Lately, I've been stuck in a rut. Tired, unmotivated, scattered, overwhelmed. These are the feelings that kind of float into my body after my morning decaf has worn off and then stick with me the rest of the day.
This weekend, I made a few discoveries.
I can drink tea again (I'll explain this in another post).
I am missing out on precious time with my son; before you know it September will be here and I'll be yearning for these long days of summer. (Thanks to Dada for reminding me of that).
This stuck in a rut thing tends to happen to me around this time every summer. This occurs, I realized because July is slowly transitioning to August. And I start to freak out internally. To my pessimistic mind, August means September is right around the corner. It's like August ceases to exist and all I can see is September looming over the horizon. I know, I know, woe is me. I have two months off every year, and all I can do is complain and whine how it's going to end soon. I wouldn't feel bad for me either.
Typically, I look at a summer like a weekend. June is Friday. The anticipation for time off is palpable. Teachers are counting down the days and are as almost checked out as the students. By the end of June, when I'm finally off, it feels like I have tons of time to kill. Life couldn't be better. Then, out of nowhere, July hits. No big deal. Still have plenty of time. Most of July is like a Saturday, where I spend tons of time with family and friends and forget that I have work on Monday. However, August is (obviously) like a Sunday, where it hits me that I have to work tomorrow, so I need to get cracking on planning and grading and whatever else it is I promised myself I'd get done this weekend. But the reality check usually hits me near the end of July. I'm looking around and thinking - what the hell happened to this month? It's disappearing before my very eyes.
In years past I've given myself all of July to do nothing work-related and start planning mid-August, but
that was back when I was going to be teaching the same grade level the following September. Because I'm teaching a new grade level (Grade 9) in September, I promised myself back in early June - which now seems like forever ago - that I'd start working in July and have half of my year mapped out by August. YA RIGHT!!!
What was I thinking putting that kind of expectation on myself?
Truthfully, I wasn't being realistic. I was trying to be the perfect teacher. I was trying to make myself think I could get everything done this summer so I wouldn't freak out that I'm teaching an ENTIRELY NEW GRADEL LEVEL IN SEPTEMBER!!!! I knew this meant all new texts, new writing assignments, a new type of student. So to relieve any anxiety I might have about this, I told myself it would get done this summer, and I would have nothing to worry about. I could rest easy.
I'm not mad at myself for thinking I could accomplish this, but I am annoyed that I didn't realize sooner that I couldn't. It took me all of July battling with myself about getting work done versus feeling like I should relax and enjoy-my-time-off-for-once for it to fully dawn on me that it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't all get done. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I only mapped out Speak and Romeo and Juliet or even just Speak.
My first step came last week, when I reorganized and de-cluttered some of the things in the home office I share with my photographer husband. I made space for the new texts I need to teach and threw out a ton of stuff I've always kept for middle school, but never ever used. I boxed up all of my 7th and 8th grade texts to be sent to the junior highs when I return to work. I put supplies and books in appropriate cubbies, bins, storage containers, and made ample space on my desk to read, write, and work on the computer.
Then today, of all days (July 30 no less), I sat down with the time that Keith and I had carved out just for me to work, and began to figure out how to begin planning at least the first few months of the year.
First, I found this awesome blog post about a do-it-yourself plan book using sticky notes. I wrote a list of things I will need to make this a reality. I know it may seem kind of disorganized, but there's some good reasoning behind it and thought put into it. It's actually a very organized plan book in the end. If you're anything like me - constantly changing and shifting lessons and activities, then this is the answer. After writing in pencil on crappy ass plan books made for teachers, but apparently not BY teachers, for six years (because they always fall apart by November and are barely legible the next school year, there are so many erasures) this is the change I've been looking for.
I started re-reading Speak, taking notes, and writing questions to ask students along the way. If you are even just sort of into young adult literature, this is totally the book for you. The main character goes through many struggles but the story along the way is pretty amusing. High school. What can get more funny than that? After I read this book years ago, I read everything else by Laurie Halse Anderson and loved them all.
It doesn't sound like much was done but, for me, these were huge breakthroughs. Now, I've set the pace for reading that I can do every other night (because, let's be realistic, I still want to blog and pleasure read - two things I don't get to do enough of during the school year) and for future afternoons that I have to work.
I feel like a weight has been lifted.
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Monday, July 30, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
What it is that I do for a living
So Randalin over at Harvesting Kale found this great link up from the website, Growing up Geeky. It's called Toddle Along Tuesday and there's different topics each week. Just like the "Currently" link up, and the "Me, Myself, and I" link up, it's a chance for me to share a little bit about myself. I was inspired, after reading Randalin's post last night, to write a little bit about what I do for a living.
I am an English teacher. Before I became a teacher I was a newspaper reporter. I love teaching one million times more than being a newspaper reporter. Why? Because I feel like I am having a positive impact on my students. When I was a newspaper reporter, my editors just wanted me to write stories that scared people. I pushed back on that. I liked to write positive stories about things going on in the community. It's what my sources told me they wanted. But my stories didn't make the front page, and they apparently were not what sold newspapers. Nothing mattered to my bosses but the bottom line. So I bailed and went to graduate school to become a teacher, something I had considered doing in college, but chickened out on. Changing careers was one of the most difficult decisions I've made, but one of the smartest.
So here I am. I taught middle school for six years, and in September, I will be teaching high school.
In middle school, you focus on reading strategies, skills, grammatical lessons, sentence structure. You might (re) teach spelling rules. You teach the writing process. You teach the purpose and benefits of revision. You read and analyze novels, short stories, non-fiction, and poetry with the students. In my classroom, I tried very hard to get my students engaged by focusing on student centered activities such as socratic seminars, literature circles, poetry groups, etc. The truth is though, in middle school, it's hard to reach some students. Those students are so focused on their social lives that they don't really pay attention in class or to their homework. And I get it. I remember 7th grade. I remember none of what I learned, but I remember clearly when a boy first asked me out. I remember clearly spending hours on the phone after school with my best friend rehashing the social aspect of the school day.
But this past school year I had the privilege of teaching an amazing group of 8th graders who WERE motivated to learn. I challenged them to think on a different level and they challenged me to teach on a different level. It was then that I realized I was teaching a high school class in junior high, and I absolutely loved it.
So in the Spring I asked for the transfer that had always been a distant dream. I told my supervisor I really wanted to have the chance to teach and inspire older students. I was given the opportunity. My distant dream became a reality. And for that I am grateful.
Teaching was never my "dream job." But after becoming a parent, I let go of my dream job. I like what I do now, and that's enough. It's enough for me to partake in a profession in which I can make lasting connections, and positively influence young minds. That's why I wouldn't trade my occupation for anything else in this world.
I am an English teacher. Before I became a teacher I was a newspaper reporter. I love teaching one million times more than being a newspaper reporter. Why? Because I feel like I am having a positive impact on my students. When I was a newspaper reporter, my editors just wanted me to write stories that scared people. I pushed back on that. I liked to write positive stories about things going on in the community. It's what my sources told me they wanted. But my stories didn't make the front page, and they apparently were not what sold newspapers. Nothing mattered to my bosses but the bottom line. So I bailed and went to graduate school to become a teacher, something I had considered doing in college, but chickened out on. Changing careers was one of the most difficult decisions I've made, but one of the smartest.
So here I am. I taught middle school for six years, and in September, I will be teaching high school.
In middle school, you focus on reading strategies, skills, grammatical lessons, sentence structure. You might (re) teach spelling rules. You teach the writing process. You teach the purpose and benefits of revision. You read and analyze novels, short stories, non-fiction, and poetry with the students. In my classroom, I tried very hard to get my students engaged by focusing on student centered activities such as socratic seminars, literature circles, poetry groups, etc. The truth is though, in middle school, it's hard to reach some students. Those students are so focused on their social lives that they don't really pay attention in class or to their homework. And I get it. I remember 7th grade. I remember none of what I learned, but I remember clearly when a boy first asked me out. I remember clearly spending hours on the phone after school with my best friend rehashing the social aspect of the school day.
But this past school year I had the privilege of teaching an amazing group of 8th graders who WERE motivated to learn. I challenged them to think on a different level and they challenged me to teach on a different level. It was then that I realized I was teaching a high school class in junior high, and I absolutely loved it.
So in the Spring I asked for the transfer that had always been a distant dream. I told my supervisor I really wanted to have the chance to teach and inspire older students. I was given the opportunity. My distant dream became a reality. And for that I am grateful.
Teaching was never my "dream job." But after becoming a parent, I let go of my dream job. I like what I do now, and that's enough. It's enough for me to partake in a profession in which I can make lasting connections, and positively influence young minds. That's why I wouldn't trade my occupation for anything else in this world.
Currently Link up
Currently, we're linking up with Randalin and Wendy to let you know what we're up to this week.
Enjoying the mini vacations we keep taking. They may not be to exotic locales, but they are relaxing enough that we sometimes forget what day it is. To me, that's always the sure sign of a good time being had by all.
Learning to manage my time. Usually Keith and I have really been trying to give each other time to get work done so that we aren't resentful of each other. That means we have to plan and manage the free time that we do have, so that it's put to good use.
Inspired by people on Instagram and other bloggers. There is one person on Instagram in particular who has inspired me to get creative with my cooking. She's always posting pictures of her dinner or lunch and I'm always salivating. One night I decided to truly be inspired. I made a dish similar to one she had posted that very afternoon, and it was a huge hit with my tummy and with Keith and Cole's.
Becoming a high school teacher. I'm not counting the weeks yet because it's still July, and I don't count weeks when it's still July. But soon, I will officially be a high school teacher. For years, telling people I was a middle school teacher garnered a lot of sympathy and raised eyebrows. "You do what? Why?" I'm glad that will be a thing of the past.
Indulging in hot dogs. For some reason this summer, I've really started to like hot dogs. It used to be that I could never really eat more than one because they'd fill me up and I'd get a little grossed out by what I'd just eaten. But, now we have sauerkraut and hot dogs on our regular grocery list. We either get the nitrate free dogs from Applegate and those are delicious. Or we buy them from the grass-fed butcher and those are out of this world.
Enjoying painting on his easel. Several times a week, I break out the paints and he just has at it. Since I'm no artist, I don't mind if he mixes colors and makes a mess.
Learning the small details about what Mama and Dada prefer. He may not be great at listening to the important things, like "Don't throw your sippy" or "Please stop bouncing on the couch," but he sure knows what we like. The other day Keith asked him what he wanted to drink and he said coffee. Keith said, "What kind of coffee?" Cole's replied, "Decafa" (my coffee of choice). Keith then decided to go a little further and see if Cole really knew what he was talking about (as if answering "Decaf" wasn't enough). So Keith said, "How do you take it? What do you like in it?" Cole answered, "Sugar." We both looked at each other in astonishment. Keith pushed a little further, "Anything else?" Cole replied "Milk with my sugar."
Inspired by Pete from Pete's a Pizza. Pete runs around the house being chased by his father. Cole likes to be naked and do the same thing. He pretends he's Pete. It's kind of funny, until he stops and looks like he's trying not to pee on the floor.
Becoming a real camper. He listens a bit more now when we tell him not to go in the road (although not all of the time). He actually sits on the bench when we eat dinner and eats with us. (We got him this awesome high chair that clips onto the picnic bench, but ever since we stopped using the booster seat at home, he wants nothing to do with said awesome high chair.) He walks in the center of the paths that are surrounded by poison ivy, and he doesn't drop food everywhere. He likes to roast marshmallows, but he's not as interested in eating them. He stays a good distance away from the fire and seems to understand somewhat that it's dangerous. (I think the smoke and the heat are the biggest clues). AND he can even fall asleep when there are people partying nearby. A bigger plus is that he stays asleep when Keith and I have to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Indulging in ice pops. He must ask me about 3-4 times a day for an ice pop. I got the idea from Randalin to make my own ice pops for Cole and he loves these the best, although he'd anything as long as it is frozen and on a stick of some sort. So as soon as he's done with breakfast, the ice pop indulgence begins.
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| Mama is... |
Learning to manage my time. Usually Keith and I have really been trying to give each other time to get work done so that we aren't resentful of each other. That means we have to plan and manage the free time that we do have, so that it's put to good use.
Inspired by people on Instagram and other bloggers. There is one person on Instagram in particular who has inspired me to get creative with my cooking. She's always posting pictures of her dinner or lunch and I'm always salivating. One night I decided to truly be inspired. I made a dish similar to one she had posted that very afternoon, and it was a huge hit with my tummy and with Keith and Cole's.
Becoming a high school teacher. I'm not counting the weeks yet because it's still July, and I don't count weeks when it's still July. But soon, I will officially be a high school teacher. For years, telling people I was a middle school teacher garnered a lot of sympathy and raised eyebrows. "You do what? Why?" I'm glad that will be a thing of the past.
Indulging in hot dogs. For some reason this summer, I've really started to like hot dogs. It used to be that I could never really eat more than one because they'd fill me up and I'd get a little grossed out by what I'd just eaten. But, now we have sauerkraut and hot dogs on our regular grocery list. We either get the nitrate free dogs from Applegate and those are delicious. Or we buy them from the grass-fed butcher and those are out of this world.
 |
| Cole is... |
Learning the small details about what Mama and Dada prefer. He may not be great at listening to the important things, like "Don't throw your sippy" or "Please stop bouncing on the couch," but he sure knows what we like. The other day Keith asked him what he wanted to drink and he said coffee. Keith said, "What kind of coffee?" Cole's replied, "Decafa" (my coffee of choice). Keith then decided to go a little further and see if Cole really knew what he was talking about (as if answering "Decaf" wasn't enough). So Keith said, "How do you take it? What do you like in it?" Cole answered, "Sugar." We both looked at each other in astonishment. Keith pushed a little further, "Anything else?" Cole replied "Milk with my sugar."
Inspired by Pete from Pete's a Pizza. Pete runs around the house being chased by his father. Cole likes to be naked and do the same thing. He pretends he's Pete. It's kind of funny, until he stops and looks like he's trying not to pee on the floor.
Becoming a real camper. He listens a bit more now when we tell him not to go in the road (although not all of the time). He actually sits on the bench when we eat dinner and eats with us. (We got him this awesome high chair that clips onto the picnic bench, but ever since we stopped using the booster seat at home, he wants nothing to do with said awesome high chair.) He walks in the center of the paths that are surrounded by poison ivy, and he doesn't drop food everywhere. He likes to roast marshmallows, but he's not as interested in eating them. He stays a good distance away from the fire and seems to understand somewhat that it's dangerous. (I think the smoke and the heat are the biggest clues). AND he can even fall asleep when there are people partying nearby. A bigger plus is that he stays asleep when Keith and I have to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Indulging in ice pops. He must ask me about 3-4 times a day for an ice pop. I got the idea from Randalin to make my own ice pops for Cole and he loves these the best, although he'd anything as long as it is frozen and on a stick of some sort. So as soon as he's done with breakfast, the ice pop indulgence begins.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Camping with the Bears
This past weekend was our first camping excursion with our new, pre-owned pop-up trailer.
We went all out.
Oh yeah.
We went to Woodstock. Well technically, Mt. Tremper, but Woodstock was only minutes away.
The campground, Kenneth Wilson Campground was a whopping 35 minutes from our house. We were living dangerously folks. Real dangerously.
Actually, I kid you not.
Lowlights:
Realizing this was bear country just as we were checking in. This was a tiny detail I had completely overlooked, which is surprising, considering that tiny detail caused me to change plans last minute last year. There are over 7,000 black bears in the Catskill Mountains and when you get to the campground, like any others in the Catskills, they read you the riot act about not feeding the bears and keeping practically everything edible or drinkable locked up in your car.
Having to tell Cole not to touch the bears. We also overemphasized the fact that bears were not nice, nor were they friendly, nor were they dogs (which they tend to look like from far away). I know - way to kill his innocence. But since he's been watching a few television shows that have animals (namely bears) as central characters, I felt he needed to understand this. As we told him this he whimpered
"Oooh" like he was gravely disappointed. I felt bad - for a nano-second.
Trying to hike on the nature trail only to realize it was overgrown with poison ivy. Don't even get me started on the Poison Ivy around our campsite. And this was for reals this time, folks.
Highlights:
Getting a site right by the bathroom - again! Yay for convenience camping. Of course this was no bueno for Keith because he had to back the pop-up trailer into an L shaped spot. Why? Because there was a giant and ancient tree in the middle of the site.
Eating our first night out at my favorite fancy Chinese restaurant, The Little Bear in Woodstock. (We got to the campground way after dinner time), We managed to get through dinner with just a little screaming on Cole's part. Then we went back to the campground and tried to settle in for the night. I say "tried" because it had been a long rainy, day. We had gone to LI and back to visit my ailing grandmother in the hospital and then we had raced home and packed our stuff and the car in about an hour and a half. Cole had been in the car for probably 6 hours. He was definitely a trooper that day. So as we were "trying," I thought to myself, this is what we get for racing around New York with a toddler in tow in a matter of 12 hours. Eventually, after a good amount of screaming and crying Cole passed out in between Keith and I around midnight. To be more specific, his head rested on my legs and his feet rested on Keith's gut (yes, Keith got sucker kicked really hard and was, literally, not a happy camper as he fell asleep).
Waking up Saturday morning bright and early to a crystal clear sky. It was like it had never rained the day before. It was so beautiful, we went for a walk around the campground after breakfast. We visited the campground pond (not a swimming destination, but instead a home to hundreds of frogs) and had some snacks under the pavilion. We decided this would be a great place to come back to just for an afternoon.
Finding the most awesome beach in the Catskills - Belleayre Beach - and getting a toddler nap in on the 30 minute drive there. Cole had an awesome time eating pretzels and a Dora ice cream pop, throwing sand, sifting sand, swimming in the shallow water, all the while watching the other kids play.
Having a wonderful dinner and dessert around the campfire Saturday night to round out our most awesomely fulfilling day. Of course Cole put up a little fight when it came time to go to sleep, but it wasn't too bad. This was surprising to us considering the wild karaoke party going on several sites down from us.
Waking up late Saturday night to total and utter silence. After our experience in Vermont, it was so pleasant to know that a caretaker actually does his job and keeps the quiet.
Taking my nightly midnight trip to the bathroom and finding a deer sitting down a little ways off the path.
Coming back to the trailer and realizing that the buzzing noise I kept hearing was actually a hundred million frogs going "Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit" all at the same time. It was amazing to listen to.
Being able to sleep in on Sunday morning because we slept in a pop-up (has windows you can seal up and curtains to keep more light out of our bunk). I can NEVER sleep-in when we camp in the tent. Way too bright for this light sleeper.
We went all out.
Oh yeah.
We went to Woodstock. Well technically, Mt. Tremper, but Woodstock was only minutes away.
The campground, Kenneth Wilson Campground was a whopping 35 minutes from our house. We were living dangerously folks. Real dangerously.
Actually, I kid you not.
Lowlights:
Realizing this was bear country just as we were checking in. This was a tiny detail I had completely overlooked, which is surprising, considering that tiny detail caused me to change plans last minute last year. There are over 7,000 black bears in the Catskill Mountains and when you get to the campground, like any others in the Catskills, they read you the riot act about not feeding the bears and keeping practically everything edible or drinkable locked up in your car.
Having to tell Cole not to touch the bears. We also overemphasized the fact that bears were not nice, nor were they friendly, nor were they dogs (which they tend to look like from far away). I know - way to kill his innocence. But since he's been watching a few television shows that have animals (namely bears) as central characters, I felt he needed to understand this. As we told him this he whimpered
"Oooh" like he was gravely disappointed. I felt bad - for a nano-second.
Trying to hike on the nature trail only to realize it was overgrown with poison ivy. Don't even get me started on the Poison Ivy around our campsite. And this was for reals this time, folks.
Highlights:
Getting a site right by the bathroom - again! Yay for convenience camping. Of course this was no bueno for Keith because he had to back the pop-up trailer into an L shaped spot. Why? Because there was a giant and ancient tree in the middle of the site.
Eating our first night out at my favorite fancy Chinese restaurant, The Little Bear in Woodstock. (We got to the campground way after dinner time), We managed to get through dinner with just a little screaming on Cole's part. Then we went back to the campground and tried to settle in for the night. I say "tried" because it had been a long rainy, day. We had gone to LI and back to visit my ailing grandmother in the hospital and then we had raced home and packed our stuff and the car in about an hour and a half. Cole had been in the car for probably 6 hours. He was definitely a trooper that day. So as we were "trying," I thought to myself, this is what we get for racing around New York with a toddler in tow in a matter of 12 hours. Eventually, after a good amount of screaming and crying Cole passed out in between Keith and I around midnight. To be more specific, his head rested on my legs and his feet rested on Keith's gut (yes, Keith got sucker kicked really hard and was, literally, not a happy camper as he fell asleep).
Waking up Saturday morning bright and early to a crystal clear sky. It was like it had never rained the day before. It was so beautiful, we went for a walk around the campground after breakfast. We visited the campground pond (not a swimming destination, but instead a home to hundreds of frogs) and had some snacks under the pavilion. We decided this would be a great place to come back to just for an afternoon.
Finding the most awesome beach in the Catskills - Belleayre Beach - and getting a toddler nap in on the 30 minute drive there. Cole had an awesome time eating pretzels and a Dora ice cream pop, throwing sand, sifting sand, swimming in the shallow water, all the while watching the other kids play.
Having a wonderful dinner and dessert around the campfire Saturday night to round out our most awesomely fulfilling day. Of course Cole put up a little fight when it came time to go to sleep, but it wasn't too bad. This was surprising to us considering the wild karaoke party going on several sites down from us.
Waking up late Saturday night to total and utter silence. After our experience in Vermont, it was so pleasant to know that a caretaker actually does his job and keeps the quiet.
Taking my nightly midnight trip to the bathroom and finding a deer sitting down a little ways off the path.
Coming back to the trailer and realizing that the buzzing noise I kept hearing was actually a hundred million frogs going "Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit" all at the same time. It was amazing to listen to.
Being able to sleep in on Sunday morning because we slept in a pop-up (has windows you can seal up and curtains to keep more light out of our bunk). I can NEVER sleep-in when we camp in the tent. Way too bright for this light sleeper.
Not encountering a single bear. I can only hope we have the same luck on our next camping trip to Saugerties.
Pictures:
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| Instagram pic: Our maiden voyage |
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| Sleep fighting at its finest |
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| Looking purty in the woods. |
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| Way too sunny for total happy face. |
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| Dada and Cole on the dock of Upper Pond |
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| Mama obsessively checking her leg for ticks. |
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| Pretty stream by the overgrown nature trail. |
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| My obsession with baby carriers really comes in handy sometime. |
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| Dada kisses Cole by the stream |
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| Climb Mt Dada! |
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| Really? This trailer hitch is not a seat? I beg to differ. |
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| Sand investigation at Belleayre Beach. |
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| Helping Dada with the fire. |
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| Cole eats a marshmallow in private. (He discovered marshmallows are only tasty when they're combined with melted chocolate). |
Monday, July 23, 2012
Currently
I know I'm kinda late with this link up, but here it is anyway. I struggle with these sometimes - do I write a summary of what I am currently up to or do I write what I am currently up to right.this.very.second?
Thanks to Randalin and Wendy for this link up, which has heretofore forced me to sit down and reflect on what....
Mama is
cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner most meals. I love cooking and making meals for the family. I don't do this as often during the school year, so I relish it during my two months off each year.
making it possible once again to walk around my side of the office I share with Dada. I just spent the entire afternoon throwing things out and reorganizing my work related books, folders, papers.
working on being more patient with Cole and appreciating every second I have with him. This summer is really flying by, as you all can probably tell, and I know I won't have this quality time with him come September. My little boy is so precious, he deserves only the best from me.
reading new blogs and getting to know other mothers on other parts of the continent. Wishing I had half the talent as some of them.
listening to Bonnie Raitt and thoroughly enjoying the break from Fresh Beats.
Cole is
cooking birthday cupcakes and mac and cheese on the new pre-owned Kidcraft stove we bought for him months ago but only recently brought into the house.
making phone calls to Gamma whenever we are away. We actually came across a pay phone at the campgrounds we stayed at this weekend (our first camping experience with the pop-up) and he naturally called Gamma and told her about our trip. He also made a special request for a bubble machine, but that's beside the point. I will be posting about our weekend very soon so be on the lookout!
working on telling us that he really needs something. This is go-to argument if we are trying to take something away from him. He's thoroughly convinced he needs it and can't live without it. It's comical and heartbreaking at the same time.
reading Pete's a Pizza. We read this at least three times a night and he laughs more and more each time. In fact, today he got loose from me as I was changing his diaper and he ran around the house just like Pete runs around the house. He, of course, wanted me to chase him like Pete is chased but I was kind of perturbed about the fact that I could not get a diaper on this kid. He's becoming very stubborn lately.
listening to Fresh Beats. With the tickets we purchased from Ticket Master, we also bought the album. When we went to Woodstock this weekend, we listened to it every single time we all climbed into the car to go somewhere.
Thanks to Randalin and Wendy for this link up, which has heretofore forced me to sit down and reflect on what....
Mama is
cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner most meals. I love cooking and making meals for the family. I don't do this as often during the school year, so I relish it during my two months off each year.
making it possible once again to walk around my side of the office I share with Dada. I just spent the entire afternoon throwing things out and reorganizing my work related books, folders, papers.
working on being more patient with Cole and appreciating every second I have with him. This summer is really flying by, as you all can probably tell, and I know I won't have this quality time with him come September. My little boy is so precious, he deserves only the best from me.
reading new blogs and getting to know other mothers on other parts of the continent. Wishing I had half the talent as some of them.
listening to Bonnie Raitt and thoroughly enjoying the break from Fresh Beats.
Cole is
cooking birthday cupcakes and mac and cheese on the new pre-owned Kidcraft stove we bought for him months ago but only recently brought into the house.
making phone calls to Gamma whenever we are away. We actually came across a pay phone at the campgrounds we stayed at this weekend (our first camping experience with the pop-up) and he naturally called Gamma and told her about our trip. He also made a special request for a bubble machine, but that's beside the point. I will be posting about our weekend very soon so be on the lookout!
working on telling us that he really needs something. This is go-to argument if we are trying to take something away from him. He's thoroughly convinced he needs it and can't live without it. It's comical and heartbreaking at the same time.
reading Pete's a Pizza. We read this at least three times a night and he laughs more and more each time. In fact, today he got loose from me as I was changing his diaper and he ran around the house just like Pete runs around the house. He, of course, wanted me to chase him like Pete is chased but I was kind of perturbed about the fact that I could not get a diaper on this kid. He's becoming very stubborn lately.
listening to Fresh Beats. With the tickets we purchased from Ticket Master, we also bought the album. When we went to Woodstock this weekend, we listened to it every single time we all climbed into the car to go somewhere.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Me, Myself, and the rest of them
I'm trying to broaden my horizons and participate in blog link ups that I think are fun and might possibly bring me to new blogs.
This latest one I found on Randalin's blog. I liked the idea of polling all of my family members (I can speak for Cole, of course) and answering some interesting questions. I also liked the idea of sharing a little bit more about myself. My about page is brief and just gives a quick overview of me and this here blog. Because I'm a teacher, I try not to share too much personal information. But I'm trying to loosen up a bit!
Here they are..
What's your biggest phobia?
Dada - I guess I'm scared of not having fun and being happy, if that qualifies as a phobia.
This latest one I found on Randalin's blog. I liked the idea of polling all of my family members (I can speak for Cole, of course) and answering some interesting questions. I also liked the idea of sharing a little bit more about myself. My about page is brief and just gives a quick overview of me and this here blog. Because I'm a teacher, I try not to share too much personal information. But I'm trying to loosen up a bit!
Here they are..
What's your biggest phobia?
Dada - I guess I'm scared of not having fun and being happy, if that qualifies as a phobia.
Mama - I'm scared of ticks. The moment my sandaled or barefoot feet hits the grass I check my legs. Five minutes later, I check them again. And repeat. It doesn't help that the county I live in has the highest instance of lyme disease in the nation and that I've gotten lyme disease twice in two years.
Cole - sleep. I'm scared of what exciting thing will happen when I'm sleeping. So I don't like to fall asleep.
If you could choose to relive any day of your life what would it be?
Dada - Any day outside in nature with my family. preferably with snow involved. and maybe snowboards.
Mama- I would choose our wedding day. It was definitely the most amazing thing - to have all of our beloved family and friends in one place. The only thing that could've made it better was if Cole was there. Now I can see why some people wait until AFTER they have children to get married. Who better than to help you celebrate your union.
Cole - The day I went up the ski lift with my Dada.
If you could choose to stay a certain age forever what would it be?
Dada - 25, because I was in shape back then.
Mama - 35. I've been saying to myself lately that I love this age and don't want to get any older. But that probably has more to do with my realization that I am mortal and sickeningly close to 40 - HOLY CRAP!
Cole - 2. Let's have an adventure!
What celebrity do you get mistaken for ?
Dada -none
Mama - Once someone said I looked like Mariah Carey from the side angle. But this was back when she let her beautiful curls flow naturally.
Cole - The Gerber baby
What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?
Dada -anything by the red hot chilli peppers.
Mama - Girls just wanna have fun by Cyndi Lauper
Vision of Love by Mariah Carey (don't laugh - she was really awesome when she first hit it big)
You are my sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell
Cole:
Reach for the stars by Fresh Beats
I had a great day by Fresh Beats
Reach for the stars by Fresh Beats
I had a great day by Fresh Beats
Twinkle Twinkle by Jewel
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Finished with my obsession
I'm finished with my obsession. I watched the very last episode of Grey's Anatomy Season 8 the morning we left for Vermont. I have to say that it was the most heartbreaking episode - to watch a beloved character die when she was just rekindling her romance with her true love is never easy. But I got through it.
I am now glad I am done with it and can move on to things like pleasure reading, blogging, and preparing to teach 9th grade next year. Those are experiences that my summers are usually made of.
I will be watching Season 9 with my newly installed ABC Player on my iPhone at my own convenience when it starts up again in September. Because 9 p.m. on a Thursday, no matter how good the show is, is just too damn late for this early bird.
I am now glad I am done with it and can move on to things like pleasure reading, blogging, and preparing to teach 9th grade next year. Those are experiences that my summers are usually made of.
I will be watching Season 9 with my newly installed ABC Player on my iPhone at my own convenience when it starts up again in September. Because 9 p.m. on a Thursday, no matter how good the show is, is just too damn late for this early bird.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Camping in the Green Mountains
Camping has become a way of life for us this summer. "It's awesome!" as Cole would say (quoting DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba) We realized this past weekend though, just how much more of a challenge it is without another family (and thereby another child for Cole to play with). We took on the challenge and had a fun time in Jamaica State Park, Jamaica VT -- the heart of the Green Mountains.
Camping also helped us realize something some people might not see as a real problem. Our child watches entirely too much television. His quoting of television shows was apropos and even funny. (same goes for his quoting of children's books). For instance, right before we went on a hike, he shouted, "Let's go on an adventure!" This phrase is from a television show, Keith tells me. But in the end, it means he's watched these shows so much that he relates them to real life. Maybe he thinks he can't live life without them? Who knows? Cole also made direct appeals to watch television when he whined about how he wanted to go home because he wanted to watch: "movies" (television) and eat "ice pops." We discovered though that the yearning for ice pops was because he was teething something fierce - he had to bite everything including his shoe for us to figure this out. When I finally gave him acetaminophen the second night, he said "Thank you Mama" and fell asleep minutes later. We also gave in and let him watch one episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on my iPhone before bed the second night.
We discovered a few more things about Cole while camping this weekend. You can't force him to make friends. I tried to introduce him numerous times to a sweet little two year old girl whose campsite was behind ours. He was not having it. He was too shy. He had no problem, though, making friends with the five and seven-year-old brother and sister who were camping directly across from us. My guess is the fact that the five year old initiated playtime with Cole made Cole more willing to play. We also discovered something on the third night of our Vermont adventures: he really wants to skateboard. This could be from watching "cool tricks" with Tony Hawk and the "Ride" episode (over and over and over) of Yo Gabba Gabba, but more likely, it's genetic. Keith started skateboarding in the 7th grade and still has a skateboard in our garage. When we first started dating 10 years ago, he actually skateboarded to the convenience store down the street. Not to mention that Cole's comfortable on a balance board and a snowboard. Skateboarding was just a natural progression of things. I'll post more on what we did about this yearning later in the week.
Back to camping. I decided that even though Keith was planning on taking pictures with his professional grade camera, I would document the trip on my iPhone. We all know the iPhone takes awesome pictures anyway, and I also was thinking it'd be easier for me if I posted from my Blogger app. But here I am on the computer. Go figure!
Lowlights of the trip:
We were supposed to go with Keith's friend, his wife and their daughter, but at the last minute they had to cancel due to their daughter's illness. We missed them so much while on the trip. We kept saying, Brian and Minyele would love it here! But we knew we could always go back there again and we plan on it. It's an amazing campground!
The second night camping a bunch of campers from New Jersey directly behind our site started getting really loud and acting as if they were drinking and hanging out in someone's living room. Never mind that at least a hundred campers were trying to sleep all around them. They woke us up at 1:45 a.m. and kept us up until about 3:30 a.m. It was Cole's first solid night of sleep, so Keith and I were pissed that we weren't sleeping too! There was no phone number we were supposed to complain to to let the ranger know that quiet hours were not being followed, and we didn't know exactly where the ranger station was (the park service tells you to complain but they never tell you exactly where to go), so we muttered to ourselves and plotted our revenge for the next morning. On our way out, I attempted to lodge a complaint with the ranger on duty, but she was super busy with the phone and other campers waiting on line outside the office. So I decided I'd call from the road. Wouldn't you know it that at the local coffee joint, we see none other than the assholes getting their morning iced coffee fix? I decided I'd be really pissed at myself if I didn't say something to them. I told them that they kept us up half the night, to which one fake blonde teenager with fluorescent pink highlights (very fashionable) replied, "I don't care." I was so livid that Keith had to help me put sugar in my decaf. While we were gathering our coffee and snack to leave, one of them said, "Someone has her period."There were many things I could have said to this, but instead, Keith and I muttered about them being idiots (because really, do you think I was going to further engage a bunch of teenage morons?) and left. My consolation was that as Keith backed out of the parking lot, he spotted one of the girls looking out the window. She was looking directly at him. Keith flipped her off and drove away. Score!
Black flies. I could say that it's what makes the camping experience this time of year a memorable one, but I'd be lying. Yeah, it's funny to watch people smack themselves and their loved ones, but in the end, being harassed by bugs the size of small birds is a little bit stressful. The worst part was when one finally went down into the water (we were mostly harassed when we were on the beach or in the water) and it would not drown. So I mutilated it until I knew it could never fly again. This is not the way I want my son to treat living creatures, but a mother must protect her family.
Highlights of the trip:
Watching Cole run from the beach into the shallow part of the water. He loved doing this. Again and again and again. He loved playing with the muddy sand and he loved plopping down in the shallow water.
Cole really enjoyed riding his Strider balance bike around our campsite loop. He was, of course, inspired by another little boy named Cole who was riding his bike in circles in front of his campsite.
Roasting marshmallows around the fire.
Discovering the water fountain and spigot was right next to our site. This was a frequent stop of Cole's if he accompanied one of us to the bathroom (also next to our site).
Having the bathroom next to our site. Some people don't like this, but for someone who has to pee several times a night, it's heaven for me. It means I don't have to walk very far in the dark, which means I don't have to hold it in until I'm about to explode.
Going on a short hike and discovering that it's actually an awesome bike path. We realized we HAVE to bring our bikes next time we camp there. The only downfall of the hike was that I listened to Keith and left the Boba carrier at the campsite. Of course it followed that Cole started to get tired about halfway into our half a mile hike (we were dangerously close to a nap time we knew he was going to refuse to take) and wanted us to hold him.
Trying to convince Cole to nap by changing the name to a Siesta. I even laid in the tent with him. But it was a sauna inside there and there was no way he was taking a nap. He said something to that effect too. He ain't no fool!
Reading stories to Cole by the campfire.
Spending 24 hours in Bennington, Vermont where we had a number of adventures - we went to a fish hatchery, we went to the Battlefield Monument, drove through a number of historic covered bridges, played with 19th century toys at the Bennington Museum, and ate dinner at a local pub and brewery.
Choosing to stay at a no frills motel instead of the expensive Hampton Inn. The woman at the Knotty Pine Motel directed us to some of our most fun adventures. I doubt the woman at the Hampton Inn could give two shits about what we did with our afternoon.
Funniest part of the trip:
At the end of our dinner at the Madison Pub and Brewery in Bennington, Cole had already succeeded in throwing lots of his food and other items onto the floor. He had started to scream and shake his head. He was, however, smiling and laughing the whole time. In other words, he was having a blast. At one point he said to Keith, "I'm crazy." Keith just about died laughing. That's when I alerted the waiter that we needed the check pronto.
As he does often when we go away, Cole talked to Gramma and told her all about his adventures. He did this with a stainless steel spatula as he walked around the campsite. It was so adorable!
My iPhone pictures of the trip:
Camping also helped us realize something some people might not see as a real problem. Our child watches entirely too much television. His quoting of television shows was apropos and even funny. (same goes for his quoting of children's books). For instance, right before we went on a hike, he shouted, "Let's go on an adventure!" This phrase is from a television show, Keith tells me. But in the end, it means he's watched these shows so much that he relates them to real life. Maybe he thinks he can't live life without them? Who knows? Cole also made direct appeals to watch television when he whined about how he wanted to go home because he wanted to watch: "movies" (television) and eat "ice pops." We discovered though that the yearning for ice pops was because he was teething something fierce - he had to bite everything including his shoe for us to figure this out. When I finally gave him acetaminophen the second night, he said "Thank you Mama" and fell asleep minutes later. We also gave in and let him watch one episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on my iPhone before bed the second night.
We discovered a few more things about Cole while camping this weekend. You can't force him to make friends. I tried to introduce him numerous times to a sweet little two year old girl whose campsite was behind ours. He was not having it. He was too shy. He had no problem, though, making friends with the five and seven-year-old brother and sister who were camping directly across from us. My guess is the fact that the five year old initiated playtime with Cole made Cole more willing to play. We also discovered something on the third night of our Vermont adventures: he really wants to skateboard. This could be from watching "cool tricks" with Tony Hawk and the "Ride" episode (over and over and over) of Yo Gabba Gabba, but more likely, it's genetic. Keith started skateboarding in the 7th grade and still has a skateboard in our garage. When we first started dating 10 years ago, he actually skateboarded to the convenience store down the street. Not to mention that Cole's comfortable on a balance board and a snowboard. Skateboarding was just a natural progression of things. I'll post more on what we did about this yearning later in the week.
Back to camping. I decided that even though Keith was planning on taking pictures with his professional grade camera, I would document the trip on my iPhone. We all know the iPhone takes awesome pictures anyway, and I also was thinking it'd be easier for me if I posted from my Blogger app. But here I am on the computer. Go figure!
Lowlights of the trip:
We were supposed to go with Keith's friend, his wife and their daughter, but at the last minute they had to cancel due to their daughter's illness. We missed them so much while on the trip. We kept saying, Brian and Minyele would love it here! But we knew we could always go back there again and we plan on it. It's an amazing campground!
The second night camping a bunch of campers from New Jersey directly behind our site started getting really loud and acting as if they were drinking and hanging out in someone's living room. Never mind that at least a hundred campers were trying to sleep all around them. They woke us up at 1:45 a.m. and kept us up until about 3:30 a.m. It was Cole's first solid night of sleep, so Keith and I were pissed that we weren't sleeping too! There was no phone number we were supposed to complain to to let the ranger know that quiet hours were not being followed, and we didn't know exactly where the ranger station was (the park service tells you to complain but they never tell you exactly where to go), so we muttered to ourselves and plotted our revenge for the next morning. On our way out, I attempted to lodge a complaint with the ranger on duty, but she was super busy with the phone and other campers waiting on line outside the office. So I decided I'd call from the road. Wouldn't you know it that at the local coffee joint, we see none other than the assholes getting their morning iced coffee fix? I decided I'd be really pissed at myself if I didn't say something to them. I told them that they kept us up half the night, to which one fake blonde teenager with fluorescent pink highlights (very fashionable) replied, "I don't care." I was so livid that Keith had to help me put sugar in my decaf. While we were gathering our coffee and snack to leave, one of them said, "Someone has her period."There were many things I could have said to this, but instead, Keith and I muttered about them being idiots (because really, do you think I was going to further engage a bunch of teenage morons?) and left. My consolation was that as Keith backed out of the parking lot, he spotted one of the girls looking out the window. She was looking directly at him. Keith flipped her off and drove away. Score!
Black flies. I could say that it's what makes the camping experience this time of year a memorable one, but I'd be lying. Yeah, it's funny to watch people smack themselves and their loved ones, but in the end, being harassed by bugs the size of small birds is a little bit stressful. The worst part was when one finally went down into the water (we were mostly harassed when we were on the beach or in the water) and it would not drown. So I mutilated it until I knew it could never fly again. This is not the way I want my son to treat living creatures, but a mother must protect her family.
Highlights of the trip:
Watching Cole run from the beach into the shallow part of the water. He loved doing this. Again and again and again. He loved playing with the muddy sand and he loved plopping down in the shallow water.
Cole really enjoyed riding his Strider balance bike around our campsite loop. He was, of course, inspired by another little boy named Cole who was riding his bike in circles in front of his campsite.
Roasting marshmallows around the fire.
Discovering the water fountain and spigot was right next to our site. This was a frequent stop of Cole's if he accompanied one of us to the bathroom (also next to our site).
Having the bathroom next to our site. Some people don't like this, but for someone who has to pee several times a night, it's heaven for me. It means I don't have to walk very far in the dark, which means I don't have to hold it in until I'm about to explode.
Going on a short hike and discovering that it's actually an awesome bike path. We realized we HAVE to bring our bikes next time we camp there. The only downfall of the hike was that I listened to Keith and left the Boba carrier at the campsite. Of course it followed that Cole started to get tired about halfway into our half a mile hike (we were dangerously close to a nap time we knew he was going to refuse to take) and wanted us to hold him.
Trying to convince Cole to nap by changing the name to a Siesta. I even laid in the tent with him. But it was a sauna inside there and there was no way he was taking a nap. He said something to that effect too. He ain't no fool!
Reading stories to Cole by the campfire.
Spending 24 hours in Bennington, Vermont where we had a number of adventures - we went to a fish hatchery, we went to the Battlefield Monument, drove through a number of historic covered bridges, played with 19th century toys at the Bennington Museum, and ate dinner at a local pub and brewery.
Choosing to stay at a no frills motel instead of the expensive Hampton Inn. The woman at the Knotty Pine Motel directed us to some of our most fun adventures. I doubt the woman at the Hampton Inn could give two shits about what we did with our afternoon.
Funniest part of the trip:
At the end of our dinner at the Madison Pub and Brewery in Bennington, Cole had already succeeded in throwing lots of his food and other items onto the floor. He had started to scream and shake his head. He was, however, smiling and laughing the whole time. In other words, he was having a blast. At one point he said to Keith, "I'm crazy." Keith just about died laughing. That's when I alerted the waiter that we needed the check pronto.
As he does often when we go away, Cole talked to Gramma and told her all about his adventures. He did this with a stainless steel spatula as he walked around the campsite. It was so adorable!
My iPhone pictures of the trip:
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| "I want more, Dada!" |
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| "I wanna ride my bike, Mama." |
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| Who is having the most fun in this picture? |
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| Keith captures the cutest ice cream beard known to man. |
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| Cole gets comfy while we pack up the campsite |
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| Cole in the window of the Battlefield Monument, |
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| This is what he was looking at. |
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| A replica of Grandma Moses' schoolhouse |
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| "I'm crazy!" |
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| Who's crazy here? |
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| Run for the playground! |
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| Loving the big boy swing. |
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Currently...
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| Mama and Cole |
missing our Canadian friends. We're going on our second camping trip of the season and he thinks we're going with Kale, Randalin, and Kris, despite my best efforts to explain to him that we are in fact, not. I've promised him that we will Skype with them, so hopefully the Canadians are up for another dose of crazy Cole over the internet!
dreaming about what television show he's going to watch when he wakes up. "I was thinking I'd watch a movie," he tells me when he first wakes up. "You just need to turn on the television," he says as he hands me the remote control. It's that simple, is it Cole?
loving our new pop up camper. We've only had it two nights and we've spent probably over an hour in it. He jumps, he climbs, he lays down, he looks out the window, he plays. It's the most awesome thing ever to happen to our side yard.
laughing at videos of himself. Whether he's watching himself and Kale dancing during our camping trip, or himself singing the ABC's in the tub naked, he loves "to see Cole."
wishing he could dance and sing to the Fresh Beat Band all day long. He doesn't know it yet, but we bought him tickets to see them at SPAC in September. He's going to lose his marbles completely when he sees them live.
Mama is...
missing reading. I am so obsessed with finishing the last season of Grey's Anatomy (only 2.5 more episodes left!) that I have neglected my summer reading. It's not like I have a ton of time now that we have a child, but I at least finished one book last summer. I bet I could at least read two this summer if I could just say goodbye to the most amazingly real characters on television.
dreaming of making my favorite recipe for bread and butter pickles. I thought I lost the recipe, but I just found it, so next week, I'm all over it. Keith made some pickles, and they are good, but they pale in comparison to this recipe.
loving the fact that my inservice is over. I spent 3.5 days sitting in a windowless board room this week learning a ton about American history, American literature, literary and language analysis, but still missing my summer. Of course the inservice had to happen during the most beautiful week of the summer. But alas, it's over. Now I can have my (summer) life back.
laughing at the things Cole says. He recently has taken up asking us questions, "Dada, can you get me bubbles at Rite Aid?" and adding in the word "not" when he wants to do just the opposite of what I want him to do. The other night I said to him, "I think it's time for a bath." His response? "I think not."
wishing summer lasted forever. I hated wishing this week would just end so I could be home with Keith and Cole, because at the same time, I was wishing a week of my summer away!
Check out the amazing ladies who host this awesome link up!
Camping in the Rain
If you ever have the perception that the internet is a dangerous place where weird people are lurking, you should stop and read this story.
Back in 2010 sometime after Cole was born, Randalin found my blog and posted a comment. She was a new reader, so I went over to her blog and found that she was the same person as me, only she was living in Canada. No really. Okay, not the SAME person, but you get the drift. She consulted Dr. Sears and the internet and she had a son named Kale. She breastfed and baby wore. Her baby would not sleep through the night. She was all kinds of relatable. We became blogging friends over the next two years. She reads my blog on a regular basis and is one of the only people who comments regularly. (In fact, she's probably one of three people reading this right now.) She's inspired me in so many ways - to look into different methods of teaching, connecting and playing with Cole - Montessori being one of them. She's inspired me to reflect on my parenting style and she's inspired me to buy many awesome products for Cole (much to the chagrin of my frugal husband). Hey, if her son (who is three weeks older than mine) likes it, chances are very good that Cole will like it, too.
Sometime during the school year, I suggested we go on a camping trip together (we had tossed the idea around last summer when we traded toddler camping tips). She was all for it. So we picked a location and the day after school let out, Keith and I headed up to Lowville, NY to meet our Canadian counterparts (as he refers to them).
It was cold, it was rainy and it was windy. But it was a blast. I discovered that camping with two 2-year-olds is much more fun than camping with one. True, they fought over each other's toys or sticks or whatever they found that they each thought was theirs, but there were some amazingly funny and heartwarming moments that I will not soon forget. Like when they danced around the campfire and giggled with glee. Or when Cole pushed Kale around the campground in an umbrella stroller. Or when Kale helped Randalin with the dishes and Cole helped Kale by squeezing water from the sponge all over his raincoat sleeve. Or when they tried to figure out how the campsite water spout worked and why there was no water coming out from it. Or when Cole said "I love chocolate" with a maniacal grin on his chocolate covered smore face. Or when Kale's face was completely covered in marshmallow and he gladly posed for a picture.
And the best part about it all was that we made new real life friends.
I think we both took a risk deciding to meet each other in person. Who knows how things like that can work out? Sometimes your online persona can be vastly different from your offline persona. I'd venture to say though that Randalin is much like me, especially when it comes to blogging. She writes from the heart (and writes exceedingly well). She is also honest, and she is also really funny. (Well, I guess you're the judge of whether I'm really as funny as I think I am). That means she was the same person in real life that I met over the Internet. By the end of the trip, we were talking about a future trip to Guelph to visit them and they were talking about coming to NY again.
The lowdown of the trip:
Where:
We stayed at Whetstone Gulf State Park in Lowville, NY (the capital of Lewis County). It's a really pretty campground whose center is a creek they turns into a gorge. We soon discovered this was also the heart of New York's dairy industry (I did not even realize we had one). There were dairy farms everywhere -from small to large scale. And Kraft Foods was located in the heart of the town. Lowville, NY is also southwest of the Adirondacks. So around our campground were several "wilderness areas." Unfortunately, we didn't see much of them because of the lousy weather.
When:
We stayed from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning.
Who:
The Canadians and The Americans. First we were at two adjacent sites that were separated by small bushes and trees. Thus, we couldn't really join our sites. So on Sunday, we asked to be moved and found the two most perfect sites that were huge, had tons of gorgeous tall pines, and were totally open. They were also still very close to the bathroom (which is always a huge plus for me, since I always have to pee in the middle of the night).
What:
On Sunday we set up camp at the new sites, made a living room of sorts for when the rain hit using a giant tarp and ratchet ties (thanks to Kris for this genius idea!) and set up our EZ Up canopy for the "kitchen." Keith and I bought some rain pants and boots on Monday when it was clear the rain was not letting up and the air was just getting colder. We had one sunny morning and afternoon. That's when Kris and Keith (did I mention they became instant BFFs?) took Kale and Cole to the "beach" for a swim. The rest of the time, we just kind of chilled out, drank beer, watched the children play, and roasted marshmallows. We also took more trips to Walmart in one weekend than I'm sure either of us take in a month or a year. It was so relaxing that at one point, Randalin and I didn't even remember what day it was.
Below are way too many awesome pictures from our trip.
Unless he's in the photo, Keith took them all.
Below are way too many awesome pictures from our trip.
Unless he's in the photo, Keith took them all.
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| Fast Friends: Cole, Kale, and Kris |
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| "I love chocolate!" |
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| Roasting his first marshmallow on the only warm night of the trip |
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| Roasting his second marshmallow |
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| Kale washes dishes while Cole fakes it (yes, you read that right - Kale washes dishes) |
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| Sweet boy |
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| Mama Randalin (as Cole calls her) and Kale |
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| It's very hard to take a group picture in which one or more toddlers is not blinking, shoving his hand in his mouth, talking, or looking the other way. But we managed. |
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| Let the fun begin. |
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| Cole's shows off his dance moves. |
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| Jump up, jump up, and get down! |
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| Cuteness meets s'mores. Result? Ultra cuteness. |
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| Roasting marshmallows, sitting around the fire, and making s'mores was the highlight of each evening. |
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| Cole stopped wanting to eat the marshmallows he roasted, so I offered him a cantaloupe. |
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| If you looked up from our campfire, this is what you saw. Spectacular isn't it? |
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| A Mama/Cole moment |
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| "Ah Mama, can you help me please?" |
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| Kale seems much more reassured by the presence of two adults, doesn't he? |
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| The Canadians. |
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