Don't Call It A Vacation.

I have been staring at this monitor for the past few minutes trying to come up with a good opening for this entry.  Sadly, that opening refuses to come, so here we are.  Let's play catch-up - now with more bullets!

* Spent Friday night camping out at the local KOA with my cousins.  The boys had never been camping before (gasp!).  We realized how far we have fallen from former days when we swore we would, like, totally take our kids? Camping? ALL the time.  (We opened the tent box to pack the car.  The tent that we got as a wedding gift.  7 years ago.)  For the most part, though, it was a non-issue.  Except for, you know, the fact that Milo is teething and woke up every hour or so to scream with wild abandon. (Other people at the KOA: We're really sorry about the baby who was screaming at intervals through the night. If it makes you like us better, we'll pretend he isn't ours.)

* Saturday and Sunday were promised to Big Daddy's Mama.  The lady does not disappoint -- Gumbo, low country boil, and homemade guacamole.  We ate ourselves silly, played Yahtzee, watched the fireworks at Fairfax High, and stayed up way too late.

* Monday and Tuesday the boys and I headed up to Rehoboth Beach to meet up with the cuzzes once again.  In all the time I have lived out here (10 years now) I have never gone up to the Deleware beaches.  Can I just say: Wow.  The beach was beautiful, calm, and pretty much perfect. The weather was awesome.  Other than the part where I got a speeding ticket on the way home, which sucked mightily, it was a fantastic adventure.

I have photos from the beach to share. Soon, I promise.  I have no photos from the camping because - hello! remember me? The one with the screaming infant? yeah. No photos were taken at the camping.  Ditto for the actual 4th festivities, but I think we just left the camera in the car.  (See? I'm so tired, I can't even come up with clever excuses anymore.  This is the universe's way of telling me to GO TO SLEEP.)

And now that I just pulled the last berry pie out of the oven -- (Not a euphemism - I really am just baking berry pies. Just because.) -- I can finally head to my comfy bed and prepare to face another day. 

But lest I forget to scream it to the world from the top of someplace very high (bonus points if you know the quote! You probably have boys, too!) I must take the moment to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG DADDY!  You survived another year of life, and managed to resist the urge to throw me out a window any of the many times I probably would have deserved it.  I love you. (Too, too much.) and I have no right to be so lucky.

No I am Not Really This Granola

Oh, internets.  It has been a while, hasn't it?  My black thumb and I have been busy.  Busy being sleepy, not keeping up with chores, pretty much killing the container garden, and boring my children with my lack of motherly awesome.  (But! We went to the Cool Pool! The one with the Frog Slide! And there was ice cream! And apparently lots of exclamation points!) 

That trip to the pool, by the way, cost me 2 days of recuperation.  Because while my thyroid appears to be fine, the Chronic Fatigue continues. (Which, by the way, is most likely exactly that.  Apparently I had mono at some indistinct point in the past and it is probably dragging me down like a lead balloon. So yay for that.)

But lest you think it all be doom and gloom around the Casa, allow me to relieve your brain.  There are games afoot, and after adding magnesium and B12 to my vitamin regimen, I am beginning to feel a bit of energy come back.  Enough that I went for a walk/jog last night with Gizmo the WonderDog.  We did 2 miles.  (You're appropriately impressed, aren't you.  You should be!  Please?) Hmm that sounds a bit needy.  Okay, FINE then. Don't be impressed.  But when me and my pasty-legs-of-iron bust into the not-so-skinny-but-still-smaller-than-the-maternity-pants jeans, who will look silly THEN, huh?! I ASK YOU.

*cough*

I'm sorry, where were we?  OH!  So, yeah. After pretty much killing all of my carefully tended food plants (and decidedly killing the peach tree sapling purchased on a whim at Walmart for fifteen bucks. Oh, I killed it dead, y'all) I have discovered the glory of the local CSA.  I am now waiting to hear back from our local farm to see if they allow buy-ins mid-season.  Otherwise we will buy in for next year, and I'll spend the rest of this year attempting to not feed the kids a steady diet of grilled cheese and chicken nuggets.

So there's that.

Pretend I have a clever segue here as we move on to talk Vacation.

Finances being what they are, we knew we would be driving somewhere for vacation this year.  We talked about several possibilities -- Philadelphia and the Please Touch Museum (I'd link to it, but I'm lazy.  Google it.  Also, don't make the mistake we kept making and call it the "Touch This" museum if you are describing it to other people, as it sounds oddly pornographic and will likely garner the same looks of confused horror.)  We looked at the Deleware Beaches, but that was cost prohibitive.  Also, we waited too long and everything was booked. But mostly the cost. (ahem.)

Finally, Big Daddy had a lightning strike of brilliance.  The Family Aum will be heading to CANADIA!  Lock up your mounties - Mama is headed for the border.  Well, not immediately; we're going in August.  The trip will take us through the wilds of Upstate NY, into the (assumably) bustling metropolis of Montreal and, finally, up to the French-Canadian Frenchness of Quebec City.  (Hey, Monsiour Fisher! I'll finally have an excuse to use my High School French! You know, for something besides swearing in front of my kids!)

So the summer is shaping up to be a little bit of crazy (Oh, yeah, I did 3 cakes in 2 weeks! Because I am a masochist!) and a lot of awesome. (Energy returning. Sun Shining.  Bonjour, Canada! and such like.)

And if this post has come off as a rambling stream-of-consciousness bit, you'll have to be forgiving.  I haven't slept in 3 days, courtesy of Milo.  I'd work up the energy to cry, but when I realized he cut his first tooth all was well.  Funny how a little tooth (or a reason to finally get my passport) can change the perspective, isn't it?

Now just pretend there's a witty closing here that wraps this all up into some sort of neat thesis, and we'll call it a day.  

Know what would cheer me up right now?

A free trip to BlogHer courtesy of Ford, that's what.

What with the layoff earlier this year and the month or two without a paycheck, we found we just couldn't scrape the funds for me to go off on my GirlTastic adventure again this year.  

Last year's BlogHer conference was... well, it was just effing brilliant and (beyond the odd drama here or there that had nothing whatever to do with me) it was the most positive experience I have ever had with a group of women.  And a HUGE group of women, at that.

My roommate last year was the incomparable MochaMomma.  How I managed to bamboozle her awesomeness into sharing space with yours truly will remain a mystery.  I also got to get to know her daughter Mallory, who is also spectacular.  It was an embarrassment of riches.

In fact, it was not unlike taking the hottest guy in school to the Junior Prom, only to find yourself alone with "Beaches" and a box of Twinkies come Senior Prom.  And it does feel like Senior Prom this year; I'm over my extreme anxiety of last year, I'm not pregnant this year (so I could enjoy the parties without having to keep a bathroom and a sitting place in the immediate vicinity at all times) and I've been doing this blogging bit for.. uh... like 6 years now.  (HOLY CRAP.)

So in order to get myself extra entries, I'm telling you about this Ford thing.  All you have to do (if you're registered with BlogHer) is read about 3 fuel-efficient Ford vehicles and then leave a comment letting them know which one you would choose to take on a road trip.  How awesome is that?  Extra entries are granted for tweeting about the contest (which I will do momentarily because HI! I IZ FREE STUFF WHORE!) and blogging about it (which... Hi! STILL A WHORE.)

So do me a favor and - whatever you do - DO NOT ENTER THIS CONTEST.  That leaves more chances for me to win, after all... and, really, isn't it all about what's good for me?

This Is Not The Post You Are Expecting.

So there's a lot that I could say here.  I could tell you at length (with funny little anecdotes and wry asides) about the adventures we've had lately.  I could regale you with the story of how I lost my mojo, about how I got more and more tired the past few months until I can barely keep my eyes open during the day, but get a raging case of insomnia at night.  I could tell you how I get winded just tying my shoes, and how getting up in the morning has become something to dread.  I dread it not because I am depressed (I'm not! Life is good!!) but because I know I will wake and rise as exhausted (if not more so) than when I lay down at night.

So I went to the doctor and I got some blood work, and when that comes back I'll be making more appointments with more doctors and - long story longer - it's probably my thyroid but just as likely something else, or maybe I am simply out of my gourd and have a drastic case of The Vapors.  Your guess is as good as mine at this point.  But we're leaning towards thyroid.

And with that, May I present -- The last few weeks: A Photo Essay.

Preschool Class Field Trip to the Zoo.

My little Glam Rocker.

Soccer Super Star

New Haircut.

Kindergarten Graduation

Visit with Grandpa & Grandma

End-of-year Class Party with Teachers.

Growing bigger all the time.

A Funny Thing Happened

Turns out the mag charger isn't as indestructible as you might think.

Turns out that it's not as easy to find a replacement out here in the sticks as it ought to be.

Turns out that weeks later I got used to not having access to the interwebs.  I've been busy doing things like watching my little man graduate kindergarten and making a wedding cake.  And that's just the tip of it.

So I've been away. And now I'm back. And while I'm too tired tonight to put together a coherent retelling of the past few weeks for you, I promise one will be coming soon.  Probably it will mostly be pictures.  I know you won't mind.

Cheers and see you soon.

Am I Yet Living, You Say?

Oh, internets. It has been a wild ride, these last few (blog silence) weeks. And I have all sorts of things to share with you, but - unfortunately for you - my mac charger is still broken and still unreplaced. I KNOW! The horror! (first world problems. I have them.)

So here I am down in husband's basement office to steal a few moments on his computer while the kids are otherwise occupied. Our basement is "partially finished" - which is realtor speak for "has a corner blocked off with what are technically walls and something resembling carpet, but the cats have been using this room as their Special Box whenever hubs doesn't change the litter soon enough and there are at least 3 piles of cat poop in here and I am SO not cleaning that up. Have fun, Babe.)

So ANY-who. Yeah. That's about the size of it around here and - oh! - I cut off all my hair! No, I didn't shave my head early - that's coming in March. No, I just had a wild inclination and I went with it. So now I have a burgundy pixie cut... where "pixie cut" equates to a half teaspoon of surf wax and "LOOK! Hair all done!" Messy-on-purpose suits me as a look the same way it suits me as a lifestyle choice. heh. (take that how you will.)

But I promise to be back in the saddle soon. And I'll tell you all about the exciting world of diaper changing! And Milk Blisters! and CAKEOHMYGOODNESSTHE CAKE. There is a lot of it. And in the mean time, please to be reading here and here and here ... and just meld them together in the blender of your brain, pour into a cup, consume, and you'll basically have a good summary idea of where I have been for the past few weeks. It should last you until I can get a new macbook mag charger. (Hopefully before the next ice age?)

Love and Kisses,
MeL

Growing Up, Not Old: A story in pictures.

First, allow me to introduce my very lovely friend Camilla.

Camilla - Internets. Internets - Camilla.

In addition to being incredibly gorgeous, Camilla is also incredibly tall.  Oh, and incredibly Swedish, too.  I know, right? She must have been an angel in a former life to be so blessed, which I totally believe because she is definitely angelic now.  

Camilla celebrated her 30th birthday just after mine, so I insisted on dragging her out sweeping her away for an evening of Grown Up Lady Drinks and time away from our offspring.  

This was my favorite beverage of the night.

Hello, Burnt Orange Martini.  Delicious AND an excellent source of Vitamin C.

And these are the sassy heels I wore, because I am wearing High Heels Now.

They are mustard yellow suede. No, seriously.  Am I not branching out, people?!

And this is my Sassy Face that I wore to match my sassy heels:

Okay, so that's less sassy and more sweet.  Have it your way, HERE is my sassy face:

I wish I could blame my complexion on the flash, but I really am just. that. white.

So we dined on some nachos and had some drinks and then there was dessert.

We were going to take a picture of it for you, but we eated it first.  

But trust me - it was lovely. And delicious.

Spending a carefree evening in the company of a friend? 

Even more lovely. And delicious.

The evening was a complete success, complete with a walk from the restaurant back to Camilla's house and a designated driver for me.  Camilla's husband, Russ, volunteered for that duty.  Russ is from Maine and says things like "Leave yeh cah pahked at the bah and I'll give you a lift home."  This is made even more awesome by the fact that when, in a few months, Camilla and Russ take their baby daughter and move to Sweden, Russ will presumably need to learn to speak some swedish.  I imagine this will be comparable to the sounds I heard while taking a French class in Texas.  If you don't find either of these situations hilarious, you really just don't get my sense of humor and probably need to watch more Monty Python.

Also, I'm trying not to weep over the fact that Camilla is moving back to Sweden.  Did you know that Sweden pays you to have kids? And that they have awesome programs to support parents who stay home with their kids? I am now weighing the chances I could convince Big Daddy to move to Sweden.  

Any-who, this fantastic evening was a lovely panacea to the wounds on my Mom-Weary heart.  Not that I was weary of motherhood - don't go reading it that way.  It's more that I was suddenly forced to face facts about my children growing up much faster than I am prepared to process.  See, just the evening before I was faced with THIS:

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?!

So I'm okay with ME getting older. But that?  That is just... just... I mean, yesterday he looked like THIS:

Hello, Baby who is NOT Milo

But Holy Hannah Montana, do you LOOK like Milo!

And now I am faced with THIS:

And .. just... Wow.  

I might need another martini.