Thanksgiving Road Trip 2009

Call me crazy but Thursday morning we packed all five of us in our Honda Accord and headed 7 hours south to my dad's house in North Carolina. Have you ever tried to fit three school-aged kids in the back of a Honda Accord for a long trip and all our stuff?

Besides the small space and vast amounts of stuff the kids did wonderfully. We really do have great kids and I am very thankful for that! We even made it there in under 7 hours. The drive home took closer to 9 because of traffic but it still wasn't bad.

My dad and mom separated when I was 17 and it was a messy, long and drawn out divorce. My dad left my mom for the woman he is now married to. After the divorce my dad and I weren't particularly close and even didn't talk for a year or two. He never was much of the hands on grandpa when B was little. He visited 4 or 5 times a year and showed up at B's birthdays but never babysat B for me. He moved to North Carolina about a year before we moved to Maryland but still came back to Colorado to be part of hubby and my wedding.

Fast forward to this year, he drove up to help us unload our moving truck and visit with the kids. Then in September he took time off work and watched the kids for a long weekend while hubby and I went to NYC. He calls often just to see how things are going. He is still two states away but he is the only family we have within driving distance.

A couple weeks ago I realized hubby, the kids, and I would all have Thursday - Sunday off Thanksgiving weekend so I called my dad to ask what he thought about us coming to visit. He seemed excited and asked for the time off of work.

Our vacation was really simple, we mainly hung out at his house but my kids had a blast! Wyn even asked if she could stay. Proves to me having fun with kids is more about attitude and giving them your full attention than spending money on them. At grandpa's house there weren't many rules, instead it was all about them. Grandpa let them eat all the junk food they wanted, they didn't even have to ask. Grandpa let them watch TV show after TV show, movie after movie, and play computer and video games all day.

Thursday when we arrived we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner his wife prepared, I didn't have to do a thing. Friday he took out his electric scooter (moped) and the kids practiced driving it in his back yard (he lives outside the city limits on 2 acres). Friday night hubby and I were able to go see New Moon and have dinner at Applebee's with free babysitters. Sunday hubby and my dad went out back on the property and shot guns. They even taught B how to shoot and got me to go out there and shoot a few rounds even though I hadn't shot a gun since I was a kid. Sunday afternoon we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese's. Today we packed up and grandpa ended the trip by giving them each $5 to spend on the trip home. Did I mention my kids had a GREAT time?

They also have 6 pets (3 dogs, 1 cat, and 2 birds) we have no pets. My kids were all over all the animals. I was not surprised though they beg me for a pet all the time.

My dad and his wife also smoke inside their house on a very frequent basis. Do I like breathing and smelling cigarette smoke? No! Did it kill me or the kids? No!

The funny part of this all is before I met my hubby I probably would've been way too uptight to enjoy this whole experience. Hubby really keeps things in perspective for me. He said it was good for the kids to realize not everyone lives their lives like us. He also says eating junk food and watching TV all day for a couple days isn't going to kill them. Having a relaxing vacation with no real planned activities was a welcome treat for me. I really enjoy sleeping in and lounging in my pajamas. Next vacation whether it is to my dad's or not I will have to schedule more R & R. The way I do things certainly isn't the only way to do things and maybe isn't even always the best way to do things.

Now my kids are back to reality. They unpacked their bags, cleaned their rooms, and by 7:30pm they have showered and have school clothes picked out and backpacks ready for tomorrow. I hope they don't have too hard of a readjustment phase. In the end I don't mind being the "mean" mom because I know I am doing what is best for them. Kids need rules and guidelines, and schedules to thrive on a day to day basis. Besides I can always send them to grandpa's house to get spoiled.

I Hope You Aren't Afraid of Snakes!

B's cub scouts had a special guest at the pack meeting, the critter guy. Critter guy had lots of critters to show the kids, many of them they got to hold.

First he started with a kid favorite the tarantula. In Denver there is a place called the Butterfly Pavilion where my kids had held a tarantula before. B and FiFi both volunteered and got chosen to hold the tarantula but those pictures did not turn out well (the meeting was in a church basement and the lighting is not great).

Then critter guy passed around a skink for the kids to hold. Surprisingly most kids jumped right in and held the skink.

Looks like B found a new friend

FiFi was not afraid

Hubby and the snake

Next were the snakes and there were lots of them. Critter guy was wearing a fishing vest and kept pulling a new snake out of every pocket.

Hubby was very comfortable holding the snakes, me on the other hand, I did not want it to get any closer to me.

I am not scared, per se but not really interested in holding it. Mice on the other hand, I would've screamed and ran the other way.

All the kids really had a great time and even learned a thing or two.

So what are you scared of? Snakes, spiders, mice, something else?

Have you ever lost your cool?

Do you have someone in your family that you love more than anything that also can push your buttons more than anyone else?

Is it one of your children, your mother, your sister, or your husband?

Have you had one of those afternoons where it seems like one simple thing after another is pissing you off?

And then that "button pusher" of yours just sends you over the edge?

That is what happened to me today.

I love my hubby more than anything. He truly is a wonderful husband, partner, father, and friend, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

He is not good at giving me space when I am upset or have hit my limit of stress. Instead he pushes and pushes and follows me around until I break.

I do not like the uncontrollable anger and frustration I feel when I reach my breaking point. Usually after a few minutes alone and a good cry. I am good, just feel like crap for losing my cool. At least it has only happened a couple times ever and the last time was about 2 years ago but I still hate it!

I suppose a good, controlled cry more often would be better for me than holding it all in until I explode.

Now please tell me I am not alone. Everyone gets pushed over the edge once in awhile, right? right?

This Made Me Cry On the Way To Work Today!

I heard this on the radio on the way to work this morning. I know I am a sap but this 911 tape of a local 4 year calling 911 to save her mom's life made me cry. You have to hear it! The little girl is so smart and so cute. At the end she tells the 911 operator to be careful because she left her toys on the floor in the living room. Click the link to watch the video:

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/4-year-old-calls-911-saves-moms-life-111709

I now have TWO nine year olds, Yikes!

Happy birthday to my beautiful and creative middle daughter, Wyn! Wyn turned 9 on November 9th. I now am a proud mommy to two nine year olds. These tween years are not always easy but I can only hope and pray that this is preparing me for the teen years which are sure to be even more turbulent. Hubby jokes that kids have terrible 2 or 3's and then terrible 8 or 9's.

Happy 9th Birthday Wyn! I love you!

Wyn's cupcake cake I made on the fly. She requested chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I was not planning to create a flower but it came together quickly and turned out great. The funny part is all the girls wanted the chocolate frosted ones.

Am I crazy for having all these kids spend the night? Maybe, so!

Not much of a little girl anymore. She is growing up and becoming a smart and beautiful young lady.

In Loving Memory

In loving memory of Linda Lee Fletcher, February 20, 1958-November 8, 2009.

Thank you for being a wonderful mother to my husband, a loving grandmother to my children, and a great mother-in-law to me. We love you more than words can express and will miss you deeply, now, forever, and always.

Grandma Linda with Wyn, my niece, FiFi, and B

Thanksgiving 2008

Grandma Linda, FiFi, and Wyn
September 2005 brother-in-law and sister-in-law's wedding

Hubby, his mom, and his brother

2004

Goblins, and Ghouls, and Ghosts, Oh My!

Our Halloween festivities spread over an entire week. We started out throwing a Halloween party at our house the week before Halloween. We made Frankenstein brownies and mummy pizzas but the biggest hit was bobbing for apples. The kids had a blast and everyone took more than one turn. I wasn't able to talk any adults into bobbing for apples but the adults had their own fun playing Cranium later that night.

Our neighbor and our friend's son bobbing for apples

Our neighbor after getting a face full of water

B loved holding our neighbor who is 3 months old. I spent awhile holding her too and she even fell asleep in my arms. She is exactly 1 day younger the the twin girls I nanny for.

Arg, matey!

A week later was Halloween. We went to a carnival down the road but it was kind of a flop. Hubby and the kids each carved a pumpkin. FiFi made her jack-o-lantern's teeth match her missing teeth, Wyn made a regular jack-o-lantern, B made an angel, and hubby made a jeep. Mommy is not a big fan of scraping out the pumpkins so I just supervised.

The kids ready for trick-or-treating!

Wyn the witch

FiFi as Ariel, the little mermaid.

B as a dementor from Harry Potter.

The jack-o-lanterns all lit up.

My three kids and the three neighbor kids trick-or-treating.

Overall we had a great time celebrating Halloween. The day of was very low key and my kids called it a night early. The party was a blast and we had 25 people show up which was great. I love throwing parties. I may have to try to do it more.

Take Time to Smell the Roses

I am guest posting today over at Hip as I Wanna Be. Jennifer is another fabulous mom blogger from Maryland that I recently came across. I love reading her blog and we seem to have similar blogging styles. Head on over and read my post about taking time to smell the roses.

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Keep The Prayers Coming

My MIL has now been in hospice care for about two weeks. The past few days she has not been able to tolerate her feedings and her body is beginning to shut down. No one was sure she would make it through the night last night. She is still fighting today but she won't make it much longer.

-Please pray for my MIL. Pray for peace and comfort for her during this difficult time. Pray she is not in pain.

-Pray for my husband and his family.

-Pray for my kids.
They have experienced some family deaths but this is the first person who they were pretty close to. Now that they are older I think it is more difficult for them. My grandpa passed away when B was 2 1/2 but he does not remember, just has pictures of him with my grandpa. My grandma (on the other side of my family) passed away two years ago. She was ill for many years, in nursing care, and suffering from severe dementia. I was very sad to see her go but I was at peace that she was no longer in pain, confused, or worried. B was sad when she passed but she was already in nursing care for dementia when he was born. He never got to know her the way I did. As indicated last night this is going to be pretty rough on them, especially Wyn, who is very empathetic and old enough to really understand what is going on.

-Pray that I can help my husband, and kids through this difficult time.

Thanks everyone! You are wonderful!