Walking with Dinosaurs

Wake up, strange child who sleeps on top of several books and uses a teddy bear for a pillow!!!


View from the parking garage.


Our picnic on the boardwalk.


I saw the sign....


And these next few are random dinosaurs.






What a T-Rex!!!


And we waited for hubs under palm trees and a beautiful sky. Too bad it was fake....

And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Yes - I am crazy. We are going to AC on Labor Day weekend. I finally gave in to the commercials and got tickets to see Walking with Dinosaurs. It looks so cool!! So tonight we'll pack sandwiches and snacks so we can leave at the crack of dawn. I even got cinnamon raisin English muffins for breakfast in the car. Hubs wasn't convinced this was a good idea. Then I promised we could get Sack o' Subs for dinner and he changed his mind.

I love car trips because we all agree on the music these days. I pulled the kids' favorite songs, hubs favorite songs and songs we all like onto one playlist. The rule is if you don't like the current song, a good song will be next. I love that Trinks won't let anyone talk when Piano Man comes on, and S will sing along with Help! Of course if they get unruly, hubs and I turn on Car Talk and they fall asleep.

Trinks was in an accident

I was greeted by the owner of Trinks' kung fu studio. He let me know that the van was involved in a hit and run on the way back from picking the kids up. The driver pulled over and the car sped away. He got the license plate number and called the police. It was a stolen car. This is the third accident Trinks has been in! Always some drama. At least everyone is safe.

So I was too tired to post words with the pictures last night. We all walked Trinks to the bus stop yesterday morning, and talked to the other parents while we waited. The sex offender was outside. I wish someone would buy his house! Trinks got on the bus and got whisked away. She was really calm. She didn't know her teacher and had no idea who was in her class, but she was ready for adventure.

After work, I picked S up and headed to pick Trinks up. She was just starting her first weapons class. She was swinging a staff like she was born to do it! It was awesome to watch. S was so impressed, he told me he wanted to do weapons as well. As we were waiting to pay for her new formal top and staff, hubs walked in. He started his 3 months of basic last night.

I took the kids home and got to hear all about the first day of school. Trinks is in class with her best friend, and someone she's known since she was 3. She only didn't know four people and was excited about meeting new people. Of course there was no homework for her, but I had piles of papers to fill out. Thank goodness the school switched to a peanut free zone this year and if you do eat something with traces of peanuts or tree nuts, you have to use wipes for your face and hands to make sure you don't kill your classmate. Things should be good for S when he gets there next year.

So now we figure out our new schedule. Hubs wants to take class 2-3 classes a week. Trinks starts Brownies on 9/15. S still has kung fu two nights a week, which can change to 5 nights a week when he turns 5. We were going to look for soccer for him, but I think I'll do Tumblebus for another year. I love anything I don't have to drive to! At least next year, he'll get a ride to kung fu.

No wonder I was tired last night!

3rd grade

CRAP!

We received an ivitation in the mail to attend an open house tonight at Trinks' school. It was an opportunity to meet the teacher and get comfortable with the school before it starts next week. I went to work early, rushed out early, picked Trinks up and made it to the school 15 minutes after it started.

Apparently someone decided to change the night and didn't exactly get the notice out to all of us parents. It was last night. We weren't the only ones who didn't know. I'm sure they used their phone system to let us know, but we don't use the land line anymore, nor do we have an answering machine. Anyone who knows us, knows we won't answer the land line. I was planning to change our number when Trinks brings home her millions of papers. So school hasn't even started and I hate it already.

My baby started school!

As usual, I am a beat behind every other parent. I walked into school with S and was informed today was the first day if kindergarten. Wow! I had no time to cry. I guess it was announced while we were away. The teacher wants to finish early, at the end of May, so she started today. Works for me!

We are watching S this year to decide if he'll be ready to start 1st grade next year. The class is really small, so I think he'll get some extra attention if he needs it. His writing is pretty good, but he gets frustrated trying new stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Vacation reading

Right before we left for Galway, I took out 16 books from the library. I have a few left to read. The books were a great combination of fun and educational.

From the allergy collection, we have:

How to live with a Nut Allergy by Chad K Oh. This was a great book about what nuts are in - EVERYTHING! S has been breaking out from sesame seeds, so this book was a help. We avoided anything that said it was made in a factory with tree nuts, but were confused by his rash. Then I read that sometimes sesame seeds and coconut are included in the exclusion diet. On top of that, nuts are in the craziest things! This was great handbook and even hubs glanced at it.

Allergy Relief by Sylvia Goldfarb. This book was a great overview of all the different treratments and cures for allergies. She covered standard drugs, NAET (90% cure rate!! Definitely worth exploring), vitamin and mineral deficiencies, guided imagery, accupuncture, accupressure and chiropractors. It gave me a lot of new ideas, plus gave more information about things I am exploring. It didn't go into enough detail to be totally useful, but I have some areas to explore.

The Miracle of Magnesium by Carolyn Dean. I liked this book because it explained why most Americans have a magnesium deficiency and which tests to ask the doctor to perform to confirm. Magnesium used to come from the soil, but the soil is depleted of nutrients. Coupled with the overprocessed food, we don't get enough. She also describes how the body uses magnesium. It's worth a shot to try. I have a list of high magnesium foods to add to my diet. Everything else I am trying for my allergies has worked.

The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger. I thought I would check out some recipes for S. I have a nice long list of baked goods, snacks and side dishes to try. The book was written by a mother of children with gluten allergies. I figure since we are bombarded with food with wheat in everything, I'll see how easy it is to bake with rice flour. So this afternoon, I'll tackle some muffins, banana bread and granola bars. Then we'll have some puffed potatoes with turkey burgers. I'll share my favorites. If a lot the the recipes work, I may even have to buy the book.

From the financial world:

Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. I like Dave Ramsey, so I checked out his other book. I just wanted to keep the incentive to stay on target for my plan. My plan is to pay off the car three years early, kick out the home equity four years early, then get the house paid off. Debt makes me very uncomfortable. I want complete and utter freedom to do what I want to do when I Want to. The budget has been tight this year, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I like Dave's simple plan of buying cars in cash and having no debt. Assuming our '98 Accord lasts for the next 4-5 years, we will not have another car payment.

And in the fun category...

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson. This is a great book about someone too stubborn to give up building his empire. It makes me want to only fly Virgin.

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner. I loved these short stories. I have to figure out which books of hers I haven't read and order them from the library.

Knock Out by Catherine Coulter. Another in the FBI thriller series. Same format, same action, same unlikely situations and last minute rescues.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom. If you have read any of his other books, this is the same with a different situation. A nice story.

The Fortune Teller's Daughter by Susan Wilson. This was a cute story - perfect for the beach.

So now I have to finish the rest of the books, and return the ones I read tomorrow. There is another book waiting for me and the hold ends tomorrow. It's another allergy and asthma book. More research!

My sommelier

My father is so proud of Trinks. He taught her how to open wine and pour it. She is a great sommelier at the ripe age of 8. She won't try the wine, though. Her brother, on the other hand, likes the cork and the wine.

Homework on vacation

Both kids have homework packets to complete before school starts. Trinks was supposed to do 20 minutes of multiplication tables every night since school ended. Have we done that? No. But she knows a lot of the tables and we had to teach her division to complete her packet. She has to read 15 books. We actually did more. Then she has several pages of math, 20 writing assignments and several science experiments to write up. How is this fun for parents???? She is in a snit, throwing things around the cabin, screaming and crying. I am not inclined to help her finish and will let her accept the consequences for not finishing.

S has a packet for kindergarten. Again, we've had since June to do them. He's been protesting, but at least the homework is reasonable. It's a bunch of letter writing, color by number, patterns, and sequences. The teacher just wants to see what level the kids are at. S has a very small kindergarten class - all of four kids! That boils down to a lot of personal attention.

Today is our last full day on vacation! It's hot, hazy and raining. In other words, a good day to waste with homework for the kids.

Orange

S has great comedic timing. But he is attempting knock knock jokes now. His favorite is Knock Knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? Awwww, don't cry. My mother stumbled through the whole banana one. You know, Banana. Banana who? Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana????

S does not understand this joke and is struggling to tell it with hilarious results. If you run into him in the next couple of weeks, be prepared to play knock knock with him. You may end up with one of his good ones. Or you may end up with the why did the (fill in the blank) cross the road.

A rainy night on the lake beats work

Sunday night. And hubs continued to grill in the rain.

Lake Sacandaga

Yes, we have a cabin right on Galway Lake. Yes, we can go swimming here. But, a few years ago we found a great campground with day use privileges. It's hands down the nicest beach around. Today it was close to 90 and there was no breeze on Galway Lake. I walked 4.5 miles, threw the kids and lunch in the car and mom and I headed to The Great Sacandaga. Once there, I walked another 3.5 miles around the campground and then joined everyone at the beach. It was nice to be able to cool right down after the walk with a nice swim. There is something about swimming in a lake that I love. We are surrounded by mountains and the scenery is just gorgeous.

Don't waste your money on toys

Get your kids a dead fish. Trinks and S spent over an hour playing with a dead fish. First there was the "rescue", where S went out in the boat with a net to get it. Then there was the attempt to revive and feed the fish. Then there was the funeral and burial and unburial, reburial, etc. I have no idea where the poor thing ended up. But I was left alone to read my book, so I was happy.

S has his own DS

I was in the right place at the right time. A friend was getting rid of her almost new, cobalt blue Nintendo DS. I didn't hesitate. I agreed to take it off her hands. She wouldn't even take money for it.

We surprised S with the game on the way up to Galway. Trinks is OBNOXIOUS about her DS and rarely allows S to share. We casually handed S his fully charged, Mario Brothers loaded DS. He was shocked! In hindsight, we should have realized he would want to play it all day once we got here. But we're giving him time here and there to figure out the games.

Frugal or Bored?

So last weekend I spent ALONE! Hubs spent the weekend with his parents and the kids. I needed to regroup - I was a mess, both personally and housely (look - I made up a word). I needed to get a grip. I ran errands, tidied things, cleaned, threw a ton of crap out, ran the washer until it begged for mercy, and made laundry detergent.

Ever since I read that Trent from The Simple Dollar made his own laundry detergent, I've been intrigued. I didn't use his recipe because I prefer powder and have always sworn by Tide with Bleach. Instead, I found a recipe that uses washing powder (1/4 cup), borax (1/4 cup) and shredded soap (1 bar). I have a habit of stealing soap from hotels, so I made my detergent with some pretty nice smelling soaps. I made the mistake of throwing a bar of glycerin soap in the food processer, so I can only use it for the linens. I use cold water for all other loads and I don't anticipate the soap melting in the water.

I anxiously awaited my first load. It worked really great! Once I finish the quadruple batch I made (why start with one batch? I had so many bars of soap to shred), I'll probably make more. By making my own soap in a really short amount of time, I am saving at least $60 a year. It's not a lot of money, but it's part of the larger savings we're hoping to accomplish. Every penny we save is closer to the financial freedom we are working towards. Ok - if I'm honest, it's closer to the obscenely lavish trip to Greece I want when we pay off the mortgage in a couple of years.

Ahhhh..... VACATION

We got to Galway NY at noon, fishing license in hand.

S couldn't get anyone to go in the boat with him at first.


Then Grandpa went out to drown some worms.


Trinks took her own boat. What you can't see is that she's 2 feet from shore.


Hubs in his element.



We had bass with sweet corn, yellow beans, and sauteed romaine for dinner. YUM!

I drove to MD for apples

And it was worth it. I love apples. I love FALL apples. You know the kind. Crisp. Tart. Sweet. Summer apples are mushy, nasty red and golden delicious. The golden delicious are the lesser of the two evils, so I hobble through winter, spring and summer with those.

Today a friend brought in a huge bag of Ginger Golds. I took one, expecting it to be okay. I was stunned. It was like a slightly sweeter Mutzu. I frantically tried to figure out when I could go get my own supply before we leave for vacation. I took S to kung fu, then we flew down Rt 40 until we reached MD. We made it to Milburn Orchards just before 7. I picked up the medium bag (I now regret not getting the huge bag), grabbed 2 loaves of apple bread and got back in the car. At this point the kids are hungry and confused about why we had to drive so far for apples. I handed them each an apple and they instantly understood. And they still ate dinner when we got home.

And LRNs, my exact words were "Go out and get some Ginger Golds". Not go out and get some. But then again, Amish hookers??

Eagles - GO TO HELL!!!

May the Eagles lose every fucking game they play this year. And hopefully someone will smear dog shit all over Vick's front door.

Hubs is even confused about why the Eagles took this ass. I am tempted to ban the showing of games in the house. But football is hubs' life and I don't want to punish him for his team making poor choices.

Conversations with S

I had two incredible conversations with S recently. Last night I was on Facebook and someone had posted a picture of a cat reclining on a couch. I showed both kids. Trinks said something about the cat being cute. S looks and says, "She looks like she's ready to grow babies." Ummmm.... WHAT?????

This morning I was driving S to school when he casually mentions that he and his best friend are popular. Of course I asked if he knew what popular was, and he free admitted he didn't. He continued, "but you do, Mommy". I have no idea what goes on in that crazy little head.

S has a girlfriend

This is my cousin's girlfriend. She danced with S at the World Cafe when we went to see the Mumbles. S had a blast and wouldn't stop dancing. Trinks almost fell asleep at the table.

Allergies

After S was diagnosed with his nut allergy, I had a melt down. I was looking at his Epi Pen, my antihistimines, and Trinks' asthma medicine. I freaked out. I don't want to need this stuff. I don't want to worry about S going into anaphalactic shock every time he leaves the house. Nuts are in EVERYTHING. Barbecue sauce, chocolate, various ethnic dishes, cosmetics, etc. Even trace amounts left from cross contamination is in everything.

So I did what I do when I need to learn everything about the enemy. I went to the library. I read The Complete Allergy Book, by Dr. Kevin Kwong. It's a brilliant book that makes alleries simple for regular people. It explains the different categories of medicines, so I understand why I use Atarax (or zyrtec or benadryl) for hive, but use nasonex for other allergies. It was a great introduction to Western medicine's treatment of allergies. But I wanted more. I want a CURE.

The next book I got out is changing my life. Allergies: Diseases in Disguise gave a theory on why allergies are on on the rise. It has to do with eating the same 15 foods and overuse of antibiotics. I don't like taking antibiotics because I get bad side effects, but I know they are necessary. Trinks was on antibiotics for most of her childhood while I sat cringing, begging the dr to find something else. Antibiotics kill off the bad bacteria in the intestines, but take the good ones out, too. That sets the body up for an over abundance of yeast in the gut. The yeast gets out of control and causes the body to attack itself. There is a simple 4-6 week program listed in this book to help take back your body. The way I see it, it can't hurt. None of the suggestions will cause any harm, and eating more raw, healthy food is good, whether or not it helps with allergies. I started this phase this week and I saw instant results. I'm moving on to adding a few more things this week, but so far, it's not hard and I feel better than I have felt in a year.

But even though I think this theory has merit, I took out a book on yeast to get more information. The Yeast Connection deals with more than just allergies, and is the first book to reference a cure for urticaria. Urticaria is hives for no reason and it drives me crazy. It also lists vague aches, pains and things a dr can't really diagnose as linked to yeast overgrowth. Heck, he has a list of diseases either caused or exacerbated by yeast. I think this theory has merit. I also think there is hope for controlling allergies naturally. I look forward to seeing how the next few weeks go. I also have a ton more books to get out of the library.

And disclaimer - I am NOT stopping any allergy or asthma medicine. In fact, I am picking up my inhaler today. I think western and natural medicine belong together. Right now western medicine isn't doing it for me and I can't find a natural allergist.

Cars

I got my car delivered to me at work on Wednesday. The driver was really nice, and I appreciated how the service manager treated me even though I was cranky about the situation. I made an off hand remark that we had to actually wait in line to pay tolls and he filled the gas tank up before delivering it to me. Classy. It makes sense. We have two Hondas, one which is 11 years old. While we intend to keep that car for 4-5 years more, we may get another Honda (civic coupe) when we get rid of it. He saved his dealership's reputation by accommodating a crazy woman.

But the most fascinating part of this whole thing is we didn't drive the Accord while the Odyssey was away. We only drove the loaner car, which was a Kia Sedona. For the last two years, hubs and I carpool whenever possible because we can earn and extra $40 per month from work for each of us if we carpool 15 days a month. An extra $80 a month doesn't seem like a lot, but last summer it was a tank of gas with a little change.

It's not easy carpooling. I can't sing off key at the top of my voice to get my blood pumping. Hubs hates to get out of bed, so he makes us late. Running the kids to 2 different places takes time. But somehow we make it work, to the point we barely use the second car. If we lived in an area with places near by to walk to, or good public transportation, I would consider living with one car. It would save a ton of money.

This is the best day of my life

S always has a hard time when Trinks is away. He just has no idea what to do with himself when she isn't here to boss him around. So we planned something fun for each night this week. On Sunday, I gave him a Mario Kart t-shirt. Last night he watched a movie from the library. Tonight, I picked him up early to take him to Kung fu. Then we had to get gas before picking hubs up from work (carpooling is never fun when his colleague is out of the office). S asked if he could pump gas, so I showed him.

We picked hubs up and I asked S to talk about his last swim lesson. Instead, he got all excited that I let him pump gas. Then we had dinner at Bob Evans. While we were waiting for the food, S sighed and exclaimed that this was the best day of his life.

They.Broke.My.Car

It's no secret I love my car. I've had it for 1.5 years and still love it as much as I did the first day I got it. I completely freaked out when hubs called from Honda to tell me that the mechanic who was changing the oil and rotating the tires ripped off the passenger side mirror. I just about fainted.

When I came to my senses, I asked to talk to the manager. He was ready to release my car to me so I could drive it until the mirror arrives. Ummmm...no! So we are getting a loaner. Of course I can't let it be without adequate compensation. So I asked for more and arranged for Honda to bring me my car when it's fixed. I am not wasting my lunch hour or time with the kids next week because they broke my car. I think the manager thought I would ask for a couple hundred dollars and was happy to settle with delivery. At least we have a van. We're going to see the Mumbles in Philly tonight and I really wasn't into bringing my own car.

Sad

Here's my conversation with S this morning:

S: Mommy, I wish I wasn't allergic to anything, like Trinks. And my stuffed animals.

Me: silence

Living with a hernia

Apparently I have been living with one for a few months now. I went to the dr for chest pains and ended up asking about the lump on my stomach. Good news about the chest pains - exercise asthma. I'm not really surprised and pretty much diagnosed it myself on Saturday rather than call 911. I get to take an inhaler before walking. Yippee. Now I just need to figure out when I can have surgery before this hernia becomes an emergency. I have no days, there is no one who can back me up at work because my boss is still out, so this could be a challenge. I'm trying to see if the surgeon is available right before the NY vacation.

Growing up

Trinks once again rose to the occasion and was involved in Aunt Charlotte's funeral. She spoke about the great great aunt who she loved to visit. She looked much older as she sported a brand new short hair style.

I'm still a little numb about everything. I heard that my other grandmother is doing poorly. I'm, of course, in denial. I won't believe anything until I see her tomorrow. I am a little nervous as bad things happen in threes and I have been feeling like the angel of death lately. Trinks wants to come with me, probably to play with the dogs more than anything else.

I ended up driving through Freehold, NJ, blasting Bruce Springsteen and crying to "My Hometown". Every once in a while I get a little homesick. Some days I wish I could move home. Then I see some of the locals and they piss me off and I know why I left. Old Freehold is dying and the replacements are inferior.

The end of an era

After we returned from NYC, we stopped to see my grandfather. All the kids were in the pool, my father pretended to watch them carefully and Pop Pop was sleeping when my mom and I decided to run errands. We stopped first to pick up my grandmother's ashes. We didn't know what to do with them in the car. I felt she should ride up front, so I held them on my lap. I thought we should have done something holy, but we drove to FoodTown and picked up 4 bake at home pizzas, and headed back to feed the kids. As we passed the nursing home Aunt Charlotte was in, I asked if we could stop in for a quick visit.

My mom agreed it would be good since she was planning to go tomorrow morning. When we got in Aunt Charlotte's room, it was clear she wasn't going to live much longer. We held her hand and watched her slip peacefully away. Once we were sure she was gone, we called a nurse to pronounce her. I am so grateful she wasn't alone at the end. I am also happy to know she isn't suffering anymore. It still plain sucks.

Growing up, my sister, cousin and I used to play together a lot. Aunt Charlotte was my cousin's grandmother and my grandmother's older sister. Aunt Charlotte would let us get away with almost anything. She had a ready smile and a nice laugh. She lived for her husband, and outlived him by 10 years. She suffered from Parkinsons and it was hard to watch her lose her strength.

There is so much more that I could say, but I am tired and should probably get some sleep before I attempt to go to work tomorrow.

American Girl Place

Samantha BEFORE her makeover.

Samantha's new hair do. It's the style of the month.



Happy Birthday Trinks!!!

Oh Nuts!

I took both kids to the allergist today. Trinks nearly had a panic attack before the test began. S went first and was fidgety because it started itching. Then Trinks went into panic mode and completely freaked out. My mom got to hold her down for the scratch tests. She's allergic to NOTHING. The dr. doesn't quite believe it, but the next step is intraderma injections. Hmmmmm - NO! I am treating her as if she has dust and cat allergy. She does have asthma and will be on preventative meds until we go back in October.

S, on the other hand, is no longer allergic to eggs. He is allergic to TREE NUTS! Good thing I gave him a Nutella sandwich for lunch. He was only tested for cashews and pistachios, which means he can still eat Nutella. And since peanuts are dug and not grown on trees, we don't have as much to worry about. We have to have an epi pen. I dropped the prescriptions off on the way home, so tomorrow will be the epi pen training. Trinks will also learn how to use it. It's a good life skill to have.

So all in all it was a great day in the City of Brotherly Love. We took the Ben Franklin Bridge out of the city and had a lovely snack at Weber's Root beer. It's a car hop and the kids had a blast. Right now they are at the carnival as their reward.

My Katrinka

My daughter was given the nickname Katrinka by my grandmother. I believe she was almost two at the time. Grandmom kept calling her Katrinka just to watch her stamp her foot and yell "I not Katrinka!!" So when it came time to name her for the blog, I took the shortened form of this nickname - Trinks. When I'm mad, I'm more likely to expand the nickname to Katrinka Marie than use her real name.

I have never been more proud of my Trinks than this week. We went out to dinner for her birthday and then I told her we were going to see Grandmom. She was okay with that. When I got in the car, I explained we were going to say good bye. We both cried on the way up there. Trinks was very brave and talked to Grandmom, even though Grandmom was beyond speech when we got there. When she was done, she went to sleep in the other room. When I informed Trinks Grandmom died, she was sad. I then asked if she wanted to get up at the funeral and talk about Grandmom, and without hesitating, she said she wanted to. All she wanted from me was notecards.

My mother and I sat at the kitchen table and watched Trinks write for a couple of minutes. She wouldn't let us read it, but left the cards on the table when she went outside. Mom read them, teared up, and noted that Trinks has been to too many funerals. Below is what she wrote, in her own unique spelling.

My great grandma was a great woman. She loved animals. She went to a party and we saw Cinderella and we all wor tearas. And we all miss her but we can cary her in our heart so let us remember her.

It was short, and absolutely perfect. While we waited for our turn to speak, Trinks informed me that she didn't want to talk about the Cinderella trip. She was able to edit her remarks while standing at the podium. We had her go first so if it got too intense, she didn't have to be there. She did great. I know Grandmom would have been proud of her Katrinka.

I'm gonna love you. forever and ever

forever and ever, Amen. My grandmother died tonight. She waited until she had seen everybody, then she drifted off peacefully. She died at home, surrounded by family. Trinks and I are in NJ until we figure out the order of events. When my mind isn't so cluttered, I'll try to be more poetic. In the meantime, I'll continue to sing Randy Travis in memory of Grandmom.

Happy Birthday Trinks!!!!

Trinks turns 8 today! I still can't believe it. It seems like yesterday she was just a baby. Now she is a fiercly independent girl who could probably take me down with just a few kung fu moves. I'm so proud of all she's accomplished and look forward to watching her find her place in the world.

The kids are back

And don't they look like they had a blast?

Our trip

We had two sunny days - Monday when we drove to Sturbridge, MA and today when we returned to DE. We decided to get a jump on our trip and left Monday, stopped to see my grandmother. We then drove to a rest stop in CT, where I found a discount hotel book. I decided Sturbridge was the best place to stop. I even decided on Days Inn. We drove up, hubs didn't like the looks of it, so we headed to the Publick House. This was a cheap, decent place. We had a large room with cheesy wallpaper, a balcony and a king sized bed.



We took off Tuesday morning after an awesome breakfast. It was only an hour to Boston and we found the with minimal swearing. Surprisingly, they had a room for us, so we regrouped, discovered a tour of Fenway and took to the streets. We walked 7.6 miles that day. We hit Cheers, Boston Common, and the Public Gardens. We were so tired that we ordered room service for dinner.



It was overcast on Wednesday, but we skipped breakfast and headed to No Name for an early lunch. I ended up getting the lobster salad, which was the most lobster I've ever eaten in one sitting. The food was simple and good, the atmosphere non existent and the service impeccable. We rolled out of there and headed off to the Wharf. We got to the Aquarium before the skies opened up. At that point, it seemed the Duck tour would be our driest option. It wasn't. The roof leaked, but it was 1.5 hour tour of the history of Boston. Hubs slept through the land part, but was wide awake for the sea part. After it was over, we were soaked and freezing. The lightening made the decision for us - cab back to the hotel. After a nice rest, we headed back out for dinner in Little Italy. We chose La Prezza for the sole reason they had zuchini flowers on the menu. It was a great choice. We wandered back through the markets. Surprisingly there was no rain that night.





It rained all Thursday morning - a nice torrential downpour. We skipped breakfast and watched TV until lunchtime. We went to Zuma for lunch. It's a nice Tex Mex restaurant in Quincy Market. Since the rain stopped for a while, we wandered around, heard thunder and headed to the Aquarium. It's a small building on the wharf. I think the best part of the Aquarium was the penguin exhibit. They took up the whole first floor and were so cute! We then headed out for a nice Greek dinner with a stop for gelato in Little Italy.



This morning we woke up to sunshine. It was our only time to see all the buildings without the fog. We took a stroll one last time, took pictures, then hit the open air market for some great deals on produce. Our goal today was to hit Bartly's Burger Cottage in Cambridge. We navigated to Harvard Square, got a parking place, and found the restauruant. Apparently it's closed until July 8. At least the restaurant right next to it was good. We ate, got back on the road and I proceeded to backseat drive until CT when I took over the driving. It was a great trip and we're a bit sad to be home. The kids should be home tomorrow. We've missed them!

Boston Myths

I was told several things about Boston before we left.

1. Boston drivers are Massholes. I found this to be false. I had more issues with the idiots in Connecticut who couldn't drive 5 miles without running into one another.

2. There are only Duncan Donuts, no Starbucks in Boston. I found this false as well. I couldn't walk one block without running into a Starbucks. For every Duncan Donuts I saw, there were two Starbucks. Within a 1 block radius of our Hotel (Parker House at the corner of Tremont and School), there were four Starbucks.

3. Parking is impossible. Didn't even try to find out about this one. We parked the car on the first day and got it back this AM when we left.

4. A GPS doesn't work in Boston. I found this to be true. Damn Garmin doesn't work, doesn't recognize streets, and got us trapped in an alley when we tried to get to the hotel. I spent most of the ride home screaming at it because it wanted to take us over the George Washington Bridge. We wanted the far more scenic Tappen Zee bridge. Thank goodness for real live maps. And thank goodness it was a really nice, easy ride home.

Hortense hates the Red Sox

Instead of watching a game, we took a tour of Fenway. It was just over 2 miles from the hotel, and a really nice walk. Once there, we toured the public places, including the Green Monster, and then sat in the press box. I had the seat of the statistician. The coolest thing was seeing the two redtail hawks that fly around the stadium. As you can see in the last picture, hubs was subtle in showing his disdain for the Sox.

Boston Bound

In a few hours hubs and I are driving up to the Boston area. We've never explored Boston, so it's pretty exciting. We look forward to a lot of walking and some great meals. I should have a lot to blog about when we return.

Poison Ivy again

Hubs and I worked in the garden yesterday and I got exposed to poison ivy yet again. Although I showered and scrubbed within an hour of exposure, I still have a few rashes. Great - set the calendar for another 3 weeks. It's funny, I don't care about the poison ivy. I'm terrified of the erythema multiforme again. I don't want to go through that again. I dumped Round up on all the poison ivy I could find. I'm making some homemade weed killer next weekend to tackle what is still alive.

I am so sick of this reaction. I can't live cooped up in this house. I have been smart about avoiding the known areas while working in the garden. The cats get in it, come in and sit on my lap, the couches, our bed. I won't know if I get exposed that way until it's too late. What bothers me most is Hubs absolutely refuses to go near the stuff. I think it would be nice if he took one hit to protect me. I am out of sick days and can't even imagine what I will do now.

Real Men wear pink or nothing at all

I had the pleasure of walking with an every day hero today. I also had the pleasure of seeing this man naked. It was tastefully done, of course. I am talking about the 60-Mile Men.

I walked with Mr. August. His wife is a 23 year survivor. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. One dr. told her to get her affairs in order. The next dr. told her she had a 5% chance of survival with a new protocal. She survived. He walks and poses nude to raise even more money. Last year the 60-mile men raise $20,000 on calendars. Incredibly, they each still have to raise their $2,300 for each walk they enter. The $20,000 is dispensed to each member based on how many calendars they sell. They are issued checks made out to the 3 Day and hand them out to people who are having a hard time with the fundraising.

I wasn't able to get my signed calendar today, but I think I'll head on over to his store and get that, and maybe a T-shirt saying, "If you are going to stare at them, give me money to keep them healthy."

Camp Grandma Grandpa

The Devine Ms. Em


Trinks


The boys in the back

The kids left this AM and the house is so quiet. They are on their way to the Shenandoah Valley for a week of hiking, swimming and getting on my parents' nerves. And they are with their cousins, so my parents have five times the fun.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

This is my favorite cheesy 80s song. My mom wrote into the radio station and asked them to play it on the morning of my 13th birthday. She even set the radio up to tape the event. Somehow I never saw this video. Freaking hilarious

And I fully admit to taking this from a Facebook post.

Spare Change

I decided it was time to cash in my various change jars. I was hoping I had enough for a new pair of sneakers. I already wore off some of the tread of the ones I got in May. Hubs took my change to TD Bank and I ended up with $110. I have enough to buy my new sneakers and have $15 left over. Go me!!

S has a recital

S had a Tumblebus recital today. It was his first opportunity to perform in front of an audience. He was so excited and so proud of himself. He's a pretty good tumbler, too. We took Trinks out of camp to attend this 15 minute show. She almost missed her bowling trip to support her brother.