Security Guard Day

July adventure in the books

It is 12:05 am and our return ferry is about to set sail for home, all the little ones are asleep in the back, and I am sitting in the car as we move across the water.

With July rapidly coming to a close, we needed an adventure. A few Internet searches lead us to settle on a 30 minute ferry ride, followed by a 30 minute car ride to our destination of a small street fair, carnival rides, and fireworks on the lake. We had never been across the water in our car and we had never been to Silverdale and we certainly had never heard of Whaling Days. 

We arrived a little later than expected due to a 90 minute ferry wait on the way out, and we are due to arrive home a little later than expected because we missed the 11:05 ferry by about 7 minutes. We obviously didn't mind, I mean what good is an adventure without a little adventure. 

The lesson of this adventure, if there is one to be learned, is that if we thought we may one day move to Silverdale, we won't. The town was a bit scruffy and a little rougher than we prefer, no one was allowed to be alone (not even Angie or I) and we were sure a fight was going to break out any minute. And while the people seemed nice enough, there was a high percentage of very young people smoking and entirely too many people that should have been wearing more clothes.  

We arrived a little later than planned and we were headed home a lot later than planned, but traveling mishaps were not the only mishaps of the July adventure. 

For example: 

1) there was the time that Owen stepped in a bush on the beach and as he pulled his feet and shoes out of the bush, he was covered in stickers and unable to move.

2) or the time when Owen threw a log and somehow ended up with what he called seaweed legs

3) the time that Owen, Ivy and Evan were about to go down the slide together and right before they took off, Ivy tried to straighten her mat and it took off without her, she was left with her sticky little legs touching the slide and was forced to scoot herself down while crying all the way as Evan and Owen slid gleefully down together.

4) the time we set up shop to watch fireworks and after waiting two hours, watched the first one go off behind a building;

and finally,
 

5) the time when ( this was my personal favorite) Ivy pushed Owen off a bridge into a little ditch during the fireworks, in the dark. (It took me a minute to figure out who fell. He was completely covered in the brush and I wasn't sure if he was wet or gone and I could only see his foot. Once I realized he wasn't dead or drifting off to sea, I laughed my butt off. A stranger had to help me heave him out. I am the worst mom, I laugh now just thinking about it, I even laughed at his whimpering self after we pulled him out. I honestly had no choice.)

Despite the mishaps, we laughed really hard, loved the fireworks, enjoyed the lake, did something different, stayed out too late, and were reminded we love where we live. 

Success! 

 

Priorities

I was making bread the other day when Owen and his friends came in. They asked me what I was making this time and said that I am always making things AND that I make everything from scratch. 

I almost died a little. I was that mom! The mom that makes everything from scratch! I was (and continue to be) so excited. 

Of course, this mom can't possibly do it all. While I may make things from scratch these days, I am watching Owen right now during his tennis lesson and he is wearing my flip flops. We donated his tennis shoes after the Dirty Dash and one Croc got up and walked away the other day. He is not wearing my shoes out of choice, but rather because he has NO shoes.

Flip flops are fine for tennis. Who needs shoes anyway, after all, I am the mom who is always making something and makes everything from scratch!! Isn't that enough?

UPDATE: Sooo, apparently shoes are important. The lesson ended and his coach told me that Owen did great and then added an aside saying ever so nicely, "try to get him some shoes, there is only so much you can do in flip flops". 

Yes! We will get right on that! Today! I mean, we were coincidently headed there now! 

Then we drove away and I apologized to Owen. He responded ever so nicely and said , "it is ok, don't worry... Well kind of worry". 

New shoes it is!  

Ooops

We were driving home tonight in separate cars, the kids and I in one and Greg in the other.  I looked in my rearview mirror to see a policeman behind Greg with his lights on.  I knew he wasn’t speeding since I wasn’t speeding and I was ahead of him.  I figured he must have been texting or talking on the phone without his headset, both of which would have been hideous!  Owen was sure Greg was going to jail.  Greg called a few minutes later and informed me (ever so rudely) that it wasn’t what he did, but what I didn’t do.  Apparently, his tabs have been expired since September, 2012; and to think, he was worried when my tabs were over 1 week due.

What I didn’t do, I am so sure…..

Just so we are clear in the future:

Greg – take out garbage, take out recycling, take out food waste, kill bugs, move plants around outside, renew your car tabs each September.

Jen – everything else.

Now I cannot be blamed.

My forgotten life

I barely recognize myself.  Let’s review:

• I just ate salmon drenched in butter with a side of honey sesame sweet potatoes.  I liked them, Greg did not. 
• I am going to get ready for bed soon and when I do, I will wash my hands with the liquid soap I made and I will brush my teeth with my homemade toothpaste.  (Again, I am a fan.  Greg is not).  
• I make sure my children do a little “earthing” each day by playing in the dirt or being barefoot outside. 
• I just bought a cleaner that can do everything (bathrooms, kitchen, ant killer, help with acne, dish soap, bug bites, shampoo, and laundry soap to name a few) and it actually works.  It is human safe, non-toxic.  I am actually a little obsessed with it.  www.branchbasics.com
• I make my own fruit snacks with grass-fed gelatin.
• I lather my kids up with coconut oil when they go out in the sun.  No burns yet, and it has been HOT!
• Each night before bed I put apple cider vinegar on my face. 
• My bathroom looks like my kitchen.
• I cooked vegetables for myself the other night and put garlic on the vegetables, on purpose!
• There is nothing in my kitchen that was here last year.
• I planted a garden. 
• I use essential oils for all of our ailments.
• We make homemade ice cream
• I am this close to trying raw milk.

and that is just to name a few. 

The moral of the story: I am glad I am still married and that Greg still likes me. 

No more heat

We are having a heat wave and I hate it. I hate it with all my heart because I cannot escape it. With no air conditioner in my house or at work and a forecast for days near or into the 80s , life begins to feel a bit hideous. 

I decided today it is time for the air conditioner to be installed. I am totally prepared to be laughed at when I call tomorrow for an immediate installation, but for the sake of not sweating while I sit here, who cares, bring on the laughter and install my air!! 

Lily

Good old Lily.  She came, she taught, and she left. 

About a month ago or so an uninvited robin came into my life  This particular robin wasn’t the kind you normally see, you know, the kind that runs around on the grass looking for worms, nope, this was the crazy kind that continuously bashes into the window.  Over and over and over again.  All day long. 

The first day, after the kids got home from school, I crazily announced to Owen that I was going to get a gun and shoot the bird.  That seemed like a good idea until he marched over to Ivy and calmly said, “mom is going to shoot the bird”, and she started to cry her eyes out.  Ok, I won’t shoot the bird …. yet. 

Ivy must really have a knack for psychology as even at the young age of three, she realized that she needed to humanize the bird to protect it.  It was its only chance. The bird was a she and we knew this because Ivy looked into her eyes and could tell.  Not only was she a she but her name was Lily.   As if it was a question, obviously I am not going to shoot the bird now!  How could I shoot something with a name like Lily. 

I tried everything.  I put papers on the window to let her know that it was a window, I closed the curtains, I opened the curtains, I ran out the door flailing my arms and screaming at her, I sent the kids out to scare her away.  After a few days, I finally admitted defeat.  Lily was here to stay and to drive me crazy. 

As time went on I was bothered less and less by her constantly bashing into the window.  I decided she either had a nest nearby or thought that the bird in the window was the most beautiful bird she had ever seen. 

After about 9 days, I was talking to Emilee about Lily and suddenly so many things became clear. 

“I feel bad for Lily, she just sits there and bashes into the window all day long as though something may come from it.  I watch her pick her little self up off the ground and do it again over and over.  She is going to get hurt.   I just wish she would understand and do something different.”

As the words rolled off my tongue I suddenly realized I was Bob , Lily was Dr. Leo Marvin, and the window was like a vacation to Lake Winnipesaukee.  What was I thinking! Lily wasn’t here to drive me crazy, but to help me see my crazy.  I am Lily, bashing into the window over and over and wanting something different.  As I continued to therapy myself, I realized there are things I need to change about myself.  Things will never be different if I just fly into the window all day long. 

And with that, Lily came by a little less each day and after two weeks she was gone.  Once I learned what she was here to teach (cause obviously that was what she was doing and the empty nest we found a few days ago had nothing to do with it), she had less use for the window.  As I continued to make changes in my life, some big like acknowledging an unhealthy relationship in my life, some small like running to Lowe’s to buy a hose instead of constantly hating the hose that leaks and continuously coming in wet after watering the plants, Lily had less and less to show me and she moved on (or flew away and quietly died of a severe brain injury, I choose #1). 

Who knew that the crazy bird that I wanted to shoot would move me forward when I am stuck and would remind me that opportunities to learn are where we choose to find them.

 

Lily

(Seriously, I should pay myself some good money for this therapy.)