You can go from there on whale- and dolphin-watching boat tours, and that there is another on our yet-to-do list before we leave this fun town!



Right next to the Aquarium is this guy, Hugh Mongous, the giant ape who is the mascot for Ocean Breeze Waterpark. Of course we have a waterpark, right?! It's on the smaller side compared to some other venues we've been to, including Water Country USA located an hour north in Williamsburg, but it has everything you could possibly want to spend a full day in the sun and water: a kiddie area, wave pool, slides a-plenty, and so much to eat. There's an arcade, Dip'n'Dots, candy shop, gift shop, locker and tube rentals, and more. We've gone there many times, and there's still something new to do every year when we go. Don't forget the sunscreen and flip-flops!

Another site we're lucky to have just a few minutes from our home is Mount Trashmore Park, and yes, that's its real name (it was built on a landfill but is completely safe). Mt. Trashmore is just one of many beautiful parks in this city, but it's definitely a favorite of ours. The brandy-new Kids' Cove area, above, is not just a small reason for that. The kids could literally get lost in there for hours while you either chase them around or sit and knit, knowing they'll make it back to you when they're hungry/thirsty/doing the potty dance...! I usually do the former for about five minutes and then give up and do the latter. Anyhoo, besides the Kids' Cove, there is a skate park there, plenty of playground equipment and picnic locations, and a huge "mountain" to run around on, fly kites on, and of course - if you're a kid at heart - roll down when you're finished. My favorite thing to do there is go the annual Independence Day party, which is huge. Huge. Click here for more fun things to do in the Virginia Beach Parks & Rec system, because you'll want to visit other places like Red Wing Park, Woodstock Park, City View Park... and some of our many Rec Centers, as well. I could go on and on!

Are you a history buff? Still on our to-do list while we're here is visit the Francis Land House, above, the Adam Thoroughgood House, and the many other historical sites in town that you can read about here. I can't profess my love for these places just yet, because we still haven't been there! It's high on the priority list, too, though.

Have a thing for lighthouses? Then you'll definitely want to drive north from the Oceanfront and hit up Fort Story. Yes, it's a military base, but you can get onboard to go exploring the fully-accessible new lighthouse, above right, the beach there, and more. I hear tell that there's plenty of dolphin activity down at the waterfront, but I've yet to see that for myself. Mark that down on my to-do list!

And finally, I have to mention Chesapeake Beach, aka "Chick's Beach," a lesser-known, out-of-the-way, but totally cool "locals'" beach in town. The waves are much more mild, and it's far less populated during the summer, so it's perfect for those looking for a quieter, more chill experience at the beach. It's wonderful for kids who don't like to be knocked around by ocean swells, like my two older kiddos. There are some great local restaurants in the area, too, so it's definitely worth checking out.

There is plenty more to this great town, and also it's a wonderful jumping-off point to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Shore, Colonial Williamsburg, and much more. If we do end up leaving this area, you can be sure we'll be back to visit for more reasons than just the many friends we've made here. Virginia Beach. Love the Moment!

Be sure to click here to "like" Virginia Beach - Live The Life on Facebook:

{I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.}

Fin.

Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Us Away

Once upon a time, also known as Friday morning, Jenny from The Block, her kids, and my kids, piled into Penelope (my Odyssey) and took a road trip up the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The main purpose of the shop was to do a mystery shop for which I was well-paid, but we got, shall we say, side-tracked, after that was finished. Had ourselves a little adventure, we did. Would you like to hear about it? Good. Grab a seat, your beverage of choice, and your mouse, because you're gonna need to do some scrollin'. For once, I had the Nikon with me and got over my camnesia!

So we meandered down the road a piece and, after talking to the scarcely-toothed manager of a local convenience shop, found our way here. You know the book Misty of Chincoteague? It's about the wild horses that roam this area. Well, I've been meaning to bring the kids up here for the entire, oh, nine years we've been living in the Beach o' Virginia to look for them. Finally, we made it. Too bad our respective Rons weren't with us. (Which is Jenny-and-me speak for "Rob," both our husbands' name...) Eventually, we plan to return for longer than a few hours and do the trip proper justice.

The first creature we spotted wasn't a horse, though. It wasn't even a vertebrate. The flutter-by captivated the five children's attention for a good few minutes before we went hiking in search of the Assateague Lighthouse, our first conquest.

I love watching the kids on a mission. Look how big Sophia is - she's the second-youngest, too! Jenny's kids are peanuts like Jack and Chloë. ♥

Ooh, looky! There it is, just over yonder!

Oh, whoops. Hang on, Moms. We have to stop and do a kickline together. The kids came up with that on their own, and then the did it about six more times during the day, in various places. Too cute. Especially the way Jack can barely stand up to do it. He's kind of, um, awkward. You should see him run. I can say it, because I'm his mother. The boy runs funny.

In short order, we found the clearing where the lighthouse lives, in all its resplendent glory. Or something.

Jenny and the kids checked out the structure, while I checked out... them.

I love that the cinderblock seemed to have been placed there just for my wee laddie!

Here's what he was so fixated upon: acres and acres of pure, unadulterated Nature. Gotta love it!

Yeah, welcome. Except, what village? I must've missed that part. It was the blink-and-you-miss-it type of town.

More signage. You can read it. I don't need to describe it. It was there, so I took its picture. That's what we perfeshunul photographers do, y'know.

The entrance of the lighthouse was all one-room schoolhouse-looking. I liked it. All old and historical. Pretty cool.

The Assateague Lighthouse. And some other little building. The keeper's quarters? I don't know.

We found a nice lady to take a picture of the seven of us together. Look, you can see the kids doing their kickline again. Hee.

 

Sophia taking a quick breather... (edited in Picasa for coolness)

Curly Sue had a look-see through the thingamajig, too. Nature at its finest, ready for its close-up!

Sitting on the bench near the lighthouse, Sophia deduced that the logs used for it were cut down by the late Mr. Jones memorialized thereon, and I was pretty impressed by that. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a great example of logic and reasoning for an almost-seven-year-old!

(Click pic to embiggerate) The kids all sat on the bench for another rest, and while they did so, I had them show me all the emotions I could think of. The funny part was, Jack was super-grumpy at the moment (tired), and all his expressions were exactly the same while the other four were being theatrical. Goof.

Hiking back to the van, we spotted this flash of white in the distance. Could it be a pony? We had to go see.

Oh. Nah. It was just a log. A log that proved to be quite entertaining to the shorties for several moments.

Gavin: "Get your hands out of my butt!" Madison: "Get your butt off my hands!" Okay, I made that up. Paraphrasing from the movie G-Force... ah. I entertain myself.

Cutie-pie little Gavin... he's such a sweety-kins!

More walkin', and lookin', and standin' around... And yes, we drove all the way up there and forgot to shoe poor Sophia. I carried her around a lot that day, and she is decidedly not a lightweight. Whew.

Another Gavin capture, looking cutesy-pie

Okay, yet another one, but I just love seeing little kids crouching like that! We were trying to decide whether a nearby plant was poison ivy. (It wasn't.)

 

All right, back to Penelope, to go find us some horsies!

I just love a van full of bebes!

This was the view out my driver's side window, when we were watching the horses, of which I did not actually obtain one dang picture, because they were so far away and well-covered by the brush and trees. Poopsticks. But it was still cool being out there and watching them. It was like being on safari. For horses. In Virginia. That was my fantasy.

Somewhere, out there, beneath the pale moonlight.. okay, it was daytime, and now I'm going to have that song in my head. Anyway, out there is where the ponies were roaming. We probably saw 6-8 of them. It was all very exciting. I can't wait to go again!

After we left the Assateague/Chincoteague area and did a little souvie shopping, we found the NASA Visitor Center and decided to go in there and check things out. And behold, it was good. A very good idea.

Yeah. The boys were in seventh heaven with all there was to see and do, rocketry-related. It wasn't lost on the girls, either. Fun times!

Curls will pose with any old satellite model if you train a camera lens on her. A born model.

A big ol' NASA balloon model, which is ginormous compared to the Washington Monument model. How come I've never seen one of these floating around? I guess maybe I wasn't paying attention, because, um, they're really big. BIG.

Madi and Gavin checking out a rocket trajectory

Chloë was transfixed by the astronaut-guy, who was all Madame Tussaud's-looking. Kind of creepy, but cool. Kind of.

I had fun following Jack around while he ran here-to-there, pointing out all the things hanging from the ceiling. It was too cute!

More walking and pointing. No talking, just the pointing.

At some "point," I wondered if he really cared where he was aiming that finger and just got into the habit of doing it!

A-ha! A center just for the wee folk, in the middle of the museum. There was all kinds of nifty stuff in there for the quintet.

 

Right after this was taken, Sophia accidentally leaned on that lid Gavin was lifting, while his bitty fingers were underneath it! Ouch! Poor little fellow.

There's Jack, doing his engineer thing, figuring things out, making 'em work. He spent a good chunk of our time there at this propulsion exhibit.

Finally, he had enough and went to go look at models of Naval ships. Jenny's husband works on this kind when he's away... but I'm blanking on what it's called at the moment.

 

And of course, we have an aircraft carrier here, which Jack stepped aside for me to snap, knowing it was his Daddy's kind of ship.

Then Gavin came over and found the ship his Daddy goes on, whilst Jenny brought over some free educational loot materials for us to use in our respective homeschool pursuits. Sweet!

A quiet moment for Soap

Chloë was watching a video about I don't know what, because I was too busy admiring her curls and ringlets.

Sophia kept insisting the two bacteria samples on the right were mixed together to form the color on the left, despite my continually telling her that it was three different organisms. Stubborn girl!

Here's what they actually were. ;)

The kids learning about El Niño and La Niña

Hey look, Gavin's a pointer, too! Must be a boy thing.

Jenny wanted to pose with the astronaut suit thingy, so I told her to "look spacey," and this is what she did. Ha! She's a hoot, that Jen.

At the end of our impromptu field trip, we stopped in the gift shop. Of course, Jack wanted one of every. single. thing. he saw in there. Little did he know I'd already scooped up some goodies from the souvenir shop we'd visited in Chincoteague, so it was killing me that he waaaaaanted something so badly and I (thought I) had left my wallet in the car. (Turns out I didn't, but that is probably a really good thing, since I kinda wanted one of everything, too!)

 

What? The back of his head is pretty cute, too - especially since you can tell his eyes are bugging out in the front, right?

*sigh* All right, all right, I can't stand it anymore. I whispered in his ear that I had something special just for him out in the car, and it was our little secret, and I'd show him later, and shh-shh-shh-shh-shhhhhh!

Oops, one more last pointy-point before we headed out to Penelope and back home.

 

When we got home that night, and the girls weren't looking, I gave Jack his pressies. He was pretty excited, so much so that the first thing he did was go show his sisters. D'oh! Jack! Good thing I'd gotten them each a Chincoteague/Assateague snow globe to make up for it, but they (rightly) felt shortchanged. Ah well. I just said it was "late birthday presents," and that seemed to do the trick.

And that was the end of that little jaunt.

Fin.

P.S. Sophia's snow globe is already broken. Le sigh.

Friday Fragments

Link up with here with Mrs. 4444 if you've got bits and pieces floating through your brain today!

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Right off the bat, I have to say I'm excited that tomorrow is the day I'm spending ~8 hours getting my iron transfusion! It's my first one, and it's not unusual for gastric bypass patients to need them. I'll probably be getting my first of many Vitamin B12 shots, as well. My hemoglobin levels are abyssmally low, which means it's a struggle and a chore just for me to make it through the day, every day, let alone cover everything that's on my plate. I've been dropping a lot of balls lately, admittedly, and I'm hoping this will make a huge difference for me - and my family, who have to put up with me. Hopefully, too, I'll be able to stop consuming the massive daily amounts of caffeine that I do to stay functioning and focused. So, yay!

The only downside is I won't be able to knit during the procedure... but I have about eleventy-billion magazines to catch up on, so I'm covered there. And I can always nap. What I'm wondering about now is, when do I pee? And eat? (I'll let you know. Hee.)

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In awesome news, my kids have been focusing on their reading in our homeschooling so far this new year, and they have progressed dramatically. My oldest, a fifth grader, had to write her first book report, after much gnashing of teeth over it, and she did a splendid job. I had to make just a few corrections - all mechanics - but the content was fantastic. I was so pleased!

As for the two Littles, my son is in 3rd grade and came out of 1st grade public school hardly literate at all. So I remediated him from the Kinder level with our K-2 Hooked on Phonics program, and he just "graduated" from the program! It only took him a year and a half to do all three years' worth, so that's pretty great. Yes, I'm proud of him, but even more incredible is how visibly proud of himself he is! I love it!

The youngest, a first grader who was a late bloomer with regard to reading (she's the most active, physical of the lot), has suddenly pushed through the block and is now almost to the 2nd grade level of the program. So go, kids!! Starting next week, we'll slow down on so much all-reading, all-the-time, and focus more on math, with which all three of them also need remediation. No child left behind, my butt! But the buck stops here. :)

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We were supposed to go on a field trip to the Food Bank with our two respective Girl Scout troops today, but I found out two hours before the trip that they had to reschedule it. ARGH! I had no choice but to cancel our regular meeting, since I have it planned to have a guest speaker come in, and there was no way to get her on such short notice. It was pretty stinko (my word of the month), and I was bummed, since we're behind where I wanted to be in my Daisy troop at this point. But with the iron deficiency, I have to say, I wasn't too terribly disappointed to get a reprieve! Just sayin'.

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We've had Sophia to the Emergency Department 3-4 times this past week, as her breathing struggles have suddenly kicked back into high gear. It's not the weather, since it's barely cold here, and it started in the summertime anyway (in 2010!). We've seen 8 or 9 different doctors and gotten just as many "suggestions" about what it could be, with no real answers. It's frustrating for me, as her mom, to watch her go through this, so I can only imagine how much of an annoyance it is for her. My husband thinks it's entirely stress-induced, but I disagree. That may be a component, certainly, but since it frequently comes on when she's just sitting around, doing nothing remotely upsetting, how can that be?? I just wish I could help her.

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A local-but-online-only friend of mine is a potter, and she fashions these awesome, funkadelic business card holders that I've been coveting for a long time. Last week, she made this red one, and I KNEW it was the one I had to have. It arrived today. Do you love it?! I do! So cool. Check out Lisa's Etsy shop for more awesome clay-mations!

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We drove up the Eastern Shore of Virginia on Sunday (here's my view out the windshield of the Chesapeake Bay), for a high-paying mystery shop. Great, except I kind of screwed it up a little, and now I don't know if I am going to get paid for it. Argh. Well, if that happens, at least we had a fun trip and enjoyed lots of interesting scenery, right?

This is the kids in the back during the trip, watching Judy Moody and the Not-So-Bummer Summer, which they've been waiting for me to rent from the Blockbuster kiosk for ages. I waited until it dropped to $1, so I could get it for free (lots of codes out there, folks!), because I'm cheap like that!

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Speaking of mystery shops, Rob and I finally went out for a nice dinner - with the kids, so it was only semi-romantic! - to celebrate the 11th wedding anniversary we shared on the 2nd of this month. Here's my Appletini. The kids love cherries and all clamored for mine, but um, no. Not the ones all soaked in Smirnoff, kiddos! It was really strong, and I got drunk very quickly. I drink maybe once a month, if that, and wow. I'm such a lightweight since my surgery!

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And here's me, that night (tipsy), showing you my hair in its awkward growing-out phase. I can't stand my hair right now. I want it to be long NOW. I'm half-tempted to just chop it again, but it grows soooo slowly, I may never have another ponytail. Is 35 too old for ponytails, anyway? Not around the house, or in the summer at least, right? ;)

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Last week (which I can tell ya, because I skipped FF then, sorry), we totally kept the kids up and took them to the 12:01 AM first showing of the newly re-released Beauty and the Beast in 3D. It was AWESOME. I think I had as good a time as the kids did. It cost a small fortune; I had sticker shock, but it was worth it for the "cool mom points" I earned, I think. At least Rob managed to stay awake during the whole thing - he'd had a nap first to make sure! Have you seen it? It was great.

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Lastly, speaking of Etsy, I have to share this story. I bought this gorgeous yarn on clearance from Summer of Perfectly Handmade, and the whole situation quickly turned into a comedy of errors: First, she accidentally sent me the wrong yarn, and then she sent me the correct yarn after I mailed it back (and she was GREAT through this whole process, and I totally recommend her, so don't think I'm speaking too badly of her). Well, it was badly skeined, and when I wound it into center-pull "cakes" with my swift and ball winder, it took about two hours vs. the 10-15 minutes it should have, because it was such a mess. I finally got it, though, and managed to knit ONE hexipuff for the Beekeeper's Quilt I'm making before going to bed for the night. Well, I stupidly left that troublesome-but-lovely yarn out overnigh, and our two kittens decided to make it their plaything overnight. When I woke up early, before the kids, I went to go knit another puff with it... and it was GONE. So I instantly knew "the twins," as they are, were the culprits and headed upstairs to look for it. I found two 8mo kittens, each with a shred of the yarn hanging out of their mouths and looking at me guiltily. They immediately dropped it and went to go hide under my son's bed! Then I searched around and found the yarn strewn all over my older daughter's room, some of it chewed it into short strands, some of it just a gnarled, knotty mess, but all entirely wrecked. GAH!!  However, I kept plugging away at it, and look! Up there! I managed to eke out 13 or 14 hexipuffs out of the yarn, which I eventually sorted out, and they'll look great in the quilt. But what a pain!!

P.S. Summer sent me some more yarn as a gift, for all my troubles. So if you're a "yarnie" like I am, don't hesitate to check her out!

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I'll leave you on that note. No, this one: "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

RIP, Dr. King.

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Fin.

Sunday Stealing: The Never-Ending Meme, Parte Uno

Link up here if you're meme-crazy like me, too!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Song that always makes you sad?

"To Where You Are" by Josh Groban, and "Tears in Heaven" by E.C.

2. Last thing you bought?

Canned foods for our donation to the Food Bank, part of our entrance fee to last night's Girl Scout Cookie Rally  

3. Last person you argued with?

Rob and I had it OUT the other day about where we're going to live after he retires in 1½ years from the US Navy, but I'm going to keep mum this time, until we actually make things happen. Sorreh.

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on?

Huh? Butter with peanut butter? Huh? Is you crazy?

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?

My Cabbage Patch Kids were Aubrey Lenora, Tiffany Jacqueline, and Andrea Jeanine.

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD?

Well, of course. "If I had a million dollars" is one of "our" songs...

7. Favorite day of the week?

Any day that Rob is home with me, sap sap, mush mush, gag.

8. Favorite sundae topping?

I can't eat it anymore, but if it's going to be a sundae, it better have nuts, hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry. Good stuff, there. Mmm.

9. Did you take piano lessons?

Yes. Well, my mom played the organ, so when she died, I took organ lessons to honor her. When the piano teacher came to my house, I played the organ. When I went to her house, I played her piano. So, kinda.

10. Most frequent song played?

Right now I'm overplaying "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5. There are boobs in the explicit version on YouTube, you know. I discovered this the other day. Who doesn't like boobs? I was told recently that even gay guys like 'em. Who knew?

11. TV show you secretly enjoy?

I enjoy Phineas and Ferb, which we stream on Netflix, since we don't have 'real' TV. Rob and I laugh more than the children do, I swear.

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey?

Hockey. I can whack the shit out of some puck, dude.

13. Date someone older or younger?

I prefer them older. I don't want to teach you new tricks. I want you to know the tricks. Kwim?

14. One place you could travel right now?

Could, or would like to? I mean, I could travel to Williamsburg or the Outer Banks. I would like to travel to Japan or Australia. Say what you mean, and mean what you say, dammit.

15. Do you use umbrellas?

We have a Britto umbrella, which I bought for Rob as a gift during a trip to Charleston, that mostly sits unused. I prefer to just get wet, unless my hair and make-up are done, and then I'm using that mofo. I like getting rained on.

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?

Yeah, I know all the words to all the national anthems, dude. Duh. :\

17. Favorite cheese?

Velveeta. Sike! (Although I admit, I'll use it when it suits.) Hmm... I do like my Muenster.

18. The Smiths or The Cure?

Depends on the mood. Whatever, I like it all but country.

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?

I really don't give a rat's ass. I like arm muscles, though. Not that you asked that.

20. Best job you ever had?

You should expect me to say the current one, mothering my three bebes. Which I do love, of course. But aside from that, I'd say it's a toss-up between my internship in Fisheries Biology at Mote Marine Lab and my stint working at the dive shop Diver's Paradise on Key Biscayne. Times of my life, both.

Well, that wasn't exactly never-ending. Twenty questions, really? I was prepared for fourscore. Ah well. More fun next week. Ciao, thieving peeps.

Fin.

Great Wolf Lodge Re-Re-Visited, Take Two

Ah, now, that's more like it, hmm? If you read that last post, I'm sorry. I won't go there this time. So, last week, we went back to Great Wolf Lodge for an early Christmas celebration, because I got a fantastic deal on a killer room. I mean, look at it! Here's Rob going UP THE STAIRS - yes, our hotel room had two levels - to the kids' loft. Rock on, dudes! That meant we could get our groove on downstairs without having kids sleeping in the bed next to us. You know what I'm talking about. And ohhhh, yes, we did. What's better than hotel sex? Okay, once again, I'm completely diverging from the intended discussion. But I rarely backspace except to correct typos, so, um, now you get to know that little factoid about our lives. Moving on. (It was great. Thanks for asking.)

 

Of course, Chloë and Sophia couldn't wait to play peeky-peek at us downstairs, from the ledge of the loft (cue all the helicopter parents cringing and screeching, "Oh, my GOD, they could fall to their deaths doing that!!"), but I'm apparently not one of those, because I was peeved Jack wouldn't climb up on whatever table on which they were standing to do the same thing. Chicken. Chicken and dumplings, for that matter. Whatever that means.

After they checked out their loft and squealed a billion times about how awesome it was to have their OWN bathroom and floor, we had a little photo sesh on Mom & Dad's bed (well, there were two downstairs, plus a pull-out couch, so we could've roomed in with another family, but who in the hell wants to do that?! Not this blahga, thanks). This was the best of the lot. "The lot" consisting of this and one other picture, before I got bored of that. What makes me laugh about this picture is threefold: (a) It's obvious that the youngest child, in the middle, is by far the biggest and is therefore some kind of freakshow (hey, I've offered to let him do a DNA test; I swear she's his or she'd, um, have a much nicer tan and kinky hair...), (b) NONE of their socks match either their outfits or each other, and (c) Sophie's clothes came from my "too small, must take to consignment" pile, which she must've raided without my paying attention. Did y'all notice any of that, or are you not the "Find the 10 differences between these two pictures" types?

 Right. So.

I had planned on getting to the Lodge at, oh, 11 AM or so that day. Instead, we rushed so hard we ended up getting there at, like, 7 PM! Don't ask me to explain why; I hardly remember the kids' names most of the time, let alone that. But that left us just enough time to quickly explore the hotel room and then shower and put on PJs before story time. I didn't want a picture of Sophie's posterior, so instead I ended up with this terrific, "WHAT, Mom?!!" shot when I called out her name on the way down the hall. I am so great at photography.

Chloë, ever the modeling poseur, hamming for me when we arrived in the lobby, about 3½ seconds too late to catch the nightly snowfall. Dangit! That's all I was looking forward to, too! My life, it is Teh Suck. *le sigh*

Sophia, during story time, completely oblivious to her mother's frantic waving and face-making to get a decent shot... And what's up with those pupils, anyway? She high or something?

After story time ended, we still had a good 35 minutes before the waterpark closed for the night, so I asked the kids whether they wanted to dash back to our room to put on our swimming pannies (as I'm wont to call them, because I'm kewl) and get in a quick half-hour of splashy fun (well, I can't be that cool, if I wrote that) or stay upstairs in the lobby to catch the next snowfall. Of course, they opted for waterpark, now that they're no longer convinced water play is from The Debbul. Here, the girls are waiting for the huge jagillion-gallon bucket to dump on them - always a family favorite.

(I'm back! My wireless keyboard batteries died. Didja miss me? Thought so.)

So yeah, Rob's in there, wearing a wet suit. It's a good thing he brought it, too, because my genius child, there, Chloë, left my bathing suit on the couch at home, after I asked her to put it in the suitcase! Thank God I can fit in all Rob's clothes now, so I didn't have to either miss out on the fun entirely or get arrested going in there with the lady business hanging out. I wore his trunks with my tankini top, and he wore that. And no one batted an eye, either, because have you seen some of the shit that people will wear in public swimming areas? Hello, if you're a size 20, do not go to the beach/pool/indoor-or-outdoor waterpark with your chubs squeezed (squozen?) painfully into a 14, with everything that wouldn't fit hanging out. And I can say that, because I have been way past a size 20, and I covered my junk up. I mean, damn.

 

Jacky loves to wear his bathing suit shirt, even though its main purpose is to protect him from the sun, so we brought that thing, too. But more importantly, how cute does Chloë look, skipping through the water, when she's not actively posing for Vogue Tween™ magazine? (The lighting inside the waterpark itself is wicked weird, so yes, these are the best I could do after my major editing with free software.)

Soon, the waterpark closed, and it was time to head back to the Den of Iniquity, aka, our room. Room 4047, not that that will help you find us now, because we be back home an' stuff. Anyway, what? Who? Lookee there! Jack decided to play peeky-peek after all. So maybe he isn't chicken and dumplings. Maybe he's just... chick? Wait, no. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

 

The following day, we slept in super late - and by that, I mean, everyone else did, while I woke up at stupid o'clock as usual and waited for daylight - instead of getting up an hour before the waterpark opened like we planned. Why didn't I wake everyone else up, then, if I was awake, you wonder? Listen. I don't know if you have kids, and if you do, whether they are total grumpypants when they wake up before they've slept enough, but mine ARE. And I didn't want to deal with a whiny, cranky, moody grumpypants trio all day when it was supposed to be Happy Family Christmastime for us. So we woke up in time to pack up and check out, after a breakfast repast in the room, and that we did.

On the way back to the Lodge from Penelope (our van), because your waterpark passes are still good all day after you check out, I had the kids pose for me again. If I didn't already have Christmas outfits picked out for them, this might have been what you'd be getting in the mail from us this year. Hell, it still might, since the intended photos have yet to be taken, thanks to a photographer who apparently doesn't know how to reply to his emails in a timely manner. Maybe I'll just take them myself. I am as talented as Dorothea Lange, after all, and yes, I totally did a Swagbucks search for "Famous Female Photographers" for that. I referenced Annie L. too recently to mention her again. Aagh, I just did! You tricksters!

Our non-mystery-shop budget for dining out being quite stinted these days, we brought our own food for all our meals except this sweet treat from the Bear Paw - and the only reason I even allowed that was because it was our Advent activity for the day. Not that we adhere strictly to what I place in the daily Advent checklist, because we've done about 10% of our activities on time so far this year, but still. I budgeted for this, and so it must be, gosh darn it! (There, now, you can see the resemblance between Sophia and her siblings, right??? I know. I can't either. I'm such a teaser.)

 

Rob scamming some of Jack's chocolate icy cream, to the child's chagrin...

 And yeah. I did, too. I tried Chloë's strawberry sorbet as well, but you weren't getting me near Sophie's cotton candy flavor. Just... ick. Really? That should be outlawed. I'd rather eat mustar...ah! Gotcha 'gain! No way I'd eat that poison.

 

Here's my artsy-pants picture of Chloë drooling over all the candy choices in the shoppe. I should put out a coffee table book, I swear.

The kids were all keen to do this robofusion ice cream sensation that was kickin' it in the area outside the regular ice cream parlah, but, it was seven bucks, and you know money doesn't grow on trees, people. So I took a crappy picture of them in front of it and promised we'd do it next time. Seven dollars! As if! It's not like I'm LiLo getting a million bucks to pose for Hefner, here. (See, I'm all about the pop culture.)

 

Ice cream eaten, we were thoroughly chilled, so we headed back inside the park of water for some hot tubbing. My boys are sharing a moment, here, I wrote, pointing out the obvious.

Chloë enjoying the warmth and hopefully not adding to it herself.

They do that, you know. Kids. Don't drink the water. How do you think I ended up with this heinous dysentery from which I suffer?

Sophia, drowning in the vest that was supposed to protect her, even though she can swim. Daddy insists, and Mommy generally defers to his preferences on issues of safety. As soon as I took the picture(s), I went and got her one that fit. A size small, because after all, she really isn't BIG for her age. She's right at the 50th percentile. For an infant, but still. No, for real, she's just average. Blah blah.

I love Jack with spikey hair; I just never remember to do it most times. I'm gonna add that to my short list of New Year's Resolutions, because it is of global importance how his hair is coifed.

An hour before the Cub Club closed for the day, we decided to quit the waterpark and change into dry clothes. The kids love the Cub Club, but they weren't so thrilled with it this time, because there weren't any free crafts to do like there have been in the past. Bummer. So the girls colored, and Jack complained watched a movie. He's never been a big consumer of Crayola products.

I'm surprised he even let me photograph his grumpiness, because normally when he's in that mood and the camera points his way, I get this:

...which I did, moments later. Eh, whatever. He was just tired.

 

One of my favorite things about kids is when they concentrate on something. Anything. I love that. Love. That. They could be about to set the house on fire or set off a bomb or something, but if they're concentrating, I don't care. Kodak moment.

 All of the kids eventually got 'round to playing with this puppet bird, which was all well and good, except for the incessant squawking. I wanted to kill the thing. That's right. I wanted to annihilate an inanimate object. It was like the toy that the mean uncle who hates you gets for your kids because it's the most obnoxious one they can find, and they don't have kids so there's no chance for payback. STFU, YOU DUMB PUPPET BIRD! Look at me, I'm getting all worked up over it again. I'm sweating.

 

I'm back again, after some deep breathing. I like it when Rob participates with the kids' activities and stuff, but really he was checking out Facebook or Texts From Last Night or YouTube or some damn thing on his iPhone. And wearing my shirt, I might add. See. We share.

Oh, hey, what's up? That would be me. Yup, I was there, too. And d'ya know who took this picture of The Self? Soph. Yup, the babe. I entrusted her with the Nikon for precious few seconds, all the while worrying more about the camera than the kid, so she could capture photographic evidence of my presence on this mini-vacay. There, now, give it back.

(Also, do you guys know what I did with all my nose jewelry? Because, while I love this one, I've been sporting it for, like, six months or two years or something, and I can't find where I put all the rest of my nosy posies. I bet you that Sophie has 'em up in her bed or something. She would do that. She's probably got all kinds of secret piercings I don't want to know about.)

(Strikethrough rulez.)

And then I had my camera back, and then Sophia was busy on her next crafty project, and then I called her name, and then she looked up, and then I took the picture, and then I got this, and I liked it.

Yep, she's a Lefty. A Southpaw. Like her Aunt Gail, Rob's sister. I feel sorry for me, though, because even though it's a right-hander's world, I'm the poor fool who has to teach her to do stuff backward, and my non-spatial brain simply can not manage it most of the time.

Ah, actual participation with a child. The phone must've been dead. {Snark, snark}

I lay down there next to them shortly thereafter and attempted to doze off until it was time to go, but I couldn't. And I can't just lay around and do nothing, ever, so I got back up for a few more snaps before we hit the road.

I don't know why it annoys me so much when I feel like Chloë is playing "beneath her age," or whatever, but it does. She's the oldest, so she should be super-mature, right? Yet, she's not. I've talked it over with her doctors, and we chalk it up to the fact that her whole entire being is immature compared to her chronological age, but I still find it annoying. I'm such a bitch sometimes. (I can admit it, you know.)

Right after this, everyone agreed they'd had enough of the Lodge, and we skedaddled up on out o' that puppy. And literally less than 10 minutes later, bing-bang-boom, all four of the rest of Team Odette were asleep in the car, while I drove home, wishing I were, too.

 

One last photo, an Instagram from my own much-beloved iPhone: Sophia does this thumb-suck-while-flashing-the-"I love you"-sign frequently, and I adore it. She is pretty cute, despite being a huge (and near-constant) pain in the rear. It's the only reason we haven't given her away to the Pitt-Jolies yet. Well, that and we love her.

So that was the third trip to Le Lodge of Great Wolves, and though we were on the strictest of budgetations, we enjoyed it more than Trek Two. Next time, and there will be a next time, we have new things planned. So if we go again, read that, too. Even if the pictures are the same, after all, the words will be different, and who writes better than I do?

No one, that's who. No one.

(Ha, even I laughed out loud on that one. Of all my mental issues, a superiority complex is not among them. Which is not to say that I'm not a snob. Separate things, peeps. But this post is over, and I'm still yakking, so I better wrap it up quickly before I lose even my own interest. Y'all come back now, y'hear?)

Fin.

P.S. Shoot, there's, like, 27 things I wanted to mention, but forgot, because I didn't photograph them. And no, I'm not talking about the things mentioned in the first paragraph, piggy-wiggies! Oh, well. I've asked myself to shut up now, and I aim to please.

It's Like A Zoo Up In Here

Day Two of our trip to Washington. We woke up - well, I should say, Chloë woke up, packed up as much as she could, and then woke me up to shower and finish getting our stuff together, because she's just that grown now - and checked out of the hotel. We left our American Girl stuff and suitcase at their baggage check so we wouldn't have to lug it all over D.C. and headed two doors down to Burger King to fill my girl's little belly. She was impressed by the three-story BK, this "car" table, and other little interesting things about the place, so she lingered while I put my head down and practically fell asleep there. I was so tired!

We only had a few stops down on the red line to get to our destination: the National Zoo, where we'd been once before when Sophia was about halfway grown in my belly, so she had no recollection of the trip. This was on the very long escalator, which she didn't like very much. She didn't fuss as much as Jack would have, though - they freak him OUT!

As soon as we neared the top, the melodic notes from this wooden flautist filled the air. He was using some kind of recorded background music as well, and the combination was delightful. I like a good busker, so we stayed a minute for a listen.

Chloë enjoyed the music, too, so I let her put a dollar in the tips box. Little things like that thrill her.

She thought these flowers were beautiful and asked to have her photo taken in front of them. The poor dear is forever asking what kind of flower this or that is, and unless it's an extremely well-known thing like a rose or a daffodil or what-not, I'm afraid I don't have the foggiest clue.

When she commented, "Hey, I've never seen a mailbox like that before," I made her stand by it so I'd remember to tell you exactly that bit. Seriously? I guess they aren't a common sight 'round here.

We spotted a 7-Eleven on our walk to the Zoo, and so of course I had to go in for a pick-me-up Diet Coke. I had to get a new cup, because my li'l girl had left my giant X-Treme Gulp cup (I call it my quarter-keg) on the train the day before. I let her get a Slurpee as a treat. The kids are always asking for Slurpees, and I'm always saying "no." But we were on a bit of a treat weekend, so what the hey?

I asked the cashier how close to the zoo we were by that point, and he pointed out the window, across the street. "It's right there," he said, with slight exasperation. "Oh," I replied sheepishly. "So it is." So we crossed the street, where I couldn't get a suddenly very shy Curls to ask the nice police officer - who desperately wanted to talk to her - whether our drinks were allowed in the Zoo. I finally asked the question while she peeked out from behind me bashfully, and found they were all right, so in we went.

If you've been to the Smithsonian Zoo there, in DC, then you know there are all kinds of educational looky-loo things like this one for kids and adults alike. Chloë stopped and peered into each one she could find, soaking up facts about the animals we were about to see and dropping knowledge on me during the actual viewing.

They were pretty cool, like giant View-Masters®. I enjoyed a few myself.

The Clouded Leopard was napping far away in a perch, so it was hard for me to get a good picture of him. Chloë kept telling me little factoids from the View-Master® about them.

You can see me taking the picture better than you can the two Fishing Cats napping just behind the glass, but there they were. One opened his eyes in his upside-down head and blinked sleepily at us, reminding us both of our own fat cat, Tinkerbell.

Chloë stopped to look at all the hands-on and interactive educational posts in the park that we passed, and I liked that about her. She didn't want to just go in and be a casual observer. She was an active participant, and I, well, I was observing her.

We didn't actually get to spot any of the Asian Small-Clawed Otters in the tank, but she's still talking about how soft the fur was in this touchy-feely doohickey. And when you pulled on the tab on the same otter, it made the noise. She's still mimicking that, too.

There was no shortage of bumblebees in the flowers we passed that day in the park.

Soon, we were on a bridge overlooking the Asian elephants, and the one on the right was putting on a show. She kept scooping up dirt with her agile trunk and tossing it onto her back, presumably to keep cool or keep the flies off or something, and then she would pull out hunks of grass and feed them into her gaping maw. The second or third time she did that, her enormous tongue came licking out of her mouth, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to get a picture of that. It was impressively large! As were the coconut-sized piles of dung, as Chloë pointed out, giggling.

 

There were some wee birds flitting about right next to us, so Curls stopped to watch them for a few moments.

Off they went... out of sight.

Moving along, we came to the Red Panda exhibit. We stayed here a very long time. Chloë was enthralled with these two. This one spent the entire time napping in the perch, while his partner wandered around in the habitat, entertaining us.

Chloë "awwed" over him the whole time we were there, seemingly louder as he came closer to our position.

Chloë laughed uproariously when the red panda stopped to hump up and down, shaking its rear at us. I couldn't tell if it was going to the bathroom or what, because it didn't seem like much, if anything, was left behind there when it moved along, so I'm not sure what that was about!

Finally, the Ailurid climbed the branches with fantastic agility and perched its adorable head on its front paws and sat there for a time, watching us watching it. We stayed a few moments longer and then kept going, but the red panda had stolen Chloë's heart.

The little girl by my side requested that I take a picture of these flowers and ask you (Miss Erin? Grandma?) what they were. So, what are they?

I'm afraid this is the best view we got of Tian Tian, one of the Giant Pandas on display. This was way zoomed and cropped, too, as the habitat was huge and the panda stayed in a far corner with its back to us. For that reason, we didn't stay and observe for long.

You might remember we are avid Penny Press collectors, so we pressed 6 or 7 pennies during our visit to the Zoo, every chance we got. Chloë was glad to just be able to watch the automated machinery for once, instead of having to crank it herself. This is the panda penny.

Oh, look! There's Mei Xiang!

Just past the panda exhibit, there was an all-you-can-panda gift shop, so we stopped in and had a look around. We found this HEE-larious pooping panda keychain, which squeezed out more doo-doo when you squeezed the panda's belly.

At $4, we decided it wasn't in our price range, but that didn't stop us from squeezing-and-pooping for a good three or four minutes, laughing and laughing and making the shop clerks laugh, in turn, at us and our amusement. I mean, c'mon! How funny is this thing?!

We picked up some souvenirs for each of us at this shop: a small stuffed red panda for Chloë, and a matching stuffed giant panda for Sophia, which we named Beijing and Shanghai, respectively, for their home country. Jack was to receive a Zoo-themed truck, which matched his growing collection of otherwise-identical trucks from NYC, Kings Dominion theme park, and... Busch Gardens, maybe? A t-shirt for Rob, a shot glass for my collection, and a postcard for Erin, who collects, and we were on our way. No plastic bag, thank you, we'll just tuck them into our backpack, here. Except for Beijing, which was Curls' constant companion for the remainder of the day.

A note about Beijing: since she came from D.C., just like Faith Misty, her new American Girl doll, Chloë decided that this would be Faith's pet, since we weren't able to get Ginger the cat for her. I liked that idea, too, and I liked that Chloë came up with it and was satisfied by it.

Doing the elephant penny press outside, inexplicably, the panda shop

And here was one for the tigers, which was nowhere near the actual tiger exhibit. We never got a chance to see those, on this visit. See Beijing tucked into her pocket?

We were getting short on time by then, so we made the decision that our last stop of the day would be to the Great Ape house. This Western Lowland Gorilla was a shy girl, peeking out at us occasionally from the corner, but mostly hiding away.

Another lowland gorilla was less shy and, in fact, startled the whole crowd watching by slamming herself into the window at us, perhaps in a display of agression? I'm not sure, but everyone jumped about a foot back when she did that! I found this highly entertaining.

In the orangutan habitat, Chloë was amused to find one playful critter and one covered up in a sheet, eating a banana. It rolled around in the sheet, and never let it drop. She decided that was funny enough to keep reminding me about it all the way home.

It stunk to high heaven in the Great Ape house. The smell of primate poop was... whew! Just thick in the air. So when we found the two penny machines at the end of the building, I was dismayed to discover that I was out of quarters by that point. We couldn't not get the pennies, so that meant we had to go out and change some dollars into quarters and then go back into that awful stench.

When we went outside, we discovered at last where all the vendors were for the Fiesta Musical, a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month that was going on at the Zoo that day. I approached the first one and asked for change for a dollar and was denied. Huh! Like he didn't have quarters. C'mon. I supposed I had to buy something to earn that privilege. Well, I had one quarter, and a very darling young lady came up to me and handed me 50¢, saying she didn't need it. She wouldn't accept a dollar or even dimes in return. I was touched, as I always am by people practicing random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty...

Back into the Stench Great Ape House we went, to press our pennies. Luckily, the other machine accepted dollar bills.

So this was our collection of pressed pennies for the day, to go into collection book #2. It's almost filled; we'll need to get a third soon. Look at that blank! It came out, along with our penny, from one of the presses. I've decided it's my favorite.

I noticed this tree growing outside the Great Ape house. Is that an actual bunch of bananas? In D.C.? I've never seen such a thing, in real life. It fascinated me to find it there.

Soon, it was time to rush-rush-rush back to the hotel where we'd stayed. We had less than two hours to huff down to the Metro station, zip over to the stop by the hotel, huff down to the hotel, (pee), collect our bags, and get back on the Metro to Union Station, where we would catch the Amtrak back for home. While we waited for the elevator to take us down to the trains at the zoo stop, I photoed this awesomely painted bear. Cool, right?

Anyway, thankfully, we did make our train, with a mere 20 minutes to spare. Whew!! I was a little panicky. Chloë was a trooper, rushing along beside me and dragging the rolling suitcase while I carried everything else. Oh. After we picked up our bags and got back to the Metro station by the hotel, I put in her fare card and let her through the turnstile. Then I put in my fare card and got denied! Eek! Mine was out of money; I hadn't used them evenly, apparently. I had to leave her there and race back to the fare card vending machine, where I couldn't see her, to buy a new ticket. And the first machine was out of order, the second rejected my $10 bill and my credit card, and I had to go to a third one. I kept hollering out, "Are you okay, Chloë?" and heaving a sigh of relief when she would answer back in the affirmative. She wasn't scared, but I didn't enjoy that experience one little bit.

At last, we were seated back on the train to go home, Faith Misty in her box by our feet, luggage overhead, Curls by the window with Beijing to keep her company, and me drooling on my pillow-coat for two-thirds of the trip. I was tired. TIE-YURD.

After another four-plus hours, we had a sweet, happy family reunion at the depot in Newport News, and the kids fast-chatted all the way home about what they'd done in each others' absences, while Rob and I tried to get words in edgewise. Once at home, I gave Jacky his truck and Sophia her panda, Shanghai.

Rob was game to model his t-shirt for me. He's a sport, that one.

For the Fiesta Musical, I picked up these souvenir birds from Peru that, when filled with water, make real-sounding bird calls that vary with the shape of the ceramic creatures. They are LOUD, too. I like them, but the kids blew them half of today, and I sho'nuff did get a headache from that! Sophia's, sadly, is already broken, but it was an accident, and she was sad. Me, too.

The kids stayed up late last night, looking at Faith Misty and hearing all about our trip, despite our best efforts to get them to settle down and go to sleep. I expected nothing less, though.

And that was our trip. Big fun!

Fin.

She's An American Girl

This past weekend, for her tenth (!!) birthday celebration, Chloë I took the train up to Washington, D.C., to have some fun at the new(ish) American Girl store there. She didn't have an American Girl doll before, so the whole point was to pick one out and, for me, to enhance the experience for her in whatever way I could.

I'll post about the two days in two separate posts, because both promise to be quite lengthy - and you know me, I simply cannot make a long story short!

Here's Chloë on the train, shortly after we boarded in Newport News around 0800. My reasons for doing the train instead of driving were three-fold: (1) To save money on gas and parking to and in DC, (2) to leave the van so Rob and the kids could get around in our absence, and (3) for the fun of it! I love riding the train. Chloë has ridden the DC Metro and the NYC Subway system before, but this, I believe, was her first "real" train experience. She loved it, although halfway or so into the four-plus-hour sojourn, she was quite bored, as she'd forgotten her current book (which she's already read at least twice, and which makes her cry every time because it reminds her of losing Robby, sweet thing). (At least I had my iPhone! So she played on that while I snoozed a little.)

The Instagram pic I posted of her to Facebook - love that app!

Finally, we arrived at Union Station in DC, almost an hour later than expected. I had planned to go right to our hotel, check in and drop off our luggage before heading to the American Girl store in McLean, VA, but we had lunch reservations that we were going to miss if we didn't go straight there. So here's Miss Curls waiting for the first Metro train of the day, once we figured out where in the h-e-double hockey sticks we were supposed to be!

{By the by, if her face looks a little 'odd' to you, it is. The left side (right for you; the one with the scratch on her cheek) is swollen, thanks to a booboo from her dental appliance. Fortunately, she has an appointment on the books tomorrow anyway, so we can get that looked at.}

And again, the obligatory Instagram "check-in" Facebook photo

Here she is, as her Grandma said, looking "10 going on 14" as we waited for subway train #2 in our trek to the mall. After that, we took the bus. With all our luggage and stuff. Oy.

Finally, we made it to the mall!! She was so excited, and I was, too, for her. She made me photograph this first sign we spotted inside the mall, indicating our destination...

...and this banner, too. Excitement was mounting with every step closer to the store.

Finally, we arrived where she's been waiting years to go: the American Girl store. And folks, let me tell you what: this place is an absolute EXPLOSION of pink. Pink, pink, pink. Pink everywhere. (Read: Don't take your total tomboy daughters to this place. It wouldn't do.)

Now, by then, I was a little frustrated and upset (for her sake), because I'd spent over a month trying to get in contact with their personal shopper for an appointment for Chloë, and also because we missed our lunch reservations by about 45 minutes thanks to public transit. So the first thing I did was look for a manager, explain the situation, and ask her for help in making the whole event a positive one for my baby. Who is no longer a baby, but so what? Ten. Sheesh.

The manager, Doris, was fantastic. She marched us right up to the Bistro, where we'd missed our reservations, and got us a table immediately. She left us there with instructions that we were to find her afterward, so that she could connect us with the Personal Shopper. She was going to take care of us. That much was clear. And I was so relieved.

Since she hadn't gotten her own American Girl (AG) doll yet, Chloë was able to pick out a "loaner" doll from a wall of them sitting near the front of the Bistro, along with a chair that clipped directly to the table next to her. She really enjoyed that. Silliness, but hey. We decided to call the loaner doll "Sarah."

She pored over the menu, in which we were each supposed to find a starter and an entrée, according to their pricing plan. Look at that cheek! Tsk, tsk.

She was going to have milk with her meal, and then I showed her the beverage menu that was available and said she could pick off that if she wanted. This is not a posed expression; she really did that. Hee!

Curls and the menu, of which she wanted a picture. Pink, pink, pink!

Even though "Sarah" was only a loaner, she was still giddy with excitement over eating with her. It was her first hands-on experience with AG dolls, and she kept pulling her out of the chair to explore her, and posing with her for more pictures. She was loving this and informed me multiple times that, "This is even better than I imagined it would be!" Win!

When our drinks were brought, Sarah got her own cup, too. Chlo thought that was so cute, of course.

The centerpiece - more pink!

Chloë insisted I come look at the bakery case while we waited for our food. She was beside herself about there being "mini" things for everything for the AG dolls, including each dessert!

Her starter plate consisted of fruit kebabs, berries, and muffins for dipping into strawberry yogurt. She stuffed herself on this, except for the muffins, which she took home with her.

I had the cheddar cheese fondue, which was better than I'd expected. (You say "fondue" and I'm there, pretty much.) I filled up on bread and cheese. The two of us could've just done the starters and been happy, but their menu doesn't work like that.

Lunch was spaghetti and meatballs, but she took two bites and decided she couldn't pack in another morsel. I felt her pain. She had this for dinner later, instead.

I had a turkey panini, which I tasted to discover it was really good, but I also couldn't eat another bite. I ate mine the next day, for lunch and for dinner on the train ride home.

Eventually, our excellent server, Emmanuel, and some of the other staff came out with her desserts and sang happy birthday to her, after announcing her name and age to the whole restaurant. I noticed some other guests singing, too. It was fun.

Of course, she loved that part!

And look what they brought her! FIVE desserts! She ate the top off the two cupcakes and brought the rest home for Jack and Sophia to enjoy.

One last, lovely pose with Sarah at the end of the meal

Chloë insisted on filling out the comment card herself, which tickled me enormously. How grown up is she? Goodness.

We looked around at the dolls with a culture and history background story for a little while, before deciding to go find the Personal Shopper who was going to assist her with her purchases. Here's a little photo op with Kanani, who is obviously the Hawaiian AG.

She enjoyed showing me the different beds and pets and things that could be had for her doll-to-be, though she knew we had a budget to stick to.

Here, she's found Ginger, the little kitten she eventually wants to get for a pet for her doll. Maybe for Christmas?

Finally, we went upstairs and found Lisa, the Personal Shopper, who took Chloë under her wing and gave her her undivided attention. She really made Chlo feel like she was the star of the show, and I could tell my girl was feeling pretty special. Just what I wanted out of this experience. They're looking here at the case full of all the look-alike dolls ("My AG"), which is what she wanted, rather than one that came pre-storied. Like that term? I think I may have just made it up.

She didn't find exactly what she wanted in that case, so Miss Lisa took her over to a nearby case with their more popular My AG dolls. She picked one out that she thought would be up Chloë's alley, and she was right! Chloë's eyes lit up as soon as she saw her, and we knew she had found The One. This is her. Well, this is her box. Pink, of course.

Miss Lisa took Chloë and her new doll over to the styling salon, to get her ears pierced. Here, Chloë's touching her doll for the first time. She was so excited! Then they whisked her doll into the back "for the procedure." I asked, "Why, do they bleed and cry?" to Lisa, who started to say "no..." and then cracked up laughing at herself for actually answering me seriously.

Here she is, pierced, and dressed in the outfit that all My AG girls wear home. Does she look like a happy camper, or what?!

Lisa helped Chloë pick out a special AG hairbrush for her new doll, as well as a gymnastics outfit for her, after determining what Chloë, herself, likes to do and what her favorite things are. Then she took us back upstairs to her office to ring her up. Here's Curls in front of Cécile and Marie-Grace, the new New Orleans girls.

Miss Lisa wrapped her packages up all specially, gave her a cookie for a treat, and posed for a picture (which she asked me to email her later). She was really great to Chloë and gave her the Star Treatment, making her feel really important for her special day. Mom was thrilled with the whole thing, too. It really worked out well.

I'd looked ahead of time and found that there was a Godiva shop in the same mall, so before heading to the hotel, we stopped in for my free rewards member truffle. I picked the hazelnut one, as usual, while Chloë wanted this strawberry créme one. She didn't like it, but she ate it and the second one I bought in case she did, too. *snort*

We lugged all our bags o' red out to the bus waiting zone and, um, waited. For the bus. And ate our truffles. I listened to Chloë chatter on and on about her experience at American Girl. She'd had the best time, really enjoyed it.

Shortly after, on the bus, well, she crashed. Hard. At least I didn't have to listen to her ask, "Can I take her out of the box now?" 47 times a minute like she had been up 'til that point!

Once we got to the train depot again, she was wide awake and raring to go. I think this is Photo Number 830 of Chloë at a Place o' Transportation from this trip. Ah, well. I don't care, she's cute in every damn one anyway.

She was a little punchy by that point, and giggly, too. I said something to her, or made a face or something - I forget - that made her laugh...

...and laugh...

...and laaaaaugh!! She got me laughing pretty hard, too. Yep. We were having a swell time.

At long last, after a couple of train transfers and lugging our bags up Connecticut Avenue, we landed at our hotel and checked in. And then we were in the room, and finally it was time to take her new special-special out of the box. Well, hello there, darlin'!

She's ready for her close-up.

Chloë Raine holding "Faith Misty" for the first time. I didn't assist with the name at all. Well, I tried to get her to go with "Faith Hope" and "Faith, Trust, and Pixie-Dust" for silliness, but I got the, "Moooo-oooom" look for those efforts. They make a pretty pair, don't they?

Obligatory Instagram photo for Facebook instantaneousness

So that was our day! She immediately changed Faith into her gymnastics outfit, changed her earrings, and back and forth about 3700 times before bed that night. And of course, they slept together, snuggled up tight.

********

My kiddos have had a busy first half of the day, and will have a busy evening, so I'm letting them loose outside right now to expend some pent-up energy. I think I'll be back soon with Day Two of our trip!

Fin.

Friday Fragments

Hie thee here to link up with Mrs.4444 if ye be fragmentin' today!

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Look at me! Fragmenting two weeks in a row! I'm on a roll, kids. You should feel blessed to have me in your presence. I jest. But I'm working on being a more consistent blahgess, so "here my am!" as I once heard an exuberant two-year-old exclaim.

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So I'm pretty sure that one of our two twin kittens - or maybe both of them - just went potty on my kids' books that were left layin' on the floor. I'm utterly NOT in the mood to go check it out, mainly because I don't want to clean it up for the umpteenth time. These two kitties, Cupcake and Muffin, are 6 months old and quickly running out of chances with me. Unfortunately, we tried the SPCA, but we were told they were unadoptable with this behavior and would immediately be euthanized, so our options are limited. Seriously, though, I have just enough OCD that I'm about to lose my shit over it. No pun intended.

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I had a major manic episode last Friday, and it involved lots of visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation, and severe anxiety. I saw my psychopharmacologist, who basically put me to sleep for the next two days. I woke up feeling much better, but it was a freaky thing. My husband took emergency leave for both the kids' sake and mine. This bipolar disorder is for the birds. I'm not looking forward to living with this crap for the rest of  my life, but I suppose I don't have much of a choice. (Please don't leave me a comment saying I DO have a choice and leave me a bunch of religious mumbo-jumbo about it. So not in the mood to be hearing that. If you wouldn't say it to a diabetic or a cancer patient, then don't say it to me. Thanks.)

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I'm back in therapy 2x a week, after a two-month hiatus on my shrink's part. I'm so glad to be back. She and I hit it off like peanut butter and Nutella, and she helps me tremendously. I feel so much better, so much relief, after talking to her. She asked me, do I want to stick to twice weekly sessions or go down to one? I chose to stick with the two, since, um, six was apparently out of the question. Heh.

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We've been taking some time away from our regular studies in order to participate in the Colonial Homeschool Days at Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center in the Historic Triangle up by Williamsburg. We'll get to Williamsburg later in the semester for their homeschool day(s), but today, we're headed to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News for more fun and edumacation. I'm looking forward to it - except for the waking the kids up early part. They don't do so well with that, being night owls like their Mama. (Click on over here to answer my Aloha Friday question about Colonial stuff, please-and-thanks!)

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And in the evening, I'm having a JAFRA party to celebrate my return to that oh-so-wondrous of skin care and cosmetics companies. It's truly an awesome company with fabulous products - and I would know, as I've been using them since I was a young lass of 22 years! (I just turned 35 a week ago, so that should tell you how much I believe in the benefits of both Jafra the company and Jafra the product!) If you've never tried it and would be interested in doing so, give me a hollah! Even if you're not local to me, we can work out a hostess plan for you to try some samples and get some free gifts. Your skin will thank you!  Here's my site, although it won't be active until sometime in the next couple of days - check me out (soon)!

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Finalmente, the eldest girl-child, who just turned 10 (!!) and I will be heading up to D.C. this weekend via train. I'm taking her shopping for her first (and probably only) American Girl doll and some spa time, like getting the doll's ears pierced if that's what she decides (and I think she will). Now if I could just get their dang personal shopper to call me back, that would be glorious!

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So our first day of co-op on Wednesday when really well, I think! It was hectic, and there was some chaos, and I was way exhausted afterward, but I'm looking forward to what the next 9 weeks will bring for both the kids in their classes and me in mine (I'm teaching cooking to kids from 5 to 14 in three different time slots). I'm so glad to be back in the group, after leaving prematurely last spring!

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That's all I've got for fragments, but I may be back later with pictures from our Powhatan Indian Village tour in Jamestown, among other gems. Come back and see me if you get a chance. ☺

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Fin.

Aloha Friday

Link up here if you're playing along today!

My question(s) for you this week are:

Have you ever been to Colonial Williamsburg (VA)?

If so, what did you think of it? If not, do you want to go?

We've lived here 8½ years and are just now doing the Colonial thing. We're starting with Jamestown and Yorktown, actually, but we'll get to "Billburg" soon, later this year. I think the timing is just right now that our kids are older and will remember it, anyway. Any earlier and it would have been wasted on them, I think!

Have a great weekend! "Curls" and I are headed to American Girl in D.C. by train, so I'm excited - as is she!

Fin.

A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama

Y'all did know that's, like, a palindrome, right? That's not news?

Anyway. Not where I'm headed.  Nor is this collage of silly pictures I took of myself early this morning when I meant to be writing up plans and writing down lists:

I love Instagram.

I also seriously LOVE these Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers, which are so good I can't stand it. I got a case of them from Moms Meet to share with my mommy group today, but I've literally eaten like 10 ½-oz bags myself since they arrived. They're addictive! Perfectly crunchy, wonderful texture, delicious flavor, and just the right touch of salt. Mmm. I can definitely endorse this product! Bonus: They're gluten-free, for those of you needing such a product (but they do contain soy, though it's low on the ingredient list.)

ANYWAY.

The plan. The plans. That's why we're all gathered here together today. And no, we're not moving to Panama. Or Thailand. Or Florida, Or Hawai'i, or Australia (boo-hoo). Nor are we going to live on a boat.

  
No, we have decided that, all things considered, those ideas just aren't going to work out for us, right now. Maybe in the future, but not right now.

Instead, here's what:

Rob'll retire in about a year and a half, after 20 years of service to our great country.

Then a lot of this will happen. Hopefully our shithole house will sell sooner rather than later, and we can high-tail it out of here shortly after retirement.

...After which, we'll end up here, this being a marina in downtown San Diego. Okay maybe not *exactly* here, but somewhere in this neck of the woods. And by "neck" I mean Southern California, and by "woods" I mean United States. It all depends on where we can find affordable (please, God, let it be four-bedroom) housing in a safe place, but the closer to SD, the better.

Now you may be asking, in your grammatically-incorrect way that I love so much:

???

Well, there are a few reasons.

#1. Process of elimination. After deciding we couldn't expatriate for medical reasons (my bipolar disorder and Jack's growth hormone deficiency, chiefly), our list narrowed down to Hawai'i, the Florida Keys, or San Diego. It had to be somewhere warm but NOT the Deep South, and I didn't have much interest in the Southwest, either. No particular reason, just, meh.

#2.

The whole reason Rob got into the Navy in the first place was for the G.I. bill, so he could go to college, never intending to do 20 years. But that's neither here nor there anymore, and now he's ready to get that degree. Between the GI bill and Voc Rehab, he hopes to get his B.S. in Nursing, become an R.N., and then continuing ed. to become a Nurse Practitioner. I think that's great. I'm all for it.

So why San Diego?

a. Proximity to MTFs (Military Treatment Facilities) to minimize our out-of-pocket post-Active Duty medical expenses. (Our prescriptions add up, dudes.)

b. Proximity to family, vs. Hawai'i. As Rob pointed out, "our parents aren't getting any younger..."

c. Quality and quantity of accredited institutions of higher learning, vs. the sole Florida Keys Community College (which, by the way, is supposed to be competitive for nursing, but then he'd have to commute to Miami after two years, and .... nah)

# 3.

There's so much for families to do there! We've heard lots of great things from friends and fellow military members who've lived there, so it will afford many opportunities for exploration, discovery, and fun.

So that's pretty much the whole ball of wax, in a nutshell. Maybe we'll be able to live out Plan B of The Retirement Dream, which includes

Oh. When I first read that, I thought it said "OUR," not "ORR." Heh. Whatever. Sorry I stole your banner, Orr Family Farm.

We'd love some of this:

because we go through, and desire plenty of fresh, healthy, organic:

If the place is big enough, we might even have a goat or even a cow, for milk, and cheese, and yogurt, and all sorts of things I'd learn to make.

Dang. Just dang.

And hopefully a big, beautiful vegetable garden will keep us occupied in the growing season (or is it always the growing season there?), so with the chickens and goat/cow and veggies and whatever else, we can be pretty self-sufficient and organic, food-wise.

In the dream/fantasy, I'd also get an alpaca or several, to raise for the fiber.

Of course, I could either sell the fiber outright, or learn to spin it. Or both. Yes, probably both.

And I could learn to dye it with natural materials, and I would produce the most beautiful yarns.

And of course, I'd keep homeschooling the kids, and they'd learn so much from the farming and the husbandry and the learning. All the learning, every day, from doing. And behold, it would be very, very good.

And in a perfect world, I'd have her body.

So it will be interesting to see how it all pans out. Whether any of it does, whether it all does, and we get to grow old together and live happily ever after.

That's the plan, Stan!

Fin.

P.S. I forgot to mention one final "plus" that San Diego had going for it: proximity to

,

should Chloë (or even Sophia, but never Jack) decide to pursue that avocation after all.

P.P.S. Today is Rob's 39th birthday. Happy birthday, Rabbi/Rupert/Ribbon/Rabbit/Robin/Ruben and everything else I call you!

Road Trip: Missouri, Six Months Later

At last, the Missouri trip! Cue the trumpets! Of course, now that it has been since end of February since our trip, I will have forgotten lots of little details that I probably would have otherwise included, but I'll make up for that with lots of pictures. So. Here we go!

We left middle of the night, as I recall, and drove straight through to central Missouri where Rob's brother and mom live (in separate locales, an hour apart). I started driving, but when it was day, I let Rob take over. Of course, never missing an opportunity to take "here we are driving to another state" photos, there's the one of Rob behind the wheel, all serious-like.

See how far back he is? He may be, well, petite, but he has freakishly long arms, a short torso and proportionately long legs. I am the opposite and have to sit right up against the wheel. We are forever having to move the seat around when we switch drivers in Penelope (our Odyssey)!

 

Me, trying to look all cool for my self-portrait. Where HAVE those sunglasses gotten to, anyway?

Jack was seriously excited on this trip. It's rare to get a genuine smile out of him (for a picture, that is). I wish I could remember exactly what this one was about!

 

I think this one had either just woken up or was on her way out. Or maybe both!

Chloë was pretty happy to be heading to Grandma's, too!

 

After many, many hours in the car, our first stop was in Columbia, MO, to visit Uncle Mike at his restaurant, Sycamore. He's the chef there, and having eaten there a few times, I can tell you that it is absolutely not to be missed if you're in that town. I love that he uses fresh, local, seasonal foods as much as he possibly can on the menu. Be sure and tell him I sent you. That and five cents will probably get you a nickel, but it would be fun anyway. Here's Chef-Uncle Mike telling the kids something restaurant-y. They hadn't been there since the summer of 2007, which in kids' years is like the entire Triassic Period, so of course they wanted the whole experience again.

Here they are about to go into the giant walk-in freezer. You can see the girls are wearing their Girl Scout tunic and vest, respectively. That's because, before our trip, they'd called up Uncle Mike and asked him if he wanted to buy any GS Cookies for their annual fundraiser. He bought one of each variety from them, so Troop Leader Mom made them go deliver them in uniform. Hee.

 

Sophia liked playing with the flappy bits of the freezer.

Of course, we didn't feed them during the entire, what, 20-some-hour road trip (har, I jest), so they were quick to bum food off Uncle Mike. Well, they were in a gourmet restaurant, after all! You can't lose with grapes when it comes to kids. 
 

They liked going downstairs to look at all the restaurant-size stock in the big pantry there, too. Now that we shop at BJs, they're used to seeing those sizes of cans, and one of them mentioned that it was "like at Uncle Mike's restaurant," one time.

One last peek at Uncle Mike and the front of the restaurant, before it was time to say goodbye and get buckled back in the car for the trip to Grandma's. They didn't love that - getting back in the car, that is - but since Grandma was on the other end of the drive, the complaints were kept to a minimum.

 

Of course, the first picture I have is not of the kids greeting Grandma but something Grandma almost always has on hand (she does way more baking than I do!) - cookies! I think Sophia spotted the chocolate chip goodness in the garage on the way in and, being our constant eater, accosted them until she was granted one or five. Probably not five, though she wouldn't have turned that many down!

 

After we'd been there a little while, gone through the hellos and how-are-yous, and shown our lovely room in the finished, cozy basement, Grandma (I now call her Mamacita, so if I slip, you'll know whom I mean) took us into the storage room and showed the kids her train collection. Now you KNOW Jack was all over that!

More of Grandma's trains. I seem not to have a picture of it, which is a shame, but when we were on our way home and driving through the coal towns of West Virginia, we stopped at a gift shop. I found a train made entirely of coal for Mamacita, and picked it up for her to send when we got home. Shame on me for not taking a photo!

 

 

Well, would you look at that! I lied. I found it already filed away under the photos from March, for some reason (which isn't odd because our trip DID end in the beginning of March but because I usually don't put them "away" like that until they've been blogged). Isn't it cool? I hope Mamacita liked it.

Anyway, back to our trip.

Even Chloë got interested in looking at all the different train cars from one of Grandma's sets - but no one was more enthused than Jack, of course.

Then Grandma brought out another box. I'll show you what that was in a minute, but I just have to say this peeky-peeky view of Sophia amuses the poo out of me!

 

Inside was an entire train village of ... what's it called? that hard counted cross-stitch frame stuff, the name of which is escaping me at present ... made by either Grandma or her mother. I can't seem to remember that part, either. (Sorry!)

The kids had a great time playing with that, until Grandma said it was time to put things away and go back upstairs. But not before she gave Rob and me all manner of old-timey cookbooks and things, through which I'm STILL looking. Fun stuff!

 

Upstairs, we were shown Grandma's Galileo thermometer, which fascinated them. (Gotta admit, they intrigue me, too. I've always wanted to get one. Don't know why I never did.)

This is the next day, now. We were expecting a visit from Uncle Mike and his kids, Harry and Elizabeth, who are younger than mine by quite a few years. Out came the toys - old ones, mostly, from Rob's childhood - that Grandma keeps on hand. Sophia delved right into making a block town.

 

Meanwhile, Jack was busy setting up the play castle. I think he might have snuck a few of the pieces home with him? I don't know, but the "guys" look recently familiar. Hmmm...

 

 

Chloë was into building with the blocks after a spell, too. I seem to remember her getting in a fight over them with Sophia. It wouldn't be a stretch to make that up, if not, since they are always doing that and driving me up a wall!

At last, Uncle Mike arrived with his little ones in tow. They take a while to warm up to new people and situations, so they stuck close to Dad for a while. I tried to get Elizabeth to play, or eat a cookie, or otherwise interact with me, but she wasn't ready yet. No worries, we were all old friends by the time we headed back to Virginia!

 

Now, there was Rob, in the midst of things, checking out the Lego™ cars Uncle Mike had brought for Jack and Harry. Jack is impatient about figuring out how to put things together, much of the time, so I'm sure he went straight to Daddy to ask for help!

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Chloë and Elizabeth were working on setting up a game of Twister. Do I have to "™" that one, too? ;) I don't think they ever got it sorted out as to the proper rules, though, so maybe the game was never played. I can't remember...

 

Then the girls were given an Eric Carle book, and all was well again as they read through that one together.

In the living room - which was beginning to look like mine does ALL of the time - Harry had a flashlight. I got multiple pictures of him playing with that, but none as cute as this. I love the "figuring out" look on his face.

The girls were getting along swimmingly by that point, so there were all kinds of toys and games shared amongst the three of them. It was jolly good to see them playing together so nicely!

 

Harry was in more of a solitary kind of mood, then. But where was Jack? Playing with something wheeled, it's certain.

 

Next, Elizabeth showed us how her Daddy flips her, which then obligated him to do the same with Sophia (who weighs half a ton, no lie) and Chloë (more like half an ounce, no lie). About a hundred times. His poor back was aching after that, I'm sure!

  

Well, this was nice. More Eric Carle reading (The Mixed-Up Chameleon). Isn't it great to see kids - cousins, that is - who never see each other, getting along so swell. Warm fuzzies, I get, just remembering.

 

Oh, look, there's Jack again, probably having a "bossy" moment. He does that sometimes. Okay, a lot of times. He's not good at sharing. Luckily, it doesn't appear that Harry minded too much!

Look, there's me again! How exciting. I barely recognize myself, even now. Liz was distracted by something, but she really was paying attention to the story I was reading her. In fact, she asked me to read it about ten times. I obliged. It's not often I get to read to her, after all.

 

After a while, when it was late, my kiddos changed into their jammies, and Miss Linda - Grandma's roommate - allowed them upstairs to her suite to watch a kids' movie. They had a ball, they did. Going up to Miss Linda's room is a special treat, after all.

 

When the movie ended, and it was time for the littlest Odette children to head back to Columbia for bed, I tried to get them all seated on the stairs for a group picture. It was a comedy of errors. Here's attempt 1: nope!

 

#2: nope, nope!

  

For #3, the daddy Odettes got into the act to try and old the squirmy children still, but they STILL wouldn't all look at me!

#4: Ah, forget it!! Not gonna happen. (If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times: child photographers do NOT get paid enough!)

 

At least the three Odette girl-children posed together nicely for me. Check out Sophia's ridiculous stance. She's still doing that pose all these months later. What a goof!

 

Either he's happy the kids have gone to bed, or he's giving me a sarcastically-non-genuine "get out my face with that camera" smile.

 

Nope, they're still here! Must've been the latter. I get that a lot.

 

The next morning, we arose and got ready to leave for the second half of our week, my mystery shop at a resort in Branson. I found that town to be a lot like Pigeon Forge, TN, except with pretty bluffs. Neither was particularly my cup of tea, but hey, at least now I can say I've been there. This child was really sick on the drive down, but here it looks like she's in the middle of pitching a fit. I should know; she does it about five times every day. ::rolls eyes::

 

After checking into our resort, we went out to eat at a local touristy establishment for which we'd been given some decent coupons. As usual, there were crayons and coloring papers for the kids. Jack doesn't usually get into it as much as the other two, so this picture is of interest - at least, to me.

Rob ordered a huge beer, which took him about eleventeen hours to finish. He doesn't chug. He's not a chugger. So many times, I have gone out to eat with him and the meal took much longer than it ought to have, because he's so poky about finishing his beverages. And yes, that's a major character flaw. Ha!

 

I ordered these. Of course, I consumed nowhere near all of that, and there was much sharing and saving for later happening with these crab legs. But, hello, yum!

We stopped at Wal-mart after dinner to get a few groceries, and since our tax refund had come in, this new laptop for me to take with us on mystery shopping trips. We'd bought one for the kids, which I usurped during each such trip, back in the Fall, but Sophia had recently dropped it by accident, and it was kablooey. Can I just say, I hate this laptop? Hate it. It is the spawn of the debbul.

"Home" to the resort after dinner, where Rob crashed on our comfy bed. It was a nice place, I'll give it that.

I can't remember if Jack already had this and brought it along on the trip, or we got it for him at Wal-mart, or what, but I'm thinkin' the latter. Else, why the huge smile?

   

The next day, we were able to go see a show called Dixie Stampede, a Dolly Parton thing, which had been recommended by my friend Julie when we were in Pigeon Forge but couldn't do at the time. I found a good deal on some tickets, and off we went!  Naturally, my horse lover, Sophia, was in 7th heaven when we were able to see the "performers" in their stables getting fed and groomed. 

The girls were enraptured of (with?) this big floral butterfly on the front lawn, and they insisted I photograph it. So there you go, lady-babies.

Sophia climbed right up on the display horse at the top of the hill. Rules, schmules, she doesn't care whether it's allowed. Take my picture, dammit!

Chloë thought the cannon was pretty cool.

 

Oh, another pretty horse, inside this time. And that was the last of the photos until we got "home," because Dixie Stampede doesn't allow photography, under penalty of death. 

I did a little souvenir-shopping after the show, and each of the kids got one of these lollies with the horsies on them. Jack and Sophia each had a birthday coming up, so I let them pick out something for that, too, for later. Now that Chloë's birthday is around the corner, I'm wondering if she picked out something for that, too. I think she did, and it's in my closet! Glad I remembered in time...!

Just for sillies.

 

Huh. I wonder why this kid has so many cavities? ::scratches head in puzzlement::

 

After that, it was time for a bath. The kids love baths, especially in hotels. They'd live in there if I let them. Anyway, a long time ago, I'd gotten something for them on steep clearance at The Body Shop, and I'd put it away for a special occasion. I'd forgotten about it until I was packing for this trip, so I thought that was as good a time as any to give it to them. You can see I made them close their eyes and hold out their hands to get it!

 

"What the heck is it?!"

 

Why, it was animal-shaped soaps, of course! Sophia was given a sea turtle...

 

...Chloë a (badly photographed) elephant,...

 

 

...and Jack got a humpback whale. There were two or three more in the package, and since I think they bathed until every last bit of soap was gone, I probably gave those to them for the next night. They loved it. Just one of those little "nothing" surprises that make life fun, I guess.

The next day, we made the pilgrimage up to Springfield, MO, home of the original Bass Pro Shops. We had lunch with our kids' long-ago babysitter, Angie, and her husband Chris, but I completely forgot to take any pictures of them! Wait, I'll go steal one off her Facebook page, haha:

 

Then we said our good-byes and headover over to BPS. And oh, my, it was HUGE. Lots of scenery, stuff to do, and of course, things to buy. Let's see, shall we?

The sign tickled my fancy!

This is the kind of place where, as soon as you walk in, you want to look everywhere and see everything at once, because there's just SO MUCH stuff to see! And they didn't spare any detail, either. It was really cool.

I think Sophia was most excited about all the scenery and taxidermied animals, though I'm not quite sure she realized most of them were stuffed!

This guy sure wasn't! Or was he? You decide.

Soph and Rob made sure I noticed the deer "running" around overhead, on one end of the massive store.

Yep, definitely plenty to see!

Jack climbed onto this Arctic Cat ATV, which was a wee bit too big for him - but he didn't care. Look at that grin!

Meanwhile, Chloë was petting this, um, dead pig thing. Wild boar, I guess? Maybe?

 

I just liked the look of all the rods displayed together like that...

 

Chloë definitely found an ATV she liked!

 

And this one suited Sophia perfectly. She may be a tomboy, but she's all girl when it comes to pink and purple.

 

Ahh, here's one that's more Jack's size. Now if only we had a few extra grand...

Always the lawbreaker, there's Sophia climbing again, this time into a speed boat. Can't blame her. I love them, too!

 

I was so glad to capture this moment, as it is truly rare, much more so than one of Jack's genuine camera smiles. They play together nicely half the time, but the other half - watch out! (And yes, I have to point out how one has a tush that fills out her jeans nicely, while the other can barely keep her pants up. Hehe.)

 

 

Oh, now we're back to petting stuffed animals. Lynx? Bobcat? I have no clue.

 

 

No doubt about what this is. P-U!

 

Jack's checking out the turtles, and probably thinking, "How can I get in there?"

 

They even left no stone unturned when it came to the ceilings. So fascinating.

 

After that, Rob helped each of the kids with their target practice. They must have played that game ten times. I got bored and went and bought a bag of hot nuts. I do like some hot nuts. ;)

Love the look of concentration on Chloë's face here.

...And Sophie the lefty's turn.

 

Look out, deer!

 

Checking out something, with a temporary friend, maybe? They make lots of those.

After that, I sent Rob to roam around and look at stuff with the kids, while I did a little shopping. Probably a little too much, but I got some great deals on some things they could really use - and have - sooo... Later, at our resort suite, I presented their goodies with much fanfare. I'm a fan of, uh, that.

 

 

Okay, so the fishing poles and tackle boxes were Rob's idea, and they LOVE them. Rob has taken them fishing a billion times since then, so those were completely worthwhile.

 

 

The net was to go along with the fishing gear, and the Bug Jug was to replace Jack's bug kit from camp the previous summer, which Sophia had broken. He was utterly dismayed about that, and just as thrilled to get a new one. He's forever wanting to put bugs in there and look at them, too!

Name placemats, for dinnertime. Well, anytime, duh. Of course, we never find anything with the right ë, but she's used to that! I do remember they used them for every meal we ate at the resort after that! Now, they rarely get used but once in a while.

 

Jack needed a coat, and I found an awesome one for him on clearance. Chloë got the wildlife puzzle, and Sophia was given a camp activity book and another chirpy bird. This time, a cardinal. (When we went to Beaver Lake in my hometown, she picked out a goldfinch. She's a big fan of birds, too.)

 

The hats and mittens were on deep clearance, too. Don't they look so cute?

You can't see, but Jack's watch has cars on it. Chloë's has hearts, and Sophia's has penguins, which are one of her favorite animals. I figured it was time to teach them how to tell time. Unfortunately, these watches are lost and found all. the. time.

 

For dinner that night, we did the Japanese hibatchi thing. We've only done that with the kids one other time, so when I found a good coupon for one around the corner from where we were staying, we jumped on it. One of the two sisters sharing our table took the picture for us. Those two girls got a huge kick out of just about everything my kids said!

 

 

So yum. We got some hibatchi AND some sushi, which of course was waaay too much for my little pouch - lucky for Rob!

 

Great. Now I'm craving some. As a totally irrelevant and probably uninteresting aside, I can NOT eat rice at all except as part of sushi. Must be the stickiness that lets me eat it?

This guy was HEE-larious - and very talented, too! He threw food into everyone's mouth and, as is usually the case at a hibatchi, did all manner of other tricks. Love those restaurants. Have you never been? You must try it!

This part always scares the kids! Well, both times it has. 

Time to cook the food. I am a major fan of scallops, and Rob is quite the opposite, so I get them every chance I get. These did not disappoint. Mmm-mmm-mmm!

 

For a little treat later that night, I gave the kids these other lollies, which I'd also picked up at the Stampede. I'm a sucker, I know. (pun intended. heh heh)

 

Obligatory candy pose. Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to show you this. Let's fix that, in case that meany hate-mail lady is still reading, shall we?

 

There. Better? :P

 

Eh, feckit. They wound down a little with some telly before bed. And yes, I know, they shouldn't be still sucking their thumbs. It's hard to give up!

I can't remember what this was. Hot cocoa, maybe? I probably didn't need to include this shot, but this post is already picture-crazy, so why not?

We checked out the next morning and drove up to St. Louis for my own personal yarn shopping spree at The Loopy Ewe, which I already told you about here. And then we went west again, to meet Uncle Mike and his kiddos for dinner at Sycamore, a kind of spontaneous decision that I'm so glad we made, because it was (a) delicious, (b) loads of fun, and (c) great for the brothers to do some up-catching.

 

Harry and Liz, Sycamore regulars

Uncle Mike giving Sophie a little QT.

 

Mike's kids LOVE mussels and get them every time they eat at their dad's restaurant. Crazy, no? My kids wouldn't touch those in a million years, so good for them!

After dinner, during much of which I chased the five children around the upscale, fancy restaurant to help keep them in line while the menfolk chatted, we decided it was too soon to say our good-byes, so we chose to go to a nearby park to play. First, though, the kids wanted to look in the fountain and sculpture outside the restaurant.

I love the way Harry is beaming up at Chloë here!

 

And look at Elizabeth, taking off her shoes and socks to dip her feet in the freezing cold water, without a care in the world! Silly girl. She reminds me of Sophia, that way!

 

At the park, it was even colder, so (much to Jack's chagrin), I put his new coat on Liz to keep her warm. Then the three of us parents chased the five kids - especially frequent escapee Harry - around the park for an age or two. It was loads of fun; we all had a blast, I think!

And then, it was over, and we hugged and kissed and maybe some of us cried a little, and there were promises to keep in touch, and that was it. Back into the van, to head back home here to VA.

 

So that was Missouri, with all its bluffs and natural expanses we don't see much of here, 

 

... oh, and we can't forget our snapshot from Dolly's show, now, can we?

But one last thing.

 

In West VA, where we made that rest stop and stopped at the artisans' village, and where I picked up that coal train for Mamacita, I snapped this picture of handmade kitchen utensils on a kind of tree, because it looked cool and stuff.

 

And I plucked this egg separator off that tree, and yes, I have used it many times since then. Sometimes I forget we have it, but when I remember, it works great!

And oh, gosh, I'm a terrible mother, because look what I got for the children again?! That's it. No more crap when we go places. (I promise they don't eat like this all the time, at home!) 

And last, but not least, a coal German Shepherd Dog for Rob, in honor of our former pooch, Tiger Lily. It sits on his dresser. She isn't doing well, so soon, ... well, I don't want to end on that note.

It was a fantastic trip, and I'm thrilled we were able to go. Even more so that this post finally got written, sheesh! It took me HOURS, so if any of you actually read it, please comment and say so. And thanks.

Fin.

Charleston, Revisited

A few weeks ago, we headed back down to South Carolina. When we were in Missouri in February (about which I still need to post!!!), we got an offer for a timeshare presentation in Charleston with incentives so great, we couldn't turn down the offer. So we accepted. Funnily enough, the location was for the place I had mystery shopped back in November, which made me feel a little odd, so I checked and got permission to go from the scheduler for the shop. Anyway, here's me driving and doing my gorilla face for The Bob.

 

First, we dropped Jack off at his grandpa's house (my dad) in Aiken, before heading over to Charleston for a couple of days. I don't have any pictures of Jack's time, but he had loads of fun. Dad took him to a train museum with a huge, cool exhibit; to see Cars 2; out to eat numerous times; and more. And since Dad has a pool, Jack spent every spare second swimming and was even given a set of snorkel gear after having a blast with his gran'pappy's. A bit spoiled, he was! 

Here's Chloë crashed out on the chair in our Charleston suite, shortly after we arrived. The girls took baths, and I think maybe Rob took them to the pool that night, but I can't quite remember, but that's about all we did after arriving. It was a long drive for me, but that didn't keep me from staying up late and banging away on some pouches for my Etsy shop, which you can see here. Perfect if you have a pet elf, leprechaun, or Smurf in need of a place to sleep...

Rob and I were supposed to, um, have some *adult* fun - always a joy in hotel rooms, no? - but he lay down with Sophia to get her to konk out, and he soon joined her in slumber. Was I surprised? No. Was I disappointed? No, because we still had another night, and I was having fun with my li'l ol' craftin' in the other room.

The next morning, we got up early and went to our timeshare presentation, which was actually kind of fun and low-pressure, and we got out of it quickly when I indicated that all of our travel was pretty much free and they couldn't save us any money on that! So we started roaming around downtown Charleston in search of a trolley stop - it's free to ride, if you visit! - when Sophia decided that this giant chain was just for her to sit upon. 

 

Once we got on the trolley, we had fun riding until we got to the Apple store, where Rob needed to trade his new iPhone 4 in for, like, the 2nd or 3rd time. Some element or another on the phones keeps not working, and he's been having a dickens of a time with it. The girls knew right where the kids' center was, and they raced over to it and started playing games. I see Apple computers in our future...

 

See the little girl in the picture at the back? I struck up a conversation with her parents, who literally own every Apple product ever made, about the ease-of-use factor for kids, since I do want to make the crossover to Macs from PCs when we can afford it (heh). Anyway, that led on to other parenting discussion, and it turns out that our kids have so much in common, and long story short, I was reassured once again that many of our kids' annoying habits, quirks, and behaviors are normal and common and stuff. Always good to know.

 

We wandered up the road and had lunch at the Pita Pit, which was awesome (our first time), and then wandered over to more window shopping before finding the large hotel in which the Godiva shop was located. (It also houses the store that sells household Britto goods, so I showed Rob some of their things, since we are fans and occasional collectors. I really wanted a Britto wallet, but since I didn't NEED it, I passed. For the time being.) Anyway, I went into the Godiva shop to get my free truffle for being a rewards member (sign up here), and of course, I had to buy some more chocolates for the gang. Chloë loved the macadamia nut truffle that she picked, but Sophia, as you can see, was not so fond of the strawberry creme one I chose for her. Eh, you can't win 'em all!

 

I was trying to take a picture of the Godiva bag for the blog, because for some reason I deemed it blog-worthy (hey, it's Godiva, and it's gold, I dunno), when a hotel employee walked by and offered to hold it up for me. She gets me, people. And she had cool nails.

Since Rob is a huge fan of black-, rasp-, and blueberries, of course I had to get him the rather large treat that featured all three. And I chose correctly. He was in chocolate heaven. My words, not his. He would never say nor admit to that.

 

After those shops, we walked down to the big open-air flea market for which Chucktown is famous. Our first stop was at this woven basket stand, where a woman was literally making the baskets for sale RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT! I mean, kewl. Sophia was transfixed by this, and you should have seen her elation when the lady actually let her help make the basket by pulling the straw or whatever it is through its hole TWO TIMES. Oh, my word. She felt like she was really part of things, I could tell. (Neglected to get a picture; too busy actually watching.)

Then we stopped at this hat shop, because Rob's looking for a hat he can fish and kayak in without getting his head and ears burnt. The one he picked out looked atrocious on him, so I vetoed that. But the girls had fun trying on hats. Sophia loves to pretend to be a cowgirl!

And is this not the cutest hat on Chloë?! I wish we could have bought it, but it was too much money, not enough utils. Actually not true - plenty of utils, just not enough money in the budget for it. I did pick up a few things for the kids in other stands there: a box of snappers for 50¢ each for the kids, a Smencil for 99¢ for each of them, and also a half-dozen mini rubber tree frogs for our friend Ashley, who collects them. Haven't decided what to do with those yet, though. I also got a Christmas present for each of the girls: A kimono and matching pants set for the American Girl doll Chloë will get for her upcoming 10th (!) birthday, and a charming little tea set for Sophia, who talks about it every day and can't WAIT to get it.

 

My good chum Erin, newly engaged!!, from grade school, collects post cards (email me if you're distant and would like to send her one), so I was on the hunt for a locally-made one. I happened upon this shop, and since I'm very much about supporting local artists, I had to go in and check. No luck there; no luck anywhere. Sorry, Ernie. :( But it was still a cool shop, and if I'm back in The Chuck, I'll have to stop back in and pick up a couple little things I saw and desired. Assuming funds are available for that, natch.

Horse-drawn carriages are everywhere in Charleston, but we didn't partake on either visit, because they are pricey. Sophia insisted I take a picture of some horsies, though, so here you go, Toots!

 

This is Tim. Besides being very hawt, Tim was also very sweet and nice. Here's what happened: The girls were both getting blistered feet and couldn't bear to walk any further, let alone all the way back to our parking garage, so I approached his pedicab to inquire about the cost of getting us down there. It wasn't far, so instead of charging his regular $18 rate for four passengers, he agreed to take us there for $12. Well, when Rob came up from where he was browsing, I asked him about it, and he said, no, I don't think we have enough cash for that AND to pay at the parking garage. So I told Tim thanks, but no thanks.

Well, not to be outdone, he said he would take us there for nine bucks. I knew the garage wouldn't cost us more than $11 (all we had was a $20 in cash, and I didn't want to pay $3 to get out more money from the ATM), so I accepted his offer. We had a very fun ride down to the garage, during which the girls kept urging Tim to go "Faster! Faster!" - and he did, saying we were much lighter as a group than his average fare - and then paid him his $9. He agreed to pose for the picture, which makes him even more awesome, and then we bid him adieu.

After getting settled in the van, we got down to pay and were charged $8 for parking, leaving me with $3. Rob and I quickly decided we would hunt Tim down and give him the extra $3, because he really deserved it. Well, we drove up one street and down another, with no luck finding him... until, he just happened to cross in front of us with another passenger. I tootled him with vigor (Lisa, if you're reading this, please tell me you know the reference!), and he stopped by my window. I gave him the three dollars, thanking him again for being so great to us, and he thanked us in return and said it was really cool of us to track him down. I gave me such warm fuzzies, the whole thing, that I didn't stop smiling for at least an hour. So, cheers to Tim!

********

We went back to our hotel after that - but not before losing Sue, my trusty TomTom GPS, who fell from her perch and cracked, rendering her useless. Sad times for me. At least I had my wonderful iPhone to get us back to the hotel, so I navigated thusly - and were just in time for the evening snack once again. The night before, we'd enjoyed sodas, crackers, pretzels, chips, and a huge abundance of the most delicious guacamole and salsa. I mean, I must've eaten ten peoples' shares of guacamole, it was so good. SO GOOD. I could die just thinking about it. We were hoping the fare would be the same the second night, but this time, it was hummus instead of guac. Everyone else was disappointed, but of course, I was completely ready to engorge myself once again. And I did. So yum!

That night, Rob AGAIN crashed out in the living room of our suite with the girls, while I AGAIN banged out more pouchies for my Etsy shop. I made eight of them in those two nights. I don't know why - they won't sell - but they're fun to make, and so I persisted. 

The next morning, we checked out and headed back over to Aiken to collect our boy.

********

Here's "Mommy Dog," the stray dog who has pretty much taken up residence at my dad's house. She's had two litters of puppies so far, and he and the neighbors have taken care of them. He's adopted one of them for himself at the moment, having rehomed the rest. Anyway, Mommy Dog is the SWEETEST girl, and I wish we could provide a home for her, but four cats is enough for now.

 

Jack was so happy to see us, and us him. And the girls were excited to be at Grandpa's, too, especially when he gave them some pressies. Chloë received this bead weaving loom set, and a book, after I told Dad she loves reading and crafting.

 

 

Sophia, in turn, was given a book and a Barbie set, since Barbie is all the rage among the six-year-old set in our house. Jack was given a book, too, and something else beside the snorkle set, but I forget what. Eh, well.

 

After that, we all went for a swim in Dad's pool. I have a ton of pictures from that, but I'll spare you looking at all of those. I didn't get a good one of Jack with his snorkle gear on, and Rob always wears a mask when he swims, so no good pictures of him, either. And no, you don't get to see me in my bathing suit!

Taking a break from the pool, Grandpa and Chloë rested on the futon bed they have set up outside next to the pool, and she looked through her new book. She has a habit of being involved with three or four books at a time, and rotates them according to her mood. I am so not like that, but to each her own!  While Jack was with his grandpa, they slept out here on the futon both nights. Jack loved that!

 

Here's Cheyenne, the "keeper" pup of Mommy Dog, having a rest. She did a lot of that, as wee doggies do.

 

And here's Megan in her bed, being sweet and calm for once. Most times, she's very excitable and in-your-face! There are two more dogs in the household, but they are spoiled and pampered by Wife #5, and they didn't come out of their bedroom to be sociable. Feh.

 

One last pic of Cheyenne, with Sophia, before I let you go. That was it for our trip, besides a mystery shop dinner in town before leaving, and a mostly-uneventful drive home. It was fun, and short and sweet, just the way I wanted it to be. I'm glad we went.

Maybe I'll get busy and post about Missouri later, after I finish these shop reports for our dinners tonight!

Fin.

Saturday 9: The Devil Went Down To Georgia

 

Link up here if you're playing along with Crazy Sam today!

1. Do you believe in the concept of the devil?

Honestly, I don't know what I believe about the devil. I guess I do; I mean, I'm "supposed" to... I believe that evil exists. I guess I do. Yes.

2. What's your favorite nickname that you're called?

Why, Smellyann, of course!

3. What would you do if someone cheated on you?

Try to understand and forgive.

4. Do you ever cry at a movie?

Of course I do. I am a girl, after all.

5. Have you got “a ball & chain” or are you single? Are you happy with your status?

Psht. I'm very happily married.

6. Whom do you got to for advice?

My friends, my sister, my husband, my MIL, my therapist... and sometimes, my dad.

7. When was the last time someone yelled at you?

LOL Earlier today. All three of my kids have yelled at me at some point today. They're getting it from somewhere... hm, I wonder where? Yes, I'm a yeller. We are a loud family.

8. When was the last time you spoke with someone that you met online?

Couple hours ago. I met my darling hubs online over a decade ago. That still blows my mind.

9. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Well, it took us 7½ years to go on one, because we eloped and then had a baby 8 months later (she came early, hush), but we went on a Mediterranean cruise for two weeks. It was incredible. Wanna read about it? Go here.

Happy weekend, y'all!

Fin.

Bound To Travel

This, here, is a pile of three books I made for my kids. I worked for months, long hours, on them, and I am SUPER proud of them. So I thought I'd show them to you.

The books each have a plastic cover and are coil-bound for durability. The map of the USA is on the front (I didn't go for territories, except for DC, but we can always add those in later), along with the child's name. When the child has been to or through a new state, they will be able to shade in the state on the map. It's my hope that they'll keep these books - their passports to the 50 States and D.C. - with them always, and eventually get the whole map shaded.

Sorry for the glare on the shiny pages, but these were quickie photos. I made the pages - two states per page - in Word, with lots of help from Paint, so they're pretty low-tech and imitable, if you feel lke doing the same. If you want my copy, maybe I'll sell it to you for a nominal fee. ;) Anyway, this is Georgia's page. Each state's page has a representative map, the state tree, state seal and quarter, and the flag. There is also a place for notes on when they were there, where they visited, and what they liked best. The backs of each page are blank for more notes, if desired.

The flag of New Mexico provides the backdrop for its page. I got a little more artsy as I went along. Sorry, Alabama.

I learned a lot about each state, myself, while making the books. It was pretty fun and interesting, and a worthy project. Oklahoma, for instance, has more "state this and state that" than any other, I think. Also, almost ALL states have "milk" as the official beverage. 

For Rhode Island, the Red Maple leaf provides the backdrop. I love this page; it's so pretty to me.

 

 

The back of the book is made of vinyl.

And that's it! I plan to stamp the year on each state's page for the kids, when it has been visited. We have a lot of stamping to do, given all our travels this past year!

I hope you like my little project for my wee travelers.

Fin.

Worth The Trip, Or Waste Of Gas?

You decide:

So on Tuesday of this past week, I received a phone call from a prize claim center, saying that I had won a sweepstakes.  My scam radar alert was high, but I continued to listen anyway. The prize that I was "guaranteed" to win was one of these four things, and this is the order they were described to me: 

First prize: A 2011 Ford Escape SUV Hybrid (woo!)  

Second prize: A trip to A, B, or C (I forget), with airfare and hotel included

Third prize: $2,500 cash, or

Fourth prize: A 32" LCD flat-screen TV

But the catch was, we had to drive up to Woodbridge, VA, which is just outside of D.C. three hours away, to claim my prize. Could we be there at 6:00 PM on Thursday night? 

Uh... sure. We have no money for gas, no current, regular, reliable babysitter, and other plans, but yeah, I'll be there. *snort*

I told Rob about it later. He was very skeptical. Knowing everything I had heard on the phone, I knew I was either going to get the trip, which I couldn't sell, or a really crappy TV. We decided that since we didn't have the gas money, we wouldn't go, but then his June 1st payment came through that night, a week late, at last... 

So Thursday came, and I still didn't have a sitter for the kids. Long story short, the kids and I went to our sorta-weekly gardening class at a friend's house that we know from the co-op we attended earlier in the year, as planned. Of the other three mothers in attendance, I inquired as to whether they had a babysitter who would be available that day. As in, from 2-10 PM, or so. 

None of them did, but Jenny from the Block, one of the moms, said she could watch them for us. Woot! 

So it was time for me to leave the gardening-slash-pool-slash-knitting party, and I went to go put the children's car seats in Jenny from the Block's van. We chatted for a brief second and then I blurted out, "Why don't you and the kids (G and M) come with us?" She was all, "yeah, let's do that!" and so they did. 

My minivan was full to the brim, after we met at my (piece of crap, dilapidated, overly-cluttered little) townhouse and switched kids and carseats around to fit Chloë, Jack, M, Sophia, and G, Rob, Jenny from the Block, and me as the driver. Plus all our stuff. I neglected to take a picture, but it was something like this:

Those being sardines, you get the idear.

So we barely had any time to spare to get up to Woodbridge in time, once we were all settled in. I stepped on it and hauled butt, but you know, with five kids under the age of 10, one of whom (Sophia) has an upset tummy, there are bound to be eleventy-hundred potty breaks. And there were. 

So when it was down to the wire, a quarter 'til six - which was what time I was supposed to be there to check in - we were still a good 17 minutes I way. I pushed down on the gas a little harder. Drove a little more aggressively, the way I learned to drive in Miami, without being alarming about it. At 6:02, I pulled up to the hotel, threw my keys at Jenny from the Block, and dashed in to the check-in area. If they sent me home, I was ready to pull out the claws, but they were all super-nice and welcoming. Whew.

Rob and Jenny from the Block came in, got some kids potty for the billionth time, and then he came over and checked in, while I chewed nervously on my lower lip. It was all rush-rush-rush for the past several hours, so it was hard for me to settle down, even though everything was now all right. You get like that, too?

Once they seated us in the room with the other couples who were all over a certain age and income level, and I had a chance to look around, I knew what was going to happen: It was going to be like a timeshare presentation, except for Gold Crown Resorts, which is like a BJs or Costco for vacations. We'd get the hard sell, say "no" a hundred times, and then they would hand me a dying plant or a $5 McDonald's gift certificate, and send me on my way.

And that's what it was, exactly. Lively presentation, where you're hit with the "big-money-but-here's-why-it's-worth-it" comedian-type running the show, and then five different "Managers" come sit down and tell you why you can't possibly turn down one great deal after another. They even brought a guy named "Miracle" out. I had made Rob do all the talking, but when he looked like he had just eaten some bad fish,

I finally blurted out, "Look, we really CAN'T do it right now. It sounds great, and we'd love to, but we CAN'T."

They "gifted us out" right after that. I had to pick a card, scratch off the gold center, and my prize would be revealed.

Since it was a vacation club, there was absolutely zero surprise when my "prize" turned out to be ... a vacation! Duh, it wouldn't cost them a damn thing. The card with the 2011 hybrid probably only got presented to those who joined the club (and some did, that night), I'm thinking.

Anyway, we shook hands, left the room, and walked down the hill to go claim our children and rescue Jenny from the Block. She had her hands full - as fifteen people who saw her trying to negotiate her way to a table with meals for all of them at Chick-fil-A so kindly pointed out. She was all, "They're not all mine!"

So here's what the vacation I "won" could turn out to be, depending on what we pick:

A. 2-night accommodations for 2 adults and up to 2 children in your choice of over 22 popular locations. (22? Really?! I'll be!)

B. 4-day, 3-night fun-filled cruise for 2 adults.

C. 3 nights all-inclusive stay in select locations in Jamaica for 2 adults. (I know what that means. Goats will be sharing our suite.)

D. 2 nights' accommodations and airfare for 2 adults to Orlando, FL, Las Vegas, NV, or Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Like I'd pick Orlando. And we don't gamble...)

E. 4 nights accommodations in choice of 4 Mexico locations for 2 adults (but you don't fly free!)

F. 4-night Florida vacation for 2 adults and up to 2 children. (pass. Been there, just did that.)

G. 8-day, 7-night condo stay in resort accommodations in one of over 3,000 available resorts. 2 adults and up to 2 guests.

H. 4-day, 3-night accommodations in the Bahamas with round-trip cruise transportation for 2 adults. (Bah. Bahamas = Teh Suck.)

<><

At first, we were thinking of doing G, and picking somewhere nearby like the Outer Banks or Williamsburg or something, but now I'm taking a closer look at one of the Mexican options in D. The only question is, who would watch the kids for those three days? Hmmm? Takers? They're a challenge, but them sure is cute!

We have, like, three weeks to decide. 

In the end, we had a fun adventure, and Jenny from the Block and I got to chatter away for six nearly-uninterrupted hours about our lives, our kids, our issues, and so much else. Since she was a therapist in her past life, she really made me see things differently about a number of things that have caused me trouble. Hopefully, it wasn't all a take-take-take conversation, and she got some good out of it, too.

Since no kids got carsick, I call it a WIN.

Fin.
 

Road Trip: Florida!

So two weeks ago, the kids and I left for another hotel & resort mystery shopping spree, this time in Florida. The trip had been on the books for months, before my grandpa died, and I had planned on staying longer and going all over the state, including an extended visit to see him before... before I didn't have much time left with him. I tried not to be depressed the entire time and dwell on his absence, and in reality, I didn't have to try too hard because I kept myself so busy with the work I had piled on myself before I left.

We stopped overnight Monday at my dad's in South Carolina, to break up the long trip for the kids' sake - and my sanity. On the way there, we visited with an old friend from back home, J:

 

We connected in a way that we never had before, so it was pretty great, and I'm really glad we were able to stop in and see her - and her younger son and four poochies!

 

J has three "weenie dogs," as my kids love to call them, and an older dog, Daxton (I think?) who was just a love. My kids wore those poor doggies out, and I complimented J on just how zen she was about the whole kid-under-ten infestation in her overly lovely home. I'm the very tense-all-the-time sort, and I hadn't remembered her as being so... calm. I wish I could be that way. Especially when strange children are tearing up my beautiful house!

Anyway. So we got to Dad's much too late for his liking, and he was annoyed with me. Meh. What are you gonna do? I don't know when I'll be able to see J again, so it was worth the side trip to go.

That night didn't go over so well with Dad, because Sophia was up half the night, getting into things. She does that. It's the reason we have locks on half the things in our house that normal people don't have to lock up, like the fridge and the pantry and the bathrooms and things... She's extremely active, and he's neither used to it nor fond of it. I woke up around 0430 with him shouting at her, "What kind of kid are you? What the hell is the MATTER with you, anyway?!!" and her absolutely in hysterics, halfway to hyperventilating, and just broken.

I cuddled her and calmed her, tried to calm my agitated father, and resolved not to stop there as planned, on the way back up a week later. And we didn't. Nope, we didn't. But I don't want to get much more into that.

We were on the road to Florida by 0520.

And we were pulled over so Mommy could nap a little in the front seat by 0600! Hey, I was tired.

The kids woke me up about half an hour later, but by 0730, I was drowsy again, so I pulled off the road once more. This time, they let me sleep for two hours, while they sat in their car seats and watched a movie on the DVD player. After that, I was good to go, so aside from various rest stops and an emergency oil change in South Georgia, it was a straight shot into the Orlando area.

Where we sat. And sat and sat and sat in the bumper-to-bumper crazy traffic that has always made me loathe driving through the Orlando area. I did it quite a bit when I lived in the St. Pete/Tampa region, and I hated it then. Anyway, blah blah. At long, long last, we made it to our first hotel, in Maitland, outside of Orlando. There wasn't time to do everything Disney-related that I'd planned for entertaining the children (all free, too! Check out the DisBoards if you're headed there and have questions), but we were able to head to Downtown Disney for a couple hours.

When we got into all the Mickey-themed scenery and the lights and the action, the kids were beside themselves. They wanted to GO! GO! GO! and as it was packed, I wanted them to Wait! Wait! Wait! It was a bit hairy trying to keep my eye on three of them at once as they went off in all different directions to see what there was to see, and it was getting dark, to boot. Ahh! Fun times. But they were having a ball, so it was all good.

 

See Stitch, up there? He squirts water out at the passers-by. My kids noticed this right away and spent at least five minutes standing there, getting wet. My kids LOVE to get wet. Thankfully, it was warm, and they could afford a little soaking.

 

I told the kids they could each spend $5 at Downtown Disney (DTD), so we went into the shops to look around. When she arrived at the silly hats department, Sophia wanted to try on every.single. one. And she tried! Here she is looking rather... goofy.

I'd told Jack there was a Lego store in DTD, so he wanted to make a beeline for that inmediatamente. We tried. We got sidelined a billion times by things the girls saw, and he wanted no part of delays. Poor thing. He has a skewed sense of fairness sometimes. He doesn't realize it's not always all about Jack. Anyway, we eventually made it to Lego, and he went absolutely crazy looking at every brick, set, and display in that store. 

 

I tried like mad to convince him to do the "fill a cup with all the Lego pieces you can fit in it" deal that was a huge bargain, but he wanted NONE of that. He was bound and determined to get a small set. In the end, he wound up with a boat set for $4.99 (woohoo), but the next day, he was asking me, "Hey, Mom, next time we go to the Lego store, can we do that thing where you fill the cup..." Uh-huh. It sunk in, just a little too late!

 

Meanwhile, the girls were not bored in the store. There were plenty of build-it stations for them to play with the Legos on their own, and they enjoyed that. I was so thankful for them, too, as I had to follow Jack 'round and 'round until he settled on his boat set.

Chloë outside the Lego store

 

We walked and walked, looked and looked, shopped a teeny-tiny bit for the girls and my souvenirs, and when it was all said and done, we stopped for a short breather. I sat next to Chloë and admired her curls blowing in the wind, not for the first time in her life.

 

When we got back to that night's hotel and I had done my mystery shop work that I could do, it was time to settle down and get the kids to bed.  This is how that turned out. Not unusual. My kids have stayed in a LOT of hotels in their short lives, yet they never lose their enthusiasm for it!

Sophia doing pull-ups on the bell cart - she did about a dozen without stopping!

 

We checked out the following morning and headed over to Sarasota for the remainder of our trip. Along the way, I did a lunch shop at a popular chicken chain, so we visited a park to eat it. Apparently, Jack wasn't so thrilled with something, but I can't remember what it was! This time...

After we checked in to the first Sarasota hotel, and I did the shop stuff I needed to do straight away, I let the kids have a swim in the hotel pool. Boy, were they ready for that! They could barely wait to get in the water and have a swim. It was difficult to get them out for dinner later in the evening.

 

I just noticed Jack kept his shoes on in the pool, looking through these pictures. Silly boy!

  

Bright enough for ya, kiddo?

 

Here's something you rarely see: Sophia LEAVING the pool. But then, maybe she was just standing there splashing on the top step and then turned around and went right back in. Yeah. That's probably it.

 

Later on, when it was getting dark, an old friend of mine from St. Pete, D, met up with us for some fun in the beach area of Sarasota. First, I had to go for a drive. In 1998, I'd done my Biology internship here at Mote Marine Lab, so I needed to go by the old place and see how it looked. Unfortunately, it was dark and closed up for the evening, so I couldn't see a whole lot. But it felt good to be back, even for just a few minutes!

 

This was going on right across the street. I had to send a pic via SMS to Rob right away. He wanted me to win one. Ha! Fat chance.

Down the road apiece, we stopped at The Colony, where I used to work at night during my internship. I worked in the catering division with my friend M (who was also a University of Miami alumna as well as an intern at Mote), and we had an absolute blast.  Sadly, I found The Colony to be closed down and in a sad state, which I didn't expect, considering how glorious a place it was back in those days. According to their website, they shut down last summer over property disputes. Bummer.

 

After The Colony, we drove back to St. Armands Circle, where there are all kinds of cool must-see shops and restaurants. If you're ever in Sarasota, don't miss St. Armands. Just... leave your wallet at home! We spotted this leaf dress in the window. I thought it was cool! We had ice cream at Scoop Daddy's and walked around, chatting with various tourists and locals, window shopping, and having ourselves a grand old time.

Sophia, being Sophia - she is forever on the move. It would not surprise me to see her in the Olympics in the future! Watch out world, here she comes!

 

 

My friend D wanted to walk down by the beach, so that's what we did. The kids couldn't wait to peel off their shoes and run toward the water. I had to give them a stern warning about getting in too far, because of the very real danger of sharks at that time of day. They heeded the warning and stayed up in the bubbly surf. D was macking it with some girls from North Dakota when he wasn't insisting on taking pictures of me:

 

Me, protesting the photo-taking of The Self

 

 

All right, fine. Here's your picture. I ain't perfect, not by a long shot. All I see is the yucky stuff. Judge if you will.

Later, while Jack was busy burying Sophia in the sand,...

 

...Chloë was making sand angels. And then they were on the move again, toward the water.

 

Jack claims not to like the beach. Do you believe him? Yeah, me neither.

 

Sophia loves to write in the sand. Chloë, too.

I believe this is the, "Get out of my face with that camera!!!" look.

 

I know. I have ugly feet. I've been told. But there they were, in the sand, so a picture was taken.

 

By contrast, here is a thing of great beauty, looking inexplicably sad.

 

A classic Sophie face

Rinsing off in the showers as we left the beach. Oh, did you think I had brought towels with us, so we wouldn't soak up the van? No. No, I didn't.

Jack doing his monkey face as we sat down for a very late dinner that barely got eaten

 

Dinner was delicious, but like I said, not much was eaten. D isn't into "raw fish," as he called the seared ahi tuna I love so much, so he grimaced over my choices. Oh well, more for me later! We did enjoy a healthy portion of our adult beverages, however, so there was more walking before it was time to drive back to that night's hotel.

 

The next day, we checked out of the second Sarasota hotel and moved into a resort on Bradenton Beach for two nights. The first thing the kids wanted to do was swim, so I did what I had to do and then got them right into the water. The resort was small, compared to the other ones we've been doing for this company the past 8 months or so, but they had lots of pool and beach toys for the children. The kids love their pool noodles, so they were delighted about that.

 

Even Jack gets in the water when floaties are involved!

 

Lunch that day was leftovers. Why should you care? Well, I don't know, but that tongue just makes me giggle, and I thought you might like it, too.

 

Just to show I fed the girls, too, here they are eating leftover mac & cheese and heavily engrossed in some television cartoon or other. When we travel, they get to watch "regular" TV, as opposed to whatever's available on Netflix streaming to the Wii. (Which, more often than not, we require to be educational, like Nova features, for example. But they're fascinating, so check 'em out!)

 

After lunch, they wanted more swimming, but this time at the beach that abutted the resort property. We forgot buckets, so how nice that they provided those for us, too!

We were initially prepared to stay the rest of the day at the beach, but as you can see from the sky behind Chloë, Mother Nature had other plans. We managed all of ten minutes or so before the downpour started in earnest.

The boy-child made the most of it. He may complain about the water - as with everything else - but he gets in there with the best of 'em! We always wanted to have water babies for children, and for a while, it didn't seem like we were going to have ANY. Now, it seems, we have three. Phew!

  

Sophia started a seashell collection during this trip. She proudly showed me each and every one, ad nauseum, while I acted like they were all more beautiful and amazing than the last. The teeny ones captivated her more than the most colorful or the most interestingly-shaped. She is the baby, and she likes baby things.

 

See that color there, the middle level of blue-green? That's my favorite color in the world. Always has been.

It might be hard to see here in this picture without enlarging it, but she has such a muscular, athletic body. And she is so strong. She's a physical girl, has been since birth six years ago, and she'll be a force to reckon with when she finds her sport(s). I think I've said it before here, but it would not surprise me in the least to see her at the Olympics one day.

Meanwhile, this girl has skills of her own.

After the rain, during which the kids complained bitterly about being cooped up inside during their vacation, we walked down the road a small ways to catch the free trolley that ran around the beach and next-door neighbor, Anna Maria Island.

Chloë desperately wanted to take my picture, too, so after much coaxing, I relaxed enough to hand over the Nikon for a moment. 

 

The closest trolley stop was in front of a Circle K, so we stopped in there to get some Diet Coke for Mama. To my supreme happiness, all drinks, all sizes, were only 69¢ each, so I bought the kids their own drinks, too. That's a rare treat for them, getting lemonade or punch instead of milk or water. They don't look thrilled here, but maybe that's because they were sick of waiting for the trolley. It did seem to take forever!

These two insisted on sitting next to each other. It's how I know they really do love each other, though they fight like nobody's business. I'd be more worried, except I did the same with my own sister, and yet we've always been close.

 

We rode the trolley around the beaches until we spotted a playground at the oceanfront. "Let's go there!" they insisted. So we did.

 

I don't remember ever having to learn to pump my legs to ride the swings, but I guess I did. Anyway, it seems like it's taken forever to teach the kids, and they still want that "get me started" big push. Except Jack. Can't get him near swings.

Love the look of concentration on my little boy's face

"Mom, over here!"

Before long, they tired of the playground equipment and wanted to go back to the water. Which was fine, except we weren't at the resort and still had a long ride back on the trolley. I cautioned them, "Don't get your close all wet! You'll freeze on the trolley!" but they refused to heed my warnings and, before long, were soaked. Absolutely soaked.

 

Happy beach babes

 

I love this picture. It's just so... authentic. Real. Joy.

After a long time, the sun went down, bellies grew hungry, and it was time to go wait for the trolley to take us 'home' to the resort. And yes, they froze. And yes, they complained the entire time. But they survived.

 

The first thing they did when we got back, therefore, was take a hot shower. That's another thing my kids love about staying in hotels: I let them take all the hot showers and baths they want. Until they get piggy about it, that is - otherwise, I'd never get them out!

 

A quick dinner, and then bed. It wasn't long before, for once, these three kiddos were knocked OUT. They're so sweet when they sleep...

And then, your faithful blogger, here, (or not so faithful, as the case may be lately), chatted via Instant Messenger with the patriarch of Team Odette for hours and hours, until I couldn't take it anymore, missing him so much. I woke up the kids around 0500 and checked out of the resort about five hours ahead of schedule, to get home to him that much faster. And we drove straight through, about 17 hours, stopping only when necessary, to get home to Daddy.

And so, Florida, until next time...

Fin.

A Quick Jaunt to NoVa

On Friday, the 1st, we had to do a hotel mystery shop in Fredericksburg, and a laser tag shop an hour's drive north, around the D.C. area. So we left early in the afternoon to check in to the hotel, I did a quick survey of our (very nice) room, and we took off again for Alexandria.

Needless to say, my kids are getting to be quite excellent little car travelers. An hour's trip is nothing to them, now. "Is it going to take long?" means "Will it be five or more hours?" these days!

Anyway.

 

All of these pictures are from my iPhone, as I didn't feel like lugging around the big Nikon and then risking it getting stolen while I was playing the game. So they're kind of hazy, because it was dark in there. Sorry 'bout that. 

When we arrived around 1820, I learned that it's all-you-can-play after 2000 on Fridays, so I called up my old college friend, who now lives in D.C., to let him know. He decided to show up a little later to play. While we waited, the kids and I had some munchies, played games, rode the rides, and did all the other things that, unbeknownst to them, were part of my shop requirements. They didn't care, as they were having loads of fun!

 

Chlo was all excited to have won this squishy ball thingy. She is still playing with it constantly. It's like a stress-reliever ball for her. Hey, whatever works - she needs it!

 

Soph stealing a sip of my Diet Coke in between playing games and running around the arcade

I said, "Raise your hand if you're having fun!" and in response, they all lay down on their backs and raised everything. Goofballs, all three of 'em!

Finally, the kids made it over to the Skee Ball games - my favorite! I'm kind of good at it, but they wouldn't let me throw one, single ball. Stinkers. I coulda gotten them more prize tickets, but noooo... I'm just the Moneybags 'round here. Humph.

Finally, Clay arrived, ready to play Laser Tag. I wish this picture had turned out better, because it would have been pretty cute. Sophia really took to Clay, and I think he had a good time with all of my kiddos, too. He was one of my best buds at U.Miami, so of course I was happy to spend a few hours with him, too! (Plus, I kicked his ass at Laser Tag, big-time!!)

 

Is that thing a dog or a bear? We couldn't decide. This was when we were heading in for a briefing of the rules, before actually playing.

The game was so fun. We've played it before, but it was just the five of us, never a huge bunch of people like it was that night. Good times! Chloe completely deceived me. She came up to me, whimpering that she was scared (we were on opposite teams). I came closer to her to help her out, and she said, "Haha! I just wanted to get you!" and tagged me with her laser. That snot!!! I had to hand it to her though, it was a pretty good gag.

Our last game of the night, Sophia decided to sit it out because she'd developed a painful blister on her foot from all the running around. Of course, I couldn't leave her out there by herself, so I sat it out with her. Clay took the older two kids into the laser tag arena for me, and Soph snuggled with her Mama. She piled herself into my lap and played on my iPhone while I stroked her sweet (long!) hair and rubbed her warm self. She wanted to send kissy pictures to Daddy via Facebook, so we did that. She's my little look-alike! I keep meaning to get out pictures of myself as a kid and put them up next to her, to show how close we look. Or have I already done that? I swear, I have Alzheimer's.

In the briefing room of the laser tag game, Jack did what Jack is always doing these days: one of his awesome head stands. He learned how to do it at gymnastics class a month or two ago, and he's forever on his head. I mean, always, all the time, that boy is upside-down. He does a fantastic job, staying up for two or three minutes on a good one. I told him I'd give him five bucks if he could stay up there for five minutes, but he hasn't yet made it. 

So we said our good-byes to my old friend, and drove the hour back to Fredericksburg. It was nearly midnight by then, and the kids were starving. We ducked into the grocery store across from the hotel (the very awesome Wegmans, which I was shocked to find in Virginia, since I know them from growing up in New York) and got all kinds of nummies for a midnight snack, before heading back into our hotel room. 

The kids were SO wound up from all the excitement, that I thought they'd never sleep. They even outlasted me; I fell asleep around 0100, and they were still up watching TV. Finally I woke up an hour or two later and put the kibosh on the telly, and yes, it was quite fun trying to wake them up for breakfast the following morning. They barely kept their eyes open while they ate. 

And then, we checked out and went home - and the whole trip only took one tank of gas. Whee!

Fin.

Wordless Wednesday IV: Weekend Williamsburg Retreat

 

We loved the color scheme here - may just have to copy it!

Are you Wordless today?

Fin.