Vacation Week Recap
Last week was school vacation week in Massachusetts, which meant that we had T home with us for the entire week. I always envision myself using time during vacation week to finally accomplishing projects that have been put off for weeks (sometimes months). But, of course, it seldom happens. And this past week was no different.
Monday: T and I took the kids to a make-up gymnastics class. It was the first time T had seen Tiny and Buba in gymnastics since our trial class last summer. The kids went a bit wild, totally showing off for their Daddy, and weren’t the best listeners or direction followers by far, but we still had a great time.
Tuesday: I had an 8:15am dentist appointment, so T got the kids up and ready for the day. After my appointment, I came home to pick up the kids and take them to music class and then a standing playdate afterwards. This gave T the whole house to himself (something I know I treasure on the rare occasions that it happens).
Wednesday: T and I booked a sitter and went off to our own little breakfast date at a diner a few towns over. I splurged and got the french toast (not the healthiest, but oh so tasty!) with bacon and potatoes. It was, again, very nice to have some adult only time. I am so glad that we now have a good sized list of sitters to call on, so we can do things like this more often.
Thursday: We ran a bunch of errands in the morning, had lunch, and then took Tiny for her very first haircut (a hair trim, really). I took her to the woman who cuts my hair instead of to the kiddie place where we had taken Buba. Tiny’s hair seems to be like mine, in that it grows longer on the sides as the curls in the back get tighter. To even it all out, it really had to be cut dry. I knew my stylist would understand this (since that’s how she cuts my hair), and I was so happy that she agreed to cut Tiny’s hair. Tiny was so excited to get her hair cut in a salon for grown-up ladies. She didn’t even need a distraction. She just sat very still and did everything that was asked of her. In the end, the stylist only had to make a dozen or so snips here and there, and you probably wouldn’t think to ask about her haircut if you didn’t know she’d had one. But she’s been so happy to tell everyone that she got a haircut. She’s just so proud of herself!
Friday: After a busy first half of the week, we spent Friday morning just hanging out at home. T entertained the kids in the living room while I attempted some clean-up/decluttering projects. I got a good start on one, but decided to stop midway to fulfill a promise to Tiny. The kids received a Cookie Monster cookie cook book for Valentine’s Day, and we had picked up ingredients for one particular recipe. Tiny and Buba did a great job dumping in ingredients and working the electric mixer. The cookies, unfortunately, didn’t taste especially great (better for me that they didn’t!), but we still had a lot of fun making them.
Saturday: T went off to have our taxes done so I took the kids to run around at the mall for a while. We rode the escalator and the glass elevator, visited the crocodile at the Rainforest Cafe, and got a quick look at the new Jeep on display where Santa’s village had been back in December. That afternoon, we rented our first Redbox flick. After we put the kids to bed, I made popcorn and T and I watch The Social Network, which we both enjoyed.
Sunday: After our traditional blueberry pancake breakfast, I went back and finished the project I’d started on Friday. It was just one of many, but it felt good to be able to cross something off the to do list. As for the rest? Well, I’m sure April vacation week will be here before we know it. 
It’s Not Every Day That You Get to Ride an Elephant
This past weekend, an indoor carnival passed though the greater Boston area. We met up with Tiny and Buba’s twin friends G&E and their parents and had a blast watching the kids have so much fun.
First up, the elephant (aka elefunk) ride…
Then the kids rode the carousel…
…and the train…
…and the sports car…
We ended our visit with pony rides…
There were ducks, goats, and sheep to feed, as well as several exotic animals to see, including kangaroos, a zebu, camels (which you could also ride) and a zebra. The only time we had trouble with the kids was when it was time to leave. Tiny had a brief meltdown when she realized our tickets were all gone and she had not yet jumped in the bouncy house or gone down the ginormous inflated slide. But she recovered pretty quickly, and we didn’t have to be that family who rushes out the door with a screaming child (at least, not this time. we’ve been there before.).
The carnival was only in town for the weekend, but it sounds like it’s something that comes around this time every year. I’d definitely go back again. Maybe next time, we’ll try a ride on the camels too.
Table for One
This week, I made certain to slip in something just for me. On Monday, after dropping Buba and Tiny off at their playgroup, I took a walk down the block and settled myself in for breakfast at the cafe T and I had gone to just a few weeks earlier. I wish I had really treated myself with some warm french toast or big, fluffy pancakes, but I ordered a veggie omelet with whole wheat toast instead (still trying to lose the weight I put on over the summer).
While I waited for my food to come, I wrote a blog post (edited and posted later), and then did a bit of reading as I ate my breakfast and enjoyed some cranberry apple tea. For the most part, I was the only one in the cafe. It was quiet and peaceful and just what I needed to start the week off right.
Refreshing
Today we had a high temperature of 52 degrees. It was still cool in the morning, but by afternoon, you could definitely feel the warmth. I had no trouble convincing Tiny and Buba to pull on their boots and take a walk with me after they woke up from their nap. Just boots and fall jackets- no hats, no mittens.
It was just a brief walk, maybe 25 minutes or so, up to the end of our block and back home again. Tiny kept track of the cars- three going away and two coming home- while Buba was on the lookout for puddles to jump in. We saw a dog walker, and both kids got a slobbery doggy kiss on one index finger. They were in heaven.
If I hadn’t had to go to a tutoring job, I would have walked them all over our neighborhood. But still, it wasn’t so bad, as I was able to drive to work with the heat off and the windows about a third down, blowing fresh air across my face and all around the car.
It was all so nice. So very, very nice.
Thinking of Egypt
When I first heard about the protests in Egypt, I immediately thought of a good friend of mine. Her husband is from Egypt and all of his relatives, except his parents, still live there. Their family members do not live right in Cairo, but they are also not far enough away so as not to be affected by the protests.
My friend and I had plans to get together in just a few days, but I emailed her to let her know that I was thinking of her and her family and asked if they were all right. When she told me about them all barricaded in their apartments, in fear of going to work, only sending the men out every few days to pick up food and supplies (that were now greatly overpriced), my heart went out to all of them. I can only hope that their situation has improved since Mubarak stepped down last Friday.
Then, last night, I was working my way through the blogs in my reader and came across a collection of photos taken during the protests. Since I get all of my news from our local NPR station, I had not actually seen any images of the protests. The photos were very powerful, vividly confirming what I had imagined over the last couple of weeks.
And then this morning, I was hit hard, unexpectedly, as I listed to Sugarland while driving my kids to playgroup. Their song Stand Up reminded me of the fear and bravery it must have taken for the Egyptian people to stand against their government. And while change can be exciting, it can also be scary as the shape of the future is uncertain and will take time to develop.
In the days when I was teaching 3rd and 4th grade, I used to teach a unit on the Civil Rights Movement throughout January and February. We would study about Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and others who had major roles in the movement. But I tried to focus a lot of attention on the children and teens and how their participation had a huge impact on creating the pathway of equal rights for all. While discussing the events with my students, I often questioned whether or not I would have had the courage to join in and fight for rights. I’m so grateful for all who did, and hope that I would be just as courageous if I had the opportunity to make a big change in the world.
I will continue to keep a place in my heart for those working for change to better the lives and living conditions for the people in Egypt, as well as other places around the world.
Did You Know? (Online Storytime)
I believe it was a snow day when I first discovered that Barnes & Noble has an online stoytime. The kids were going crazy in the house, and I was searching for something to keep them occupied for a bit. Voila! These online stories totally did the trick!
We now have the online storytime built into our Sunday morning routine. Sunday is T’s sleep-in day, so I’m on my own with Tiny and Buba from about 7 to 8:15am or so. T’s a pretty good sleeper, but I like to try to keep things quiet for him anyway. So, after I get the kids up and out of their diapers, I give Buba and Tiny their sippy cups of milk and a pre-breakfast snack of dry cereal, and we sit together on the little couch in their room (one kid on either side of me and my laptop) and listen to two or three stories together.
We’ve only done this a few times, but so far we’ve heard Pinkalicious (this month’s feature story), The Mitten, Olivia, Smash! Crash!, and Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly. Pinkalicious (always first Tiny’s choice) and The Mitten (always Buba’s first choice) are the clear favorite’s, but they’ve enjoyed the others as well.
The whole online storytime thing reminds me of calling up the storyline at our local library when I was a kid to hear whatever story was recorded for the week (or was it the month?). It was always such a special treat when I was allowed to make the call, and I never got tired of hearing the same story over and over. The same seems to be true for Buba and Tiny.
Who’s In Charge?
Tiny (to Buba): I’m in charge!
Buba (whining to me): Tiny says she’s in charge! Tiny says she’s in charge!
me: Buba, you know that that’s not true. Who’s in charge?
Buba (with a straight face): Buba.
Winter Blahs
Maybe it’s all the snow that’s been dumped on us in the last few weeks. Or the unexpected car bills combined with the first large sum of money (due April 1st) that we owe the kids’ preschool for next year. Or the fact that Tiny and Buba are in a phase where they can go from completely delightful to complete devils in 5.2 seconds. Or the feelings of being overwhelmed by not enough hours in a day or week or month to accomplish all that I want to get done.
Maybe it’s a little of all of those things that’s caused me to be in a bit of a funk these last few weeks. I’ve been feeling more tired and cranky and sometimes just a little sad. It’s not all day everyday. It comes and goes.
It’s not the first time I’ve had a case of the winter blahs. And I know it won’t last forever. I mean, at some point the 3.5 feet of snow piled up in front of our house will melt away and the sunshine and warm weather will return. I know that spring is coming. I just hope it comes early this year. Because I have this feeling that all I need is one nice day of playing outside in warm, fresh air to shake these blahs away.
It Was Time
Before:
After:
I’ve been wanting to take Buba for his first haircut for many months now, but T kept saying that the long and shaggy look was back in. For a while, I conceded, but lately his hair has been just so out of control. It looks okay when it’s curly, but after coming out from under his winter hat, it’s all long and straight and flat or fly-away looking from all the static electricity. And the front was always in his eyes. Finally, T admitted that something had to be done.
I was worried that Buba might not be happy to have a stranger wet his hair and come at him with scissors, but he was completely fine and happy throughout the whole haircutting experience. Of course, we went to a kiddie place, and the woman cutting his hair was obviously a pro. She let me entertain him with bubbles while she snipped away. And at the end, he got a little toy rubber ducky for a prize (Tiny got one too just for being a good sport).
I do love his new haircut and how it makes him look even more like a big kid, but I’ve got to admit, I miss his old shaggy do more than I’d expected.