Summer Road Trip - Part 2 Wilmington, North Carolina

The second stop on our road trip was Wilmington, NC to visit friends. Amanda and I used to work together when our boys were babies and we even spent a year as roommates when we were both single moms. Amanda has been living on the east coast for 5 years now and it had been even longer since I last saw her. She welcomed us into her house for a visit. The kids had a great time playing, and Amanda and I had a great time chatting and reminiscing about old times.

We spent a full day at Wrightsville Beach. The weather was nice and hot but the water was nice and the beach wasn't crowded. After 6 hours the moms had enough but my kids would've kept on playing if we let them!

Besides swimming and wave jumping, playing in the sand is one of my kids favorite activities.


Boogie board time!


Surfer girl

Not the way boogie boards are meant to be used but still fun!

Playing at the beach is hard work

All the kiddos

Two pretty princesses

All the kiddos and the mamas

We had a great visit. Hopefully over Christmas break Amanda and her kids can come stay with us and explore DC. Last year they tried but the first of our three blizzards thwarted their attempt. Hoping for a lot less snow this winter!

Letting Your Children Grow Up

Tuesday evening I sent my oldest child B to Colorado with his grandma for two weeks. It hurts my heart to have him away from me but I realize as children get older you have to learn to be able to do these sort of things, to give them some freedom, to allow them to learn, allow them to experience their world.



As a mom you carry this child inside you for 9 months, nurture them, help them grow, and the minute you lay eyes upon them and they are placed in your arms, you love them more than you ever thought possible. It is amazing thing, the bond between mother and child.



In the car on the way to the airport B got a bloody nose, this happens to him often so we sat in the car in the parking garage waiting for it to stop, after 15 minutes and no sign of it stopping I began to get worried. Finally after almost 30 minutes I got his nose to stop bleeding and we could finally check his bag and get him through security.



While sitting in the car a host of emotions flew through my mind, what if I can't get it to stop, what do I do, certainly security will not approve of him walking through with bodily fluids freely flowing, maybe this is a sign, maybe he isn't supposed to get on that plane. I brushed it off and continued on to meet his grandma at the gate.



We made it through security with little incident except one of the TSA agents telling me I look too young to be B's mom (my favorite comment from strangers). We made it to the gate to wait for his grandma. After she arrived I made sure I got extra hugs and kisses from him since I wouldn't see him again for two weeks. This is when the feeling in the pit of my stomach began to sink in.



It is such a crazy feeling, to have your emotions take over, to have something feel so wrong when logically you know it is perfectly fine. B was in the care of his grandma who loves him dearly and I would see him again in two weeks. It should be no big deal but it really took all I had to not cry. Looking back I probably should've let myself cry once I got to my car just to get it all out.



As parents we have to go through this stuff whether it kills us emotionally or not. Like it or not my B is growing up. Now he is traveling away from me for 2 weeks, next year he'll most likely fly unaccompanied, in high school he'll be more independent than I can imagine, and then he'll be gone, I'll be dropping him off at college to start a life of his own.



Man, being a parent is hard! I wish I could just keep them little forever. You know that stage where they are little and cute and still need their moms? Honestly, I miss that! I know this is life and it is inevitable that they grow up but it is so hard for this mama to be away from her boy.

Are Those Shorts PTA Approved?

As a mother of three approaching 30 I struggle with age appropriate clothing choices that are still young and fun. I have always had a tall, slender build although my midsection is definitely my problem area.

When I was younger I shopped in the juniors clothing section. Cute pieces, good style, not too outrageously priced. Even as a young mom I continued to shop there. My hips were wider and I had a bit of a butt yet it all still worked but things have changed over the past few years.

As I get older I find myself becoming more and more modest with regard to my clothes. Not that I dressed immodestly before but I am more comfortable in jeans or capris than short shorts. I can wear a bikini but I am much more comfortable in a tankini. The one pair of short, shorts I own are still several inches below my butt but I have been searching for bermuda shorts that fit yet don't look too matronly.

The problem I have is a lot of the misses clothing doesn't fit my tall build well. I now have three pairs of bermuda shorts that fit okay through the thighs and butt but for some reason unknown to me, come up on my waist to an inch below my belly button. Why do modest length shorts have to be high waisted? Can't I find a pair of shorts that don't show off my entire thigh without being so high waisted they are uncomfortable when I sit down or look silly under long tanks or shirts?

I was successful this last week in finding a new tankini. Victoria Secret has been my go-to swimsuit stop all the way back to high school. I had purchased a modest yet a bit sexy tankini two summers ago. It has been used a lot and the stomach area is beginning to thin and wear out. On our road trip I brought one of my bikinis to wear instead. While I know I am thin enough to wear it, wearing it that whole trip made me realize I am much more comfortable with a little more coverage. Thankfully Macy's had some clearance swimsuits still and I found a cute white and black polka dot tankini top with a ruffle at the bottom, paired with cute cut of boy shorts with a tie on each side. I wore it to the water park this weekend and still felt a bit sexy yet appropriately covered up.

So ladies, what does this mean? I am just getting old? Do our values just change over time? Is it because I have been married for a couple years now and my kids are getting older? As Wyn approaches the teen phase I definitely want her dressing more modestly. What are your thoughts?

Summer Road Trip - Part 1 Colonial Williamsburg

Last week the kids and I hit the road for a 7 day road trip to Virginia and North Carolina. Colonial Williamsburg was the first stop on our road trip and it did not disappoint. We stayed on property because the rate was ridiculously low and you got a steep discount on admission tickets. We didn't do Busch Gardens or Water Country this trip but definitely will on our next trip. We had a great time and I thought my school aged kids were the perfect age to appreciate the history and learn a thing or two while we were there. Here are some highlights from the first stop on our road trip:

The hotel pool was bigger than most value hotels and we spent every afternoon there escaping the heat.

We also had access to a bunch of outdoor recreation activities at another hotel property so we spent one evening playing mini golf, trying out shuffle board, and playing on the playground all for free.

One of our favorite activities was free storytelling that we just happened to stumble upon at the other resort hotel. The storyteller was from colonial times and was very engaging and very funny. Both FiFi and B got chosen to be part of the first story.

B was trying to be funny with the storyteller and she called him out on it and made him play a girl in the story. He was dying of embarrassment, as any 10 year old boy would but it was very funny.

The next day we toured the historic area. This was the Capitol building.

Next to the Capitol building was the jail. People were not sentenced to jail during colonial times. They were either hung or let free. The jail was small and only held prisoners until their day in court.

Then we toured the coffeehouse. This is where men on business at the capitol talked politics and hung out. Women were rarely there and only if brought by their husbands. Our tour concluded with samples of coffee, tea, or colonial hot chocolate, a dark chocolate melted with cinnamon and dash of cayenne pepper, very yummy.

There were all the shops and trades from colonial times. This was the blacksmith. While we were there they were making nails and a door latch.

The governor's palace was regal indeed. I was in awe of the size and splendor. The house maid gave us a tour as well as a delightful story, there was to be a ball at the palace this evening and this dress is what one of the daughters was to wear. Seems to fit Wyn perfectly!

Governor's Palace

That evening we dined on 18th century cuisine at a local tavern. The entire place was illuminated by candlelight. There were musicians, a fortune teller, and the waiters taught you 18th century games.

FiFi had to try out the 18th century highchairs.

We didn't take a carriage ride this trip because the temperatures were scorching and I thought it wouldn't be all that enjoyable in 100 + degrees.

B thought these animals were fake, silly kid!

Our trip was a blast! We will definitely be back. Colonial Williamsburg is affordable, fun, and only about 3 hours from our house. Next time we'll take hubby along too because he missed out on so much fun this trip.

A Recipe For a Crabby Mama

Take 1 mom (that's me)

Add 3 children

Add an additional 2-4 neighbor children in her house throughout various parts of the day

Don't allow the mom to leave the house without at least 1 of her children in tow for 10 days

Add various things going wrong plus kids getting sick

Add stress of two impending vacations (and everything that needs done for the trips)

EQUALS

1 mama who is really, really, crabby but doesn't really know why


This is where I was on Monday night. Thank the Lord I married such a sweet, thoughtful man. When he got home from work I told him it seemed like everything was going wrong and I was very crabby for no good reason. He promptly told me to take some time for myself, go to Starbucks, buy myself a drink, and spend an hour reading, alone, without my kids. At that moment I could've sworn he was an angel! Being the blog-loving mama I am I took my laptop instead of my book and spent a fabulous hour all to myself, on my laptop, sipping a cinnamon dolce latte, that was also made to perfection.

Guess what ladies? I came home feeling refreshed. It truly is amazing how a little bit of time to yourself can change your whole outlook. When I got home from my little break hubby made tilapia and green beans for dinner. Tuesday night I was able to go for a run, hubby started dinner, then he helped check the kids workbooks (by help I mean he did 90% of it). Thank you hubby! You are great!

413th Place Feels Like 1st Place to Me!

I ran my first race ever yesterday, the Pikesville 5K. I finished in 37 minutes 42 seconds, meeting my goal of maintaining a less than 12 minute mile time over the entire race. I wasn't running this race to win but my prediction of finishing the race in about 400th place during the pre-race interview (conducted by Wyn) was almost spot on.

It feels so good to set your mind to something, train for it, and then accomplish it. I love running! In August I start training for a 10K held at the end of November. In the meantime I am going to work independently at both increasing my speed and distance. I hope the weather here in Baltimore cooperates a bit because running when it is 100 degrees really isn't my thing.

Kids and Technology

How do you decide when to introduce your kids to certain types of technology (DS, Wii, Internet, Email, Facebook, cell phones, etc.)?



Hubby and I like to take the middle of the road approach on this subject and most things in parenting. We both agree that being overly protective, or overly permissive does not lead to a good outcome. I tend to be more overprotective and conservative and he tends to be more relaxed but we come together and often find a good middle ground.



My children do not have a Facebook page and my children do not have a cell phone and will not have either of these items any time soon.



My son has already told me that several of his friends already have a Facebook page in 5th grade. I have just flat out told him no. Facebook requires the user to confirm they are 13 and the parents have to lie about the children's birthdays to set it up. This is a huge red flag to me. I know you can monitor their Facebook usage and you can set their privacy settings so they can only be friends with certain people but I find it unnecessary at this age. When B is 13 we can reevaluate, he will be entering 8th grade at that time, which seems to be a more appropriate age for this type of forum. Kids do things through technology (texting, Facebook, etc.) that they would do ever consider in person such as bullying or sexting. I know I can't protect my kids forever and I want them to be able to learn to use these items under my supervision but just not yet.



Lots of children in elementary school also have cell phones. I don't disagree with your child having a cell phone if they ride a bus or are at home alone but my kids do neither. Hubby and I have flat out told the children that a cell phone is completely unnecessary to them at this point because they will always be with an adult that has one. Once we feel they are old enough and responsible enough to stay home alone and they have a need for a cell phone, then we will consider it. Maybe when B enters middle school and has a 20 minute bus ride I may consider getting him a phone for emergency purposes only, no calling friends, no texting. I know once kids get to high school all bets are off and my kids will probably be texting and talking non-stop but the longer I can delay it the better.



We only broke down and let our kids get a Nintendo DS about a year ago (another family member bought them as gifts for the kids) and have had a Wii in our house for 2 years. We are not quick to upgrade to the latest technology. We only got a HDTV last year and we don't yet have a Blue Ray player. We don't have a TV in our bedroom and the kids have to use the computer in our living room. We recently even cancelled our cable TV in lieu of Netflix.



As for the current technology in our house, TV, computer, Nintendo DS, and Wii, we use them in moderation. The general rule we try to follow is 30 minutes of screen time on school nights and 2 hours of screen time on the weekends. The kids have responsibility charts which lists what they need to do to get ready in the morning and ready for bed, as well as assigned chores to earn allowance. If their responsibilities are not done they do not have privileges (TV, computer, etc.), if they don't do their chores they do not get paid allowance for that day (they receive 50 cents per day). So far it seems to be working. I do not want my kids to be little zombies, watching TV and playing video games all day, but I do know there is time in the day for them to enjoy these items in moderation.

What limits have your family set with technology? Do you feel your limits are working?

The Woes of a Traveling Husband

As I write this my hubby is up in the air, scheduled to be landing in Baltimore soon. He left Sunday for a business trip to San Diego. He has been at his current job for 15 months now and has to travel several times for a night or two but this was his first week long trip and boy did I miss him!



Before when other people would complain about their husbands having to travel I would think, "yeah, yeah, it's no fun, but can it really be that bad?" Now I know first hand what they have to deal with. With his job I know this is just something I have to deal with but it doesn't mean I have to like it.



The day-to-day things aren't all that bad. I am used to taking the kids to activities, workbooks, chores, play time, errands, but on normal days hubby is home in time for dinner. We hang out in the evening and talk and spend time together. I miss that time!



Then comes bedtime. He was on the west coast and I am on the east coast which did not make for easy communication. He was at the office until past 8pm most nights and often didn't get back to his hotel until closer to 10pm. 10pm pacific time is 1am eastern so I did my talking to him in the middle of the night when I should've been sleeping. He also had no cell service in the building he was working in so I couldn't even text him during the day. I didn't get to sleep until 2am most days this week and ended up sleeping in until after 9am most days. This left me groggy and feeling like I wasted entire mornings. I don't like that feeling!



I sleep horribly when he isn't here. I can't fall asleep and then I wake several times during the night. Every little noise makes me think a robber is going to break in and get me and the kids. Once I hear something I psych myself out and continue getting more and more worried. I really wonder how I functioned as a single mom but I did it for many years and still managed to sleep, at least on occasion.



Hubby's current project lasts through at least the end of the year and will most likely include up to 50% travel. I suppose I should get used to it. The dates of his travel are always changing and often aren't finalized until 2-3 days in advance. This makes a planner like me crazy but I am trying to let it go, as it is out of my hands.

So all you bloggers out there with traveling husbands what do you do to make it easier on yourself. How do you sleep? How do you make yourself feel safe without your hubby there to protect you?