All posts by Lori.

February Staycation – Day 1

Last weekend we had way too much togetherness and lounging around the house when we had 5 days stuck at home.  Thursday was a professional development day for teachers, Friday and Saturday we had a blizzard and a driving ban that would result in a $500 fine and up to a year in jail if we defied it, Sunday we dug out from 30+ inches of snow, and Monday was another snow day because the sidewalks weren’t clear.  I think I cried a little when I got that call.  This is the only photo I took during the blizzard, so I’ll have to describe our other activities so you can picture them.

Thursday:  I tried to work while everyone fended for themselves and occasionally complained that they were bored or wanted to work on some craft project that would involve drop cloths covering the entire first floor of the house and possibly a visit from Servicemaster.  Instead we went out to stock up on food and necessities, like wine, for the storm.   Thursday night I took Adlani and Norah to swim team practice while Aliya went to the charter school lottery with Ben, Chloe, Hannah, and their Grampy.  All of the girls’ names were picked!  There was too much excitement to do anything but have an impromptu sleepover and stay up into the wee hours making plans for the middle school takeover.

Friday:  More working while trying to block out the whining.  The snow started about 10 a.m., Ben was home by 11 so he could take over with the whiners.  The crew in the one-and-only blizzard photo suited up and made their way the quarter of a mile on foot to our house for a chili-fest.  For some reason I was reminded of Little House on the Prairie…a rope running from our house to theirs sounded like a reasonable idea.  Around 11 p.m.-ish they decided to attempt a return trip back home.  I was a little surprised that Aliya was willing to brave the wind and driving snow in order to escape from her family for another night, but apparently the swim goggles made all the difference and off they went.

Saturday:  Snow, snow, more snow…and I was happy as a clam.  I could have cleaned the basement, paid bills, or put away the multiple baskets of laundry that had piled up, but instead I laid in bed ALL DAY and watched the first season of Downton Abbey.  We had suddenly gone from a jam-packed weekend to a weekend with absolutely nothing to do.  I don’t get that opportunity very often (ok – never), so I wasn’t about to waste it.  Ben shoveled, Adlani lost a boot in the front yard which still hasn’t been found, Aliya eventually came home, and that’s about it.

Sunday & Monday:  Back to WWK (working with kids).  Tuesday morning I got an automated call from the school district…as soon as I saw the number I think I had one of those mini-strokes, but it was a call to say that there WAS school but to be careful getting the kids on the bus.  WOOHOOO!!!

Unrelated to last week’s unplanned mini vacation and this week’s scheduled school break, yesterday was Cultural Heritage Day at school, and here is yet another terrible photo.  Why is it so f-ing hard to get 3 kids to smile REAL smiles, all at the same time.  Is their life so difficult that they can’t crack a smile?  What do I have to do to get just one good photo?  The girls are wearing their Moroccan dresses, Adlani is wearing a Moroccan hat which can’t be seen because of his ‘fro.  His class was apparently having “fancy day” and this was his idea of fancy.  I think he was a farm hand in a past life.  I’m way beyond fighting with them over this stuff, and anyway, I think Spirit Days are torture for the parents who have to track down the necessary items that the  kids probably stuff into their backpacks as soon as they get on the bus, but I did my parental duty and off they went.  Maybe Spirit Days are designed to make the regular days feel manageable.

So like I said, we spent way too much time sitting around the house and WWK, so now that February school vacation is here, we’re hoping it will be more tolerable, maybe even enjoyable, if we get out of the house and do some things.  Ben and I both have to work, but we should still be able to squeeze in a few hours of kid-friendly activities each day.  We woke up this morning with absolutely no plans for what those activities might be, but thanks to Facebook, we found half-price tickets to Oliver at the Wheelock Family Theatre.  We went to Faneuil Hall first for dinner, then had a great time at the show.

Here’s an aerial photo of Boston after Blizzard Nemo:

That New Car Smell

Or maybe it’s just the absence of that old car smell.  We cleaned everything out from all the nooks and crannies in the Jeep Cherokee this morning, and ended up with 2 laundry baskets full of crap.  I don’t know how this happens.  Every time we pull in the driveway, when all the good mommies are saying, “Welcome home!!!”, my trademark line is, “GRAB SOME CRAP!”

I know…kids aren’t supposed to hear/say crap, but “transport your personal belongings into the house” doesn’t have the same ring to it.  So theoretically, each time we go into the house the car should be empty.  Everyone should be able to gather up all the crap they brought with them, or make two trips.  But NOOOOOO.  The car just gets more loaded up with crap until I finally lose it (or there’s any possibility that I’ll have to drive a client or coworker somewhere), and I’ll have the car cleaned – inside and out.  This usually happens once a month, so I don’t know how it gets so bad.  It’s a company car, for crying out loud!  It’s embarrassing!

I swapped the old crap-mobile at the dealership for the shiny, new, slightly more petite Ford Escape.  Aliya picked the color because she figures I can buy it for her after my time with it is done.  After a 5-minute discussion about what’s in the owner’s manual pouch and one signature, I had a half-hour lesson on how to use the phone and radio controls on the dashboard and steering wheel.  It’s still a little intimidating, but I made a phone call and didn’t crash, so I’m good.

And in the interest of keeping the new ride crap-free, everything that’s left behind when the kids exit the vehicle will be scooped into the strategically-located trash can at the end of the driveway.  All done.

Time Flies

People who have older kids always say how fast time flies…”Enjoy the kids while you have them because before you know it they’ll be grown up and gone.”  I have never felt that way.  Whether I was changing diapers, struggling with sleep issues (theirs, not mine), breaking up fights, cleaning up spills and couch-drawings…I felt like it would never end.  Until today.

Adlani had homework last night that he didn’t finish before bed – he was falling asleep at the table.  He asked me to wake him up early to finish it – a 6-page story.  So this morning I got up at 6:30, woke him up, and made chocolate chip muffins to reward him for working hard and taking responsibility.  The muffins were in the oven, the dishwasher was running, the house wasn’t a complete wreck, nobody was bickering, the dog didn’t need to go out, the dryer wasn’t beeping, I had already responded to the email that had arrived since midnight, and I didn’t have anywhere to be after delivering all 3 kids to Lego Club (Aliya’s an assistant to the coaches).  I felt, temporarily, at peace.

So I sat down on the couch and looked at Adlani sitting at the table.  He looked so cute and was really concentrating on his homework.  And then, it happened.  I thought, “Time flies.  I should take a photo because I will want to look back on this moment.”  So I did.

This week has been a big one.  After my ankle injury and sciatica during the holidays, it felt so good to catch up on some overdue work and whittle my email down from 400+ to about 150.  I was motoring along when two things happened.

First, Aliya decided that instead of going to middle school where the rest of her school typically goes, she was interested in looking at the charter school.  So I spent some time researching it and talking to people, and then we went to the open house.  We both loved the school.  It is an Expeditionary Learning school, and the students do a lot of field work and experiments as part of their curriculum.  They are taught to be critical thinkers, rather than memorizing facts from a book.  I was very impressed with the dedication of the teachers, and the respect between teachers and students, as well as the students with each other.  Admission is by lottery, so now we wait until February 7th to see if she gets in.

Second, I heard that our friend’s parents were willing to rent their house in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico during the summer.  And just like that I got permission to work remotely (more remotely than usual) for a month, to take the kids on a Spanish immersion adventure.  The more I read about it, the more excited I get.  The girls are excited as well, although Adlani is worried that the house might collapse and that there will be bats and/or bears in the caves that house the hot springs.  He is his father’s son.

The fact that Aliya is leaving elementary school and heading to middle school seems to be the tipping point for the sudden feeling that time is flying by.  When I (briefly) considered whether or not to go to Mexico, I thought about how many more summer family excursions we actually have – not that many.  At some point Aliya will have a summer job, and it won’t be long at all before she goes off to college.  If we wait until we can comfortably afford it, it will be too late.  It’s only money.

¡México aquí llegamos!

It’s National Cookie Day

This morning in the middle of Morning Mayhem, Aliya said, “Mom, can you PLEASE make cookies today?!  It’s National Cookie Day!”

Blank stare.  Then my inner voice started screaming…”COOKIES?!  You want me to MAKE COOKIES for NATIONAL COOKIE DAY?  Do you know that I have 10 people I was supposed to get back to YESTERDAY, waiting for an answer?  And 165 other emails?  And a brunch for 40 people to put together, and Christmas gifts for 60???  And speaking of Christmas, do YOU want anything under the tree with YOUR name on it?  Because I haven’t bought ANYTHING!!!  Making COOKIES would require me to change out of last night’s Zumba clothes and go to STOP & SHOP!  And your brother and sister have a doctor’s appointment at 2 o’clock, which means I only have until 1 to try to get enough done to keep me from getting FIRED!  And if I get FIRED, you won’t have a ROOF over your head, FOOD on the table…”  You get the picture.

My inner voice went on and on, but luckily my outer voice just said, “Aliya.  I can’t celebrate every holiday that Hallmark or someone selling cookie ingredients dreams up.  Do you expect me to go out and buy a tuba for National Tuba Day? (I have no idea where that one came from.)  I can’t make cookies today.”

But I couldn’t shake it.  My kid wants to celebrate National Cookie Day.  When she grows up, she’ll torture me with the recollection that I wouldn’t make cookies for National Cookie Day.  So guess what?  I changed out of last night’s Zumbawear and went to Stop & Shop.  I even took a shower.  I bought the break-apart cookie dough (the kind that says on the package not to eat raw dough – WTF?).  And when she came home from school we made cookies.  And all was right with the world.  Or at least in our kitchen.  She couldn’t have cared less that we used break-apart cookie dough.  I hope she remembers National Cookie Day when she grows up.

In case you’re wondering what other holidays are coming up, tomorrow is Bathtub Party Day, Thursday is Put On Your Own Shoes Day, Friday is National Cotton Candy Day, and Saturday is Take it in the Ear Day.  We DEFINITELY won’t be celebrating that one.

Happy National Cookie Day!!! 

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Gaylord Opryland Hotel

After the zoo, we took a drive down Broadway, and then went to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.  Everyone thought I was crazy for dragging them to a hotel, but the place is HUGE (9 acres of indoor gardens, 2,881 guest rooms) and it was all decorated for Christmas with over 2 million lights – amazing!  In return for humoring me by going to the hotel, the family made me eat at Dave & Busters, where Norah dumped a giant Shirley Temple on herself and Ben (karma?).  It’s hard to imagine that the hotel and the mall next door were under water after a flood in 2010.

I didn’t take enough photos to give any sense of how gigantic the atria are, but here are a few:

To give this “tree” some scale, the trees at the bottom right are full-sized trees.

How do they get lights on every branch?

We stopped at the Grand Ole Opry for a photo op: