Friday Night Leftovers

1. My husband is a terrible secret keeper- he just can't do it. True to form, he burst out with telling me my birthday present two nights ago. *Sigh*...so close!

2. Birthday present totally rocks- going on a fishing trip (yes, that's what I wanted for my birthday).

3. I need a laundry fairy to come help with all of this post-vacation unpacking!

4. "Everybody's talking 'bout a day up at the lake..." Dan Zanes had it right and we are looking forward to a weekend at the lake, with friends that are really more like family to us. The countdown is on...two weeks to go! Mitchell- I'm bringing Cranium because there was nothing like seeing Rudy act out "tornado" and I see some late night fishing in our future.

5. I love that I live in the same neighborhood I've lived in since the 6th grade. Neighbors I've known for 25 years stopped by today to make sure our dog is home and ok, since a GSD was found roaming. There's something to be said for those community connections.

6. Re: the lost dog, there is NO WAY the hubs will go for another sheppy around here.

7. When asked my age, my son says that I am 25...and therefore, he is my hero.

8. My grandparents never miss my birthday; they are arriving from NJ this weekend and Nana will bake my birthday cake. Spoiled lately?

9. It's almost market day and after being on vacation, I cannot wait for the farmer's market and all of that fresh, unprocessed, chemical-free food.

10. When C and his buddy were playing around in the pool and C dunked him, we asked why in the world he did that. To which he replied, "I baptized him! You know, like John baptized Jesus!" We had to ask C to not baptize his friends in the pool.

How to enjoy the leftovers:

1. Write out all the random thoughts swimming in your head that don't quite constitute a blog entry of their own.

2. Copy and paste the Leftovers photo onto your post (copy photo, upload to your post).

3. Link back to The Simple Life.

4. Enter your blog name and the permalink to your post into the comments section.

5. Visit all the other leftovers and leave your love over the weekend.

Vacation Adventures: Day 2

Sunday morning we awoke to gloriously sunny skies and bid Savannah adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but we have time scheduled in Savannah this fall, so that made up for not having enough time to traipse around the city this go 'round.

On the road again, we found a peach stand at exit 49 and there is nothing like the sticky, sweet, dribbly goodness of fresh Georgia peaches, just off the trees!


We finally made it to Florida!

Are we there yet? YES!

What impressed the kids immediately...

Telling the kids we ARE vacationing together, here, at this resort...

Aaargh!

Resort (notice the rainbow)

Dinner, waiting for the magician to perform

We visit Orlando annually, but this was our first stay at Marriott's Harbour Lake and we would definitely return. While Marriott's Cypress Harbour is still my favorite (right across the street from Harbour Lake), the pirate ship, slides, water play areas, and pirate theming at all pools was a huge draw for C. After a week packed full of theme parks and friends, when asked what the best part of the trip was, C responded, "the pirate ship." And that was our one requirement for a resort this year. After visiting Myrtle Beach last year and staying at a Starwood resort with a pirate ship, C was hooked. We were surprised he asked to return to Myrtle Beach, since we usually go to OBX or HHI for beach time. Digging deeper, it turns out he really doesn't care that it's MB, he just wanted a pirate ship and Harbour Lake delivered. The staff was friendly and helpful and the Key West theming/architecture was a nice touch. This is definitely a resort we'd recommend for those with younger kids.

Vacation Adventures: Day 1

Our wanderlust is insatiable and we get pure joy out of surprising our little guy with travel, and he has been surprised many, many times over the past five years. We struck again with a 10 day adventure in Florida, complete with our best friends. The boys had no idea they were vacationing together, which made it all sweeter. Here are some highlights, more to come...

The boys goofing around as we got on the road...C had no idea where we were going and B insisted we were going camping at the beach. Little did they know!

Opening gifts from Nonna and Poppy

How can you not stop?

Best buddies

Pedro


2010



2009
What a difference a year makes! I need to dig out this same photo from 2007 and 2008.

Savannah welcomed us with a beautiful sunset

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We are taking a class at church on Wednesday nights and C is in class at the same time as us. Their theme for the summer is heroes of the Bible, so we've heard all about Moses, Daniel, David, etc. I have to say, I was stumped with tonight's hero...

Me: "Who did you learn about tonight?"

C: "Chester."

Me: "Chester???"

C: "YES! CHESTER! She was a princess and she had to get everything straightened out, and she had to be brave."

Me: "You mean Queen Esther?"

C: "YES! THAT IS WHAT I SAID, PRINCESS CHESTER!"

Friday Night Leftovers

Cleaning out the mental fridge...photos to follow sometime.

1. A week at Safety Town wrapped up today and I am so impressed with the program our local fire and police put on with these kids. C can tell you what to do in many different types of emergencies. However, he's now like a hall monitor around here. Remember those annoying kids? Seriously, I'm glad the safety is important to him. I've already heard where I need more smoke alarms and he placed an "X" on many items under the kitchen sink that he should not touch. Yeah Safety Town! Plus he looks so cute in his firefighter t-shirt, badge, and hat.

2. 7 days until vacation. Am I ready? Not even close. STRESS!

3. Two great aunties I've not seen in over 20 years came by for a visit; it was so nice to hear family stories since my grandfather passed away in 1995 and I've not heard some of these stories. Along those lines, my cousin and her extended family came to visit and we all had a blast catching up with one another.

4. C has his 1st ear infection since getting his 2nd set of tubes. Nothing like yellow goo oozing out of your kid's ear.

5. Did I mention 7 days until vacation?

6. Thanks to my crazy stylist, C is sporting a blue mohawk as of this afternoon. No, it's not permanent, but he sure wishes it were.

7. I think maturity sneaks up on you in devious ways. I now have a mechanic. I used to think that was something old folks had. And to make it worse, I have a mechanic that is 11 years younger than me. Something seems off about that- when did I get older than my mechanic, my stylist, etc.? At least I still have the crotchety good old boy that renovated the kitchen!

8. It's hotter than Lucifer's crotch out there; I'm rethinking my notion that global warming is a bunch of crap.

9. My normally sweet and sane child just threw an all out hissy fit screaming "I WANNA WATCH BARNEY"...complete with jumping and flailing. Wow- I don't think he's ever done that before. Chalking that one up to heat, ear, and lack of sleep last night.

How to enjoy the leftovers
1. Write out all the random thoughts swimming in your head that don't quite constitute a blog entry of their own.
2. Copy and paste the Leftovers photo onto your post (copy photo, upload to your post).
3. Link back to The Simple Life.
4. Enter your blog name and the permalink to your post into the comments section.
5. Visit all the other leftovers and leave your love over the weekend.

Organized Travel for Mamas

We love to travel- it's an addiction around here. If a month or two has passed without an adventure on the calendar, I get antsy; insatiable wanderlust is here to stay. While preparing for an upcoming vacation, I knew I needed a couple of things to get us organized in that why-can't-I-find-that-in-the-bottom-of-my-bag type of way. Now let's hope these arrive before we depart on our next adventure!

1. C's Dopp Kit
With the little man so independent these days, I wanted a way to keep all of his toiletries together so he can go straight to his bag when needed, and voila, all he needs in the bathroom is in one place. It also needs to travel well and keep spills from leaking onto other items in his suitcase. We had to retire his last kit as it received so much use that it recently went to shreds. Finally, I wanted something I could use for swim lessons, when not in use as a dopp kit. And after recently reading that vinyl lining contains high levels of lead, it had to be lined in something else and able to be thrown in the wash. I had a hard time finding exactly what I was looking for until I went to Etsy. Check out this find (9''x11") by monkeyfootdesigns:


2. The Ouch Pouch
What a great concept! I usually throw some band-aids, Neo to go, and other small first aid items in a plastic sandwich bag, but the bag ends up beat up in our backpack we use on day trips, around amusement parks, etc. and the contents spill. These come in various sizes, starting at 4"x5" and various patterns, including "kid patterns" and "mom patterns." Kudos to PillowSewCute for this organized, adorable, low-cost solution:

3. Epi-Pen Pouch
I had no idea these pouches even existed, and frankly, there is no easy way to carry two big syringes around. Do you leave them in the box (which ends up battered and contains all of your Rx info), or take them out and know you are going to be scrounging around in a backpack or purse during an emergency if they are ever needed? Thanks to a beesting allergy, I get to carry two of these syringes with me and now I've got a practical and stylish way to do so. The pattern I ordered no longer shows online since it was sold (to me), but you get the idea from another one below, also by PillowSewCute:

Totally in Love- July

A new"ish" series for this blog, hopefully on a monthly basis.

Desert Essence's Vanilla Chai Body Wash...all organic and chemical free, and it smells heavenly!

Fresh Rainier Cherries

Talking with my grandparents for about an hour every Saturday morning

The gift of friendship

Excitement embodied in a 5 year old

Loyal rescued dogs

Fluffy white bedding

Dr. Bronner's Organic Almond Soap, with a buh-zillion uses

Soap nuts- chemical free in the laundry

All natural, chemical free deodorant stone