I've Got a Teen On My Hands

Daughter graduated from preschool last Friday. She went to the same school Son went to so I couldn't help but compare. He was and still is one of the friendliest kids around but he was shy that day. His teacher had to hug him while they sang. He looked nervous in front of the people. And shy. But he made it through.

This time there were considerably more family and friends in attendance. But Daughter walked out with her class singing her little heart out. We ALL knew the words. She had been singing them daily since Christmas or so. Just like Son, I was on the verge of tears the moment I saw her. Don't ask me why. Don't know. It only lasts as long as it takes for them to all come marching in. But weepy I was and trying to control it so I can see her clearly. Two years at this school and it was time to say goodbye - again. "That's it, right," one teacher asked. "Last one?" Mr. T and I just laughed. "Don't know yet. Don't know."

The kids went through the alphabet phonetically. They sang more songs. Soon, they called her name and she walked up and got her pretend diploma. She's just so confident. Must be nice to have that confidence at the age of 4.

As a treat for her and Son who's report card was the equivalent of all A's, we went to Hershey Park.



Mr. T. and I had last been there back in 1994 or maybe 1995 when a friend of mine was graduating medical school. So the kids had not been at all and we didn't tell them they were going. We said nothing at all the whole ride until Son, who had been buried in his DS and missed the "Welcome to Hershey" sign, looked up and saw the street sign pointing right to Chocolate Ave. "We're going to Hershey Park," he said matter of factly. And then you could hear him start to smile and get excited. Daughter is still a clueless when it comes to theme parks and recognizing them by name but she got into the swing of things easily. All she wanted was to stay in a hotel and eat in a restaurant.

We stayed for the weekend and did Chocolate World the first night and the park the next day. The park was immaculate. Daughter wanted to ride everything and would have been on the coasters next to her daddy if she were at least a Twizzler size. But alas, she's only a Reese's right now and Son is a Hershey. Too short for the mega coasters. But Mr. T. has a budding roller coaster companion in her and thank God because it's not my thing to go loop-de-loop and I don't think it will be Son's either. He didn't even want to get on the big swing that went REALLY fast but made Daughter laugh.



She's a teen-ager, I tell you. I came home last night and she wanted me to polish her toenails. She had asked in the past and I'd do one toe and she'd mess it up moving around. "I can keep still," she promised. And she plops her foot on my lap to beautify her toes. We make it through so I do the other foot and blow on them. I turn her to sit on my lap. "Why do you have to hold me?"

"Because I don't want you moving around and putting nail polish on my new furniture."

"Oh."

So she sits, and wiggles her feet, propping them on my propped up legs so she can compare our toes. She talks about everything and nothing, telling me she's almost 5 now and she can sit still long enough so her toes dry. All I can think is how could I have ever said I didn't want a girl? She's the perfect mix of brave boy for her dad and girly girl for me. When it seems all is safe, she moves around to test her new toes. "See? I didn't mess them up! Can you do my fingers now?" Why not. She can handle anything.

T Minus 2

With 2 days left before my departure, I am swamped at work trying to make sure no one is wanting before I leave and then I come home trying to stay on my cleaning schedule. I want the office done before I leave so I can come home and get into the kids' rooms.

I won't pack until Friday night so tonight I clean out 2 more boxes, read a bit, wash clothes and of course blog!

I should be making a list of what I want to take with me but honestly I don't want to overthink it. In case I haven't made this clear yet, I hate excess baggage in every sense of the word so too much planning means I'll bring too much and since I'll have to lug my own stuff, I need to keep it easy breezy. Besides, no one cares what you wear on these cruises. You don't know them so why should you care either? But, just for argument's sake, let's see:

Driver's license
Never leave home without it.



Passport
It was tenuous there for a moment when I found out too recently that there was a backlog, but it appeared right on my schedule; thick, brand-new, pages with a multi-colored sheen ready for stamping. Mr. T prefers his. Mr. T is just jealous.



Suncscreen
Ordered last Friday but not yet arrived. Here's hoping it gets here by this Friday. For some reason I found this on the shelves once years ago and haven't found it since. The FDA must have decided not to let it stay in the states but I love the stuff. Ombrelle by Loreal. Non-greasy, no scent, easy on sensitive skin, long-lasting, no sweating. What's not to love? Plus my skin ADORES tropical weather so put the two together and I can be out all day. I'll come back at least 2 shades darker I'm sure but so worth it.



Limited variety of shoes for variety of uses
Walking, hiking, lazing about looking cute. Yep. Think I'm covered there. If I can't wear it more than once, it doesn't go. You know. That excess baggage thing again. But no crocs, OK? Hate 'em. Yeah, yeah, they're super comfy. Yeah, yeah, lots of colors. Yeah, yeah I bought my daughter a pair because she needs something for the water and I could not find a pair of flips or flops to save our lives. They are just too much for me. Some smart person came up with them and lucky, lucky them. Wish it had been me! But Daughter having a pair is far enough.



Clothes
Clothes for romping. Clothes for repaste. Clothes that you can wear more than once and it won't be obvious. That's right. I said more. than. once. You wanna lug that stuff on a cruise, be my guest. But experience says you won't wear it all anyway. So you pack everything and then take half of it out. Very true. I've bought some stuff just for this vacation and those must come but there's only one suitcase going so pare it down!



Toiletries
Who came up with this word, anyway? Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, lotion, chapstick. Check, check, check, check, super check. I've got to make sure anything I really love stays in the suitcase. The recent trip South showed me that we aren't quite lax yet on bringing these items onboard planes. My babies' juiceboxes and Son's ice pack were confiscated - but Daughter's icepack was not. Don't know why. I've got sensitive skin so my stuff ain't cheap. Though I wonder, why is under the plane any safer than in it?


Protection
Eh hem. Eh hem. I'm sorry, I keep having to clear my throat there. Gotta pick that up tomorrow because I'll run out in the middle of the trip otherwise. Not yet ready for Baby #3.

What else? What else? I'm sure something else will come to me soon. The cell phone. The charger. The camera. The like. I'll be ready. For now, I've got more clothes to wash and 2 more days to wait.

It's...

So July was nuts. It didn't go by fast AT ALL and yet it's August already. Almost. I've been sporadic in my writing because I've had to put my focus on Son's summer program. Now it's time to pack up the tykes and hit the trails. To Grandma's and Grandpa's house we go! It's gonna be crazy. Late arrival there so I can turn around the very next morning for an early flight home, all because the amount of money to fly is astronomical right now and cheap is the word. Mr. T and I have our own tropical destinations ahead later on so I'm TRYING to watch the money but summer burns through money. It's just a fact. I'm trying to ignore it.

I'm hoping August will be as productive in life as it is my head:
1 - Organize the whole office - at last
2 - Organize Village Works electronic and paper files and get ready for next big jobs
3 - Organize/toss Daughter's toys, etc.
4 - Get bookshelves for both
5 - Do some little decorative stuff around the house, like finally paint the foyer
6 - Write that business article that's been mulling about in my head
7 - Do that long-overdue children's writing assignment
8 - Call some long-distance friends

Seems doable - as long as I don't do much else. But you can rest assured I will also sleep as late as I can as often as I can and go with the flow as many times as the tide rises.

Must get things squared away at work now. Tonight I go home and get it all together and I'll send you photos from the road.

Hasta la bye-bye!

Ready to Go!

The passport backlog must be finally catching up to itself because mine showed up on time yesterday. (No, silly. This isn't it. But you know what? It's got to be one of the best pictures I've EVER taken, and I couldn't even smile! I even had to do it twice because my eyes are dark and small so they said, "Can you open your eyes a bit more? We can't see the color!" Blame my genes.)

Bet ya didn't even know there WAS a backlog, huh? There was. Or maybe still is. Mr. T. had told me a week or so ago that someone applied in February and just got his this past month. It's supposed to be a 10-week process. I was expecting mine mid-July but I had to have a back up plan, just in case. Turns out, they are allowing some limited travel without it right now - if the country you are going to allows it. I was set. But now, no worries! It is here and I am set for the next 10 years. Mr. T claims he likes his better because mine has thicker paper. He's just jealous. I like the way it looks and feels. And now I can finally go somewhere the U.S. doesn't own or is pretty close to geographically speaking.

Soon. A REAL vacation. Can't wait.

Testing, Testing

See this picture? This is partly a test to make sure I can photo blog when I go on vacation next month. But I am also still on the hunt for a sheer shrug I can buy to go with this spaghetti-strapped top. Eczema has taken its toll on my skin so a little modesty is in order. But on the flip side, I gave birth - via c-section - to two kids in a room full of men and women, plus I am 36 so I care about the opinion of others a whole heck of a lot less than once upon a time. So if you have an online store suggestion for plus-sized me, I am all ears!