Last night my husband and I were enjoying some peace and quiet. The girls were sleeping upstairs and we were relaxing in front of the news in the living room when we heard a big CRASH in the kitchen. Neither one of us had been in there for a while.
Our first thought was of the dog. Nope, she wasn't in there, she was snoring on the couch.
Earthquake? No, that wasn't it.
Kids weren't up jumping around. Hmmm....
We actually decided to quit looking at each other for answers and get up to have a look.
The recessed light fixture fell out of the ceiling! Not the bulb though, just the metal can. Yes, the metal can that cannot come out of the ceiling without a good solid tug and the light bulb would have to be removed for that to happen. There is was on the floor along with some chipped pieces of joint compound. How on earth?
We are both still scratching our heads over this one. Keith has to get on a ladder, remove the bulb and shove the can back in the recessed light hole. It has two metal prongs that he has to pinch together to fit in slots then release to provide a type of tension that prevents the thing from ever falling out of the ceiling. We are very perplexed.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mary vs Pit Bull
I was driving all alone in my mini-van the other day, absent mindedly singing along to the Disney princess song collection that always plays in the cd player, when I saw a great big pit bull standing in the road. He was just standing there holding his ground, right there in the lane. He didn't look like he was on the warpath, but he didn't look like he was going to move just because cars were honking at him. Let's face it, this breed isn't exactly known for being warm and fuzzy.
I kind of looked around and didn't see anyone that looked as if they were looking for a dog. He was near the dog park, so who knows. He wasn't wearing a collar which is odd, especially at the dog park. I saw him wander out of the road and head toward a neighborhood of houses. It was a long red light so I had time to do all of this wondering.
The light turned green and I went on my way thinking, "someone should call the dog catcher". I quickly decided that someone had to be me because a lady with a stroller was walking in the direction of the stray unleashed pit bull! I happen to have the Police Non-Emergency phone number in my cell phone so I hit that number and reported the dog. The dispatcher said she would send Animal Control to the area and see if they could find him. Ok, good enough. I kept going.
On my way home again, about a half an hour later, I made sure to go the same way just to see if I could spot that dog or a police car or something. Sure enough, the Animal Control van was parked right where I had seen the dog earlier and the dog catcher was holding out one hand, maybe offering a treat, and had a looped leash in his other hand. Luckily, I hit the light on red so I could watch the action!
The dog catcher must be a pro. He bribed, treated and lassoed the dog all in one swoop. Then he walked him to the van and put him in. Stray Pit Bull off the streets! Yes! I felt so good watching the dog get caught. And of course, right up the street walking toward the spot where the dog had just been was a family with a little dog, a stroller and a small child. I am so very glad I called and reported that dog!
I kind of looked around and didn't see anyone that looked as if they were looking for a dog. He was near the dog park, so who knows. He wasn't wearing a collar which is odd, especially at the dog park. I saw him wander out of the road and head toward a neighborhood of houses. It was a long red light so I had time to do all of this wondering.
The light turned green and I went on my way thinking, "someone should call the dog catcher". I quickly decided that someone had to be me because a lady with a stroller was walking in the direction of the stray unleashed pit bull! I happen to have the Police Non-Emergency phone number in my cell phone so I hit that number and reported the dog. The dispatcher said she would send Animal Control to the area and see if they could find him. Ok, good enough. I kept going.
On my way home again, about a half an hour later, I made sure to go the same way just to see if I could spot that dog or a police car or something. Sure enough, the Animal Control van was parked right where I had seen the dog earlier and the dog catcher was holding out one hand, maybe offering a treat, and had a looped leash in his other hand. Luckily, I hit the light on red so I could watch the action!
The dog catcher must be a pro. He bribed, treated and lassoed the dog all in one swoop. Then he walked him to the van and put him in. Stray Pit Bull off the streets! Yes! I felt so good watching the dog get caught. And of course, right up the street walking toward the spot where the dog had just been was a family with a little dog, a stroller and a small child. I am so very glad I called and reported that dog!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Magical Day at Disneyland
After a couple of hours of morning laziness on one of the last days of February, I loaded up the kids and our coats and off we went for a cool day at Disneyland. The high was supposed to be 62, brrr! But it wasn't supposed to rain, so I figured it would be a great day as long as we are dry. Plus, two of my friends were texting me saying they were going and I should too.
I decided to be brave, very brave - I took the single stroller! And I didn't haul around a potty chair! I managed to pack everything we'd need into one bag too. I was really traveling light today! I stopped for some cash at the magic money machine (ATM) to cover whatever I've forgotten to bring along. I also stopped to get gas. Holy Gas Pumps! The price of gas shot up like a weed in summer! I'm gonna have to start staying home.
Since we were meeting up with friends, we ended up spending more time on Main Street than we ever have before. Usually, we shoot right up Main Street to the best part of Disneyland: Sleeping Beauty's Castle. We barely notice Main Street, we just dodge the horse drawn buggies and the wild motorized wheelchairs and go right up to the castle.
Today, we visited with characters and then went into the Fire House. That was nice! After climbing around in there for a bit, we wandered up and got a treat in the bakery. Yummy!
We made our way up to the Hub where Walt is holding Mickey's hand. That's where my friends all decided to feed their babies, rest and relax on the benches. But my girls were going crazy wanting to get inside that castle! So I took them and ended up with one extra to the castle. Gracie and Jillian were holding hands and walking - as always both of them were talking a mile a minute at the same time. They managed to trip over each other and they both did a belly flop to the bricks! Now I had two crying kids laying face down in front of the castle. Oh, no.
Luckily, the magic of Disneyland cured them both pretty fast. We checked to see if their knees still bent and their arms still wiggled and their toes could still dance around. All was well! Whew!
I took the three of them through the arches of the castle and straight to our favorite stroller parking spot - right by the exit of the Sleeping Beauty story. We we walked up and over and through the castle in Sleeping Beauty's story. We always run past Maleficent and hang on tight together so she won't scare us! And we always stop at the end and watch Aurora's dress turn pink and blue and pink and blue. We never leave till it's pink.
Once we exited, we went right to the stroller and we were nearly run over by a herd of Alice in Wonderland characters! It was great! They ran right past us and they even patted Gracie and Jillian on their heads as they rushed by.
How NOT to navigate your way around Disneyland: Ask a 2, 3, and 4 yr old what they all want to do next. You'll get 50 different answers in a split second. Luckily, most of the answers led in the same direction so we went that-a-way. And wouldn't you know it, nobody was in the teacup for once! How do you like your tea? Three lumps of sugar for me!
Jillian had never been on the Storybook Canal ride and we hadn't been on it in ages, so we got in line for that. The line really didn't look very long until we figured out it was really very thin lines so the people were que'ed up pretty tightly: a small space, a mile of people. The canal boats are constantly loading and unloading passengers so the line moved along. The girls were wound up and excited, so even a moving line was pretty hard for them. My apologies to everyone in line with us.
Once we got in the boat, Jillian wondered if it was like the Pirate ride and she got really nervous really fast! She buried her head in her mom and feared for her life as we entered the mouth of the whale. She just knew there would be a big drop and a splash! It was smooth sailing right on through that whale and out the other side. We had some very happy girls!
My other friend was busy holding down a bench. She is pregnant and in that super-exhausted stage of the game, the first trimester. She sent her husband to hold a place for us in line at Small World. Awesome!
We all gathered and got in line with Mr. Placeholder, and that is when we realized we were a pretty big group! Nine of us all together! My apologies to all the people in line behind us as we hopped over the rope and didn't wait anywhere near as long as we should have. Really, you didn't want us to. Just ask the people in the Storybook Land line!
We boarded a boat and I handed my camera to my friend in the front. She held it way out over the water without using the precautionary wrist strap and snapped a picture of all of us. Don't we look excited? We don't know the people in the back row of our boat, they just got lucky and rode with us.
See that? 5 little girls! We were outnumbered as parents, and somehow, we still managed to dodge the next attraction: Princess Fantasy Faire. This one is hard to dodge, but it's another long line. It is rarely under an hour long wait and the line is long and boring. We tootled on over to Toon Town to visit everyone's favorite mouse. Minnie!
We all decided that we were all hungry and wanted to go home, and by "we" I mean the grown-ups. The kids were fine and had hours and hours of energy left in them! My favorite place to eat is the Test Pilot Burger Grill in California Adventure. What is that from Toon Town, a three mile hike? Jillian and her mom and baby decided to head home and the other family wanted to head over to Critter Country to see if they could find Winnie the Pooh before he was done for the day. It was great to be with friends at Disneyland, but we all went our separate ways.
Libby fell asleep, but we decided to try to visit Rapunzel and Flynn Rider before we went to eat. She wasn't at all excited about getting close to the characters today anyway. We got to the Tangled que and guess what, the line was closed so that Rapunzel and Flynn could take a short break. They would open the line back up at 4:45 and the characters would return at 5pm. Ok, we had 45 minutes so we went to the Mexican restaurant around the bend.
We decided to just walk and wander while Libby slept. We found a "stage" in Frontierland where Gracie could put on a show, and she did. She danced but didn't sing. I applauded enthusiastically when she finished and then I asked her why she didn't sing. She said "because a man was on his phone". Oh. Nothing like learning manners from your own kid. I am so proud of her! And I feel like Grover at the end of his Monster book. You know the one.
Then we strolled into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I don't like to tempt and tease my child, but my inner child wanted to go in there so very badly! In we went! What a gift shop! We saw all the beautiful princess wear and accessories, took mental notes of the prices. Ouch. And then we peeked in the back to watch little girls getting their hair and makeup done princess style. Oh how wonderful! I asked for a price list to satisfy my curiosity and shock myself back into reality. It worked. One of the best things in this store was a stained glass window. I think it would be a beautiful quilt pattern!
We left the shop and Gracie cried and gave me the biggest sad face she could make. Ok, we can mark that stop off of our list of Disneyland experiences. Done. No need to return, it's just too wonderful and expensive.
Ignoring my daughters sobs and pleas for over priced princess gear, I noticed a door on the back of the castle that I don't remember ever seeing before. Another gift shop? No signs. Hmmm. We peeked inside. Maybe it is a secret "Cast Members Only" room! Nope, it's even better! It is a room where you can view a video of the Sleeping Beauty castle tour (which is mostly stairs). It is a nice small room, beautifully decorated with a big bench that can only be described with a gasp and a WOW!
Libby woke up from her nap in here. I was thinking this would be a great place to nurse a baby, except for the camera in the ceiling. Otherwise it was a perfect little resting spot away from the crowds. Even though it was a small space it was a magical transition into the old days of royal princesses. The bench and the items in the display case looked like museum pieces. What a treasure!
We went out through the front of the castle and headed toward Main Street. I was worn out and ready to go home. Of course, the girls were not. Since Libby just woke up, we headed to the baby center so that she could go potty on the tiny toddler toilets. Gracie didn't have to go, so we were safe to use the tiny toilets just for Libby. Only children under 42" are allowed to use the itty bitty potties. Gracie is 43" tall. They have two toddler toilets and no regular sized toilets. The toddler toilets aren't out in the open, but they aren't all that private either. Oh well, so we went in and Gracie suddenly had to go too. Ok, go.
The girls were each sitting on a pot and I told Gracie, "ok, get up now". She says "No, I'm pooping". Oh no! Not here! I don't wanna stink up the whole baby center! Yuck! Libby is done and putting herself back together and I say to Gracie, "Honey, get up, let's go" and she says "I'm still pooping". OMG! The stink! And she's STILL pooping! Finally, she got up and the turd that was in the bowl was ENORMOUS! Not kidding, that turd must have been 14" long. Not even sure how it all fit in the potty! So we flush and the water spun around and the turd just sat there, wedged in the top part of the bowl! NO!!! Go down! Bend! Break in half! Go Away!! It finally gave and went down, but geez, I thought for sure my kid who was just over the height max for using those toddler toilets just clogged it up. How on earth can anyone poop a turd that big? I'm afraid to ever go in there again.
We fled out of the baby center and went down Main Street. I asked the girls if they would like to see the cartoon movies. Cartoon movies? They were thrilled. Yes! Another Disneyland first! I thought the movie theater was a sit-down place with old cartoons looping one after another. I was wrong. It has six screens in one room, all old cartoons that I was hoping to see looping continuously. But there was no seating. There was an elevated platform in the middle of the room, not sure why. Hmm. I thought this would be one of those nice little resting places at Disneyland, but it isn't. It is pretty nice, but without seats I was a wee bit disappointed. The girls liked the cartoons but they weren't thrilled. I bet they'll like it better if I take them on a hundred degree day and it's air conditioned inside. I probably will too.
Next stop, another place I've heard about but never stopped in. The Magic Shop. This place was amazing! Disney magic at its best! It was a lot smaller than I imagined, the three of us fit in the store and that's just about all the room there was. There is a vast array of magic trick merchandise on the wall and a big counter with magicians running the store. I told Gracie to ask one if he knew any magic tricks. She did.
He was very enthusiastic and he came out from behind the counter, put on a black jacket and top hat and did a magic show just for Gracie! He took one playing card and spun it around in the air, making it float and twirl around. It was amazing! It disappeared for a minute and he found it in Gracie's ear! The look on her face was Disneyland Magic Amplified! He made that card dance in mid-air again and then he gave it to her! Ever see a child with eyes as big as the moon? She was so amazed and mystified! She just loved it! And she got to keep the magic card, which she carried as if it was the most valuable treasure in the land.
She carried her treasured magic card around for three days, including giving it a space on her pillow at night. She couldn't get it to spin or float, but she stared at it and you could see the wheels turning in her head. She thought long and hard about those few minutes in the Magic Shop. It was by far our best stop of the day!
Considering we didn't see a parade, any shows, and rode only two rides, we somehow managed to have a fabulous full day at Disneyland once again! We did lots of new things, ate well, rested well, and had a lot of fun! Libby wore her Minnie Mouse coat after the sun went down, so cute! We left at 6:20 and got home at 7:30. The kids slept from 6:25 til 7:30. That was my biggest mistake! We left too early. Those carseats are way too comfortable and they were recharged for the evening! I couldn't get them settled down before 11pm which made for a pretty short night for this exhausted mommy. I think one more hour would have been all we needed to put them out for the night. Can't wait to go to Disneyland again! I think I can squeeze in one more trip before I need to renew my pass.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
My House isn't Photogenic
We are taking in a foreign exchange student next school year and our host family application asks for photos of our house. Well, darn, my house just isn't photogenic! I have lots of photos, but they all look chaotic and messy. Funny how I think my house is nice and neat and then I take a picture and immediately think the room looks chaotic in the photo.
Since the photos I need to submit are for an application, it feels like I need to submit showroom type pictures of my house. I'm being judged. We've already been approved and we already have open communication with the student and her family, but still... this is stressing me out.
Photos I need to submit are:
1. Front of the house. We have no grass. Our little bitty patch of front yard is complete dirt, it has a few weeds growing in it. We had a big giant tree ripped out of the front and for some reason, my husband is not too quick about getting the grass growing again. I would plant some grass seeds, but he said something about wanting to till it up some more to get out more of the tree roots. I don't know; it's his project and I believe he's forgotten all about it. The hedges need to be trimmed too. They aren't overgrown, they are just not neat. The house looks like an abandoned foreclosure the way it is. Luckily, I found an old photo of the front of the house, it looks very nice and really, the house hasn't changed, just the grass.
2. The family. Oh, Good one! I have a great photo of the four of us taken less than a year ago by a professional! We all look great too!
3. Living room or Family Room: Oh boy. The living room looks cluttered because we have the tv and movies and all of that electronic junk exposed. Toys on the floor, or in the little basket I keep in the living room for stray toys. When it gets full, I take it to the toy room and dump it into a toy box; next thing you know, it's full again. Toys are always migrating to the living room. Blankets, pillows, coffee cups, remotes, box of kleenex, books, etc. We like to be comfy when we watch TV. When I get my living room all clean, then you can see the saggy furniture. We were going to buy a new couch, but decided to wait until the littlest one is completely potty trained. Why risk it with new furniture?
The Family room looks good. Except for the Christmas decorations that I just realized are still sitting at the very top of the bookcase. What? How did I not see that before? And we have a big piece of styrofoam stuck in our fireplace to block out the cold air that shoots down the chimney every night. Gee, that looks lovely in a photo.
Student's bedroom: Oh, easy, it's clean and pretty! Oh wait, no it isn't. I recently decided to clean out the stuffed closet in that room and pulled everything out. Of course I was interrupted a million times; this project is still in progress. Currently, it looks like the closet exploded. I shoved everything to the side and managed to take a picture of the good half of the bedroom. They want the picture to include the bedroom window, so it worked out. I need to buy a bed frame for this bed, we had one but when we rearranged the bedrooms, the frame went under a different bed and we ended up with a bed and frame that do not match. Ooops.
Student's Bathroom: Heehee, this should be funny. The student will be sharing a bathroom with the little girls. I tidied up the bathroom, which was nothing more than picking up the Dora panties and making sure the toilet was flushed. Otherwise, it looked pretty good. I left the toys in the tub and the Princess potty seat attached to toilet. I tried to show the floor, sink and countertop and the pretty light fixture, but couldn't get all of it in one picture. The room is small, it's not like you can back up and get a good shot of the whole thing.
Kitchen: Oh my stars! Really? My kitchen is in constant chaos! There are always dishes in the sink, dishes in the drainboard, stuff on the counter, toys on the floor, the mess is in constant motion. Pick up one thing and another thing is set out. I don't have enough cupboard space for all of the food and all of the dishes, which leads to a continuous rotation of what's out and what's behind closed cupboard doors. This is going to take some work to get a nice photo of my kitchen.
Other 1 & 2: Hmm, I suppose I can submit a photo of the back yard, and then what? The man room would be good because it is full of guitars and drums and computers and such. Teenagers like that. How about my clutter filled garage? The toy room? oh, I know! The Stairs! I think I'll take a pic of the dining room, that should take care of it. If I do that, I need to clean the wall of mirrors. Who puts up a wall that is completely a mirror anyway? That does it, an old picture of the back yard (because it never looks good in the winter when we don't water very much), and the dining room taken at an angle where you can't see into the living room at the saggy old couch in the mirror. No, wait, a picture of Sandy and a picture of the big sisters! That'll be better. Yeah, that's it.
It wasn't this picture, but now I can't find the one I sent in. Hmmm. Or maybe I can't remember what I sent in, that might be it.
My house is being lived in. The application doesn't specify that the photos are supposed to be showroomific, but I assume they should look like magazine pictures. I would love to live in a perfectly neat and tidy home all the time, but it just doesn't work like that.
This is really putting me in the mood to declutter and get rid of stuff! Maybe I'll start with my forgotten Christmas decorations on top of the bookcase. Most of them are gifts given to my husband from his students, dollar store knick-knacks.
I'm off to clean another room and take a photo worthy of the application! Which doesn't even matter because our student has already seen a bunch of photos of our family and our house, just not empty rooms like this. Can you tell I'm sort of stressing about these pictures? I'm just rambling!
Oh well, only 3 more months in this house anyway. And then we'll have a bigger house with more room for the kids and furniture and dishes and things. So why am I submitting pictures?
Since the photos I need to submit are for an application, it feels like I need to submit showroom type pictures of my house. I'm being judged. We've already been approved and we already have open communication with the student and her family, but still... this is stressing me out.
Photos I need to submit are:
1. Front of the house. We have no grass. Our little bitty patch of front yard is complete dirt, it has a few weeds growing in it. We had a big giant tree ripped out of the front and for some reason, my husband is not too quick about getting the grass growing again. I would plant some grass seeds, but he said something about wanting to till it up some more to get out more of the tree roots. I don't know; it's his project and I believe he's forgotten all about it. The hedges need to be trimmed too. They aren't overgrown, they are just not neat. The house looks like an abandoned foreclosure the way it is. Luckily, I found an old photo of the front of the house, it looks very nice and really, the house hasn't changed, just the grass.
2. The family. Oh, Good one! I have a great photo of the four of us taken less than a year ago by a professional! We all look great too!
3. Living room or Family Room: Oh boy. The living room looks cluttered because we have the tv and movies and all of that electronic junk exposed. Toys on the floor, or in the little basket I keep in the living room for stray toys. When it gets full, I take it to the toy room and dump it into a toy box; next thing you know, it's full again. Toys are always migrating to the living room. Blankets, pillows, coffee cups, remotes, box of kleenex, books, etc. We like to be comfy when we watch TV. When I get my living room all clean, then you can see the saggy furniture. We were going to buy a new couch, but decided to wait until the littlest one is completely potty trained. Why risk it with new furniture?
The Family room looks good. Except for the Christmas decorations that I just realized are still sitting at the very top of the bookcase. What? How did I not see that before? And we have a big piece of styrofoam stuck in our fireplace to block out the cold air that shoots down the chimney every night. Gee, that looks lovely in a photo.
Student's bedroom: Oh, easy, it's clean and pretty! Oh wait, no it isn't. I recently decided to clean out the stuffed closet in that room and pulled everything out. Of course I was interrupted a million times; this project is still in progress. Currently, it looks like the closet exploded. I shoved everything to the side and managed to take a picture of the good half of the bedroom. They want the picture to include the bedroom window, so it worked out. I need to buy a bed frame for this bed, we had one but when we rearranged the bedrooms, the frame went under a different bed and we ended up with a bed and frame that do not match. Ooops.
Student's Bathroom: Heehee, this should be funny. The student will be sharing a bathroom with the little girls. I tidied up the bathroom, which was nothing more than picking up the Dora panties and making sure the toilet was flushed. Otherwise, it looked pretty good. I left the toys in the tub and the Princess potty seat attached to toilet. I tried to show the floor, sink and countertop and the pretty light fixture, but couldn't get all of it in one picture. The room is small, it's not like you can back up and get a good shot of the whole thing.
Kitchen: Oh my stars! Really? My kitchen is in constant chaos! There are always dishes in the sink, dishes in the drainboard, stuff on the counter, toys on the floor, the mess is in constant motion. Pick up one thing and another thing is set out. I don't have enough cupboard space for all of the food and all of the dishes, which leads to a continuous rotation of what's out and what's behind closed cupboard doors. This is going to take some work to get a nice photo of my kitchen.
Other 1 & 2: Hmm, I suppose I can submit a photo of the back yard, and then what? The man room would be good because it is full of guitars and drums and computers and such. Teenagers like that. How about my clutter filled garage? The toy room? oh, I know! The Stairs! I think I'll take a pic of the dining room, that should take care of it. If I do that, I need to clean the wall of mirrors. Who puts up a wall that is completely a mirror anyway? That does it, an old picture of the back yard (because it never looks good in the winter when we don't water very much), and the dining room taken at an angle where you can't see into the living room at the saggy old couch in the mirror. No, wait, a picture of Sandy and a picture of the big sisters! That'll be better. Yeah, that's it.
It wasn't this picture, but now I can't find the one I sent in. Hmmm. Or maybe I can't remember what I sent in, that might be it.
My house is being lived in. The application doesn't specify that the photos are supposed to be showroomific, but I assume they should look like magazine pictures. I would love to live in a perfectly neat and tidy home all the time, but it just doesn't work like that.
This is really putting me in the mood to declutter and get rid of stuff! Maybe I'll start with my forgotten Christmas decorations on top of the bookcase. Most of them are gifts given to my husband from his students, dollar store knick-knacks.
I'm off to clean another room and take a photo worthy of the application! Which doesn't even matter because our student has already seen a bunch of photos of our family and our house, just not empty rooms like this. Can you tell I'm sort of stressing about these pictures? I'm just rambling!
Oh well, only 3 more months in this house anyway. And then we'll have a bigger house with more room for the kids and furniture and dishes and things. So why am I submitting pictures?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A Three Hour Cruise
My husband took me out for a romantic dinner date last night. A three hour dinner cruise in the San Diego harbor. Awesome!! It was rainy and windy, but that wasn't bothering me any - I was super excited to have a first class romantic date with my husband. He's more of the "let's order a pizza and watch a dvd" kinda guy. I'm very comfortable with that laid back home style kind of date, but a dinner cruise! Wow!
For days, I worried about what to wear. What does a frumpy mom wear on a cold rainy harbor cruise? I rummaged around in my closet and decided that my entire wardrobe looks like thrift store rejects. And why do I still have maternity dresses hanging in there? Only one solution: shopping!
My teenage daughter went with me to keep me in control and make sure my selections were appropriate and in style. It's good to have someone along who is so honest and keeps me out of the frumpy stuff. She steered me to Ross. Really? Ross? Fine, but then we are going to Macys. I rarely go to Ross since the store is usually such a mess and the merchandise is dirty and has missing buttons and all, but we were pleasantly surprised with a nicely stocked store, very neat and tidy and the inventory all looked great. I ended up buying 4 shirts and two dresses for myself. Ginger and Mrs. Howell took plenty of luggage on their 3 hour cruise, now I can too!
It was way too cold to wear a dress, and I would either have to shave my legs or braid them. I decided to wear dark jeans and one of my new tops, tossed on a sweater and I was all set. Except I forgot to buy socks. How is it that I don't have any socks? I have white socks, and nothing else. My feet are half the length of my husband's feet, but I was desperate so I raided his dark sock drawer.
My husband has two sock drawers. A white sock drawer and a dark sock drawer. Seriously, who needs that many socks?
I rifled through his dress socks looking for something black and shrunken but I couldn't find anything. I grabbed two of his thinner black socks and put them on, folding the extra length under. Hey, cushiony! Nice! The socks don't match, but maybe nobody will notice. I was wearing my mary-jane style tennie shoes. I know, romantic footwear, right? Are mis-matched man socks with tennies frumpy?
We got the girls ready to go, loaded up the van with their pajamas, books, toys, a potty chair and blankets and set off for our romantic evening in San Diego! Libby brought along her Justin Bieber doll. He wanted to have a fun date too.
Oh great, I just remembered that I forgot the potty in San Diego.
We went straight to our daughter's house to drop off the girls for their "date". Our oldest is all grown up now, 22 years old and living in a nice duplex; it's pretty convenient for us! Free babysitting! My husband had never been to her place. As soon as we walked in, I thought for sure I'd lost him and our night was over. Because.. like father, like daughter. She has a "jam room". The first room you see in her house is a big room full of guitars, drums, piano, tambourines, ukuleles, and who knows what all kind of noise making stuff is in there. My husband was like a little boy in a toy store. Luckily, I pried him away and we were on our way to the docks.
After hitting 20 red lights, Keith pulled into the best parking space! Free parking to boot! He was pretty excited about that even though he has the best luck with parking everywhere he goes. Since it was raining and windy, an up close free parking spot was especially appreciated!
We met up with our friends right at the dock; nobody was sure if we were boarding the Lord Hornblower or the Inspiration Hornblower. The dinner cruise was aboard the larger boat, the Inspiration. My husband immediately started saying very loudly in a Saturday Night Live sort of way, "Lady and Lord Hornblower". Oh boy, we're in for a silly evening and I thought it was going to be all mushy romance. I should have known! We got our boarding passes and compared them to see if we were all sitting at the same table. Nope. Three couples and three different tables: 10, 74 and 112. Not even within shouting distance of one another! After we "walked the plank" and boarded the boat, we were given a glass of champagne and the host reassigned us to a table for six.
The ship was nice! Like an elegant floating restaurant. Both of our older girls attended prom in 2007on this same ship and they said it was very nice. They weren't kidding!
The cruise was supposed to set sail and float around the San Diego harbor at 7pm and dock again at 10pm. Shortly after 7:00, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that we would not be leaving the dock due to inclement weather. We all decided they were wimps. What's a little wind? It was only blowing at 30 mph! One of the waiters told us it wasn't actually a problem for leaving the dock or cruising on the water, the problem was getting back into the dock. The wind would slam the boat up against the pier and everyone would spill their drinks. So, we just bobbed while tied to the dock. A dinner bob.
This is the view out of our tableside window.
The meal started off great! Yummy rolls and a nice salad. We also ordered an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip with crackers. That was delicious! I had a glass of white zin which was also very delicious! The main entree looked nice, but it wasn't the best meal I've ever had. The steak was tough and the portions were small. I'm not complaining, but I do think that Chef Gordon Ramsey would have been cussing out the cooks on that dinner. Half of my dinner ended up stuck in my braces, good thing I brought along my travel toothbrush! I flashed a broccoli grin at the hubby and went off to find the ladies' room..Braces and broccoli are not romantic friends. We were served a chocolate raspberry cheesecake and coffee for desert.
Dinner conversation was anything but romantic! We laughed our heads off mostly. The two couples we were with are also South Dakotans. One couple lives in Southern California like we do and the other couple was from Sioux Falls. They were on vacation, trying to escape the cold South Dakota weather for a weekend - so they came to sunny California and got nothing but rain. These three boys grew up together and had a good time reminiscing about all sorts of things. They talked about pranks they pulled, driving their big sisters crazy, driving Ford Pintos, cussing in Catholic school, and all sorts of stories were told. The whole time they would interject with comments about how we should set sail. It was really funny to listen to the boys talking about the old days, how any of them survived to become adults is beyond me.
After desert was served the DJ started to play and he announced that the dance floor was open. When did we become the old people that sit way in the back drinking coffee and asking each other, "have you ever heard this song before? No? Me niether! Look at 'em all dancing. How do those girls stay up in those shoes? Good Lord that guy's shirt isn't tucked in. Who sings this one? I don't know, do you?" And then we decided we weren't old, this DJ just didn't know what he was doing! Yeah, that's it!
The time had come to cruise around the cruise boat. We wandered around to see if we could see more. We were seated on the lower level, so we went up to the second level which was pretty much the same, then up to the top deck which is open so that you can see the stars and all. We bundled up and put on our heading into a blizzard wind faces and out we went. Holy Cow! It was super windy and freezing cold! No wonder we didn't set sail! We looked over the railings and saw enough in the minute or two that we were out there. Back in we went!
The tourist couple purchased our boarding photo as we left and then we all made a mad dash for our perfectly parked mini-van. We gave our friends a ride to their car which was three blocks away. This was hilarious, as I have three car-seats buckled down tight in the van! I got one undone and put in the trunk, but it was too cold for everyone to patiently wait for me to remove all of them and they all climbed in. So, two of us ended up sitting in carseats. What weight limit? Keith drove with the four friends all navigating. Even with four of them telling him where to go, he turned a block too soon and had to make another loop around. Here we were cruising around downtown San Diego in a mini van full of adults in car-seats!
We saw two people wrestling with inverted umbrellas. Thought that only happened in comedy movies! I felt sorry for them, but we were all in such a giddy giggling mood that the comedy of it really shined!
We dropped our friends off at their car and went on our merry way to pick up the kids and head home. Turns out that they had a great date with their big sister. She had fun with them too. A great rainy evening out for everyone!
For days, I worried about what to wear. What does a frumpy mom wear on a cold rainy harbor cruise? I rummaged around in my closet and decided that my entire wardrobe looks like thrift store rejects. And why do I still have maternity dresses hanging in there? Only one solution: shopping!
My teenage daughter went with me to keep me in control and make sure my selections were appropriate and in style. It's good to have someone along who is so honest and keeps me out of the frumpy stuff. She steered me to Ross. Really? Ross? Fine, but then we are going to Macys. I rarely go to Ross since the store is usually such a mess and the merchandise is dirty and has missing buttons and all, but we were pleasantly surprised with a nicely stocked store, very neat and tidy and the inventory all looked great. I ended up buying 4 shirts and two dresses for myself. Ginger and Mrs. Howell took plenty of luggage on their 3 hour cruise, now I can too!
It was way too cold to wear a dress, and I would either have to shave my legs or braid them. I decided to wear dark jeans and one of my new tops, tossed on a sweater and I was all set. Except I forgot to buy socks. How is it that I don't have any socks? I have white socks, and nothing else. My feet are half the length of my husband's feet, but I was desperate so I raided his dark sock drawer.
My husband has two sock drawers. A white sock drawer and a dark sock drawer. Seriously, who needs that many socks?
I rifled through his dress socks looking for something black and shrunken but I couldn't find anything. I grabbed two of his thinner black socks and put them on, folding the extra length under. Hey, cushiony! Nice! The socks don't match, but maybe nobody will notice. I was wearing my mary-jane style tennie shoes. I know, romantic footwear, right? Are mis-matched man socks with tennies frumpy?
We got the girls ready to go, loaded up the van with their pajamas, books, toys, a potty chair and blankets and set off for our romantic evening in San Diego! Libby brought along her Justin Bieber doll. He wanted to have a fun date too.
Oh great, I just remembered that I forgot the potty in San Diego.
We went straight to our daughter's house to drop off the girls for their "date". Our oldest is all grown up now, 22 years old and living in a nice duplex; it's pretty convenient for us! Free babysitting! My husband had never been to her place. As soon as we walked in, I thought for sure I'd lost him and our night was over. Because.. like father, like daughter. She has a "jam room". The first room you see in her house is a big room full of guitars, drums, piano, tambourines, ukuleles, and who knows what all kind of noise making stuff is in there. My husband was like a little boy in a toy store. Luckily, I pried him away and we were on our way to the docks.
After hitting 20 red lights, Keith pulled into the best parking space! Free parking to boot! He was pretty excited about that even though he has the best luck with parking everywhere he goes. Since it was raining and windy, an up close free parking spot was especially appreciated!
We met up with our friends right at the dock; nobody was sure if we were boarding the Lord Hornblower or the Inspiration Hornblower. The dinner cruise was aboard the larger boat, the Inspiration. My husband immediately started saying very loudly in a Saturday Night Live sort of way, "Lady and Lord Hornblower". Oh boy, we're in for a silly evening and I thought it was going to be all mushy romance. I should have known! We got our boarding passes and compared them to see if we were all sitting at the same table. Nope. Three couples and three different tables: 10, 74 and 112. Not even within shouting distance of one another! After we "walked the plank" and boarded the boat, we were given a glass of champagne and the host reassigned us to a table for six.
The ship was nice! Like an elegant floating restaurant. Both of our older girls attended prom in 2007on this same ship and they said it was very nice. They weren't kidding!
The cruise was supposed to set sail and float around the San Diego harbor at 7pm and dock again at 10pm. Shortly after 7:00, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that we would not be leaving the dock due to inclement weather. We all decided they were wimps. What's a little wind? It was only blowing at 30 mph! One of the waiters told us it wasn't actually a problem for leaving the dock or cruising on the water, the problem was getting back into the dock. The wind would slam the boat up against the pier and everyone would spill their drinks. So, we just bobbed while tied to the dock. A dinner bob.
This is the view out of our tableside window.
The meal started off great! Yummy rolls and a nice salad. We also ordered an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip with crackers. That was delicious! I had a glass of white zin which was also very delicious! The main entree looked nice, but it wasn't the best meal I've ever had. The steak was tough and the portions were small. I'm not complaining, but I do think that Chef Gordon Ramsey would have been cussing out the cooks on that dinner. Half of my dinner ended up stuck in my braces, good thing I brought along my travel toothbrush! I flashed a broccoli grin at the hubby and went off to find the ladies' room..Braces and broccoli are not romantic friends. We were served a chocolate raspberry cheesecake and coffee for desert.
Dinner conversation was anything but romantic! We laughed our heads off mostly. The two couples we were with are also South Dakotans. One couple lives in Southern California like we do and the other couple was from Sioux Falls. They were on vacation, trying to escape the cold South Dakota weather for a weekend - so they came to sunny California and got nothing but rain. These three boys grew up together and had a good time reminiscing about all sorts of things. They talked about pranks they pulled, driving their big sisters crazy, driving Ford Pintos, cussing in Catholic school, and all sorts of stories were told. The whole time they would interject with comments about how we should set sail. It was really funny to listen to the boys talking about the old days, how any of them survived to become adults is beyond me.
After desert was served the DJ started to play and he announced that the dance floor was open. When did we become the old people that sit way in the back drinking coffee and asking each other, "have you ever heard this song before? No? Me niether! Look at 'em all dancing. How do those girls stay up in those shoes? Good Lord that guy's shirt isn't tucked in. Who sings this one? I don't know, do you?" And then we decided we weren't old, this DJ just didn't know what he was doing! Yeah, that's it!
The time had come to cruise around the cruise boat. We wandered around to see if we could see more. We were seated on the lower level, so we went up to the second level which was pretty much the same, then up to the top deck which is open so that you can see the stars and all. We bundled up and put on our heading into a blizzard wind faces and out we went. Holy Cow! It was super windy and freezing cold! No wonder we didn't set sail! We looked over the railings and saw enough in the minute or two that we were out there. Back in we went!
The tourist couple purchased our boarding photo as we left and then we all made a mad dash for our perfectly parked mini-van. We gave our friends a ride to their car which was three blocks away. This was hilarious, as I have three car-seats buckled down tight in the van! I got one undone and put in the trunk, but it was too cold for everyone to patiently wait for me to remove all of them and they all climbed in. So, two of us ended up sitting in carseats. What weight limit? Keith drove with the four friends all navigating. Even with four of them telling him where to go, he turned a block too soon and had to make another loop around. Here we were cruising around downtown San Diego in a mini van full of adults in car-seats!
We saw two people wrestling with inverted umbrellas. Thought that only happened in comedy movies! I felt sorry for them, but we were all in such a giddy giggling mood that the comedy of it really shined!
We dropped our friends off at their car and went on our merry way to pick up the kids and head home. Turns out that they had a great date with their big sister. She had fun with them too. A great rainy evening out for everyone!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Putting Favors in the Bank
I'm trying to build up my savings account of favors. I'll need to draw on it in May.
My daughter is having her first baby in May and I want to be available to help her as much as she wants me to. Or more! Her husband is deployed so he won't be there to wait on her every whim; I loved that part! I've had four babies and I know how it is, mama tires pretty easily and doesn't get much sleep. Mama needs food and a clean bathroom and the trash needs to get to the curb and the dishes pile up and someone needs to bring in the mail. Hopefully I can do a lot for my daughter without getting on her nerves too much. We'll see.
I know that I won't be able to bring my little girls to the hospital, or if I can, they'll be bored to death and that's just trouble in the making. I also know that a newborn does not need a couple of noisy little aunties showing off their latest "cool tricks", teaching the baby how to fly off the top of the couch, nor does a newborn need to listen to very loud toddler operettas. Because I know so darn much, I'm going to try to plan ahead and get some friends to babysit my little girls so that I can bring my daughter some help, not some chaos.
Lately, I've been babysitting for my friends and offering to do whatever I can for anyone who will return the babysitting favors in May. Hopefully I can bank enough babysitting time to be a good Grandma in a couple of months.
My daughter is having her first baby in May and I want to be available to help her as much as she wants me to. Or more! Her husband is deployed so he won't be there to wait on her every whim; I loved that part! I've had four babies and I know how it is, mama tires pretty easily and doesn't get much sleep. Mama needs food and a clean bathroom and the trash needs to get to the curb and the dishes pile up and someone needs to bring in the mail. Hopefully I can do a lot for my daughter without getting on her nerves too much. We'll see.
I know that I won't be able to bring my little girls to the hospital, or if I can, they'll be bored to death and that's just trouble in the making. I also know that a newborn does not need a couple of noisy little aunties showing off their latest "cool tricks", teaching the baby how to fly off the top of the couch, nor does a newborn need to listen to very loud toddler operettas. Because I know so darn much, I'm going to try to plan ahead and get some friends to babysit my little girls so that I can bring my daughter some help, not some chaos.
Lately, I've been babysitting for my friends and offering to do whatever I can for anyone who will return the babysitting favors in May. Hopefully I can bank enough babysitting time to be a good Grandma in a couple of months.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Toddler Update
When I was pregnant, I got involved in a pregnancy message board for Advanced Maternal Age women - which means old pregnant ladies. In the pregnancy world, 35 is over the hill. I "met" some wonderful other old ladies and we've continued our online friendships. Some of the women have other children and some do not. We're all over the USA. And our babies are all over two years old now and one of the mamas wanted a toddler update from everyone. Guess we've all been just chit chatting and not really doing full fledged updates in a while, so everyone wrote a long piece about how their babes are doing these days. It's fun to compare, but at this age, they all vary so much that comparing is starting to become impossible.
Two year olds come in so many sizes! They are all over the growth charts in height and weight. Vocabulary is everywhere too. Fine and gross motor skills are developing and again, they're all very different. So, the updates are really more of a curiosity satisfaction and fun than to compare.
Here is my contribution to the toddler update thread - figured it would be a good blog post too since it's nice to update my bloggy friends too!
ok: Toddler Update
Libby is 6 weeks shy of being 2.5 yrs old. I refuse to admit it before it's true. Time is flying so fast! She is 33" tall and 25lbs, mostly wears 18 mths clothing although I've shrunk some 3T things that fit well enough. It really depends on the outfit if she'll wear it, not so much the size. If it is a yellow dress, she'll wear it. Too big or too small does not matter!
Libby has the vocabulary of a 5 yr old. She speaks very clearly and blows us away all the time. She also is doing very well with letters and numbers, in fact she's ahead of her big sister. Who says old ladies can't grow smart babies? Ha! Like you all, I don't send her to preschool - but mostly because she's not headed to kindergarten any time soon so I don't see the point.
I am sending Gracie to preschool because she will be going to K in the fall, and I felt like she needed the preschool boost. Sending Libby to pre-K at age 4 will depend on if I'm working and need child care. I do not anticipate working, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.
Libby is still breastfeeding. Hey! She's a baby! Ok, maybe not anymore but she's still a booby-baby and no matter how many remarks I get about the negative affects of extended nursing, I'm still nursing her. She's so skinny and she doesn't eat well, so I am ok with giving her the extra nutrition. It comforts her when the garage door scares the pieces out of her and it's just easy. I stopped going to the breastfeeding support group because I started to feel very unwelcome, isn't it ironic! I will quit this summer when my husband is home to help relieve me from listening to the screaming and crying that is inevitable. (he's a teacher)
Libby is daytime potty trained. She's doing great peeing in her potty! Although she prefers the pink potty chair, she's peeing in the green one and the red one if she has to. White, no way. Not unless it's one of those public tiny flush toilets. She is only peeing, poop is a whole 'nother story. She doesn't like to poop in her panties, but she's not doing that in the potty either. Recently, she decided she just wouldn't poop at all. After 5 days of retaining, I gave her a laxative and cleaned her out. We are going to start giving her poop presents - time to start bribing her. By the way, Children's Place panties are the best!
Music: We don't listen to radio, just children's cds. Seriously, I have to learn how to flip it to radio when I sneak out alone. Libby can sing most of the Disney songs, the alphabet and some nursey rhymes, and most of the Phineas and Ferb songs too. Yes, she's very over-Disney'd. I'm sure she'll need to address that in therapy someday.
Emily - Good Luck and I hope today is your day!
Polly - I have 4 daughters, one grandson and one grandson on the way.
Sandra - we must get together again! I will be in San Diego a lot from now till the end of May because my pregnant daughter is alone there. Her husband deployed.
To all of you in the snow - stay warm. Hope the groundhog was right!
Whoever mentioned being a frightened passenger of a permit holder - (I forgot who said that and if I scroll up to look I will distract myself with another post and forget and so it goes...) I know exactly how that feels! Hang on for dear life with your knuckles turning white, scream, heart stopped, pray for your dear life, and push a hole through the floorboards with your imaginary passenger side break pedal! My advice: Go ahead and let your teen get the permit, try your best to survive the driving practice, let your teen get the driver's license - then never let her drive! Really! Do not put her on your insurance either, because it is so darn expensive. But, in the event of an emergency or a lottery win, the teen will be licensed and can be added to the insurance. You want the child to be licensed because after three years of having a license, the insurance rate drops significantly. So, have the license and don't use it - this sets you up for the lower rate in three years and gives the kid some licensed time without any accidents or violations. Sweet! Of course you will hear some whining and complaining from the licensed teen, grounding her for no reason, ruining her life, etc, eh - whatever, let it roll off. Teens are old enough to resist temptation, make's 'em stronger. Tell her that teasing is good parenting.
Loved everyone's updates! Look forward to more.
Two year olds come in so many sizes! They are all over the growth charts in height and weight. Vocabulary is everywhere too. Fine and gross motor skills are developing and again, they're all very different. So, the updates are really more of a curiosity satisfaction and fun than to compare.
Here is my contribution to the toddler update thread - figured it would be a good blog post too since it's nice to update my bloggy friends too!
ok: Toddler Update
Libby is 6 weeks shy of being 2.5 yrs old. I refuse to admit it before it's true. Time is flying so fast! She is 33" tall and 25lbs, mostly wears 18 mths clothing although I've shrunk some 3T things that fit well enough. It really depends on the outfit if she'll wear it, not so much the size. If it is a yellow dress, she'll wear it. Too big or too small does not matter!
Libby has the vocabulary of a 5 yr old. She speaks very clearly and blows us away all the time. She also is doing very well with letters and numbers, in fact she's ahead of her big sister. Who says old ladies can't grow smart babies? Ha! Like you all, I don't send her to preschool - but mostly because she's not headed to kindergarten any time soon so I don't see the point.
I am sending Gracie to preschool because she will be going to K in the fall, and I felt like she needed the preschool boost. Sending Libby to pre-K at age 4 will depend on if I'm working and need child care. I do not anticipate working, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.
Libby is still breastfeeding. Hey! She's a baby! Ok, maybe not anymore but she's still a booby-baby and no matter how many remarks I get about the negative affects of extended nursing, I'm still nursing her. She's so skinny and she doesn't eat well, so I am ok with giving her the extra nutrition. It comforts her when the garage door scares the pieces out of her and it's just easy. I stopped going to the breastfeeding support group because I started to feel very unwelcome, isn't it ironic! I will quit this summer when my husband is home to help relieve me from listening to the screaming and crying that is inevitable. (he's a teacher)
Libby is daytime potty trained. She's doing great peeing in her potty! Although she prefers the pink potty chair, she's peeing in the green one and the red one if she has to. White, no way. Not unless it's one of those public tiny flush toilets. She is only peeing, poop is a whole 'nother story. She doesn't like to poop in her panties, but she's not doing that in the potty either. Recently, she decided she just wouldn't poop at all. After 5 days of retaining, I gave her a laxative and cleaned her out. We are going to start giving her poop presents - time to start bribing her. By the way, Children's Place panties are the best!
Music: We don't listen to radio, just children's cds. Seriously, I have to learn how to flip it to radio when I sneak out alone. Libby can sing most of the Disney songs, the alphabet and some nursey rhymes, and most of the Phineas and Ferb songs too. Yes, she's very over-Disney'd. I'm sure she'll need to address that in therapy someday.
Emily - Good Luck and I hope today is your day!
Polly - I have 4 daughters, one grandson and one grandson on the way.
Sandra - we must get together again! I will be in San Diego a lot from now till the end of May because my pregnant daughter is alone there. Her husband deployed.
To all of you in the snow - stay warm. Hope the groundhog was right!
Whoever mentioned being a frightened passenger of a permit holder - (I forgot who said that and if I scroll up to look I will distract myself with another post and forget and so it goes...) I know exactly how that feels! Hang on for dear life with your knuckles turning white, scream, heart stopped, pray for your dear life, and push a hole through the floorboards with your imaginary passenger side break pedal! My advice: Go ahead and let your teen get the permit, try your best to survive the driving practice, let your teen get the driver's license - then never let her drive! Really! Do not put her on your insurance either, because it is so darn expensive. But, in the event of an emergency or a lottery win, the teen will be licensed and can be added to the insurance. You want the child to be licensed because after three years of having a license, the insurance rate drops significantly. So, have the license and don't use it - this sets you up for the lower rate in three years and gives the kid some licensed time without any accidents or violations. Sweet! Of course you will hear some whining and complaining from the licensed teen, grounding her for no reason, ruining her life, etc, eh - whatever, let it roll off. Teens are old enough to resist temptation, make's 'em stronger. Tell her that teasing is good parenting.
Loved everyone's updates! Look forward to more.
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