Kindergarten

I have known this week was coming for a long time, and I knew it would be bad. August 25 has been marked on the calendar since sometime in February. Every month since then I would flip the pages forward and stare at the date, count the months, then weeks, then days until the Big Day.

Anyone who knows me knows my children are my entire world. I have had many ups and downs with Brady over the past 5 years, but I wouldn't change a single thing. I love that child so much it hurts. I am admittedly an overprotective parent and trying to prepare myself for him going to Kindergarten has been a struggle.

I hated the first day of school when I was a child. I was always nervous to start a new year, a new schedule, and meet new people. Once I am in a routine I don’t like to change it. After a couple of weeks I would get used to it though, and everything would be fine. I kept telling myself it would be the same when it came to my own children.

Monday, August 25 came out of nowhere. I had spent the weekend packing and unpacking his book bag, organizing his clothes, and double-checking his school supply list. Sunday night I went to bed early so I could get up extra early to make sure everything was perfect. That first day the parents were to accompany their children. We went to the classroom and the kids left to take a tour of the school. While they were busy exploring, the parents stayed in the classroom, filled out paperwork, and learned about the class schedule and curriculum. I was amazed at the things they would be learning throughout the year. It is a far cry from Kindergarten in 1988! After this orientation, we were free to go. Brady had a great time. I was still in shock and was ready to get home and go through the huge folder of information we were given. James was fine. Brady was fine. Cecilia (besides crying because she didn't want to leave Kindergarten) was fine. I was absolutely not fine. While everyone else was checking out the library and media center, I was checking for security cameras and fire exits.  How was I supposed to drop my baby off at a curb and feel confident that he made it inside to his class? How did I know he wouldn't get in a strangers car in the afternoon? Why were all the Facebook parents so “excited” about that first day? Surely, I couldn't be the only one worried about those things.

When you’re a parent you can’t freak out in front of your child. I was the picture of calmness on the outside but I was a wreck on the inside. I couldn't let Brady see my fears and anxiety so I carried on as normally as possibly. I made his lunch last night, making a little tear on the corner of the string cheese (what if he couldn't open his own cheese?), putting the thinnest layer of peanut butter possible on his sandwich (what if he chokes and no one notices?), and putting his crackers in a sandwich bad so it would be easier to open. He’ll just have to take his chances on the juice box because I didn't think to get a thermos.

Dropping him off this morning was hard. Really, really hard. When it was our turn in the carpool line, I wanted to help him out of the car. The teacher outside was hurrying us along and I didn't even get to hug him. People behind me were getting impatient so I pulled away, straining to see him in my rear view mirror. Just as I feared, I didn't see if he made it inside. His teacher assured me there would be plenty of teachers outside helping usher them in to their classes but I needed to see it. The tears began to flow and I had to pull over at Food Lion. I cried. It was the ugly cry, complete with snot and hyperventilating. I turned to look at my daughter and saw her staring at me like I was a lunatic. Maybe I am. But I remembered my own rule that I can’t freak out in front of the kids. So I pulled myself together and went inside to do some grocery shopping (since I was already there.) We came home, unloaded the car, went for our walk, and had breakfast. Now, here I sit, counting down the hours until I can see my boy’s happy face and hear about the wonderful day he had, and wonder what the hell I was so worried about. 

Our 2014 Summer Vacation

We try to take a family vacation every year. Sometimes it’s hard to plan due to James’ schedule, but I can usually put together a fun weekend trip. We really wanted to take a Disney cruise this year. James and I used to travel frequently and really enjoy cruises and the Caribbean. I wanted to do something that the kids would enjoy and the Disney cruise seemed to be the perfect compromise. Unfortunately, I only knew James’ schedule as of the summer and the summer rates were just too costly for our family right now. So, instead of skipping vacation altogether, I planned a long weekend and packed as much fun into it as possible.

I knew I wanted to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. James and I both went there frequently as children and we have great memories of the amusement park. During the Spring, I began seeing commercials for Great Wolf Lodge. It is a rustic, cabin style resort with a large indoor water park and many other amenities such as restaurants, a spa, an arcade, bowling, mini golf and more. Basically, it is a kids paradise. I began doing some research and decided that it would be great for our family. I booked a long weekend a couple of weeks before the start of school.

We headed out early in the morning and drove straight to Busch Gardens. It is about a 4 hour drive with kids. The kids had a blast. Brady had never seen anything so awesome. He went on every single ride that he was tall enough for. He was upset that he was too short for the big roller coasters, but he got to go on one in Sesame Street’s Forest of Fun. Cecilia loved the Forest but Brady concluded that it was for babies and that he would rather explore the rest of the park. If you’ve never been to Busch Gardens it is divided into different “countries.” There is Italy, England, France, Ireland and Germany. Each country has different themed rides, shops and restaurants. My personal favorite is Germany, but they are all fun. We ate lunch in Italy and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my kids devour food the way they did! It was a hot day but there are plenty of places to cool off in the shade. Cecilia and I didn’t go on many rides so we were thankful for those shady spots!

After spending the day at Busch Gardens, we headed to the hotel. We weren’t even out of the parking lot before the kids were asleep. Great Wolf was only a couple of miles away so I sat in the car while the kids napped and James checked in. Upon check in, you receive cute wolf ears and bracelets. The bracelets unlock the door to your room and also serve as your pass to the water park. We got a pizza and by the time we toured the lodge, it was almost Cecilia’s bedtime. So James took Brady to the water park until closing time, and I set out to get Cecilia to sleep. On a side note, she got out of her crib last week. I took the Pack ‘n Play hoping she would sleep in it, but she was too excited. I put her in the big bed with me and turned the lights off but she ended up staying up until 10:00.

The next morning the kids were up, as Brady called it “at the crap of dawn.” This was 6:00 am. The water park didn’t open until 9:00 so we watched TV and got Dunkin’ Donuts while we waited. We were the first ones at the water park and I was able to grab a table right in front of the toddler pool. James and Brady went off to do surfing and the major water slides. Cecilia had a blast splashing and playing in the water fountains. Once he started getting tired, Brady came over to play with her. He showed her how to go down the small slides and she was right behind him. She was the littlest one on the slides, because she has to do everything big brother does. We went back to the room for lunch and a little quiet time.

After our break, Brady wanted to play mini golf. He has always loved golfing and loves a chance to check out a new course. We (tried) to golf, but Cecilia thought it was her job to retrieve the balls after each person’s turn, so there wasn’t much point in keeping score. Although, I kept track in my head and I did beat James J After golf, Mama wanted some outside pool time. I got a lounge chair, a giant frozen drink and slathered on some sunscreen. James played in the pool with the kids and helped Cecilia with the outdoor water slide. As they were playing, a kid about Brady’s age reached for a Cheeto and fell through the slat in his lounge chair. I immediately started laughing (hey, he didn’t get hurt and he was laughing!) but the kids mom didn’t think it was so funny, so I decided it might be time to pack up and head in.

I had been researching restaurants and decided I wanted to eat at Food For Thought. It got great Google reviews and the menu sounded good. Seafood is my favorite and I had narrowed it down to a couple of dishes. So we showered and headed to dinner. If you are considering going to The Great Wolf Lodge, I would highly recommend taking a hair dryer. The website states that they come standard in the rooms and in an effort to prove James wrong about my supposed over-packing tendencies, I was determined to pack all my stuff in ONE backpack. The hairdryer wouldn’t fit, so I thought I would use the one in the room. Wrong. There was a hole in the wall where it had been removed. After requesting one 4 times, and never receiving it, I had to go to dinner with wet hair in a ponytail. Yuck. With what we paid for the room, someone should have come in the room and personally styled my hair! Anyway, that was the only disappointment of the trip.

On the way to dinner, the kids fell asleep. We once again sat in the car to let them nap. By the time we went in to the restaurant, there was a long wait so we waited outside and chatted with other families. There were a group of ladies that drove 45 minutes every week to eat there. They even gave us a discount card and offered opinions on what to order. Once our name was called, we browsed the menu and placed our orders. James got shrimp and grits, I got a crab cake served on a spinach and cheese stuffed portobello and the kids got mac and cheese and a cheeseburger. While we waited, they served sweet potato corn bread. Yes, you read that right! Talk about melt-in-your-mouth. The restaurant was so good and I highly recommend it to anyone.

After dinner, we went to the arcade. Brady loves some arcade games and I have to admit, so do I. Cecilia loved all the lights and sounds. Brady ended up trading in his tickets for an airplane, a bracelet for himself and a glitter bracelet for Cecilia. We headed up to bed and this time we all slept like babies.

The next morning we had to check out at 11:00, but you can use the water park all day. We headed to the park hoping to get some sillies out before driving home. Brady talked me into going on a crazy slide with him and Cecilia went on the little slides about 50 times. By 10:30 or so, they were ready to go. So, we had an early lunch and packed up the car. Cecilia had picked out an Abby Cadabby t-shirt at Busch Gardens and Brady still had to pick out his souvenir. He browsed the gift shop carefully before choosing a snow globe. He’s funny like that-he doesn’t want toys or t-shirts. He told me he wanted a special keepsake. So we got the snow globe, checked out, and headed back to the great state of North Carolina.

We had a fantastic time and would love to return some day! Busch Gardens and Great Wolf Lodge are great destinations for families who like excitement and adventure. 

Like a fine wine...?

There are some words I just dislike. For example, "dye." Doesn't "color" or "highlight" sound more appropriate when it comes to one's hair? How about "cheap." I prefer to use "affordable," "less expensive," or "frugal." Then there's cobbler. I have nothing against the dessert, I just don't like the word.

I have recently discovered another word I dislike. "Old." And anything to do with the word, including words like "aging," "fine lines," and the horrendous "wrinkles." I don't wear make-up often and when I do, I use the same brand of foundation I have used for many years. L'Oreal True Match, N3 (Natural Buff).

Here is the description of my youthful make-up, from the L'Oreal website:

With patented color technology, True Match™ Makeup precisely matches your skin’s tone and texture and coordinates perfectly with True Match™ Powder, Blush, and Concealer. Formulated with Precise Match™ Technology so you can control coverage and fine-tune it. Ultra-pure formula contains no oils, fragrances, or pore-clogging fillers, so all you see is beautiful, radiant, flawless skin. With Vitamins A and C, wheat germ and grape fruit extract to keep your skin nourished, protected and healthy.

Finish: Natural
SPF: 17 (select shades)
Coverage: Light to medium
Skin Type: For all skin types. Oil-free.

Available in 33 skin-true shades

I splurge for Clinique when it comes to eye shadows, mascaras and blush. But I have come to rely on good old L'Oreal for my foundation needs. Note the coverage and skin type in the description. So imagine my surprise when I applied my normal amount of foundation and still looked bare-faced. This was "natural finish" and "light coverage" all right. I went to Target and perused the make-up aisle and eventually decided I didn't need a different make-up. Maybe I had a defective bottle. Maybe I just needed to apply a little more. I went home and dabbed a little more under my eyes and on my forehead. Nope. No difference, it just felt like I had on a lot of foundation (which I hate!) So back to the store I went and settled on L'Oreal Visible Lift. Here is the description:

Introducing a breakthrough in age minimizing makeup. Only Visible Lift^® Serum Absolute features an age reversing serum of 5 ingredients in 1 luminous makeup. New Visible Lift^® Serum Absolute Makeup instantly evens skin tone with a luxuriously lightweight formula that doesn’t settle into lines and wrinkles. In four weeks, the potent formula addresses 5 signs of aging to visibly transform skin to smoother, firmer, brighter, even, flawless.

5 Proven Results:

• 45% more even skin tone
• 72% saw more youthful skin
• 75% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles
• 79% saw fewer imperfections
• 90% saw smoother skin

Lift your standards of what an anti-aging makeup can do.

Finish: Luminous
SPF: 17
Coverage: Medium 
Skin Type: All skin types

Available in 12 shades.

Surely this Visible Lift Serum Absolute would give me my youthful glowing skin back? There are proven results! I noticed that this foundation is much thicker and feels much more like "foundation." It does make my skin appear noticeably smoother and younger, but it also feels dryer and tighter. While Visible Lift is an improvement, I think my search for "mature" make-up will continue. I really like the bare-faced feeling of my True Match but maybe this is just something you have to get used to. Just like the maturing process itself. I don't think I will wake up one day and be ok with it all, but in the meantime I try to adhere to the saying "like a fine wine we grow better with the years." And you better believe I'll be on the lookout for silver, sparkly hairs. 

Backyard Makeover

When we bought our house, the backyard left much to be desired. Sure, it was spacious, and on a corner lot, but there were parts of it I knew we had to work on. I knew we would need a fence, for starters. After living here for 2 years we finally got our fence. It was one of the best investments of my life! I no longer have to walk the dogs and I feel more comfortable with Brady playing in an enclosed space. It also gave our property "definition" and provided a bit more privacy.

There was also a section of shrubbery, weeds and vines on the right hand side of the yard that I hated. I referred to it as "the jungle." I am terrified of snakes and I felt like the whole thing was a snake den. While James was gone in the spring, my parents came over with an arsenal of tools and tore the jungle down. It had almost regrown by the time James returned but he spent several more weekends on it and it is now gone!

One of the other things I was not fond of was the monstrous fort left here by the previous owners. While sturdy, it was old and a bit too high off the ground for my accident-prone son. I had planned to tear it down this summer until my mom had a great idea. Instead of hauling it away, she suggested, why don't you cut the bottom half off, paint it, and make it a playhouse for the kids? What a great idea! It was so big and heavy we had to wait for an occasion where multiple people could help tip it over to cut the bottom off. That happened when we had a cook-out with some friends. It took 5 Marines, but they did it!

On the right, you can see the fort and "jungle." Don't mind the mess, it was a birthday party! 

After it was tipped and James sawed off the bottom, we took a family trip to Lowe's. We couldn't agree on a color to paint it, of course, and ended up choosing yellow for the house and gray for the roof. I also picked up some color changing solar garden stakes and ordered string lights from Amazon. I spent a couple of weeks sanding, priming and painting the playhouse. It was a slow moving process due to rain and kids. 

Before I even started on the playhouse, I had ordered a fire pit from Amazon. I decided it would go nicely in our new space. I wanted to put some rocks around it to prevent the kids from getting too close to the flame. Here is my "go-by" from Pinterest: 

Nice and simple! 

I loved the design, but as I tend to do, I went a little overboard. I figured, why not construct an entire patio? James, as he tends to do, rolled his eyes but loved the idea! He enlisted one of our friends to help, in exchange for a few dinners. The weather was not on our side, but after a couple of weekends we had a patio!

The day the guys finished it! 

I loved the addition of the river rocks. 

The almost-finished playhouse. 

The husband surprised me with chairs I wanted! Now all we need to do is put out some grass seed. 

Pretty lights at night. Loving our new space! 

We plan on keeping our New Bern house, even though we will be moving in the near future. I love my home and it's location. I enjoy these projects and trips to Lowe's. I wouldn't trade our time spent together for anything. I look forward to great memories and future years spent at our house by the lake. 

New Traditions

One of my favorite memories of growing up was our Friday family nights. Every Friday we would go out to dinner as a family, and then go for ice cream or rent movies for the weekend. It was so fun deciding where we would go, discussing what movies were out, and planning our weekends. My mom, my dad, my sister and I did this as a family until I was probably 20 years old. Then I met James and my parents were busy with their shop. James and I still went out every weekend, but this time it was with friends and while fun, it was just different. Once we had Brady we stopped going out to restaurants altogether. It was fine when he was a baby, but once he got older he just wouldn't have it. We lived in VT and there were only a couple of people who were able to baby sit. We managed to get out once in a while, but I never completely enjoyed it because I always missed my son.

Thinking back through the past 3 years, I would say we have been to a restaurant maybe 7 or 8 times total. It's not just the kids- I have grown to love cooking. It is one of my favorite things to do and nothing makes me happier than pleasing my friends and family with their favorite dishes. Last weekend a male friend even told me that before he would ever get married, his fiancee would have to spend a week with me learning how to cook. That was one of the best compliments I have ever received, and he now has a permanent dinner invitation at my house!

James called me from work last Friday and said "Hey, do you want to go to Buffalo Wild Wings tonight?" I told him I would have to think about it. After all, I have grown skeptical of other people preparing my food. What if they are sick? What kind of ingredients do they use? How many calories are in their menu items? Then I began wondering how the kids would be. They can barely sit down for a quick dinner at home. I decided to ask Brady what he wanted to do. After all, our experience would probably depend mostly on him. We all rode to pick him up from school at about 5:00. This was late, but we only wanted to make one trip to town and if we were going out I wanted to go before the dinner crowd. When I asked him, he gave me an enthusiastic "yes!" (as long as they had chicken nuggets and fries, that is).

We arrived at the restaurant and didn't have to wait. The kids got hats and coloring pages with crayons. We placed our orders, the service was fast, and the kids loved their food. Cecilia ate a fruit cup and an entire bowl of mac and cheese. Brady ate chicken tenders and fries. Daddy got wings and I had a wrap (which I later made the mistake of looking up the nutrition facts of online. People, read the nutrition facts BEFORE ordering if you are watching your weight!)

The kids were having so much fun we took them across the street to Books-A-Million to pick out a new book. By the time we got home it was Cecilia's bedtime, and she went right to sleep. I felt full, happy and relaxed. No tantrums, crying, spills, refusing to eat, or unhappiness of any sort. They had a blast. And it made me realize: why can't we carry on my family tradition? The kids are old enough, James isn't home often and there is really no reason why we shouldn't get out more. I can look up restaurants online ahead of time to check out healthy options and view kids menus. After all, why not let someone else do the cooking and cleaning a couple of times a month? I could use the break :)