The Time Has Come

Oh my. What a title. What could this mean?

Maybe…I need reading glasses. (yep)

Maybe….my son is a dope and spent a thunderstorm sitting under a metal framed umbrella at the pool? (yep)

Maybe….I lost Abby’s social security card and can’t register her for kindergarten. (yep)

Nope. All of those are true but not my topic “du jour”.

The time has come for mommy to have a break.

I realized about a month ago that I have not spent more than 24 hours apart from my children in over seven years. (and that was only twice)

Seven years.

Seven gloriously wonderful years.

But come on, y’all.

I need a break!

What to do, what to do.

Time to plan a girls trip. So who do I invite?

My big girl who is also in need of a diversion. You see, The Boyfriend is in Alaska playing baseball for the summer. With the time change, it’s hard for them to talk. Toss in 8 hour work days….and she needs to get away too.

So she and I are headed to Jacksonville Beach in less than two weeks. Oceanfront, food within walking distance, and my aunt right in town.

Whoo hoo!

(side note….I asked Alex too but he declined)

I am so looking forward to getting away.

Time to chill with a book, take naps when I want to, eat meals uninterrupted, sleep late (like that’s going to happen!), and try not to feel guilty about abandoning my kids.

I am already feeling the guilt.

If I told the girls where Katie and I were headed, they’d freak.

Yes, they love staying with daddy and Alex. But….beach? They love the beach.

So, we are saying Katie and mommy are taking a college trip.

Maybe they’ll buy that.

Doubt it. But I can try.

And maybe I can make it up later in the summer when the oil leaves Gulf Shores....

Are They Sisters?

Tonight the big kids ditched us for more exciting adventures. So we took the little ones on an adventure too….a Japanese hibachi grill.

Unlike most Japanese restaurants, this particular one employs people of all races and nationalities. So don’t expect a Japanese cook or server ‘cause it may not happen!

On a side note and amazingly enough…..there were no tears this time when the fire was lit! Yay for us.

Well, one of the college aged servers approached us to ask about the girls. Where are they from? Are they sisters (meaning…biological)? How long have they been here? Did they speak Mandarin?

I never mind these questions when I know someone is truly interested and is not being malicious. I will admit though that it’s getting harder to answer when little ears are listening. Not sure how I’m going to handle this as they get older….(hint hint to those who have been there!)

Anyhow, this employee happened to be Chinese herself from a province near where both little ones were born so I understood her curiosity.

On the drive home, I started thinking about the question, “are they sisters?”

Well, they…

alternate fighting and playing well every two minutes

finish each others sentences and thoughts

can interpret for the other

create long, elaborate games that never seem to end

sit and watch Barbie movies for hours at a time

love to drag out art supplies to use their imagination

wreak havoc together on a daily basis

have perfected the whine of each others names

tattle on each other relentlessly

and so many other things.

So you tell me…..

Are they sisters?

The Errand Boy

Ah, errands. A lovely addition to a mother’s day.

Right.

Like I enjoy hauling my girls out to buy groceries or other necessities of life. Or having to run out just before dinner to pick up one more item that I forgot.

And that is not a rarity, I promise.

Well, I have myself a new errand boy. Yay me!

Alex met up with the DMV today with a positive outcome.

(a plug here for The Girlfriend who kept the double trouble duo happy when we were gone much longer than planned....)

I now have two licensed drivers which translates to two more reasons to worry.

And two more reasons to let me pass off the debit card and make up for my forgetfulness.

Whoo hoo!

But now that means we are into sharing vehicles….which I am told is impossible.

Hmmm. We managed to do it as teens but evidently life is different now.

I will admit that I hate to give up my own vehicle in case I need it. Or in case it gets wrecked. Or in case….well, I don’t know. I’m just possessive, I guess.

Yes, they have to share one car. A small, little, reliable, car.

But hold on now….

The Boyfriend is out of town for the summer. Which means his truck is sitting idle at home.

So he and his parents have offered Katie the truck for the summer to help with the “issues”.

How sweet!

Imagine this


parked next to this


Doesn’t it just make you laugh??

Imagination Run-Amok

My double trouble duo is out
of school for the summer. And stuck with cranky, old mom.

To make the days pass faster, they pull out the old “creativity” trick.

And yes, they can be quite imaginative.

Here’s a sampling of our first few days home:

Digging for bugs and making little homes for them. Of course, they got rather miffed when they went to check on the buggy friends only to find they had walked off. Huh. Imagine that.

Re-enacting “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale” at the pool. I was just thankful no one was nearby to hear the constant dialogue.

Pretending to be the puppy next door….complete with barking. Fun, fun.

Lots of paper, scissors, and glue to create a much needed object to haul around the house pulled by a string. Lovely.

Making kites out of construction paper to “fly” in the wind. Uh huh.

Dance parties in the bedroom which involves jumping off the bed…and for some reason, they are always shocked when I bust them at it. Like I can’t hear the pounding of feet above my head.

Playing dodge ball with stuffed animals…(I hide those toys for a reason)

But today’s creativity took the cake…

The duo was off playing in the house. I could hear snippets of conversation but hadn’t quite gotten the gist of the story line ‘du jour’.

Abby silently appeared in front of me and said,

“I am a pirate and Anna is a puppy.”

Don’t ask me why a pirate and puppy would go together but it did…

And then I heard the next words,

“Can she lick me for real?”

Yuck!

16 Candles....

Ah. Do you remember turning 16? Excited to get your license, perhaps a huge party, or something else equally cool?

Hmm…..I don’t remember doing any of that. I don’t even remember turning 16.

Yes, I must be that old. Seems to be a theme lately. Not a good sign.

When Katie turned 16, we had a huge party with lots of friends. Toss in the St. Patrick’s Day birthday, and it was definitely a big thing.

Let’s just say the adults participated in the theme in their own way. Ahem.

Alex turned 16 today. I can’t believe it.

We are now headed toward another driver (do I hear a yay and an oh my), one step closer to leaving the house, and one more reason for mom to feel over the hill.

He did not want a party. So….that money was put toward his present.

The kid is musically talented. It just amazes me. He can pick up an instrument and begin to pick a tune rather quickly.

So, he asked for a keyboard.

Uh…..we have a piano.

But mom, I can’t take that to my room.

Very true, very true.

The gift…..



as well as a buffet dinner at Golden Corral per request (ugh)

and cake at home



with family,





as well as the sister with the missing boyfriend playing baseball in Alaska,



and The Girlfriend



rounded out his day.

Happy 16th Birthday Alex!!!

(I won’t embarrass you and say anything else….)