Showing posts with label kiddos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kiddos. Show all posts
All things seem possible in May.

Edwin Way Teale


Have you ever been to a New England May Day celebration? Upon moving here a few years ago, we became acquainted with said festivities and their accompanying maypole dance for the first time. Do other regions of the U.S. do this?


Our local community farm has a maypole that symbolizes the spring planting season and stays up all summer.

Last week, Kiddo's school had their annual May Day concert. They sang spring-themed songs. Afterward, we gathered outside and watched a little maypole celebration. It really is something special.

I wish I could give you the what's what on this tradition, but the historical origins seemed to be debated. Still, it's a lovely way to connect with nature, embrace the changing season, and see the kiddos perform.


Afterward, the families gathered for some sweet treats.


Including this darling maypole cake complete with edible flowers. Our resident supermom, Angy, whipped this up. You know that one special mom who seems to balance anything and everything beautifully? That's her. And she has two more kiddos than I do. Amazing.

The world’s favorite season is the spring.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Kiddo was in fine form Thursday morning. We finally left the house after hibernating for two days only to find that Mr. Grouchy didn't want to put clothes on and face civilization. But a warm drink and some lively company transformed his mood. I hope he doesn't grow up to be a shut-in surrounded by stacks of old newspapers. While we talked him into clothing, he has not yet made nice with his comb. Don't sweat the bedhead, I say.


After breakfast we went to exchange a couple of Mario's gifts, but found that the store was closed. Instead, we took a scenic route through town and viewed southern New Hampshire through snow-covered glasses.


Then we came home, watched the newest Sherlock Holmes movie (one of Mario's stocking stuffers), and ate his new [let's use up the rest of the root veggies from our farmshare] invention: Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup. It. Is. Amazing. After some initial griping about having to try something new, Mr. Picky ate two bowls. If that's not a testament to its greatness, I don't know what is.


I also took the mellow evening as an opportunity to catch up on blog posts. There are so many things I have been meaning to write about, and I actually have the time to write about them, but it seems that my attempt to escape the 'real world' has lead to lapses between posts lately.  I put pen to paper, so to speak, and have loads of shenanigans to show for it. Except that I wanted to post them all at once, which would defeat the purpose.


 A little adventure and little lounging. The best of both worlds.

These Lazy Days

Saturday, December 29, 2012

My cup runneth over yesterday. With all the hubbub building up to it, I was afraid that I hadn't quite reached the peak of Christmas spirit. But it was an amazing day full of bonding, love, and amazing, heartfelt gifts. It was just me, the boys, and our little holiday bubble.

I was so surprised to unwrap a new camera! I always admire blogs with beautiful photographs and have wanted to improve my own for some time now. With this bad boy and some lessons, I think I can achieve my photography goals. It was such a sweet and unexpected gift from a thoughtful gentleman I am lucky to call my own. The fact that I took a picture of the box containing my fancy new camera with my iPhone is not lost on me.


It was a beautiful day filled with food, love, and lounging. It may go down in history as one of the best. 

 

It is so easy to get caught up in the craziness surrounding the holiday season in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, but this moment is what I live for:


I hope you all had an amazing day!

Food, fun, felines, festivities and photography

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Sometimes we require them.

Pat Conroy
An orange in the toe of our stockings. A Christmas Eve movie followed by appetizers for dinner. Opening one present on Christmas Eve.

Despite a rather hodge-podge upbringing, my siblings and I enjoyed some tried and true Christmas traditions. And although Santa often forgets to put citrus in Jared's stocking or we don't make it to the theater, there are a couple of traditions I've held on to and a few I've made for myself.

Although it was a Christmas Eve Eve Eve movie, the boys and I saw The Hobbit at a local community theater. It's tiny and cute. The theater, I mean. And the Hobbits. Three sodas, 1 large popcorn and 2 boxes of candy cost $11.50. And they play old Looney Tunes cartoons before the show, which makes arriving early to ensure a seat a pleasure for a restless kiddo. Now on to those traditions.

1. Appetizers for Christmas Eve dinner: While we were at a movie with our dad, my mom would whip up a finger-food feast. Homemade lumpia, pigs-in-a-blanket, crudites, tater tots...the list goes on. I have no idea how this tradition started, but it seamlessly continued once I had my son; and I received zero resistance from my husband on this one. My sister got her hands on my old favorite recipe for Seafood Rounds, which I will be trying out tonight. I hope it lives up to the memories. Jared is making pigs in a blanket, and Mario chose bacon-wrapped Little Smokies in brown sugar. Deeelish.


2. Opening a gift on Christmas Eve: Just a small one, of course. Mario and I pass, but we love seeing the excitement build after Kiddo opens one and gets a taste of what's to come. It was one of my favorite traditions as a kid.

3. Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning: Another childhood tradition that has carried on. I'm crazy about Pillsbury's sweet orange rolls, and Jared picked out some chocolate rolls from Immaculate to try. The grocery store was out of traditional cinnamon rolls, so I'm guessing this tradition is not unique to us.



4. Watching A Christmas Story all day on Christmas: Despite owning it, we watch the continuous replay on TBS. It may be the single best Christmas movie ever made. A bold statement, I know, but we could watch it over and over again. We also own and watch the classic Christmas movies with the fun claymation/puppets and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Another contender for best movie is It's a Wonderful Life. It gets me every time.


5. Advent Calendars: I never did these as a kid, but Jared has had one every year since he was old enough. His favorite is the Lego Advent calendars, and he is very specific about opening, building and replacing the figurine back into it's slot. It is hands-down one of his favorite Christmas traditions.


6. Decorating sugar cookies: This is a fairly new tradition, because we are not big fans of sugar cookies in general. The thin, too-crunchy cookies from our youth or the soft, crumbly ones from the store with loads of frosting and sprinkles. A few years ago I discovered the classic Betty Crocker sugar cookie recipe that uses powdered sugar instead of traditional granulated sugar. It's a one-bowl deal and they turn out amazing. Soft but not too soft and amazing flavor. I think the secret is in the almond extract. I make a simple royal icing (1 cup of powdered sugar, a touch of vanilla and almond extracts, and approx. 2 tbsp of liquid...I most commonly use almond or coconut milk so Kiddo can enjoy them). I love to see what he comes up with!

 
Despite never having seen Nacho Libre, Jared's cookie bears a striking resemblance to Jack Black.


Merry Christmas Eve!

The human soul can always use a new tradition.

Monday, December 24, 2012

The world hasn't ended, so it's safe to spend time posting about the minutia in my life. I guess it's time to start paying my bills again.

Since I've been a lazy little blogger, I'm catching you up to speed in nine pictures...thanks to the wonder that is Instagram. Little else can make my nonsense look so, well, vintage.


1. No more of this for 5 weeks. Five. Whole. Weeks. Except for that pesky independent study paper I agreed to write. I'm currently attempting to ignore it. 2. Mr. Vista woke up from a rather long nap with bedhead and a "What just happened to me?" expression. Welcome to my world, Little Man. 3. Cheers to a professor that celebrates the last day of class with bubbly. I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so I had a respectable buzz going on. At 10a. Don't judge. 4. I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants like Olive Garden, but I wouldn't kick their new Moscato Peach Chicken out of bed for eating crackers. 5. I won a giveaway! I never win anything. One time my email address accidentally got sent out as the  winner of a giveaway I was participating in and people thought I'd won for a hot minute. That's was as close as it got until now. Look at my cute little cozy from Luisa! It was tough to pick just one. She was so sweet...you can check out her lovely creations here. Love. It. Is this a sign I should start buying lotto tickets?


1. A certain young man left his mark on my frosty car. It was quite darling, actually. Until the ice melts and I have a sticky jam-hand mark on my windshield. 2. Tomfoolery at the dollar store. By the way, how am I just discovering dollar stores? There's some good stuff there! 3. After Jared got out of the car I looked down and saw this. Only my kid. Peace. 4. Our dog apparently hasn't heard of the naughty list. He's on it. For. Sure.


Beadhead, Bubbly, and Changing Luck

Friday, December 21, 2012

Cookie Monster

It has been a Christmas cookie bonanza 'round these parts. Kiddo's class had a bake sale after their holiday program last night to raise money for their annual trip to Washington D.C. When it comes to baking, my OCD rears its ugly head. Oh, and a few hours before the bake sale probably isn't the time to try "stained glass" cookies. They looked like a prop from an episode of Dexter.

Still, I made some tried and true tasties. I used the Soft and Chewy Chocolate Drops recipe from the back of the Baker's chocolate box and modified it to make it more festive (and dairy-free for Kiddo). These always go over like gangbusters. And don't require that I haul the KitchenAid mixer down from the top of the fridge. There's always that moment of "is today the day I suffer a head injury?" when performing that precarious task.

I also reconfirmed my desire to have a kitchen with an island. A girl can't churn out cookies when they are cooling on every surface in her house. I'm also hoping people will see the occasional dog hair as "charming". Appetizing, no?


 Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Drops

  • 4 squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate
  • 3/4 cup butter (I use Earth Balance or Fleischmann's unsalted margarine)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp shortening
  • 6 squares Baker's semisweet chocolate
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
  • hard peppermint candies, crushed

MICROWAVE unsweetened chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
HEAT oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (I use my mini ice cream scooper thingy to portion them out and then roll them in my palm); place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 8 min. or just until set. Cool on baking sheet 1 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

NOTE: They will look rather raw...don't freak! Once cooled completely, they are chewy nuggets of awesomeness. Also, don't wait longer than a minute or so to transfer them to a cooling rack, otherwise they start to stick to the pan.



GLAZE: Melt the 6 squares semisweet chocolate and 2 tbsp of shortening in a saucepan over low heat; stirring constantly. When completely melted, remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract (optional). Once cookies are completely cooled, dip the top half into the chocolate mix. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed peppermint candies.

NOTE: I like a little peppermint extract in the glaze sometimes, but they are delicious without it so don't run out and buy a flavoring you won't use again. We were out, so I didn't use it this time. Mario suggested Peppermint Schnapps, but Mommy doesn't like to share her liquor.


Easy peasy. Enjoy!

C is for cookie, that's good enough for me.

Thursday, December 20, 2012


I'm alive. And mostly unscathed. Yesterday sucked, but today is a new day and this week will be behind me soon enough. Now it's time to enjoy my family, friends, and the free time that will allow me to do the things that fall by the wayside during the semester. 

It has been an arduous semester, and too many days were stress-filled and overwhelming. But I am so grateful to be where I'm at. It has all been worth it, because now a single semester is all that stands between me and a college degree. I have a lot to be grateful for:

  • Gone Girl has been tempting me since my husband got it for me as a birthday gift back in October. I'm picking it up today.
  • Husband comes home tomorrow and will be home for several weeks. Mine. All mine.
  • All the cute little doodads necessary to make the globe ornaments I love have arrived and are awaiting my imagination. 
  • Gifts are overflowing out of my closet, so I am going to catch up on my DVR and wrap away. 
  • I got to wake up and have a relaxed school morning with Kiddo for the first time in months. It was awesome.
  • I can breathe out of my nose for the first time in a week! Yahoo!
  • I saw my house for the mess it is this morning, and I actually look forward to tidying up! Well, not the actual cleaning part, but de-cluttered surroundings are a beautiful thing.
  • I have never shopped at Loft before. Is that weird? While looking for a gift for my mother-in-law, I decided to peruse their website. As luck would have it, they are having a flash sale today: an additional 60% off sale prices. Yes, please! I scored these cuties for less than I would have paid for comparable pieces at Target.  

Loft Feather Print Bow Neck Blouse
Loft Bow Print Tie Neck Blouse
Loft Kitten Print Cardigan

My wardrobe has been feeling a little tired this fall/winter, so I'm thinking cute yet sophisticated prints are in order. 

Also, the days of wearing jeans and t-shirts during the week will be over soon. I have a year between graduation and grad school, so I hope to be working as close to full time as possible. More hands-on experience means a better chance of admittance into the program(s) of my choice. This means interview and work clothes. I'm not going crazy and buying a whole new wardrobe, but it is definitely in the back of my mind when look at clothes these days.


I ran across this craft on Pinterest the other day. Last year I made string snowball ornaments, so I have the technique mastered and the supplies on hand to pull this off. It would be so fun to do with Kiddo! I will use the white string I have left over, and find a way to color it so we are left with a rainbow of pastel trees. Retro and cute like the bottle brush trees I'm infatuated with right now.

Happy Thursday!

Free as a Bird...

Thursday, December 13, 2012

How about a little Instagram goodness? I got a lot of unimportant things done today, zero homework, and still managed not to write a post until now. I'm such a slacker.

Today was rather chill. Literally. When out to lunch with my husband, he gestured wildly and knocked a huge plastic diner cup full of Coke down my shirt. His aim couldn't have been better. I sat there cold and drenched while we finished our lunch. At least it was diet...calories and all. Who knew bras were so absorbent? 


The holidays exploded all over this household. Tree? Decorated. Television? Even more entertaining. Kiddo's room? Lit up. Even the spaceship kite above his bed got in on the action. To top it off? A lovely dusting of snow. Our dog posed for this picture like the consummate professional he is. 

I also learned a couple things over the last week: we are going to need a bigger tree to accommodate the exorbitant amount of ornaments we own. Which means we need a new house to accommodate said tree. I probably should have held back on buying First Time on the Potty, First Time Spelling My Name, I Can Put on My Own Socks, and I Pet the Kitty ornaments. And that is just my husband. Ba dum tish. Also, we are acquiring quite the collection of I Love You Post-its around our TV. It's because we are lazy they are too sweet to throw away.

Kiddo soakin' it up in the hot tub. He's the little white thing among all the white. There were some serious shenanigans taking place in the checkout line at Michael's. I think that owl is giving me the stink-eye. Do they have some sort of rule that says no more than 2 employees can ring people out at a time? And they must be new hires who barely passed register training? I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried a Salted Caramel Latte from Starbucks while I studied. It was good, yo! I perked right up.We have so many pictures of Kiddo and Mister Vista reading together. Therefore, our lunacy has manifested itself as a rather odd new tradition of faking taking pictures of him enjoying a good read. I see a coffee table book in our future...

Holiday Decor, Sticky Cleavage, and a Cat that Reads

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

...not what to think.

Margaret Mead

Because my child loves nothing more than to experiment with my patience, this happened:


Does peanut butter actually remove wads of gum from hair? Yes. It takes some elbow grease, but it definitely works. 

Did I garner the slightest bit of satisfaction from having to aggressively comb it out? Probably.

Do you think this experience will prevent him from doing it again? Nah.

And now a poem from my childhood. I wish I'd know then how wise indeed Shel Silverstein really is.


“I cannot go to school today"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry.
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox.

And there's one more - that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue,
It might be the instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke.
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in.

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My toes are cold, my toes are numb,

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There's a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is ...
What? What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is .............. Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!” 

Shel Silverstein

Children must be taught how to think...

Saturday, November 17, 2012


What a week! But I made it, and now I'm one week closer to bidding this semester farewell. A winter break is much needed. The three day weekend was lovely, but a mandatory Saturday field trip for one of my classes cut into it a bit. Let's just say their was a vintage school bus involved. You'll see. Husband is in France...so Kiddo and I are holding down the fort. 


No sleeping in this past Saturday. Instead, I was meeting my class at 8a to take this beauty down to Boston to visit the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. It's actually a really cool place (they have some of Darwin's original specimens!), but we had a 14-page assignment to complete...so I didn't get to enjoy it the way I normally would. We are definitely going back one of these days!

1. The color exhibit was extraordinary! 2. Some of the exhibits were a bit, um, vintage. This monkey looked like he went through the wash a few too many times. Kiddo and I got a laugh out of the weird taxidermy smile and bald tail. 3. Bessie got us there and back in one piece...and my motion sickness didn't get the best of me. 4. Remember these weird seat patches? There were patches on top on patches in this bad boy.


5. Kiddo will put anything on a toaster waffle. Yesterday he created this tasty treat. Yum... 6. It's official. My cat can read. 7. It's totally normal to have a random chicken chase your car through a parking lot...right? 8. Sometimes ramen noodles hit the spot. This was the only thing that satisfied my grouchy stomach on Sunday. 

Happy Tuesday!

Insta Tuesday: Me, Myself and Zoology

Tuesday, November 13, 2012


I love our pets. But they also make me crazy. I have a needy, whiny kiddo...and some days I feel like I have three. Or 4 if my husband is home. Our first kitty came into our lives when my son was five. Two years ago he disappeared, never to be seen again. Not knowing what happened to him was the hardest part.

A year went by, and I felt like it was time to invite another feline friend into our home. It think my son was missing that calming relationship. Our dog is lovely and loyal, but he's also an active 70 lb border collie...hardly a lap dog.

After a few days of contemplation, we headed down to our local Humane Society. We went through every cat room and pet dozens of kitties, but nothing was clicking and they were closing in ten minutes. We walked into the last room, and a khaki-colored cutie walked by. I scooped him up and it was love at first sight. He was ours. Just then, a lady walked in and exclaimed "Oh, he's the one I want!". Well, crap.

Needless to say, we were waiting outside the door when they opened the next morning. From that day on, Vista was ours (he came with the name). It was a rough beginning (he had a tapeworm...yuck!); but he is the softest, most amazing little soul. I've never been so infatuated with an animal.

At the time we adopted him, the song "Hey Soul Sister" was all over the radio, and one day my son began singing: 

"Hey soul Vista, ain't that Mister Vister on the radio, the stereo; the way you meow ain't fair you know..."

Now he's known as Mister, Mister Mister, Vister Mister, Mister Vister, Boyfriend, Bister...and he answers to all of them. You did see the crazy part in the title, right?

Since that day, he's become a bonafide member of this family. He's quirky just like the rest of us, and we are endlessly entertained by his antics. We ended up getting him a lion cut this spring, hence his nudity in some of the photos. I did so grudgingly, but we'd never owned a long-haired cat before and for every knot we managed to brush out, two replaced it. He looked pretty funny, but also seemed to like it.



You know when you get that feeling certain people were just meant to be in your life? That's how I feel about this furry little man. Our chance meeting was no accident. This bundle of velvet makes our lives richer. Even my curmudgeon husband, who rarely admits to animal affection, loves Mister. Here's to you, Vista.

P.S. I promise this will be the first and last post dedicated to my cat. Unless he does something really cute. Or funny. Or we dress him up as Santa again. Or the mood strikes.

Crazy Cat Lady

Saturday, November 3, 2012

...as the final haul on Halloween night.

Steve Almond

Okay, so I'm a day late. And probably a dollar short. But, hey, I was living the dream (or playing student so I can get there), and taking Kiddo trick or treating.


Marty Mcfly, Husband, Dog and I enjoyed some family time...walking, trick or treating, and catching up.


Between parent-teacher conferences, coursework, and the ruckus Sandy raised, this week has been a little off-kilter. But I expect to have my blogging groove back by tomorrow. Just wait until I wow you with my latest ramblings!

Nothing on Earth so beautiful...

Thursday, November 1, 2012

I love Halloween. And the fact that Kiddo is a costume aficionado makes it even more fun. He's twelve this year, but I'm hoping that I will get to continue creating fun and unique costumes with him in the years to come.

There have been some superheroes over the years, of course, but for the most part he chooses to portray classic characters and is very un-kidlike in his decision making process. This kid was meant to be mine.

Instead of forking over big bucks for something he will only wear once, we get creative and stake out thrift stores months in advance. Because at one point he had a 4 year plan for Halloween costumes. And stuck with it. This one's for you, Kid.


Upon searching through dozens of discs containing our old photos, I realized that Jack Sparrow and Napoleon Dynamite are missing. Those were two of his best years! Jack was identical in every way, and his Napoleon costume was all out: the glasses, wig, and I Love Tater Tots shirt.

In the spirit of all things Halloween, I've decided to host my first giveaway! Kiddo's costume is a little trickier this year, so I thought it would be fun to play a little guessing game.

Here goes:
  1. Below are 3 photos featuring elements of his costume. 
  2. Put your guess in the comments section.
  3. I will put the names of those who correctly guess in a hat Tuesday evening and have Little Man pick the winner.
  4. I will announce the winner in my Halloween post and put a call-out for your email (if you're a no-reply blogger).
  5. A $10 Amazon e-card will be delivered to your inbox!

 
  
Good Luck!

A Walk Down Halloween Lane + My First Giveaway

Monday, October 29, 2012

"Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."
 
- Phil Connors, Groundhog Day


Do you ever feel like you're the living embodiment of the movie Groundhog Day? I do. I wake up, shower, get Kiddo ready for school (which can look a lot like pounding my head against a wall..."You're STILL not dressed?!"), go to class, pick Kiddo up, go home, do homework, make dinner, put Kiddo to bed, hit the sack. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The many faces of me:  wife . . .
I love being a wife and mom. Most of the time. I also enjoy being a student. It offers me some much-needed neural stimulation while allowing me to work toward my dream career. But it is almost as exhausting as being a parent. I said almost. Add to that the fact that my husband traveled about 200 days a year for the last eight years. Fortunately, he scored a new position that allows him to be home waaay more. Turns out I like having him around. Go figure.

. . . mom . . .
I think most moms feel this way every now and then. Taking care of kids can be mind-numbing work. It's exhausting and no one knows how to push your buttons better than your kid. I wish more moms opened up about that aspect of parenting. I always, ALWAYS love my child...but I don't always like him. I'd throw myself in front of a bus for that stinker at any given moment, but don't always enjoy his company. There, I said it.

. . . and me.
So how do I go about excelling as a  mom, wife and student without losing my soul? You know, that Weeds-watching, martini-drinking, tattoo-sporting, driving-a-Jeep-up-the-Pacific-Coast-Highway-with-the-top-off kinda gal that gets suppressed day after day. The woman with wants, desires and needs outside those of her family. The person who sometimes craves independence and the freedom to do what she wants when she wants it. Yoga class at 7p on a Tuesday? No problem. Two hour drive to an outlet mall because I feel uninspired by my wardrobe? On my way. Throw caution to the wind and drive to Seattle? Packing my bag as we speak. But that's not reality. The fact is, I love falling asleep next to my best friend every night. And nothing smells as sweet as Kiddo's hairline or feels as good as one of his hugs. They may know my buttons better than anyone else, but they also know better than anyone how to make me laugh. Water out the nose hard. They also make me feel smart, beautiful, and loved.

So how do I strike a balance between who I am fundamentally, the world around me, and the life I've made for myself? I can start by taking the opportunities presented to me. My husband often gets free hotel nights because of his frequent travel and offers them up to me on a regular basis. I always come up with 101 reasons not to take them. "I really need to catch up on laundry. I'd have to pack up all my stuff which is a pain. I should really [fill in the blank]." If I stand back for a minute, even I realize how ridiculous I'm being. I have a husband who wants to take over the parenting/household duties and wants me to have a break. In a nice hotel with room service and fresh sheets that I don't have to wash. Why can't I do that for myself?

Because I can't stop micromanaging everything. As much as I want a break from the minutia, I can't seem to get my hand out of the pot. What if they eat crap for dinner? Uh, so what. What if Kiddo doesn't go to bed on time that night? Not my problem. Husband will deal with Grouchy Pants in the morning. And last time I checked, he is perfectly capable of loading the dishwasher and washer and dryer, and running a vacuum. Sure, it's not the way I would do it, but in the end, who cares?

So I've decided to take the offer. And resolve to take more of them. I almost procrastinated my way out of two free nights at a Marriott because they expire at the end of this month. I'm glad I came to my senses in the nick of time. Next time we talk, it will be from a plush bed with crisp white sheets. Which I will be eating sushi on.

Update: After writing this, I stumbled upon this great post about "motherhood vacations" over at A Cup of Jo. She posted it back in March, but it popped up as if she knew I needed to read it. Today of all days. How serendipitous.

The Human Hampster Wheel

Friday, September 28, 2012

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