We made a fairly impromptu trip to Pennsylvania this weekend to see my Pap who is in the nursing home and to visit the BFF…. and oh yeah!  We went to Hershey Park too.

But the main point of the trip was to see my Pap.  His health is not good and with the school/sports season kicking back in, I knew that I wouldn’t have a free weekend to go in the foreseeable future.  The BFF and Hershey Park were simply a bonus because they are so close.

My grandfather was not how I remembered him the last time I saw him… when he lived on his own… in his own home.

He was noticably weak.  His hands shook.  And while he appreciated the milkshake that we brought him, it was hard to see him struggle with it.

He shares a room with another man.  They both have buzzers that for whatever reason, chose Saturday to malfunction.

His room is fairly empty except for the little trinkets that my mom sends and the pictures that she’s hung on the wall.  He has a television, but is sat in the corner, off.

He didn’t talk much.  In fact, he nodded off quite a bit while we were there visiting.

And the bad thing about it is, I didn’t inherit my mother’s gift for the elderly.  She is a saint.  She knows what to say.  She knows what to do.  She has a heart for older people.  It’s why she’s a geriatric nurse… although she’ll tell you that she does it because she’s just as confused as they are.

I didn’t know what to do.  I didn’t know what to say and I was very uncomfortable when there was silence.  And there was a lot of silence.

We took pictures to show him.  We talked about the kids.  We watched the kids push one another around in the wheelchair and when I noticed that he was continually falling alseep, I decided that perhaps we better go.

I felt so terribly guilty.  I had no where to be.  I could’ve spent more time with him.  But I didn’t know what to do.  He didn’t want to go for a walk around the building, it was raining outside.  No, he was quite content to sit in his recliner, where I’m told he spends all his time, and listen to me while nodding off.

As we left Chambersburg, we stopped for lunch and decided to actually go into McDonald’s and sit down as opposed to flying through the drive through and eating on the way to Harrisburg.  And as we were sitting there, I looked at both of my children and asked them to please not put me in a nursing home, that I would be content and good if one of them would take me in when I was no longer able to care for myself.

And that is when I heard the chorus of “not it’s”.

The lady behind me started to chuckle.

I spoke… almost as if I wanted them to decide right then and there.

“Just remember… my money goes with me.”

It was then that Matthew looked at Samara and Samara looked at Matthew.  I waited for both of them to fight over who would take me in many many years from now.

But she looked back at her Polly Pocket and he his transformer.

And I still don’t have anywhere to go when I’m old.

Until next time…

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I asked you if I was crazy…

I should’ve waited until after the clinic tonight.  Because then I would’ve had my answer and I wouldn’t of had to ask.  The answer would’ve been perfectly clear.

Yes.

I am crazy.

(But thanks to those of you who told me that I was not crazy and a wonderful mom.  It made me all warm and fuzzy.)

So, I arrive at the clinic tonight wearing, what else?  My Desperately Seeking Sanity shirt that says, “I love giving homemade gifts, which one of the kids would you like?”

I would like to say that it was because I wanted to advertise my site, but the reality of it is, it was the only clean tee-shirt that was big and long…

And the reason that I needed a big and long tee-shirt?  Well becuase the only shorts that I have are my gym shorts… kinda like the bicylce shorts?  And well, I don’t like tight things or shorts, so I needed something to cover my hips.

Coach Betsy makes all the coaches come stand with her and introduce ourselves.  Guess who forgot what her team name was?

FURY. (The stupidest name for a team.)

As I look down the line, I realize that short of Coach Betsy, the head of the organization, Jennifer and I are the only two women.

I also realize that my shirt has a huge stain on it.  Which I did not realize that when I walked out of the house and now I’m standing in front of all these parents with an odd, off-white mark covering my boob.

Wonderful.

And so Jennifer and I stood there while they showed the kids a few moves.

First up the Matthews… big toe, big toe, little toe.  I couldn’t figure out what they meant by big toe and little toe.  Eventually it dawned on me that we’re talking about the toe that you hit the ball with.  Silly me… I thought you hit the ball with your foot.

I was not aware that we got specific.  Now I know.

Then the rollover.  Okay, I think.  I can do this.  When they break us up, I can help them with these moves.

Hold up!  Wait a minute….

What did he just call that move?  A Queef?  No… a coif?  I don’t know… I tried to look it up and couldn’t find anything but I do know that when you’re doing this move, the way you stand much resembles how someone would stand if they had to pee.

It’s not attractive.

At all.

So they separated us.  Jennifer (my co-coach) had the brilliant idea that we should separate because we would both be learning different things.  I panicked.  I didn’t know the guy that I was with.  I didn’t know how to play soccer.  I didn’t know what I was doing.

Wouldn’t be so bad if the kids would have.

But they didn’t.  Except the 10 year old boy who came over and showed me how to do the moves in slow motion, repeatedly.

I’m thinking that it should’ve been the other way around?

When we gathered back up as a group before the games began, I looked at Jennifer and might have mentioned that I felt like crying.  I had no clue what I was doing.

Her response?

Neither do they so don’t feel bad.

And then we paired up and played games, but my group had an odd number of kids, so I got to be a partner to Fancy Feet.  This is what I will always call her.  Because her feet do things that are unnatural.

The rules were simple.  Get the ball away from your opponent.  Easy enough, right?

I chased her around for a good 10 minutes.  She was nice though… she slowed down when she realized that I was huffing and puffing, dribbling the ball and doing all this fancy foot work.  And when I got my second wind and revved up again, she took off.

I never did get the ball.

An hour and a half later, we were done.  I hobbled to the car and when Sam asked if we could stop for ice cream, I didn’t think twice.

Crazy people love ice cream.

Until next time…

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Before you jump out of your seat and scream “YES!!” let me explain the situation in which I am contemplating my sanity this time…

My children are both involved, heavily, in sports.  They just are.  And I’m so very grateful because studies show the importance of sports in a child’s life.  They are active.  They love them.

My daughter is trading in her pom poms for real sports.  (I know, cheerleading IS a sport, but I just can’t seem to say that…we all know how I feel about cheerleaders…)

Last season she played softball and did amazingly well.  I coached.  I loved it.  Period.

So, when soccer season rolled around, she wanted to play and the league was short on coaches.  I know NOTHING about soccer except that you kick the ball, can’t touch it with your hands (unless you’re the goalie) and that shin guards are a must.  I didn’t feel that I would be a benefit as a coach, but I also knew that unless they got enough coaches, there was a chance that my daughter (or some other little girl in the county) would be deprived of a fall sport to particiapte in.

One of the moms who helped me in softball and attends my church coached last year and we talked and decided that we would co-coach a team.  This would also ensure that Sam and Haley were on the same team… something very important to both of them.

On more than one occassion I have mentioned to someone that I am coaching soccer this year and on more than one occassion I am looked at funny and the question is asked…

“Are you crazy?”

My response is “no.  I just want to be involved in my kids’ lives as long as they want me to be.  I have to be there anyway.”

One response was that I should just show up and sit there.

We all know that I cannot just sit there.  And Sam and I did very well when I coached softball.  I might go so far as to say that we bonded.  Maybe.

I missed a good three years of my kids’ lives while I was in school full time and working full time.  My parents did so many things for them, and still do, that I was incapable of doing due to time constraints.  I wouldn’t go back and change any of that now.  I went back to school so that I could get an education and provide a decent life for them.

When I divorced, I was making a whopping $18k a year… do the math.  It’s not enough to raise two children on.

And so I did.  I moved back home and my parents helped me.  I got my degree.  I got my own place and over the last 5 years, I’ve moved up the corporate ladder all while being blessed with family friendly companies along the way and finally ending with a job that allows me to work from home… so that I can be more involved in the kids’ lives.

I can feed them before practice.  I can take them to practice.  I can be here when they are sick and I don’t have to worry about snow days.  I am truly, truly blessed to have this arrangement.

And because of this arrangement, I have the opportunity to coach my daughter’s team (and Matthew’s out of the equation because reallly?  Could you see me coaching football?  And I’m so not the team mom type.)

My children are not always going to think I’m cool.  As they get older and get involved in school sports, I’m not going to have this opportunity.  I’m trying to make the best of the time that we have and so I’m coaching soccer.  A commitment of one night a week and Saturday morning for 2.5 months..(of which I would have to make myself available to be there anyway…)

So, my question remains…

Am I crazy?

Until next time…

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The flight from DC to San Francisco was over 5 hours.  I had a window seat and I’m not sure that I liked it.  Typically, I’m a window seat kinda gal.  I like to look out the window.

But on a ride that long, I knew I would have to use the facilities and I hate asking people to move on my behalf.  Additionally, because I’m nosey, I didn’t like that I was unaware of what I was flying over.  Like, I think I saw the Rockies but I’m not sure and I think that people should know what they are looking at.  It gives me the chance to say “I’ve seen the Rockies” or “I flew over the Grand Canyon.”

I did happen to find the Flight Deck line on the built in radio on the plane and instead of watching the documentary on China or listening to music, I listened to the Flight Deck Channel.  Sometimes, if you listened closely, you could hear our pilot mention where he was.  But not often.

Regardless, it was interesting.  Especially when another pilot said, “I can wait to turn a little bit later, but it’s going to put me at a lower fuel level than I’m comfortable with, so if you could turn me as soon as possible, that would be great.”

Thanked God repeatedly that I was not on that plane.

And when I did go to the bathroom, as all of us were congregating outside of the bathroom in the “kitchen” area of the plane, there was a little small talk going on between the passengers and the flight attendants.

Before I knew it, the words “How much longer until we’re there?” escaped my lips.  I felt like a complete child.

But not as childish as when the flight attendant (who very much resembled the comic, Ant) replied “about two hours” and I wanted to stomp and scream.  I wanted out of there.  I wanted to be there.  I was highly impatient.

And bored.

And for the first time in a long time, I could understand how my children feel when they are carted all over the country.

This summer, we logged 2431 miles in the car.  That was just our trip to Mississippi.  They were in the car more than that traveling to camp and then to Pennsylvania from Tennessee with my parents.

That’s alot of time in the car.

My parents and I are both of the “we don’t need a DVD player in the car” mentality.  There are so many things to look at on long trips and so many car games that you can play to pass the time.  However, my bosses, whom I love to death (how many people can say that?) surprised the kids with a portable DVD player a day before we left.

And for the most part, it worked out well.  Only once did I have to take it away because we couldn’t decide which movie to watch and were fighting.

One of the movies that we had to watch was called TripFlix.  When I was asked to review it, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go over with the kids, but the kids loved it and watched it more than once while on the trip and took it to my parents’ house as well to share with them.

TripFlix is a fun-filled interactive DVD that features some of the coolest kid-friendly places to travel across the US.  Designed to help famililes pick an unusual travel destination and keep the kids enteretained while en route, TripFlix was a hit in our car with trivia questions, funny banter from the teens hosts/travel guides and little known facts about the destinations as varied as “Carhenge” in Nebraska and Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

The best thing about this DVD, for my kids at least, was being able to see all the places that they already have been.  They squealed when they saw Rock City, Tennessee had made the list and we all had fun with the trivia questions.

I never intended for the kids to watch the whole thing, let alone watch it more than once.  But they would put in the DVD and when they had the choice of selecting a region of the country, they would quickly hit play all, sit back, and I would have two hours of peace and quiet in the car.

I highly recommend picking up TripFlix for your next road trip, or just to introduce your children to the various destinations around the country.

In my search for sanity,  I was definitely able to find some time while they were engrossed in the movie.

Purchase TripFlix…
See what others are saying about TripFLIX…

Until next time….

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Our Fourth of July was amazing. Simply amazing.

While we had several events to choose from, we decided to play it safe an attend the Balloon Glow at the Mall that was a mile from our condo. I knew how to get there and I knew how to get home. It was free. There was music, food, and fireworks.

The decision wasn’t hard.

We spent the morning at the pool… and the afternoon for that matter. Six hours and while we were there, there were two other “parties” both of adults who, I’m fully believe were not expecting to share the pool area with an 11 and almost 9 year old.

One party embraced them, the other kept to themselves.

I instructed the children to leave them be; to allow them to enjoy their cookout; to not bother them.

In one ear and out the other.

Samara, that socialite, decided to start talking to them. And before long Samara was invited to eat with them. They taught her how to throw a football. If they were bothered by her, they didn’t seem to mind. Then Matthew joined in.

My children crashed their party.

And there I sat.

When I finally drug them out of the pool, we got changed and headed to the Mall. The kids wanted to be there when it started at 5:30. It was hot. I knew they would be misreable but they wouldn’t take no for an answer and so we arrived and spread our blanket out. There were food vendors and a bounce house and music. We were very close to the stage.

But it was still hot.

We were all cranky.

Matthew and I chose to sit on the blanket, not moving so as to attempt to not sweat anymore than we had to. Samara chose to explore.

I had only ever heard of one of the country artists who was to perform, and his name escapes me. But I like him. The two opening acts were good though.

Candy Coburn was first… she actually came out in the field, past the gate to sing with us. Samara was in her face. She hugged her and to listen to Sam talk afterwards, they are now BFFs.

Following Candy was Chris Young. I liked him. But it was probably because his first song was about if he had to choose between beer and gas, he’d choose to walk. It was catchy. He was also easy on the eyes.

Samara was digging the music. She was watching. She was floating back and forth between the blanket and the stage and at one point she told me that she was going to try and get an autograph.

Matthew and I lost sight of her and when I finally spotted her, there she was waiting patiently for an autograph.

I went up with the camera and stood behind her. Chris’s manager looked at me and asked if Sam wanted an autograph and I said yes. Samara was acting like she’s heard of this guy and been his biggest fan forever and his manager nodded to me and told me that he’d get her one.

We waited. Chris never made it over to us. The manager had us move several times and again told me to be patient. The grownups kept pushing over Sam and moving her out of the way but she stood her ground fairly well for an 8 year old.

Finally, I heard Chris say “we have to get out of here” and his manager said, “I promised this little girl an autograph.” And so he signed her shirt…

And he posed for a picture…

Then it was time for the Balloon Glow in which many hot air balloons lit up since the sun (and the temperature) had gone down. It was now bearable.

And it?

WAS GORGEOUS!

I’ve never seen a real live hot air balloon and it was so cool….

When the balloons had deflated, Steve Azar (that’s his name!) took the stage and the kids and I got some food and just relaxed.

No, Matthew and I did that.

Sam took off for the stage in search of an autograph. She returned without one. But the fireworks had started…and they were spectacular.

I’d show you, but I’ve yet to figure out how to take pictures of fireworks with my camera, even though there is a fireworks setting. It doesn’t really work. Or maybe I don’t know how to work it.

It’s a possiblity.

We had an amazing time…

Definitely a 4th we will always remember…

Until next time…

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Matthew had no interest in picking blackberries. None. He was mad because I made him go and he was not please that he had to be there. He couldn’t understand my rationale of wanting to spend time together and seeing the area when I denied his request to stay at the condo.

I was hoping he would change his mind when we got there. I couldn’t.

So he watched and eventually made his way over to the nearby ball fields and apparently pretended that he was in a game as I watched him run the bases, and enact an entire ball game.

He scored.

But I did explain to him that this was for Sam and the trip to Vicksburg the following Thursday was for him. He was the one that wanted so desperately to see the Battlefield at Vicksburg. Because he’s a history NUT. And he is.. the boy is always watching the history channel. (Coincidentally, we learned all about the history of beer one afternoon… like did you know that the names of the beer companies are the last names of the people who started the breweries? And that Mr. Busch married into the Anheiser family? Now you know.)

So Thursday, I took a half day off work and we headed the 40 minutes down the road to Vicksburg.

Samara felt the same way about this trip as Matthew did about picking blackberries.

I told her to get over it.

Our first stop was the visitor’s center because apparently there is more to Vicksburg than just the Battlefield. So we planned our afternoon. The Battlefield and then the scenic drive that would end at the Mississippi River (which I wanted to see) and then home to the pool.

Yes. She didn’t want to go because she wanted to be at the pool. I assured her we would be out of Vicksburg by 7:30 giving her a minimum of 30 minutes in the pool.

It seemed to appease her.

We purchased the audio CD of the driving tour of the Battlefield and once we figured out how to follow along with the narrator and where he was in the tour and how to keep in sync with him (which was at tour stop 3) we had a really good time learning about the battle there, which basically was to win control of the Mississippi River.

I do enjoy history, but more so the logistics of it and not necessarily the names, times, dates and places. Like for me, the most fascinating part of the tour was learning about the zig zag trenches that were dug. The reason that they did this is that someone from the opposing side couldn’t shoot down the trench and take out the whole line.

I would’ve never though about this. I guess that’s why I work in TV and not in the military.

It was also interesting to learn that there was a slave who was engaged in battle and he was blown into freedom. Interesting stuff. For me at least.

Matthew is also the type of kid that has to read EVERY placard that there is to be read. He can’t get enough. So when we would get out at various tour stops, unless there was something for Samara to climb on, she would simply sit in the car while he went to read and take pictures. To be honest, by the end of the tour, I was joining her because it was just too darn hot.

I did accompany him to the top here because the view was so spectacular. Samara sat in the car. She counted the steps. There were just “too many” for her to climb.

Apparently she gets her lack of motivation for physical exertion from me.

We saw a ship that was sunk and then later rediscovered which Matthew and I really enjoyed. Especially the part where the guide told us that the showers were located on the bottom of the ship and you had to be careful because if anyone was going potty upstairs, you might not be getting clean… (I had to explain that to Samara…)

I guess the part of the trip that shocked me the most was as we were driving through the cemetary and it wasn’t because of all of the gravemarkers of the unknown, but rather the comment that came from the backseat.

As we were listening to our audio cd, Matthew and I both commented on how nice the cemetary looked but that there were so many unknown solidiers. Their graves were marked with a smaller stone with simply a number etched into the top. Those that were identified had a larger tombstone with a name…

All of a sudden, Samara joined our conversation by stating, “You know what? This is a nice cemetary. We should bury Mamaw here when she dies.”

WHAT?

I have no idea where that came from. After I assured her that arrangements had already been made in her home town, to be laid to rest next to her husband, she settled down about it.

Sometimes I wonder what planet she’s on.

She’s so random.

I have NO idea where she gets that from… ::grin::

When we left the battlefield two hours later, we (and by we I mean Matthew and I) that it was really cool and we embarked upon our scenic drive through Vicksburg. All I really wanted to do was see the Mississippi River.

Don’t ask me why. It was just one of those things. Kinda like it’s been on my list to see the Golden Gate Bridge before I turn 40. (I get to do that this week!)

The Visitor Center gave us a map that outlined various points of interest and as we were driving along the Yazoo River (which feeds into the Mississippi) we spotted this…

Did I mention how HOT it was that day? The kids saw it and immediately BEGGED me to play. I explained that we had no clothes to change into and they didn’t care. They knew that we were in the car for the rest of the day until we got to the pool. They just wanted to get in.

But I am a good mother and I look out for them. Knowing how horrid it is to sit in wet clothes with the air on, I might have suggested to Matthew to slip his drawers off and just wear his shorts so that at least he could ride home in dry underwear. And I managed to find a change of clothes for Sam as well in the back. (I still don’t know why we had those.)

And so they played… but only asking how long they could stay before we needed to leave to be back on the interstate by 7:30…

And boy did they have fun…

And while they were having a BLAST, I walked across the street to check out the murals along the Yazoo…

I finally drug them out of there and we headed to see the Mississippi…

Had I not had the kids, I would’ve stopped into the casinos there…

And then we started to make our way out of Vicksburg. The second half, after the Mississippi is a tour of historic homes…

And along the way, I found my dream home. I stopped in the middle of the road, embarrassing my children as I snapped a pic.

There was a For Sale sign out front and I can’t find it on the website… I was DYING to see what the inside looked liked. But at least I know what I want when it comes to a house…

After that we bolted… back to Jackson… back to the condo…

so that we could go to the pool and play Uno…

Until next time…

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There’s a gal in Jackson that I affectionately call the traitor. I call her this because she moved from sales into news. If you’ve ever worked in TV you’ll know that there’s an ongoing “which came first, chicken or the egg” battle between sales and news. Both departments feel that the other depends on them.

It’s comical really. And kinda stupid.

But I call her the traitor, lovingly of course.

Because I really think alot of her and I give her a hard time because I do like her.

As I was taking the kids around the station to see it I introduced them to the traitor. She laughed. They didn’t understand. Nor did they remember her real name after I told them and all week Sam would ask about the traitor.

One night she mentioned that she was going to pick blackberries. And for two days, all Sam talked about was going to pick blackberries. This is so unlike Sam that I just let it go, but she didn’t.

This is not my thing.  My idea of picking blackberries is going to the cell phone store… not into the deep woods where there are ticks.  (If there were no chance of ticks, I would go in a heartbeat.)

But Sam just kept on and on about how she wanted to go… even forgoing her pool time, so I knew it was serious.

So I asked the traitor if we could come too. And we did.

I had to get Sam all bundled up because she was going in the deep woods. Long sleeve tee, jeans, etc. I know she’s crazy now. Jackson, Mississippi in July in long attire. But she was so excited. Matthew and I chose to just sit and watch.

It’s not that I don’t like to get dirty or head into the brush, it was more along the lines of I just had no desire to do it and left Sam and the traitor have fun.

And fun they had.

After they got in the woods of course…. lol

Sam and the Traitor had a great time and I enjoyed watching them. This is very out of character for Sam but I was proud of her…

And once she collected, we headed back to the Traitor’s house. Except they walked way ahead of us talking. The Traitor has no children of her own, but I fully believe that she’ll be an awesome mom when the time comes. She just got married last year. Of course, she will tell you that unless she can spit them out already aged to 7 she’s not sure.

She washed them all up, sprinkled a little sugar on them and then said, “let’s eat them, Sam” and Sam wouldn’t. I knew she wouldn’t. She’s so picky. She wouldn’t even try them. She just wanted to pick them and was very honest about that.

We all chuckled.

It was dark and so I snapped one more picture of the two of them…

And then we headed back to the condo…

I’m not going to mention the ticks that I pulled off of her. because the only thing I hate worse than mice, are ticks. I found two. But I guess two little ticks were worth the memories that we have of picking blackberries…

Until next time…

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Oh dear ones…

I am here.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed those that are holding down the fort while I am gone as I’ve enjoyed reading them.

You know, when I asked for guest bloggers and I had more responses than the number of days that I would be gone, I thought that I might overload you with posts from me AND them, but I’m so glad that they are all here because I’ve not had much free time to get on here and post…obviously.  I’ve been THAT busy… AND tired.

And conflicted.

Several times I’ve caught myself saying, “Oh I need to blog about this…” only to come back to the condo and pass out from being so tired.  My fear is becoming a reality in that all the blog fodder that we’ve encountered is slowly slipping from my memory, or becoming too outdated to be posted.

But that’s okay.  Because the “blog fodder” is nothing in comparison to the lessons that I’ve learned while I was here or the memories that I have created with my children.  Oh dear readers… I will NEVER be able to tell you about the memories that I have created with them, or be able to express the sheer JOY that this trip with them has created.  It’s overwhelming just to think about it.

Yes, I’ve gotten frustrated with them, but that’s when we’ll be out and about and God will sneak up and nudge me and tell me “this is what it’s all about….”  I can’t begin to tell you how often that it’s happened.   Almost daily.  And I think I have pictures of almost everywhere that He spoke to me… letting me know that while they are young and a little crazy, there will be a time when going with your mother, willingly, on a two week trip will not be as easy.

But I just act like they want to be with me, and honestly, I take my time with them for granted.

That is one of the lessons I believe God wanted me to learn while I am here, among others…. like, I’m INCREDIBLY blessed when it comes to my employment.  Because this whole, get up, get dressed in real clothes and heels, get to the office, work all day, come home, make dinner, clean, spend time with the kids?

Yeah… that’s for the birds…

However, it’s allowed me to stop working at 5 on the dot and spend time with the kids… no work.  And we’ve been to the pool, pick blackberries, attend company softball games, go to nearby cities and view the history in them.

I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to pop in again before I leave, so I’ll leave with just a few pictures of our time here and will post about all of the fun things that we did when I get home…

Of which, I have to tell you, will not be soon enough… as I’m homesick… more so than I’ve ever been before.

Again, God teaching me things…

And for once, I’m all ears and ready to learn…

Until next time…

Filed under According to Samara, Faith, Manly Man Matthew, Mom Stuff, Pics, Quality Time, blogging | Comments (5)

Well, I think it’s cool.

A few days ago, I was talking to Soliloquy and I shared my story about how I got stuck in Atlanta overnight last year while traveling and I got to see my kids… and how awesome God was.

Well, I was just sitting here and realized that I was in Atlanta the June 27th and 28th last year and guess what?

It’s June 28th and if all went according to plan, I’m in Atlanta right now…

again, with my kids.

But this time it’s planned.  And I won’t have to deal with the airport.  Just two kids, fresh home from summer camp and a 2.5 day trip to Mississippi.

But no security checks and I get to meet Soliloquy.

If you’re interested, you can read the stories that came about…

Travel Adventures

In the Midst of it All

Layovers, Cancellations and God

I hope you’re enjoying the guest posts… I am.  It makes me think I should just turn my blog over to others all the time…

Until next time…

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My children are leaving for summer camp on Sunday right after church.  In preparing (and not on the night before — PROPS for mom!) I’ve come to learn a few things…

• It cost almost as much at Wal-Mart tonight in gathering items for them as it did for the actual price that I am paying to send them to church camp.
• One of the biggest reasons is that I needed two of everything.  Typically, when we travel I throw the kids’ stuff in one bag.  They’ve always gone together and while they technically are going together, they won’t be together.  So we needed two cans of sunscreen, two tubes of toothpaste, two things of soap, etc.  Two of everything.  I felt like Noah the whole night.
• Another reason that it was a little on the pricey side is that we didn’t have much of what they needed.  Like sleeping bags.  Or extra bedding.  Because I’m a goober and when I cleaned out the linen closet, I got rid of all the old sheets.  So we needed sleeping bags, and they both needed a duffel bag to carry this crap in because I didn’t have two of them that were large enough… and one suitcase, as previously mentioned, wasn’t going to cut it.
• I should learn to keep items like flashlights in a central location.  They both needed one. I know we have two in this house.  But now we have two more, appropriately labeled.
• And then there was the issues of towels.  I didn’t want to send my good towels (good = towels that match and are 6 years old).  I was afraid they might not come home.  So I picked up cheapy towels for them.  In hindsight, I should’ve let them take the good towels, lose them, so that I would have an excuse to go and buy new towels.
• Then, let’s talk about beach towels.  Our beach towels all have characters on them.  Characters such as Big Bird, Batman, Rescue Heroes, etc.  Can I send my middle schooler with one of those towels?  Uh, no.  So we needed non character beach towels.
• My son could care less what he wears as long as he has clothes.  I told him he needed six outfits.  He pulled six shirts and six pairs of shorts from his drawers and threw them in the bag.  Added six pairs of underwear, six pairs of socks, his swim trunks, pool shoes, and he was ready to roll.  I’m not sure he’ll match, but he doesn’t seem to care.
• My daughter, on the other hand, treats everything like a fashion show.  Whereas it took Matthew six minutes to pack, it took Samara two hours.  We had to go through all her clothes.  Then we had to pick out which shirts we had to wear.  Then we had to find matching shorts.  We also had to pick out our best underwear and the proper “bras” because heaven forbid the mosquito bites she’s sprouting would go “unsupported” for the week.  Additionally, she is highly upset that I will not allow her to take more than one pair of flip flops (rubber ones at that) for the pool and her sneakers.  When I checked her bag she had SIX pairs of shoes and three purses.  I am now the “meanest mom in the world” because I won’t allow her to take them.
• We folded laundry tonight and packed while watching the new Disney movie Camp Rock with the Jonas Brothers.  Samara now thinks that she will be experiencing the same thing next week.  I assured her it would be nothing like that.  I think she was disappointed.
• If you purchase items of clothing for your daughter to wear specifically FOR summer camp, you should put them away until it’s time for summer camp and not let her “break them in” because they will be no where to be found the night you are packing and a meltdown will occur and it will be YOUR fault that they are missing.
• The same goes for the one piece bathing suit, her FAVORITE bathing suit, even though three weeks ago, I was the “meanest mom in the world” because I made her purchase a one piece bathing suit as opposed to a two piece.
• Dealing with two children who are excited about summer camp and trying to make sure you have everything is an awesome way to distract your mind from your upcoming date.  Although, I still don’t know what I’m going to wear.  I have 13 hours to figure it out.
• But my biggest lesson?  The 5 days of peace and quiet is well worth every.single.solitary. penny I paid.  I’ll miss ‘em, but I need some space!

Until next time…

Filed under According to Samara, Grins and Giggles, Heather's Quirks, Manly Man Matthew, Mom Stuff, Quality Time | Comments (5)