Broken Beach Visit

We traveled down to Ocean City, Maryland, for our family vacation last week with my parents and brother.  While the beach is not as certainly not as spectacular as a trip to Disney (at least what I've imagined in my mind) or as exotic as a trip to Costa Rica (someday....), it is a nice, predictable family vacation destination.  We rent two 3-bedroom condos for a week so we all have ample space.  There are plenty of family-friendly places to eat, things to do, etc.  The kids like the beach and the waves, flying kites, building sand creations, biking on the Boardwalk, playing on the playgrounds, and riding at the amusement park -- all interspersed with daily visits with grandma and pops.  Other than the constant sunscreen application battle and massive amount of laundry, it is an "easy" vacation to plan and execute (as "easy" as things get with 3 kids). Also, since we have a full kitchen, we can keep expenses down by eating in for many meals. 

Our vacation was off to a good start.  We arrived on Saturday afternoon and hit the beach.  On Sunday we had a great swim before the torrential rain in for the afternoon, which felt very cozy rather than oppressing.  On Monday morning we biked on the Boardwalk, which was especially nice for me since Caroline was able to bike alone for the first time.  I only had lug Ben in the tow carrier, rather than both Ben and Caroline.  Actually, having Ben in the carrier slows me down just enough that I can pace Abby and Caroline pretty well (if I don't have Ben, it's actually kind of hard to bike slowly without weaving).   

On Monday afternoon, we hit the beach again and started to have another fun swim.  Then, our vacation kind of........tanked.  The short version is that Scott and I spent a chilly afternoon in the ER of Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, MD, while the kids watched two movies with Grandma and Pops.  We missed the big annual crab feast while Scott learned he had fractured his humerus (left arm) that he injured in a body surfing wipe-out.  My bonehead beloved husband was trying to show the kids how much fun the waves can be.  See kids?  I only broke my arm on this one!  It's really safe out here!!!  I'm sure they aren't scarred for life or anything.

It could have been a LOT worse, and I've had time to reflect on that.  He could have broken is back.  Or neck.  Fortunately, he doesn't even have to get a cast -- just a sling.  But, our vacation lost some steam after the whole ER visit/broken arm thing.  Scott is a trooper for sure, though. We still made it to the Trimper rides on the Boardwalk.  We ate some cold steamed crabs (which are still pretty good even though I had to give half of what I shelled to Scott).  We went back to the beach without further injury, flew a kite, and drank some delicious Dumser's milkshakes.   

So....we're back now. I don't feel very rested from this vacation.  We came back a little early for Scott to visit the orthopedist, who was running a full two hours behind schedule, which felt like an eternity after a 4-hour car ride. The kids hung in there, though. And, Scott will be just fine after 6 to 8 weeks.  Aside from the broken bone/loss of use of one arm thing, the only real logistical problem we have to face is that Scott can't drive.  So, I'll be adding about 1.5 hours of bonus commuting time to my day with the kids for a few weeks. Ew.  I  looooooove spending time in the car with my kids.  No one ever bickers in the car.  Or touches each other.  Or screams.   Or asks for anything.  Oh well.....  

See how much fun we were having before the big break?

39 Homegrown Reasons to Love August

It's hard to believe that all these beauties came from my tiny little garden yesterday!  They made a delicious batch of roasted tomato soup -- except for the big yellow tomato on top (lemon boy variety).  You, my tasty friend, will soon be Caprese salad.

A Breath

For the very first time since 2005, Scott and I had the house to ourselves for 24 continuous hours (actually, 27 hours).  Last Wednesday, Grandma and Grandad took Caroline; Grandma and Pops took Ben; and the Girls Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania summer camp had Abby.  I cannot even express in words how I had longed for this break.  I love my children so very dearly, but their care is demanding and I feel exhausted beyond description at times.  Six years without an entire day off is far, far too long, even for a "job" you love.

What did we do with all our free time?  We went out to lunch and strolled around Longwood Gardens after dropping off Ben in MD.  We visited the Brandywine River Museum to see some art without having to worry about anyone making too much noise or touching something inappropriate.  Sidenote, have I ever mentioned that Abby was practically banned from Biscayne National Park when she was a toddler?

We enjoyed a quiet afternoon coffee and attempted to do the Wednesday Inquirer crossword puzzle.  I learned that my  thin grasp of pop culture has even further diminished in the past six years..... And, finally, a dinner out at a restaurant and saw a movie without paying a sitter (by the way the movie Midnight in Paris was very enjoyable and quite beautiful to watch).

After so much fun on Wednesday, we really felt like we should do at least one productive thing while the kids were gone, so we painted the ceiling in the family room.  This particular task selection may seem odd, but it is one of those things on the house "to-do" list that has been nagging  me since November 2010.  We had some ceiling lights installed and the electrician left it to us to patch the giant holes he cut into the wall and ceiling. I had more or less finished patching the holes, but the project was still unfinished.  And, since we hadn't painted the ceiling, we couldn't yet paint the walls the nice orange color I picked out, even though the paint has been sitting downstairs for 6 months. And since the wall isn't painted, we haven't been able to hang the awesome piece of metal artwork from Haiti made from a reclaimed oil drum (it's really cool). 

I can't believe how incredibly quiet our house was for those 27 hours.  Blissfully peaceful.  I also confirmed that I still enjoy hanging around with my husband, which isn't bad considering we've now known each other for 20 years.  If I'm being honest, the kids weren't gone long enough to miss, and they were sooooo wound up when they got home from grandmas' that they were able to make up for lost time pretty quickly.

Still, though, it was so very nice to stop and take a breath. 

Waterfalls

This past weekend we had a little camping adventure at Ricketts Glen State Park.  I don't know how Scott and the Sullys felt, but for me it was a bit more than a regular camping trip.  While we thoroughly enjoyed all the trappings of a traditional tent camping trip, like s'mores and long talks by the campfire, a hearty hot breakfast, and scrumptious shish-kabobs made to taste even better by a full day of hiking, there was something more.

The water levels were low enough that we were able to swim in waterfalls!

(I'm sitting here.  Caroline wanted the water to pound on her head)

And we also swam in this little peace of paradise:

While the rest of the region was baking in 100+ degree weather, we cooled off (shivered even) in the  cool waters.  I won't lie.  The water was brisk.  If the weather had been cooler, I wouldn't have even considered taking a dip.  But, we were fortunate because the weather was hot and the lack of rain made the water levels low and run clear.  Looking at the photographs of the falls in the hiking brochures, the water levels were unbelievably low relative to normal levels.  But the views were still stunning.  There were rocks covered in ancient moss, ferns lining the trails, and rocky waterfalls, like THIS:

Ricketts Glen boasts 22 named waterfalls, of which we saw seven, including the highest one (94'). While we would have liked to see more, hiking near waterfalls with young children takes a level of vigilance that would be unsustainable for a 7-mile trail. When planning the trip, I thought we would only be able to see one fall since the hiking materials talked about the difficulty and slipperiness of the trails. The lack of rain worked in our favor here too, since the trails were bone dry in most places. Exhilerating!

3 things you don't want to hear or see before 8 am

1)  Ben: "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!  Don't let the ants get my Legos!"
     Mom (screaming from other side of the house):  "What ants?"
     Ben:  "All these millions of ants in the living room eating crackers on the floor!"
    
2)  Ben:  "Caroline, pull your underwear up as high as you can."
     Caroline:  "Like this?" 
     Ben:  "No, even higher like THIS."
     Caroline complies.
     Ben:  "Now, let's run around naked and show Mom and Dad."
          (no photos necessary for this one...just use your imagination....or not)

3)  Caroline:  "BEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!  Come here!"
     Mom: "Caroline, aren't you in the bathroom?"
     Caroline:  "Yes, Mom.  Come here Ben, I want to show you something!"
     (Ben runs gleefully into the bathroom)
     Caroline:  "Look at THIS Ben!  Doesn't it look like a troll lego boomer?"  
     Ben:  "Wow!  That's awesome.  Can we take it out and play with it?"
     (at this point I was sprinting down the hall, ready to intervene)
    Caroline:  "No Ben, we can't.  We have to flush it away." 
     (flushing sounds heard....thank God)

Soooooo......how's your day going so far?

Summer Highlights So Far....

Kayaking at Marsh Creek

Backyard Camping

Backyard Camping -- with FIRE!

Longwood Gardens

Ben cheering at Longwood Gardens.....

after the very accommodating staff successfully retrieved Ben's hat from an off-limits fountain area....

where he just happened to drop his hat.....(thank you facilities team!)

Dragon Ride at Malvern Fair

Abby: Top Right Row;  Mom:  Out of Shot, Eyes Covered

We're all still here and the kids are certainly enjoying their summer.  We've had a chance to do lots of other wonderful things that I didn't capture on film, like rafting on the Lehigh River and trips to grandparents' houses. 

However, as the dearth of posts would suggest, I must admit that I have lost a bit of my blogging "mojo" of late.  I've tried to think of a way to put this into words, but three weeks later I'm still struggling to think of a way to express myself clearly.  Even now, I'm at a loss for the right words.  The bottom line, though, is that I'm just tired. Not the sleep-deficit-variety of tired, but a deeper kind of tired.  During the school year, when things are running at full speed, I didn't make take time to reflect.  But, now that things have mercifully slowed down, I've had a chance to contemplate how the "things" (family, friends, volunteer commitments, the house, etc.) are and where they are going.  I have decided we, at least I, need a course correction.  I'm still trying to figure out where I fit into the mix because the pace from last year was not sustainable. I'm still searching for answers.

Yes, I can dress myself.

The shirt tucked into the underwear gets me every time.