It's Getting Hot in Here

The heat wave that we are having in the East is killing me and the divas.  We try to get out in the morning and go to the library, Nana and Pa's, or to the beach.  We're home by 11:30 and in for naps by noon.  All three of us.  I am lucky in that the girls usually sleep until 2:30 or 3.  That is, except for tomorrow, because I have broken the unwritten rule among mommies and bragged about my childrens' nap schedule.  I digress.
After nap, though, it gets pretty warm in our living room.  I tried to get daddy (theirs, not mine) to put in central air but he wasn't having it.  I guess he has little sympathy for us since he is on a roof all day long!  So, the girls and I manage to keep ourselves cool by engaging in some fun activites.

Lindsay gets very serious about her domestic duties and cooks up some tasty treats and...






 cleans the house.


 

Sophie is more like me and enjoys the simple pleasures in life...

like chatting to her friends on her iPhone, "I know it, Curly Shirley, this heat is killing me too.  All I want to do is sit on the couch and eat munchkins."

Sometimes the heat really gets to her and I find her standing in a Huggies box staring into space.

Both girls are avid TV watchers so a little Elmo helps pass the time.

There is one pasttime, though, that we all enjoy...

sitting in their air conditioned bedroom reading bedtime stories.

Goodnight little divas.  Sleep tight.  Mommy loves you.

Life Really Is a Beach!!

I normally wouldn't post a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the internet but I felt compelled to show my readers that on our second visit to the beach I was able to sit down for a few minutes! Today was a much better day for Pa and me and there were no legal or illegal drugs involved!  And yes, the divas were with us!



We decided to bring a lot less with us this time.  We packed the beach buggy with towels, chairs, a small lunch box, a beach bag, and beach toys.  That was it.  We also got lucky because it was high tide so we didn't have to walk far to reach the water.  Pa and I also lowered our expectations quite a bit.  Let's face it, we knew it couldn't be worse than last time!  The girls enjoyed doing many things at the beach.  I even got to take some pictures of them this time!

Sophie enjoyed the surf and the water splashing in her face.  She also loved digging in the sand this time which is when I was finally able to sit down.






Lindsay entertained herself by making sand angels.

Both girls loved working together to see what happens when sand and water meet.

All in all, it was a very relaxing day.  After the beach, the divas enjoyed a two-and-a-half hour nap at Nana and Pa's.  Upon waking up, they were treated to snack and a movie.  Gotta love Nana's house!

Life is a Beach? (Part 2): The Departure

Yesterday, I detailed our day (okay 93 minutes!) at the beach.  Today, I will tell you about trying to depart the beach with my little divas.  It was quite an experience.

My father and I had decided that we could last until about 11:00.  At 10:15, he looked at me and said, "I think we need to go."  He had a look of exhaustion on his face but insisted that he only wanted to leave because he didn't want the girls to get burnt.  Mind you, I think I created another oil spill in the Atlantic Ocean from all the sunscreen I put on them but I allowed my tired dad to use his concern for their skin as an excuse. 

I turned to my water logged daughters and said, "Okay, time to go home!"  Their response was not one of excitement or even feigned agreement.  This is what I heard, "NOOOOO!  NOOOOO!  WAH!!!!!!!"
I turned to Pa and told him to take Lindsay and I would take Sophie.  I picked her up and she kicked and screamed all the way back to the blanket.  When I set her down to pack up the beach cart, she ran towards the water again.  I ran after her, picked her up as she wailed, and brought her back to the blanket.  You know where this is going, don't you?  Yup!  Back and forth about 20 times.  Finally, she just laid down in the sand with her sister and screamed. 

Once I had packed just about everything I picked Sophie up and told Pa that we were heading to the outdoor showers and to meet us there.  Again, Sophie screamed as if she was being beat.  At this point, it was closing in on triple digit temps and I had had it.  I turned to her and in my best imitation of my mother I gritted my teeth and said, "Knock it off!  Now that is enough, Sophie!"  Didn't really work but made me feel better.

I got Sophie "cleaned up" and I use that phrase loosely because have you ever tried to clean a child up at the beach?  It's a joke!  I got some of the sand off of her in the shower but when I went to change her,  more sand magically appeared.  It was like that old toy with the picture of the bald guy and you have to use the little red pencil and drag the sand to make his beard.  I felt like Sophie had one of those magnetic pencils attached to her and that she was dragging the sand with her.

After about a half hour, Pa and I had cleaned both girls and ourselves up enough to get in the car.   On our drive home, we discussed what we would do differently the next time we went to the beach and what we needed to bring.  I came up with the following items:

• Valium (bring extra if you are going to be there the whole day)
• Margarita mix
• Tequila
• Shin Guards (these are for when it's time to leave and your child is kicking you)

We're hoping that these items will make our next trip to the beach more enjoyable!  Cheers!

Life is a Beach? (Part 1)

I want to start out my post today by admitting that I have huge expectations for just about everything; Christmas, 4th of July, birthday parties, painting my nails, etc...  You get the point.  I think that whatever "big" thing we're doing will be like something you'd see on TV.  It will be so perfect and people will look at us and say, "Wow, what a great family.  I wish my kids could act like that.  That mom must really have it together."  That is why when I chose to take the girls to the beach, I had this picture in my head of them sitting on the blanket, digging in the sand, playing in the water when I wanted them to but happily getting out when I asked them to.  What I experienced was vastly different and I'm sure the only thing people were saying about me were, "Look at that hot mess!"

I am a girl who likes to be prepared.  Prior to even getting the beach sticker I had googled what you should bring to the beach if you have toddlers.  This is what the majority of people suggested:  an umbrella, beach blanket, beach toys, swim diapers, extra clothes, extra bathing suits, sunscreen, water shoes, towels, snacks, juice, and beach chairs.  Check, check, check!  I packed all of those things in my car last night.  I was taking my dad with me to help out so last night I called him and we strategized about how to make this a great morning at the beach.  Everything was in place!

I picked up Pa (my dad) at about 8:45 and we headed to Gooseberry Beach in Newport.  We dropped our cooler and our rolling beach cart with all of our supplies at the walkway and parked.  So far, so good.  The girls even followed us onto the sand and didn't wander off.  This beach thing will be a piece of cake, I thought.  Trouble didn't arise until I tried to put up the umbrella.  I had bought it at the Christmas Tree Shop and the young guy there told me it didn't need a base.  And I guess it didn't if you wanted to pretend you were the Statue of Liberty all day and hold it in place!  That went back in the cart.  It was during this time that my father had walked down to the water with Sophie while I watched Lindsay.  I must have gotten distracted because the next thing I knew, Lindsay was almost in the water and my father was screaming at me.  I ran down and rescued my little fish and we started playing in the water. 

After about five minutes, Sophie's lips and even her tongue had turned blue so we went back to the blanket.  This, obviously, was not what my little divas had in mind!  They kicked, screamed, and hit all the way back.  The only thing that made them sit down was the promise of food.  They woofed down a whole bowl of berries like they had never seen food before and headed for the water again.  This back and forth continued for the rest of our time there. 

Now, as my two little pistols were shuttling back and forth, I took a minute to look around at the other mothers and children on the beach.  Surely, Pa and I weren't the only ones breaking a sweat.  Hmm...it seemed we were.  I even started taking a poll.  It went something like this:

Me:  How old is your child?
Unsuspecting Stranger (US):  18 months, and yours?
Me:  19 months.  Your little one seems to enjoy just sitting on the beach.  Did you happen to give her Benadryl on your way here?
Unsuspecting Stranger starts walking away, shaking her head in disgust.  I chase after her, begging for any tips she might have.  Hell, I'm not opposed to Benadryl if it means I'll be able to sit down for 5 minutes!

By 10:30, Pa and I were exhausted so we decided it was time to leave...

To Be Continued Tomorrow

The Lake

This weekend was our annual family reunion in Plymouth, Massachusetts. My Uncle Peter and Aunt Nanci were the gracious hosts once again for my father's 7 brothers and sisters and all of the extended family. There were about 40 of us. As a side note, my grandmother had 3 sets of twin boys and a girl in between each set. That's a whole other story.

I have such fond memories of going to Pete and Nanci's every summer. They live right up the street from a lake so we would pack bathing suits and go swimming for the day. My Uncle Peter is hilarious and makes all sorts of irreverent jokes. That is what we love about him. My Aunt Nanci has a heart of gold and I can always remember her yelling, "Oh my Gawd, Peter. That's gawgeous! Take a picture!" Peter happily obliged.

Here is Uncle Peter trying to go incognito!

Last summer I was hoping that we would have another family reunion in Plymouth so that I could introduce the girls to everyone.  For some reason it didn't happen.  This year, it almost took place in Newport but after a desperate e-mail to Uncle Pete (and a little coaxing from Aunt Nanci) it was decided that we would all gather in Plymouth.  Sophie and Lindsay would finally get to see where I spent some of my happiest times.

We got to the reunion around 1:00 and the girls got to meet their cousin Charlotte, who is only about a month older than them.  They got aquainted in the usual way; with food!

Once the girls had eaten a few pieces of sauce pizza and some fruit, it was time to swim in the lake!  Nana helped me get the girls in their swimsuits and Gampy and I quickly changed and put on ours.  Rick is not much for swimming in lakes so he bowed out.  His loss! 

Gampy and I carried the girls down to the lake and were eager to get in.  It was a warm, summer day and we knew the cool water would feel refreshing.  I got in first with Sophie who started splashing and laughing immediately.  Lindsay had the same reaction.  The bottom of the lake felt very familiar-sandy and a little slimy!  But I could have cared less.  I was too busy watching a new generation fall in love with my childhood paradise. 

My dad holding Sophie and me with Lindsay.

After our swim in the lake, we went back to the house to enjoy some dessert.  The girls had a great time exploring the woods near Pete and Nanci's.

Pinecones!

But alas, they grew weary and it was time to go.  We carried them to the car, put all their gear away, and started our journey home.  It wasn't long before our little travelers were sound asleep.  Thanks again, Pete and Nanci, for another great reunion!  Love you guys!

Gymboree

I think that the world should be like Gymboree...covered in padded mats, full of things that anyone can touch, and filled with laughter and joy! I took the girls to a preview Gymboree class on Thursday and at the end of it one of the moms turned to me and said, "So, are you a convert?" Yes, I am!

For those of you who have never been to Gymboree, I'll give you a brief overview. They provide music, art, and gym classes. We went to a gym class so we were in a very large room with all sorts of mats to climb on, tunnels to crawl through, and parachutes to run under! Think first grade P.E. class back in the 80's. Fun, right? They do some structured activities every 10 minutes or so but you do not have to participate.

Lindsay is my less adventurous baby. She tends to sit and just watch what's going on. She's also a bit lazy. We like to refer to her as Lazy Lindsay or the Diva! So imagine my surprise when she got in the middle of the circle at Gymboree and danced like someone's drunk uncle at a family wedding. She was clapping, laughing, and jumping about. She also had no fear of running under the parachute or crawling through tunnels. It was so rewarding and encouraging to see this side of her.

Sophie is usually my little daredevil but she was also quite different at Gymboree. She enjoyed playing with the balls, running around, and hanging by herself. She was a bit of a loner and really didn't participate in the group activities. She chose activities that were easy for her to do and that she was comfortable with. I guess this makes sense because Sophie is very sensitive and has a hard time warming up to other people. She's a momma's girl.

Seeing both of my daughters running around with huge smiles on their faces made my day. As I watched them, I thought back to when they were first born and how scared we all were that they would never do any of these things and that they would be behind their peers. Watching them on Thursday morning, I realized that they were right on track. No one would have guessed everything they'd gone through. I'm not an overly religious person but I will end this post by saying God is good.

A New Day

So, I have dusted myself off, picked myself up, and decided to get on with my life. My pity party is over! I am going to enjoy the summer with my beautiful girls and look for a job. Based on everything my family went through in 2008, I know that life works out the way it's supposed to and that no amount of crying and carrying on will change that.
And as I said in my last post, my Northern Friends are fabulous. Calls of support have been coming in, e-mails, and posts to Facebook. I think I'll keep these people around awhile.
Hope everyone enjoys the day! I know I'm going to.