I've never been one for a big New Year's celebration. Oh, I tried when I was younger. In elementary school I would spend the night at Rennie's house and we would make our own confetti and stay up until midnight and have a big celebration. I honestly don't remember what I did in junior high and high school, but in college I would reunite with my high school friends and find a party and try to make the best of it. As I entered the "real world" I found that New Year's just didn't really excite me. I was more worried about somebody slamming into me on my way home than about where the best party was going to be. Luckily I found somebody who feels the same way.
I'm not one of those people who gets wrapped up in the day. I'm more about the event itself. I don't care if Charlie is out of town on Valentine's Day, because that doesn't make or break our relationship. We're in it for the long haul, whether there is a Valentine's Day or not. The same goes for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, all the holidays. Don't get me wrong, you can't forget them completely, but I'm not a stickler about celebrating them on the exact day. Weekend before, weekend after, works for me.
This year is a perfect example. Charlie was invited to the Rose Bowl by one the companies he does business with. I was supposed to be his guest, but we weren't really sure what to do with the kids. We didn't think it was fair to ask someone to come for New Year's weekend to watch them while we went off to have a fabulous time. We would never do that. So, I stayed home with the girls and Charlie took Andy. I would have loved to go with Charlie, not because it's New Year's but because it's football and it would be wonderful to have a weekend alone with my husband without anyone little people interrupting. If Michigan State had gone I would have found a way to be there, but since Wisconsin just barely beat them out this year it just was not meant to be.
So as Charlie is getting settled in California with Andy, I am here with the girls. Since Sarah was a little bummed she got left behind, we went to the grocery store to buy macaroni and cheese, pie and ice cream (three of my, um I mean Sarah's, favorite foods!). Her tummy was bothering her so we put pie and ice cream on the back burner until tomorrow, and after putting the girls to bed I got a quiet evening at home. By myself. I watched the ball drop in New York and was so glad I wasn't there. You could not pay me to go there for New Year's Eve.
Another thing I don't do is make resolutions. I used to, but realized it's kind of dumb to wait until the beginning of the year to make a change. If you recognize that you need to change something, just do it, don't wait until January 1. However, as I sit here, bringing in the New Year all alone, I realize that I am doing exactly what my resolution should be. Getting more alone time. More time to myself to think, destress, take a step away from the chaos and frustration and craziness that hums through this house. More time to do the things I want to do, so I can be a happier mom and wife and overall person.
So, yes, it's okay that I'm not at the Rose Bowl. I'm disappointed that I'm not with Charlie, not because it's New Year's but because I don't get to spend enough time with my wonderful husband and I really like him. However, I'm spending quality time with my girls, I'm getting a few moments to myself, and I'm getting pie. Cherry pie. What more could a girl ask for to start out the new year?
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Back on Track
We got home from holiday traveling on Tuesday. I asked Andy if he wanted me to set up some play dates this week and he answered with a loud "NO". He wanted to play his new video games by himself, he didn't want to share them, and he didn't want to do anything else. I kind of don't blame the kid. He had to wait three days after opening them to play them and all he wanted to do was play. If he invites a friend over to play with him, he has to, well, be nice and share and be respectful and use manners. Who wants to do that?
It probably was for the best. I had all these grandiose ideas about what we were going to do with our time off over the holidays. I always do. We're going to have play dates with wonderful friends that we never otherwise get to see (yes, I'm talking about you Mel!), organize the house in a way that would put a professional organizer to shame, do all those little projects that have stacked up over the last few months, sort through the toys that need to be thrown/given away, put away all the holiday decorations, and play in the yard, go out to eat, go to the movies and do a whole bunch of other fun stuff.
As it is now, the kids go back to school in four days and we haven't done much of anything. The living room is a mess, less of a mess since Charlie picked up a lot of it today, the decorations are still up, there are still piles of stuff that have been in the same place for months and need to be put away (the cleaning ladies must wonder why that stuff sits around week after week), and we haven't decided on any toys to get rid of. We haven't seen anyone, but we did manage to eat out a couple of times (only because I was way too lazy to cook) and go to the movies (the popcorn counted as one of our times eating out).
Anyway, here are some holiday observations I made in the past week:
1. The kids never listen to me - This is kind of a given, kids never listen. However, what I'm referring to is that fact that on Christmas Day, after making cookies, sledding, watching the third Harry Potter movie (which he has wanted to watch "forever") and opening a present, Andy still declared this Christmas as "the worst Christmas ever". This isn't because he didn't have any fun doing those things, although he did get in trouble while sledding and have to stop early, but because even though I told him about 100 times that his cousins were not coming until Sunday and that's when we were going to open presents and celebrate Christmas, he was disappointed that his cousins weren't around to play with on Christmas Day. Maybe next year we'll be the last to arrive and first to leave. That won't make my mom very happy but it will show him.
2. The less we travel, the longer it takes to recover - When we used to travel all the time it was a piece of cake. We didn't have to make a packing list because we knew exactly what we needed to take and never forgot anything. We could pack for a week long trip within an hour and fit everything into the tiniest of suit cases. When we got home everything was washed and put away within a day. Now, we hardly ever travel, because the thought of security and entertaining everyone all flight long is so daunting, and we are the most inefficient packers around. We bring too much, we forget things, and it takes me days to get our suit cases cleaned out and put away. The entryway is still littered with back packs and books and other things that we are too tired and lazy to put in their proper place.
3. There is no down side to buying your own presents - This year I told Charlie I would buy my own presents. He was worried that deep down I'd be upset that he didn't shop for me or that my presents weren't a surprise (usually I'm all about the surprise) and that I'd hold it over him and bring it up in future arguments about how he does nothing around here (a) I wouldn't do that and b) he does a ton around here). It was fabulous. I got exactly what I wanted. How can you be disappointment with that?
4. Christmas is definitely not as much fun as it used to be - When I was I a kid all I had to do was open lots and lots of presents. Now, I have to buy and wrap lots and lots of presents, figure out gifts for the teachers/coaches/therapists/whoever, order/write/send the holiday cards, do a whole bunch of other crap I'm subconsciously blocking from my mind, and do it all when I'm not with the kids, which is almost never. I used to love Christmas, it was my absolute favorite time of year. Now, not so much. However, I do love seeing my family, watching Charlie and the kids open their presents and receiving holiday cards from all of our friends far and wide, so even though it's not quite as much fun as it used to be, it's all good.
Even though we didn't get to see our friends, organize our house or tackle any projects, the most important thing is that we spent some fun time with the kids and made some memories. I have my memories of Christmas past and theirs will be very different, but not in a bad way. On Monday 16 of us went sledding. It was a blast. My brother, the biggest kid of all, organized a sled train with all the kids and they kept going down the hill with 4-5 sleds grouped together. My kids will never forget that. That's what this time of year is all about.
It probably was for the best. I had all these grandiose ideas about what we were going to do with our time off over the holidays. I always do. We're going to have play dates with wonderful friends that we never otherwise get to see (yes, I'm talking about you Mel!), organize the house in a way that would put a professional organizer to shame, do all those little projects that have stacked up over the last few months, sort through the toys that need to be thrown/given away, put away all the holiday decorations, and play in the yard, go out to eat, go to the movies and do a whole bunch of other fun stuff.
As it is now, the kids go back to school in four days and we haven't done much of anything. The living room is a mess, less of a mess since Charlie picked up a lot of it today, the decorations are still up, there are still piles of stuff that have been in the same place for months and need to be put away (the cleaning ladies must wonder why that stuff sits around week after week), and we haven't decided on any toys to get rid of. We haven't seen anyone, but we did manage to eat out a couple of times (only because I was way too lazy to cook) and go to the movies (the popcorn counted as one of our times eating out).
Anyway, here are some holiday observations I made in the past week:
1. The kids never listen to me - This is kind of a given, kids never listen. However, what I'm referring to is that fact that on Christmas Day, after making cookies, sledding, watching the third Harry Potter movie (which he has wanted to watch "forever") and opening a present, Andy still declared this Christmas as "the worst Christmas ever". This isn't because he didn't have any fun doing those things, although he did get in trouble while sledding and have to stop early, but because even though I told him about 100 times that his cousins were not coming until Sunday and that's when we were going to open presents and celebrate Christmas, he was disappointed that his cousins weren't around to play with on Christmas Day. Maybe next year we'll be the last to arrive and first to leave. That won't make my mom very happy but it will show him.
2. The less we travel, the longer it takes to recover - When we used to travel all the time it was a piece of cake. We didn't have to make a packing list because we knew exactly what we needed to take and never forgot anything. We could pack for a week long trip within an hour and fit everything into the tiniest of suit cases. When we got home everything was washed and put away within a day. Now, we hardly ever travel, because the thought of security and entertaining everyone all flight long is so daunting, and we are the most inefficient packers around. We bring too much, we forget things, and it takes me days to get our suit cases cleaned out and put away. The entryway is still littered with back packs and books and other things that we are too tired and lazy to put in their proper place.
3. There is no down side to buying your own presents - This year I told Charlie I would buy my own presents. He was worried that deep down I'd be upset that he didn't shop for me or that my presents weren't a surprise (usually I'm all about the surprise) and that I'd hold it over him and bring it up in future arguments about how he does nothing around here (a) I wouldn't do that and b) he does a ton around here). It was fabulous. I got exactly what I wanted. How can you be disappointment with that?
4. Christmas is definitely not as much fun as it used to be - When I was I a kid all I had to do was open lots and lots of presents. Now, I have to buy and wrap lots and lots of presents, figure out gifts for the teachers/coaches/therapists/whoever, order/write/send the holiday cards, do a whole bunch of other crap I'm subconsciously blocking from my mind, and do it all when I'm not with the kids, which is almost never. I used to love Christmas, it was my absolute favorite time of year. Now, not so much. However, I do love seeing my family, watching Charlie and the kids open their presents and receiving holiday cards from all of our friends far and wide, so even though it's not quite as much fun as it used to be, it's all good.
Even though we didn't get to see our friends, organize our house or tackle any projects, the most important thing is that we spent some fun time with the kids and made some memories. I have my memories of Christmas past and theirs will be very different, but not in a bad way. On Monday 16 of us went sledding. It was a blast. My brother, the biggest kid of all, organized a sled train with all the kids and they kept going down the hill with 4-5 sleds grouped together. My kids will never forget that. That's what this time of year is all about.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Elf on the Shelf
Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? I only heard about it a couple of years ago. It's a combo pack you buy with an elf that is made out of felt (it's face is plastic) and a book explaining the elf and his purpose. It's supposed to be a fun way to get ready for Christmas and also keep your kids from acting up.
Basically, the Elf comes on December 1 so he can start checking up on the kids and make sure they are behaving themselves. The kids get to give him a name and can talk to him, but they can't touch him and he can't talk back. It's kind of like the toys from Toy Story, when the kids aren't around he can move and dance but when they are nearby he has to be very still and just watch them. Each night he goes back to the North Pole to report to Santa about the kids' behavior and when he comes back the next day he sits somewhere else. So one day he'll be in the play room, the next day the kitchen, the next day the living room. Always up high where the kids can't reach but can see him. Then, he leaves on Christmas Eve and doesn't come back until the next year. A couple of my friends had told me about it and said how much their kids loved it so I thought it would be fun and bought one last year.
It was a nightmare. There was so much drama with the Elf. Andy was paranoid because he always thought the Elf was constantly watching him. He was on edge the entire month. Sarah took her cue from Andy, so she was also unnerved by the Elf and was constantly making comments about how scary he was. Every time he would move, which is supposed to be part of the fun, finding the Elf, Andy would freak out. Every day he said he hoped the Elf had left and hadn't come back. By the end of the month we were so glad that the Elf would be leaving on Christmas Eve and we wondered whether it would be worth it to bring him back this year. Of course I'm a glutton for punishment so we tried it again this year.
To my amazement, it has gone pretty well. The kids were a little disappointed to see the Elf back again this year, but now they're doing well with it. They both have friends at school that also have elves at their house, so it's not like Santa is only checking up on them. Plus, Andy's friend, Meadow, said she tells the Elf where to go each day and he usually does. So now most days the kids will say, "Elf, I want you to be on the tree tomorrow, or I want you to be on the bookshelf tomorrow." They like having a little control and seeing if the Elf actually listened to them. One day I didn't hear where Andy told the Elf to go so I just moved him and decided I would tell the kids I told him to go there. The next day Andy saw the Elf and said, "That's exactly where I told him to go". Amazing. Maybe there is some Santa magic with this elf!
Andy is pushing the envelope a little bit. He asked the Elf to come back in green clothes instead of red, to get rid of his hat and uncross his arms. Things that just aren't going to happen. We aren't sure if he is testing the theory that maybe the Elf isn't real or if he's just trying to mix it up. All it has done is led to numerous conversations about whether or not they have a dress code at the North Pole and if the color they wear has anything to do with the elf ranking. Is he in the best job there is or if he succeeds at this job will he get promoted to a better one? Also, at the beginning of the month Charlie and I weren't very good about moving him every night so we had to answer questions and develop hypotheses about why he hadn't moved. It is amazing the things the kids come up with.
Tomorrow will be our last day with the Elf. I'm sure the kids are a little relieved that he won't be checking in and spying on them, but I think they'll miss him too. They had fun telling him where to go and trying to find him each morning, and we have enjoyed all the conversations that ensued and listening to the kids' creative thought processes. Plus, there's nothing better than seeing the joy of Christmas through your children's eyes. I don't know how long the Elf will last in our house, how many years he will be invited to come back, but I hope he can bring his Christmas magic for years to come.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
Just before Thanksgiving, Andy lost his top two front teeth. Not at the same time, but about a week apart. The first one was unexpected. It wasn't as loose as the other, and came out during lunch at school. He bit into something, and out it came onto his plate. One of his classmates had to tell him it fell out. After he lost it, he looked like this:
The second tooth finally came out when Charlie accidentally knocked it out while they were wrestling. Well, what really happened was Charlie was wrestling with Sarah and Andy was trying to mess with him, probably tickling, and so Charlie tried to swat Andy away. Instead he actually hit him in the mouth just hard enough to knock out the tooth. Andy wasn't hurt and we were all happy that tooth was out. Believe it or not he had a dentist appointment a few days later and the dentist said it happens that way all the time. Now he looks like this:
Yep, a class A hillbilly. Apparently, the left front tooth was coming in and pushing this one out of the way. It kept moving farther and farther over the the right, and I think that's what knocked out the right front tooth. So, he walked around like this for at least a week. We tried to pull the remaining tooth but it just wasn't loose enough. It kind of put a damper on our attempt to take a photo for our holiday cards, because Charlie really didn't want to send them out with him looking like that.
The second tooth finally came out when Charlie accidentally knocked it out while they were wrestling. Well, what really happened was Charlie was wrestling with Sarah and Andy was trying to mess with him, probably tickling, and so Charlie tried to swat Andy away. Instead he actually hit him in the mouth just hard enough to knock out the tooth. Andy wasn't hurt and we were all happy that tooth was out. Believe it or not he had a dentist appointment a few days later and the dentist said it happens that way all the time. Now he looks like this:
Much better. It's a little hard to eat an apple, but he's figuring how to work around it. Anyway, everywhere we go strangers keep asking him if he asked Santa for his two front teeth. Huh? No, I asked Santa for Lego Harry Potter. I tried to explain to him that there is a song titled "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth". He has never heard it. What? When I was a kid we had a holiday music program every year. It was at night, too, so all the parents could come. Or at least that's how I remember it. We sang a few Hanukkah songs and a bunch of Christmas songs, and one of the was always "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth". I think it was the dream of many little kids to be missing those teeth right around the holidays just so they could sing that song. The one he doesn't even know.
I'm surprised they don't sing it as school, but am a little more than thankful that I don't have to fit in a holiday music program this time of year. We're already too busy as it is, and Sarah's program is plenty. So, the other night I sang it for him. I sang all the words I know, which is only about two lines, but happens to be the only lines of the song. Sweet and simple. The first thing he asked me after I finished? Is that really a song? Seriously, you think I would make that up? First, I don't have the ability to think that quickly on my feet. A lot of the versus rhyme. Secondly, I'm too tired for that.
I love how he blindly believes everything I tell him. Not. So I asked Charlie to pull it up on YouTube, something he does believe, no matter how right or wrong it is, and show him that I did not make it up. He instantly found two version, one Disney version sung by Goofy and another sung by the Chipmunks. I got it right word for word.
I don't know that he really wants his two front teeth for Christmas, he'd much rather have Lego Harry Potter, but at least now he knows what everybody is talking about. Oh, and maybe his mom knows a few things after all. Not things that really matter, but things.
Kid Quote of the Day
"I didn't go through all that hustle and bustle to have a quarter of it eaten!"
-Andy, referring to the work he put in to his gingerbread house, after we realized that Amanda had gotten into it. To clarify, she did not eat any of it, and the only reason she was messing with it was because we weren't paying very close attention to her because we were playing Wii.
-Andy, referring to the work he put in to his gingerbread house, after we realized that Amanda had gotten into it. To clarify, she did not eat any of it, and the only reason she was messing with it was because we weren't paying very close attention to her because we were playing Wii.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sarah the Red Nosed Reindeer
On Tuesday Sarah had her Christmas show at school. They do two shows a year, one at Christmas and one at the end of the year. When Andy did these shows he was all about performing. Of course, he always has been. I've had strangers ask me his full name so they could remember it because they were convinced he was going to be a star someday. He is such a showman and was always performing on "stages" in stores or anywhere he could find one (or something that looked like one). Sarah, not so much.
Sarah has never liked the shows. She would worry about them weeks before they happened and would consistently say she didn't want to be part of it. She would cry when I dropped her off with her class and she would stand on stage either crying or straight faced, and wouldn't sing or dance or anything. It became a huge joke between Charlie and me. One performance Sarah stood there doing nothing while the girl standing next to her was dancing and singing and giving the performance of her life. It was so comical you had to laugh, otherwise you'd just cry.
We got out of the spring performance last year because we went to Disney World. Good thing, because she wasn't looking forward to it. Oh, she would talk about the songs, even sing them, and the costumes, but when you got down to it she would say she didn't want to go. I was convinced that was going to happen again this time. How could she chancge in just six short months? But, believe it or not, she has. She's actually changed a lot this year. Her teachers are fabulous, I can't say that enough, and have really helped her to love school and get over some of her fears. Last year she cried every day I dropped her off, this year she never cries. She loves it. So in the same fashion, she was really excited about the show.
She told me she wasn't going to cry and she wasn't scared. To her credit, she didn't and she wasn't. She went out there and had a great time. She danced her little tushie off and sang to her heart's content. She even had a smile on her face. For the rest of the week after the show was over she kept saying, "I miss my show". She was sad that they were done practicing and didn't have anything to look forward to. Until I told her they would soon start practicing for the spring show, that cheered her up.
My little girl is growing up. Now, if she could just stop crying about everything else.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New York, New York
Holy cow! I cannot believe it has been a week since I have written, a week! Okay, I can believe it, because life at this house is crazy. I know I say it all the time, but it is. So crazy that I accidentally blew off a friend for lunch yesterday, sorry Jen, and was gone today from 1p-7p. Ugh! We are on the go. I have all these things to write about but some of them go in and out of my head so fast I can't even remember them. I try to write them down to remember later but I haven't even been able to keep up with that lately. The kids are in school for two more days, two more days of trying to cram everything in, and then hopefully it will get a little better. But of course it won't because then it will be the week before Christmas and these kids will have the worst hyperactive behavior that they can muster all year. They can't help it, but it makes Christmas just that much less fun.
Anyway, on to the goodness. I took Andy to New York for the weekend. That's right, just the two of us. I hardly ever get to do things with just Andy anymore, and I've been wanting to do this trip for a long time. So Charlie stayed home with the girls and off we went. We flew First Class to New York. I could have ended the trip right then and just come home he loved it so much. First Class is awesome, great leg room, warm nuts, but this time we even got an ice cream sundae after our meal. He was over the moon.
Charlie arranged for a car to pick us up. Unfortunately it wasn't one of those cars where the guy holds a sign with your name on it, that would have been so cool, but it was way better than standing in the long, cold taxi line. When we got in the car I had to call dispatch in order to pay with a credit card. They put me on hold and the whole time they keep pushing their website address, www.carmellimo.com. I had to chuckle every time they would say it, because we were in a silver Dodge minivan, nothing even close to a limo. I drive a minivan everyday, not much excitement in that.
Saturday morning Andy woke me up early. Of course he did, nothing changes. That kid never sleeps in and always wakes up at the same time no matter what time zone we're in. We're going to London in March, I can't wait to see when he wakes up there. He was ready to go do things. After a brief chat with my friend, April (the April from New Jersey, not the April from Orlando), we decided we would do the Empire State Building first. One, because April couldn't meet up with us for awhile and she has sworn she will never go there again and two because we wanted to beat the lines. Smart move, because we got there and there was no line. We paid a little extra and did the Skyride where they take you on an aerial tour of the city before you go to the top. We also had the option of upgrading our ticket to go all the way to the 102nd floor, but I felt like they had enough of my money so we stopped at 86. Andy absolutely loved the top of the Empire State Building, but his favorite thing was the .25 cents I dropped in the view finder (somebody had nicely left the other .25 cents) so he could get an up close view of the Statue of Liberty. He was in heaven.
After getting Sarah a New York snow globe for her snow globe collection (Andy said we could only buy it for her because she had been to New York before, he's a stickler for the rule that you can't get it unless you've been there) we went to Rockafeller Plaza to see the big tree and go ice skating. It was very cool, but Andy was bummed there were only lights and no ornaments on it. Do you know how long it would take to put ornaments on that thing? Man. We wanted to ice skate but the line was about a mile long and luckily Andy is like me in that he is not willing to wait for anything with a super long line. He was very flexible and agreed we could come back first thing in the morning when all the tourists were still asleep.
April and her son, Riza, met us there and then we went to get frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. I have wanted to go there since I saw the movie Serendipity, and was pretty sure that Andy would like something called frozen hot chocolate. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in the city being tourists and Christmas shopping, so the line was over two hours long. Again Andy was cool about skipping and was easily appeased with a large bag of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar and lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (which we have about two miles from our house but he never gets to go to. Since it was his weekend I let him have his way).
After lunch we hopped into a taxi to Times Square to see the Lion King. A friend of ours had gotten us AWESOME seats and the show was fantastic. I saw it nine years ago with Charlie and obviously know how the story goes, but didn't remember a lot of the Broadway version. Fabulous! Afterwards we walked around Times Square in the dark, saw the ball that will be dropping on New Year's (I quickly realized that I never, ever want to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve) and visited the M&M store. Then we headed back to the hotel to meet up with April and Riza again. We were having a hard time finding a taxi and then one of those guys that drives the bike that pulls a cart (in Thailand they are called tuk-tuks) saw us and asked us if we wanted a ride. I was going to say no, but Andy was so excited so we did it. I'm glad we did because he really enjoyed it. The driver took us back past Rockafeller Plaza so we got to see the tree at night and we even drove by two cops on horses.
We topped off the evening with burgers and fries in the room and a few hours of playing the iPad and the child was in bliss. The next morning he woke me bright and early again so we could go skating. Unfortunately it was raining so skating was out. Instead we went back to Times Square to check out the Disney Store and Toys R Us. The Disney store wasn't that unique, just a larger version of the store we have here, but the Toys R Us was pretty cool. It has a little Willy Wonka candy shop inside, an ice cream parlour and a full size ferris wheel.
From there we went to the Museum of Natural History. We saw an awesome walk through about the race to the south pole and then spent a lot of time on the big bang theory and the universe. Andy loved the museum, which I love about him, and can't wait to go back. From the museum it was back to the hotel just to pick up our bags and then to the airport. Fast, fast weekend. I told him I'd like to take him somewhere about once a year, so he asked me if we could go to Washington D.C. in January (that's next year, right?). Smart kid.
It really was great to get away. Andy and I used to do everything together and went on trips all the time. Then his sisters came along, as happens to families, and now he doesn't get as much attention. He does fine, but it's nice that we can do things one on one with him every once in awhile. Charlie gets to do a little more, because he takes him to school every morning and they do scouting and sometimes practices together, but I don't have that. We do read together every night, but we spend that time reading, not talking. So I'm so glad that we got to be together and hold hands and talk and share and do something that's just us. I hope someday he'll remember these trips and think of them fondly, but if not, at least I will.
Anyway, on to the goodness. I took Andy to New York for the weekend. That's right, just the two of us. I hardly ever get to do things with just Andy anymore, and I've been wanting to do this trip for a long time. So Charlie stayed home with the girls and off we went. We flew First Class to New York. I could have ended the trip right then and just come home he loved it so much. First Class is awesome, great leg room, warm nuts, but this time we even got an ice cream sundae after our meal. He was over the moon.
Charlie arranged for a car to pick us up. Unfortunately it wasn't one of those cars where the guy holds a sign with your name on it, that would have been so cool, but it was way better than standing in the long, cold taxi line. When we got in the car I had to call dispatch in order to pay with a credit card. They put me on hold and the whole time they keep pushing their website address, www.carmellimo.com. I had to chuckle every time they would say it, because we were in a silver Dodge minivan, nothing even close to a limo. I drive a minivan everyday, not much excitement in that.
Saturday morning Andy woke me up early. Of course he did, nothing changes. That kid never sleeps in and always wakes up at the same time no matter what time zone we're in. We're going to London in March, I can't wait to see when he wakes up there. He was ready to go do things. After a brief chat with my friend, April (the April from New Jersey, not the April from Orlando), we decided we would do the Empire State Building first. One, because April couldn't meet up with us for awhile and she has sworn she will never go there again and two because we wanted to beat the lines. Smart move, because we got there and there was no line. We paid a little extra and did the Skyride where they take you on an aerial tour of the city before you go to the top. We also had the option of upgrading our ticket to go all the way to the 102nd floor, but I felt like they had enough of my money so we stopped at 86. Andy absolutely loved the top of the Empire State Building, but his favorite thing was the .25 cents I dropped in the view finder (somebody had nicely left the other .25 cents) so he could get an up close view of the Statue of Liberty. He was in heaven.
After getting Sarah a New York snow globe for her snow globe collection (Andy said we could only buy it for her because she had been to New York before, he's a stickler for the rule that you can't get it unless you've been there) we went to Rockafeller Plaza to see the big tree and go ice skating. It was very cool, but Andy was bummed there were only lights and no ornaments on it. Do you know how long it would take to put ornaments on that thing? Man. We wanted to ice skate but the line was about a mile long and luckily Andy is like me in that he is not willing to wait for anything with a super long line. He was very flexible and agreed we could come back first thing in the morning when all the tourists were still asleep.
April and her son, Riza, met us there and then we went to get frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. I have wanted to go there since I saw the movie Serendipity, and was pretty sure that Andy would like something called frozen hot chocolate. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in the city being tourists and Christmas shopping, so the line was over two hours long. Again Andy was cool about skipping and was easily appeased with a large bag of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar and lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (which we have about two miles from our house but he never gets to go to. Since it was his weekend I let him have his way).
After lunch we hopped into a taxi to Times Square to see the Lion King. A friend of ours had gotten us AWESOME seats and the show was fantastic. I saw it nine years ago with Charlie and obviously know how the story goes, but didn't remember a lot of the Broadway version. Fabulous! Afterwards we walked around Times Square in the dark, saw the ball that will be dropping on New Year's (I quickly realized that I never, ever want to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve) and visited the M&M store. Then we headed back to the hotel to meet up with April and Riza again. We were having a hard time finding a taxi and then one of those guys that drives the bike that pulls a cart (in Thailand they are called tuk-tuks) saw us and asked us if we wanted a ride. I was going to say no, but Andy was so excited so we did it. I'm glad we did because he really enjoyed it. The driver took us back past Rockafeller Plaza so we got to see the tree at night and we even drove by two cops on horses.
We topped off the evening with burgers and fries in the room and a few hours of playing the iPad and the child was in bliss. The next morning he woke me bright and early again so we could go skating. Unfortunately it was raining so skating was out. Instead we went back to Times Square to check out the Disney Store and Toys R Us. The Disney store wasn't that unique, just a larger version of the store we have here, but the Toys R Us was pretty cool. It has a little Willy Wonka candy shop inside, an ice cream parlour and a full size ferris wheel.
From there we went to the Museum of Natural History. We saw an awesome walk through about the race to the south pole and then spent a lot of time on the big bang theory and the universe. Andy loved the museum, which I love about him, and can't wait to go back. From the museum it was back to the hotel just to pick up our bags and then to the airport. Fast, fast weekend. I told him I'd like to take him somewhere about once a year, so he asked me if we could go to Washington D.C. in January (that's next year, right?). Smart kid.
It really was great to get away. Andy and I used to do everything together and went on trips all the time. Then his sisters came along, as happens to families, and now he doesn't get as much attention. He does fine, but it's nice that we can do things one on one with him every once in awhile. Charlie gets to do a little more, because he takes him to school every morning and they do scouting and sometimes practices together, but I don't have that. We do read together every night, but we spend that time reading, not talking. So I'm so glad that we got to be together and hold hands and talk and share and do something that's just us. I hope someday he'll remember these trips and think of them fondly, but if not, at least I will.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Deck the Halls with Spinning Dreidels
We are knee deep in holiday spirit at our house. That's what happens when you have one parent who is Jewish and one parent who is Christian, lots of holiday cheer. December is a crazy month. The kids are inundated with gifts from us and from family. The get the receiving part, I think they have a little trouble with the giving. We try to teach them about sharing with others and getting gifts for each other, but they are small so it's hard.
At Andy's school they have an angel tree (well, technically it's an eagle tree because their mascot is the eagles, but you get what I mean), so I had Andy pick out a few angels and go shopping with me. One of the things we needed was a winter coat. We had gotten his coat at Costco this year, so I suggested we all go there to pick out a coat for our angel. Unfortunately, since it got cold over Thanksgiving there weren't any coats left. Charlie and I weren't in the mood to shop for anything else that day, which is unusual when we go to Costco, but we did come across a nice variety case of Leinenkugel beer. As Charlie said, "You mean we came here to buy a coat for a needy child and left with nothing but a case of beer?". Yep, sadly that's how it went. Great lesson for the kids.
On Saturday we put up our tree but had friends coming over so left the decorating until Sunday. We've had a fake tree for 3-4 years now, and it's still weird to me. We had a very strong tradition at our house growing up where my dad would take all the kids out to a tree farm to get our tree. My dad or one of my brothers would climb a 50 foot tree and cut off the top and then we would take it home. Couldn't be fresher. We did it every year. My dad would string the lights and my mom would get out all the decorations. One year we even video taped the journey so we could show it to our children and grandchildren someday. It's actually pretty hilarious, my brother and dad really play it up for the camera. Anyway, Charlie and I tried the real tree thing a couple of years, but they ended in disaster. The first year it was pretty much dead before we got home and after we took it down I clogged and almost ruined the vacuum cleaner with pine needles. The second year Charlie brought the gas powered leaf blower/vac into the house to take care of the cleanup. Very bad idea. After that we found out Charlie was allergic to cedar and that solved all my issues with trying to have a live tree. I do miss the smell of a real tree in the house, but the fake ones are so much easier.
The tradition isn't quite the same as what I had growing up, but it's turning into our tradition, and I hope that my kids will have nothing but fond memories of it. As we were getting the Christmas decorations out, the kids were so excited to see things they remembered from previous years, like the snowman that stacks inside itself. It made me remember the happy feelings I got as a kid as I watched my mom unpack our decorations. I know it was a pain for her, but I loved it. I still remember the Mrs. Clause candle she put out every year. Thinking of it gives me warm fuzzies. With my kids the tradition is going to be a little different. Instead of watching out for sap when you decorate the tree, you have to look for branches that haven't been spread out yet.
This year, after we put all the decorations away, we moved over to the menorah and lit the Hanukkah candles. Charlie and I were guessing that not many families light the candles with Christmas music in the background. But that's just us. We're not doing a good job of teaching the kids about either religion, but I hope that we are teaching them some and it is enough for them to investigate further as they get older. I have no doubts that Andy will, because he truly seeks out knowledge, but I hope we don't let the girls down.
So the stockings are hung, we are nearing the end of Hanukkah, and we're gearing up for the end of school and Christmas with my family. Surprisingly, I'm pretty calm. My shopping is basically done, I just have a few odds and ends to tie up, and hopefully instead of being frantic for the rest of the month we can enjoy ourselves. That's the plan anyway.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
2:27 A.M.
I don't want to spend all my time writing about how Amanda is always keeping us up, but that's about all I can focus on right now. She has not been sleeping well, and therefore we have not been sleeping well. Basically, everybody pays. She's tired, I'm tired, and the older kids get the brunt of it because I have no patience and the baby is crying all the time. Fun times!
Yesterday Amanda had a fever for most of the day. It started on Sunday, went all day yesterday, and today she is fever free. I don't know if it's teething or from playing around in the doctor's office on Friday (quick side note - Andy had a weird rash on his chest so I took my three kids and one friend [I forgot I had told her mom she could come home with us from school when I made Andy's appointment] to the pediatrician. I hate taking my kids to the doctor, because we are always stuffed in that tiny exam room for what seems like forever and there is nothing to do in there except make each other mad and fight, so adding another kid was not the best idea. Of course the kids were touching everything and rolling all over the floor so I'm not surprised if Amanda got sick from being there.) or just from the fact that it's winter, but she was miserable. She didn't sleep well during the day so I made sure to put her down a little early. You'd think that since she wasn't feeling well she would sleep hard, but not so much.
I should have known it was going to be a long night when she woke up at 10:30p screaming. I gave it a little bit but when she wasn't quieting down I went up there for about 30 minutes. That should have been my sign to go to bed, but I'm not so good at reading the signs lately. So, I stayed up until 12:30a. On top of that, Charlie was in Miami on a business trip, so I had no reinforcement. When Amanda woke at around 1:30-2:00a, I decided it would just be easier to bring her into bed with me. We were still awake when Sarah came into bed with us around 2:00p. I thought we would all just fall asleep, until Sarah announced she had to go to the bathroom. Now, how to do that? I couldn't leave Amanda in the bed by herself because she was awake and would cry and probably fall off the bed. Sarah wouldn't go to the bathroom by herself because it was dark and she is scared of the dark. I can't tell you how sick I am of kids being scared of the dark. I cannot wait until that stage is over. Even Andy is still scared of the dark and he's almost eight.
Finally at 2:27 a.m. I took Sarah to the bathroom. I considered letting her just wet the bed, since it was Charlie's side after all, but I didn't want to mess with changing the sheets so off we went. All three of us. It was then that once again I wondered how single moms do it. What do you do when you have to be two places at the same time? Yep, you all end up in the bathroom at 2:27 a.m. After we got back to the bed it still took Amanda awhile to fall asleep, and then she was up and ready to go by 6:15a. I decided maybe she needed a dry diaper and a glass of water, and Sarah whimpered and cried the whole time we were gone because she did not want to be left alone in the dark. After I diapered and watered the baby, I tried to bring her back to bed, but she just screamed. Over and over and over, and she is loud. That behavior won her a trip back to her crib, but that didn't make her too happy and she just screamed there. At least I could lie down for a bit and try to wake up. I finally got her out of bed at 6:45a when my alarm said it was time to get up and now all the kids were awake and wondering what all the noise was about.
So now, Sarah and I are tired and cranky, the baby is trying to sleep every time I put her in the car, and poor Andy, who of course got a great night's sleep, has to walk on pins and needles so nobody gets mad at him. Did I mention already, good times? Luckily Charlie will be back tonight. I think I'm going to dig up a pair of those ear plugs he used to put in when Amanda was tiny and I was getting up with her a couple of times a night. Maybe we both will.
Yesterday Amanda had a fever for most of the day. It started on Sunday, went all day yesterday, and today she is fever free. I don't know if it's teething or from playing around in the doctor's office on Friday (quick side note - Andy had a weird rash on his chest so I took my three kids and one friend [I forgot I had told her mom she could come home with us from school when I made Andy's appointment] to the pediatrician. I hate taking my kids to the doctor, because we are always stuffed in that tiny exam room for what seems like forever and there is nothing to do in there except make each other mad and fight, so adding another kid was not the best idea. Of course the kids were touching everything and rolling all over the floor so I'm not surprised if Amanda got sick from being there.) or just from the fact that it's winter, but she was miserable. She didn't sleep well during the day so I made sure to put her down a little early. You'd think that since she wasn't feeling well she would sleep hard, but not so much.
I should have known it was going to be a long night when she woke up at 10:30p screaming. I gave it a little bit but when she wasn't quieting down I went up there for about 30 minutes. That should have been my sign to go to bed, but I'm not so good at reading the signs lately. So, I stayed up until 12:30a. On top of that, Charlie was in Miami on a business trip, so I had no reinforcement. When Amanda woke at around 1:30-2:00a, I decided it would just be easier to bring her into bed with me. We were still awake when Sarah came into bed with us around 2:00p. I thought we would all just fall asleep, until Sarah announced she had to go to the bathroom. Now, how to do that? I couldn't leave Amanda in the bed by herself because she was awake and would cry and probably fall off the bed. Sarah wouldn't go to the bathroom by herself because it was dark and she is scared of the dark. I can't tell you how sick I am of kids being scared of the dark. I cannot wait until that stage is over. Even Andy is still scared of the dark and he's almost eight.
Finally at 2:27 a.m. I took Sarah to the bathroom. I considered letting her just wet the bed, since it was Charlie's side after all, but I didn't want to mess with changing the sheets so off we went. All three of us. It was then that once again I wondered how single moms do it. What do you do when you have to be two places at the same time? Yep, you all end up in the bathroom at 2:27 a.m. After we got back to the bed it still took Amanda awhile to fall asleep, and then she was up and ready to go by 6:15a. I decided maybe she needed a dry diaper and a glass of water, and Sarah whimpered and cried the whole time we were gone because she did not want to be left alone in the dark. After I diapered and watered the baby, I tried to bring her back to bed, but she just screamed. Over and over and over, and she is loud. That behavior won her a trip back to her crib, but that didn't make her too happy and she just screamed there. At least I could lie down for a bit and try to wake up. I finally got her out of bed at 6:45a when my alarm said it was time to get up and now all the kids were awake and wondering what all the noise was about.
So now, Sarah and I are tired and cranky, the baby is trying to sleep every time I put her in the car, and poor Andy, who of course got a great night's sleep, has to walk on pins and needles so nobody gets mad at him. Did I mention already, good times? Luckily Charlie will be back tonight. I think I'm going to dig up a pair of those ear plugs he used to put in when Amanda was tiny and I was getting up with her a couple of times a night. Maybe we both will.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
When Baby's Awake, We're All Awake
Yes, I know, I haven't written in a long time. I'll apologize, but this won't be the first time. You're not going to hear much from me for the rest of the year. It is too CRAZY around here. With Hanukkah and Christmas and trying to find gifts for nieces and nephews and all the teachers (and with my kids in so many activities, there are a lot of teachers), I just don't have time to put it all down. That just adds to my insanity, because little snippets of text are running through my head all day long. As if I was typing as I was driving, folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, any mundane task that I am attempting to complete during my day. If only I could type while doing those things, you would get an earfull. The other reason why I haven't been writing, is that the kids haven't really been doing anything funny, just annoying. Okay, it's probably all really funny to you, but to me it's just annoying. Oh well, someday I'll get over it.
Here's an example of something annoying that you will find funny. You know how sometimes you wake up at the totally wrong time but you think it's time to get up so you take a shower and get dressed and then realize it's only 2:30 a.m. and you don't have to be awake for another four hours? I'm pretty sure that's happened to everyone. I'm not sure why your brain doesn't register the actual time when you look at the clock, but you are positive that it's your normal waking time. Well, this morning Amanda started crying. I rolled over and turned off the alarm because it was about to go off anyway, or so I thought. I went to her room and picked her up and started rocking her for a bit. I do that because sometimes she goes back to sleep and sometimes I'm just too tired to do anything else.
After what seemed like 20-30 minutes, I stood up. I turned off her noise maker and grabbed a clean diaper. I took her into my bathroom and tried to get her to go to the bathroom, then took off her pajamas and put on her new diaper. Naked baby in nothing but a diaper. At that point I had not looked at a clock, but assumed it was probably around 7:00 or 7:15 and Andy was late and needed to get up. So I let Amanda wander into the kids' room and went in to get Andy out of bed. It was then that I looked at his clock and realized it was only 6:20 a.m. About 40 minutes before he needed to be up. Of course at this point the damage was done and both Andy and Sarah were awakened by Amanda. So, all four of us were up and dressed by about 6:45 a.m. New record. Charlie was in New York for meetings today so it was just the four of us.
I thought that I had gotten out of bed at 6:45, but I guess it was more like 5:45. I don't even know. All I know is that the girls were extra cranky all day and I paid for my mistake because they definitely needed that extra sleep and so did I.
So, that's all for now, but I'll be sure to notify you the next time my kids do something extra annoying. Yes, I'll write again tomorrow :)
Here's an example of something annoying that you will find funny. You know how sometimes you wake up at the totally wrong time but you think it's time to get up so you take a shower and get dressed and then realize it's only 2:30 a.m. and you don't have to be awake for another four hours? I'm pretty sure that's happened to everyone. I'm not sure why your brain doesn't register the actual time when you look at the clock, but you are positive that it's your normal waking time. Well, this morning Amanda started crying. I rolled over and turned off the alarm because it was about to go off anyway, or so I thought. I went to her room and picked her up and started rocking her for a bit. I do that because sometimes she goes back to sleep and sometimes I'm just too tired to do anything else.
After what seemed like 20-30 minutes, I stood up. I turned off her noise maker and grabbed a clean diaper. I took her into my bathroom and tried to get her to go to the bathroom, then took off her pajamas and put on her new diaper. Naked baby in nothing but a diaper. At that point I had not looked at a clock, but assumed it was probably around 7:00 or 7:15 and Andy was late and needed to get up. So I let Amanda wander into the kids' room and went in to get Andy out of bed. It was then that I looked at his clock and realized it was only 6:20 a.m. About 40 minutes before he needed to be up. Of course at this point the damage was done and both Andy and Sarah were awakened by Amanda. So, all four of us were up and dressed by about 6:45 a.m. New record. Charlie was in New York for meetings today so it was just the four of us.
I thought that I had gotten out of bed at 6:45, but I guess it was more like 5:45. I don't even know. All I know is that the girls were extra cranky all day and I paid for my mistake because they definitely needed that extra sleep and so did I.
So, that's all for now, but I'll be sure to notify you the next time my kids do something extra annoying. Yes, I'll write again tomorrow :)
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