The World According to Shannon

Thirteen Days

2012-01-20T07:45:00.001-06:00

It has been 13 days since I last ate in a restaurant.

It has been 13 days since I have eaten anything pre-packaged or containing processed sugar.

For the last 13 days have have consumed 1 gallon of water every day. . .

and no wine. *gasp* I know.

For the last 13 days I have eaten only lean clean meats and raw fruits and vegetables in appropriate portions.

I thought I would find myself hungry, deprived, frustrated.

Scratch that.

I never thought I would find myself here. Now. Doing this and actually sticking with it.

But now that I am, I find myself thinking that I would feel hungry, deprived, frustrated and I remain astonished that I don't.

I won't lie there have been moments where watching my kids eat a beef fajita quesadilla has driven me to the brink.

The smell of Phil's greek pizza was a taunting that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But as I lay in bed this morning with Hero Husband talking about all the things that I would enjoy eating that I am not

Steak

Potatoes

Pizza

Hamburger

Key Lime Pie

I realized that I have during the last 2 weeks become a bit of a food snob.

All of those things sound like a nice treat, but only if they are just that, a treat, and made really really well.

My key lime pie sounds good and so does Conan's pizza. My Dad's amazing steak and the hamburger from the Counter Cafe. . . and all of those foods are some of my all time favorite foods.

My body just feels so good right now.

So adequately fueled to do what I ask of it, so clean, that I wouldn't want to change that feeling for something as mediocre and passing as Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell (although I still love their mild sauce).

In another 17 days I will have met my goal and then I will re-introduce those favorites that are worthy of my newly refined taste buds.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and All that Jazz

2012-01-17T16:47:00.002-06:00

It was a very Merry Christmas for our little family.

We went to the Capitol sing-a-long, made gingerbread cookies,

lit the menorah and the advent candles and generally reveled in the

cinnamon scented egg nog overload that is late December.

I was having so much fun I ignored you.

Being painted with hot pink barbie lip stick will do that to you.

I'd tell you I'm sorry, but I'm not cause it was totally worth it.

But now the new year is underway and I'm back.

And so because it's Tuesday and I'm watching Super Son

practice falling down over and over again,

because I wore my Dr. Scholl's Fast Flats as shoes today

because I couldn't bear the idea of heels,

and because I really want to steal the quesadilla my kids

are having for dinner and it's making me punchy

I will share with you the evolution of

Super Son's crazy face.

Hero Husband had to work on Christmas Eve which in the

world of fire fighting means he got off work on Christmas Day.

My progeny were forced to wake up on Christmas Day

and wait to open their presents.

Oh the horror.

They ravaged their stockings, taking a bit of the edge off,

enjoyed some breakfast and were incredibly patient as they watched

the clock for their father's return.

When he came through the door it was to a flurry of

"Daddy"

"We missed you"

and

"Santa Came and drank the vitamin water I left him!"

Being the kind an wonderful daddy that he is, he didn't

make them wait and the wrapping paper was flying in no time.

They seemed rather composed and were having a good time

until the emotions of the day finally got the better of Super Son and

the earlier waiting began to show through.

"What did you get Super Son?"

"An Electric Toothbrush"

"Wow! That's a nice one! Betcha' can't wait to use that."

"I LOOVVVE EEETTT MMMOOOOMMMM!"

"Okay then...

Why don't we pretend you don't look a little manic right now

and you go ahead and open the next package."

"Okay Mom!"

Hope all of your holidays were happy and bright.

Looking forward to a wonderful New Year with you.

More Nativity Adventures

2011-12-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

I know you are really curious to know what's been happening in the the creche.

Let me tell you things over there are hopping.

Although it is worth mentioning that as soon as I stopped telling Miss Thing that

she couldn't play with all my toys she has seemed much more interested in

finding Harry George who she loves to find but absolutely will not touch.

I think she may be afraid.

I have to admit after thumbing through this site I can say that I blame her.

So, Baby Jesus apparently is still into flute playing angels.

Who wouldn't be?

And Joseph is sleeping on the job.

It's bad enough Mary had to change swaddling clothes, but for Joseph not to help...

that's just not cool.

It's important to learn your math facts

2011-12-21T07:15:00.003-06:00

Hero Husband and I went to Las Vegas

We played lots of games.

Yay for me, I didn't stink at blackjack.

It had nothing to do with the dealer going really slowly and teaching me how to play.

So when we got home and the Wee Ones were getting frustrated with their math homework

I had an A+ parenting idea (see the school connection there)

I would teach my kids how to play blackjack to help them with their math facts!

Our "chips" were edible and sadly at the end of our lesson

someone was going to have a small snack compared to the others.

Miss Thing apparently got my beginners luck

And once she had won everyone else's snack she was happy to

stay.

By the end they were rattling off their math facts like little goldfish eating calculators.

My lesson was a success!

Now I just have to figure out what kind of math lesson can I use poker to teach.

More Nativity Adventures

2011-12-20T07:15:00.021-06:00

I decided shortly after this interaction with Miss Thing

that the things she says and does are much funnier, entertaining and

more worthy of remembering than keeping my nativity set unbroken.

Yes one of my sheep is already missing an ear.

This is a retroactive coping mechanism.

Mama, This shepherd is a girl.

Shepherd's can be girls. For Real.

She's going to tell that King to get out of her yard

cause her sheep don't like kings.

Meanwhile the Baby Jesus is enjoying some music with his afternoon snuggle.

Can I have snuggles tonight at bedtime?

Yes my darling you can if you can tell me where the rest of the sheep's ear went.

Its the most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-19T07:15:00.001-06:00

Hero Husband and I started a tradition.

It was kind of an accident.

For the last fourteen years we have

ventured forth sometime after Thanksgiving

to choose a Christmas Tree for our home.

Each of those years we have gone to the Christmas Tree Farm just

outside of town and cut down our own.

The first year we went cause it just sounded like fun.

And then we liked it so much we just couldn't help

ourselves, to stop going now would break tradition

and we have been going back ever since.

Super Son and Miss Thing have enjoyed this

tradition each of their Christmases.

Some years the tree was shorter than others

but each year the hunt for the perfect tree has been a family adventure.

And this one was no exception.

We made it out the first day they were open, the day after Thanksgiving, and were

happy to find a tree that is perfectly tall.

Which is my way of saying, Honey grab the 16 foot ladder and

why don't you change the lightbulbs in the ceiling fan while you are up there.

Which of course meant he brought out the 8 foot ladder

and proceeded to reach and lean while I held my breath.

Super Son and Miss Thing hung ornaments,

Polished the star

and Hero Husband placed it in its rightful spot.

Do you see the leaning?

I think for the topper on our first few Christmas trees we had a bow

or something equally mundane.

That was before I had actual decorations.

This tradition was on purpose.

Growing up I had an ornament for every year.

My Mom wouldn't let me have them

until Hero Husband and I tied the knot.

And once I got them my tree was born.

This is one of my favorites.

She is missing a wing

and her snowflake is secure courtesy of some super glue.

So when Hero Husband and I celebrated our first Christmas together

I bought us this.

And every year since then we have an ornament

for us

and for each year he has been in the department.

We have the set of art glass ornaments that my parents gave us

the year we were married

and with our Wee Ones we have added to our

decorations the handcrafted treats that our kids bring home from their

adventures in the world.

But my favorite part is opening the box and going through them all

one by one

and remembering the special story behind each one.

Like the year I was pregnant with Miss Thing and while I would sleep away our

weekend mornings Hero Husband would take Super Son out

for a little treat and let me rest.

Or the year that Miss Thing wore pansy hair-clips nearly every day to keep her

lovely long hair out of her eyes and we found a fairy

wearing the exact same flower.

Or the year that Super Son "flew" everywhere.

Including off of pieces of furniture I pleaded with him not to climb on

And the year that he learned to ride his bike and she followed behind on her tricycle

They each have an ornament of their own

for each Christmas and when they grow up and move out I will

refuse to let them have them for their own trees.

They can use bows too.

Because while I hated it at the time my Mom actually gave me one of

the traditions I am most excited to pass down.

The tradition of their first trees where I give them the ornaments

I have collected for them over their lives.

That is a Christmas where my tree will be very bare,

maybe my Wee Ones will loan me some bows

and you can bring me a glass of wine.

I will definitely need it.

Hand-me-down

2011-12-16T07:15:00.078-06:00

Miss Thing was on the playground with her cousins recently and

one of them was wearing a jacket handed down from Super Son,

to Miss Thing, to Cousin J and then to Cousin K.

(Thank you Old Navy. I think I got my moneys worth out of that one)

I sighed (and maybe whined a little) at the sight of the tiny little

remembered jacket keeping my niece warm while she hopped about.

Miss Thing, hearing my sigh, gently explained to her cousin

"It's okay, it just hurts her heart when we grow up so fast."

I laughed a little at her simple understanding.

Yes sweetheart it does hurt, but don't worry.

It is a welcome hurt.

One that I wouldn't trade.

One that makes me smile.

One that comes as my heart is stretched,

as it is continually molded and reshaped

and made into something more and more beautiful.

Something in the shape of you.

For you my children, I'd hurt any day.

Flea Market

2011-12-15T07:15:00.044-06:00

Hero Husband heard from a friend who

knows a lady who had a neighbor who

bought some really great fruit trees

at the Flea Market just outside of town.

After the deer ate all of my peaches off the tree this year

I was happy to take a field trip and get some trees to plant in the

back where the deer can't get them.

The Wee Ones have never been to the Flea Market

and I haven't been in more years than I am willing to admit

cause it will date me and we can't have that.

Hero Husband laughed at me as I grabbed my camera.

We are here for trees you know.

Yes I know, but you don't know what other interesting things I'm going to find.

Just watch me.

Miss Thing promptly found the shiniest thing in the place.

I was less impressed by the shiny and more impressed

with anyone who could walk in these things.

Not to mention be taken seriously.

Although I must say the purple plaid might have been

even more impressive than the sequins.

I thanked her for her help and told her that

my next find would be more awesome than hers.

Green velour couches apparently don't count as awesome when you are 6.

but a rainbow of fully petticoated dresses do.

I loved the copper pots.

and she countered with a dancing monkey.

Man I have taught this girl well.

The vegetables were interesting and very colorful but she objected

because she didn't want to eat any of them

Finally we neared the end and it was down to the battle of the awesome.

Miss Thing's table of baby Jesus'

versus

Mamma's real live fortune teller with crystal ball and red velvet drapes.

Okay I'll admit it

She has an eye for the uncanny and awesome.

At least I get credit for being her Mom.

The Tree Guy was actually the first booth we saw when we got there

so by the time we saw everything else we stopped to choose our trees

on the way out.

Miss Thing picked a Plum tree

Super Son an Apple

Hero Husband chose a Fig

and I chose the Pear.

After winning the contest of awesome Miss Thing begged

and pleaded for a rose bush or twelve

but understood that I was very likely going to kill it

maybe even before we got it home.

Roses + Mama = Very bad things

and she was content to snack on a corn

during the ride home.

If these trees bear fruit we will definitely be back next year for more.

A first time for everything

2011-12-14T14:15:00.001-06:00

There are lots of things that I have never done.

I have never gone skydiving,

bungee jumping or

played laser tag.

But this year I have done lots of things for the first time.

Thinking back on it I'm a little impressed with myself,

although some I would just assume never do again.

I pulled out someone else's tooth,

set my face on fire with a marshmallow,

went to a Hall of Fame induction ceremony

watched roller derby,

went on a date with another woman,

fell down a flight of stairs,

rode on amusement park rides until I was nauseous

went on a cross country RV trip with my family which by itself includes

cooking dinner at 80 miles per hour, seeing a lava field, horseback riding in the

Colorado Mountains, visiting the Grand Canyon, riding in a pink taxi cab

and exploring a meteor crater.

I also swam in the dark and howled at the moon,

became a pin-up girl,

shopped in the best antique store in the whole wide world,

drove through the night with my best girls for a good cause,

played Gay Bingo and envied a drag queen's boobs (Hi Jocelyn!),

survived the end of the world (although in all honesty I'm not sure that this is a first),

played Chicken sh&^t Bingo,

saw a SXSW performance,

took a painting class,

rescued my husband from himself (although this too is probably not a first),

saw Jewel in a private fancy schmancy VIP concert,

and chased a rattlesnake into the bushes (admittedly not my smartest first).

Considering that the year is nearly done this may be my last first thing for the year.

Are you confused yet?

Yeah Me too.

A few weeks ago, for the first time, I went to watch a body-building competition.

And was completely blown away by the focus and

the dedication that these people put into everything they do.

and their willingness to wear such tiny britches (these aren't really bathing suits are they?)

I feel very naive to not have known what a huge industry

this is and how good you have to be do do well in it.

So I had the kids with me on this little adventure because we were there

to cheer very loudly (and somewhat obnoxiously I'm sure) for a very specific competitor.

Miss Thing couldn't help herself from going looking for him.

"Uncle Michael? Where are you?"

All being spray tanned the same color put her at a disadvantage.

I don't think she could tell the people apart.

Hurry back Miss Thing! There he is!

Yay Uncle Michael! Woo Hoo! AHHHHH!

This is where I would have wolf whistled if I knew how.

Hero Husband's brother was competing in the Physique division

of the Central Texas Showdown.

He has been working tremendously hard for this

and true to form he won the whole darn thing.

Congratulations Miguel!

We love you and are so crazy proud of you!

Excuse me I've got to go to the gym now.

Fiesta

2011-12-14T07:15:00.002-06:00

In case you had any doubts where my Wee Ones get their weirdness.

Apparently it is a genetic thing.

A new church

2011-12-13T15:45:00.026-06:00

Our parish has been building a new church

A few weeks ago they opened the new space for us to tour

And it was truly beautiful.

The light, the craftsmanship, the thought behind every detail.

Even the pews were comfortable.

Walking in for the first time it was truly breathtaking.

In it's physical beauty sure, but for me it was more the realization

that this is the place where Miss Thing will take her first communion,

that this is very likely to be the place where Hero Husband and I will watch our

children make the same pledge before God that we did when we married.

The community that we share in there is generous, warm and familiar

We may move during our lives, but this parish

will always be a home to our family.

And it's new home is a truly magnificent thing.

Nativity Adventures

2011-12-13T07:15:00.001-06:00

I have a nativity set that makes an appearance

during each hdoliday season.

It was collected over a number of years

and I am very fond of it.

I also have young children.

Meaning there has been a standing rule

No Touching.

Imagine my surprise to come into the kitchen shortly after setting up

my lovely creche to find this

Miss Thing, can you please explain to me what happened here.

Well Mama, this guy died and then God made him new.

Then this one died and God made him new too.

See them all new over here.

Okay, but what about the duck, the turtle and the bow?

Well they are just making everything fancy.

Okay then.

Braaiiiinnns

2011-12-12T07:15:00.003-06:00

I love the ages of 6 and 9

all of the weirdness that is my progeny has begun to fully

manifest itself in beautifully bizarre ways.

This year it was the way of the zombie.

I am not sure exactly how they heard about zombies, but

one day I came home and gave them their Halloween cards

that had arrived from Uncle Michael (who rocked the cards).

Apparently kids think it doesn't get much better than

cards that double as franken eyebrows and a kitty cat mask.

They put on their cards and then began shuffle walking around the house

eating each others extremities and moaning plaintively bbrrraaaaaiiiiinnnnnnsssss.

I tried explaining to them that while I may watch (and enjoy) The Walking Dead,

Amanda Feral is snarky and much more my style of zombie,

then they started gnawing on my leg.

At some point Daddy got involved and the situation

dissolved into less gnawing and more giggles.

And then we got dressed for trick-or-treating.

Read this first if you like a little foreshadowing.

Well maybe less foreshadowing and more blind

Halloween hope, but whatever, the point is

I got my family to dress up as a family

with out beating, threatening or begging.

Hero Husband does these things because he loves me.

check

Miss Thing didn't hate the idea of Glenda, but was sold on the ruby

slippers and the blue dress with a petticoat.

check

Super Son was the only hold out.

The tin man, the wizard, scarecrow, cowardly lion

or even Uncle Henry had absolutely no appeal to him.

Then I found the magic words.

Flying Monkey.

Trick - or - treating with our old friends in our old hood

(with its reasonable size and active kid population) were perfect.

Our old house was in the process of being cleaned after a tenant move out.

I might have snuck inside and walked around to reminisce.

Eventually the fun must come to an end

and thankfully it was just me that the house fell on top of.

Hope your Halloween was as wonderful as mine.

Belatedly of course.

Frisco

2011-12-10T07:15:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time there was a family and they wanted a dog.

They had some specific ideas about what they wanted in a dog.

Happy.

Playful.

House trained.

They met Eli and loved him and he was theirs.

From his floppy ears

to his freakish sitting position

to his weirdly serene expression.

He has a phobia of water that they didn't expect

and a deep and eternal loathing of cats (that I can completely relate to)

but he was just their perfect brand of weird.

And he was happy having his new family all to himself.

Until the day that this interloper showed up.

Needing a family

just like theirs.

Looking all cute and fluffy

with his bouncy golden-doodle personality.

Wanting to play

which looks a lot like tormenting Eli

It took hardly and time and they took a shine to each other.

And Eli has allowed him to stay, as long as Frisco maintains a deep

and meaningful understanding of the primary rule of living in his house.

Do not bother me while I'm in my bed.

And so Frisco keeps vigil over him each and every morning

waiting, invading his personal space, patiently

until Eli will play.

He has proven to be just weird enough.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.

Happy Ears

2011-12-09T07:15:00.009-06:00

Matt Nathanson was kind enough to come to our lovely hometown on his tour this fall.

He brought with him Scars on 45

My ears were so very happy.

There was a film crew there working on a video.

And so we cheered and waved for the cameras.

which wasn't so hard to do because they put on such a great show.

And then Matt sang

and danced

and wore a bikini.

Well there's no question about just how much I love Matt Nathanson and it was

wonderful seeing so many people appreciating what he does so well.

There aren't many shows where La Bamba and Whitesnake get mixed in just for fun.

Telling you people you are missing out if you don't catch this guy!

Vegas

2011-12-08T07:15:00.003-06:00

The PBR World Finals were in Las Vegas in October and Brent Thurman

was being inducted into the Hall of Fame that they call the Ring of Honor.

Hero Husband and I took the opportunity to head to Vegas for a few days away

I can't decide if he was easily convinced cause he likes me so much or

that small thing about him really wanting to learn to play craps.

We stayed at the Bellagio which was really pretty, but somewhat overrated.

I managed to let my "spatial disability" lure us into a few really stupidly long walks.

Which wouldn't have been so bad if I had not been wearing the equivalent to

foot bindings on the ends of my legs leaving me hobbling into the

Walgreens to buy a pair of Dr. Scholl's Fast Flats.

Our second morning there we were considering whether or not to go back to

the Treasure Island and see if we could strike the jackpot twice when I looked

out the window and saw this.

It was an omen, a sign, the universe telling us to head over to The Orleans.

My feet refused to comply.

So the Treasure Island it is.

We found the same slot machine that Hero Husband

won playing on last time and ~~wasted some hard earned money~~ played for a while.

Sadly we didn't hit the jackpot again

But we saw some awesome bullriding,

and came home without having lost any money at the tables.

We figured that we would never have a trip end quite as spectacularly

as the last one, but this definitely made a good second trip.

Rescue Swimmer

2011-12-07T07:15:00.002-06:00

In our lovely home town most everything has two names.

Sometimes three.

We have the Colorado River

which is also called Lake Austin,

Town Lake

or Lady Bird Lake.

What it really is. . .

cold.

All year long, but especially when it isn't 104 degrees outside.

Which is why Hero Husband had to go jump in the lake.

He was teaching a rescue swimmer class and needed to see if

his students would in fact be able to see what he needed them to.

And so he left us on the dock throwing things

in the water for him to dive for.

It was a bit like playing the telephone game.

To the right Daddy!

No My Right.

That's not where it went Miss Thing!

I threw it over there.

Dad, swim that way a little.

Yeah right there!

Dive right there.

After a while Miss Thing went on a nature walk.

She says it's a turkey feather.

More like a turkey vulture.

Where did I leave my hand sanitizer?

Finally he was done and he swam back.

Hey Miss Thing, Your barn door is open!

Gotcha!

Aye-ah

2011-12-06T07:15:00.002-06:00

Super Son is interested in martial arts.

This is also the understatement of the year.

Considering that the year is nearly over I am confident in saying that

but seriously the kid watched a single Power Ranger episode and was

begging, pleading and persisting.

Super Son has played baseball and soccer even tried a swim team

all with moderate enthusiasm and many lessons about finishing what you start.

As parents, Hero Husband and I agreed early on that with

exception of the prodigy factor our children would be limited to one thing.

We did not want to be be the parents to the children that were over scheduled

and frantically serving only as a shuttle service for their progeny.

Oh and preferably their chosen "one thing" only had practice once a week.

We selfishly wanted a life with our kids.

Something kind of bucolic where they could frolic in the back yard

without being forever harangued about where the helmet or cleats were left last.

Super Son swore this was his "one thing"

and so I started researching.

There are roughly 9,246 types of martial arts in the world.

How is the mother to Super Son to decide which Do or Kwan will work for her child?

I think this is when I opened a bottle of wine.

The details are a bit fuzzy.

I started with geography.

If this adventure was to be successful we would not be schlepping across town.

This narrowed it down to 2,427

Then I went on to website.

Old school may be cool and I may rock the random vintage t-shirt,but

if your schedule and contact information aren't online when I am manically

trying to remember something it just ain't happenin' bro.

Sadly the next consideration was just that, basic consideration.

I sent out email inquiries to the schools that we were considering

in our area of those I only heard back from 4.

See tips on how NOT to run your business.

I had some vague ideas of what I wanted.

Comfortable chairs for me to sit in,

nice parents to chat with,

proximity to shopping.

But I really didn't know what I wanted in a Martial Arts studio or teacher.

I wanted Super Son to have fun.

I wanted it to be a learning experience and not glorified daycare.

I wanted him to learn skills that focused on himself,

not on karate-chopping randomly

in a bid for world domination.

Self control, body awareness all that jazz.

Julie called me back and invited Super Son to a "sample" class.

She answered my annoyingly vague and run on sentence 'please tell me what

question to ask cause I don't know what I'm doing here', questions.

And so we went.

He had an amazing time

and if I didn't know it at the beginning when they

started class with a short meditation,

I did by the end when they finished

by chant/yelling an answer to their teacher's question

"When I get angry what do I do?"

Think

Breathe

Be Kind

And now it is my lovely son who is haranguing me to get in the car and

take him to the dojang so he isn't late for classes.

He even made me promise that if it was me that made him

late I would do pushups too.

The threshold for obtaining your stripes on your belt is not

perfection, but a solid knowledge of the skills that means you can

practice meaningfully at home.

You cannot advance to the next belt color without

also obtaining your stripe for achieving a set goal

at home

at school

and a community service project.

When signing up each student is informed about their contract.

Their parents are signing a contract to pay for their child to receive instruction,

the teacher is signing the contract to teach the child

and the child must then agree to some form of commitment to

share the responsibility in this little life triangle.

Super Son chose to make his bed.

Every day. In daily recognition of his contribution to our agreement.

And by golly he has done it.

He and the other students show signs of respect when they enter the dojang.

They participate and have fun while learning the form and creating community.

The teachers take it seriously and expect

great things

from these crazy hooligans.

And you know what. I think they just might get it.

And the chairs are comfortable.

Fairy Land

2011-12-04T19:55:00.000-06:00

When we were little my sisters would construct elaborate fairy

kingdoms in the shade of the big oak tree in the front yard.

Every rock, knot hole and root became something integral

to the happiness of the little fairy society

until it rained and they had to start all over again.

Thankfully we didn't live in Oregon,

although those fairies probably had better moss.

Miss Thing was really happy when Grama and Grampa gave

her a "build your own" fairy world for her birthday.

She made it 5 whole minutes before cracking the box open and digging in.

She started out by painting her fairie's house and toadstools.

While they were drying she got her "dirt" all ready

and then on to her favorite part

Decorations !

of course this involved sparkly things,

flowers

and "diamonds"

of course when you are done with that there is always more glitter to be sprinkled.

Fairies always need more glitter.

Finally the fairy got to come home and enjoy all of Miss Thing's hard work.

I expect she'll be drafting a lease and trying to collect rent shortly.

Mad Genius

2011-11-11T15:55:00.002-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I walk into Super Son's room to find this

"What in the name of Sam Hill is this?" I ask, trying not to laugh.

At which point he poked his head out grinning like a loon.

"Mama, I built a base!

It's safe too!

Nerf bullets can't get through!"

He was all ammo'd up and stocked for the impending zombie apocalypse . . . or something.

I tried to explain that zombies probably wouldn't be

bothered by nerf bullets, but he could not be dissuaded.

Sheet fort base building with hangers is important business!

Geesh

There were lots of knots involved.

Knots in sheets

knots in sweat pants

knots in sweaters.

And hangers.

Don't let me forget to show you the hangers.

This is apparently a really important part of the construction that allows flaps,

but keeps the nerf bullets from making their way through.

Strange thing is that it actually held up for 3 days.

At which point the twitch just under my left eye made it

necessary to dismantle the base until another day.

I'm guessing he will surprise me again tomorrow.

Until then I'll just have to hope the zombies don't show up.

Sacrilege in chocolate form

2011-11-10T07:31:00.001-06:00

Miss Thing turned 6

and her teacher opted for hugs from friends rather than birthday spankings.

She seemed pleased with that.

I made cupcakes for her class.

From scratch.

No, no one was hurt.

Except maybe my eyes.

Ack Green Frosting!

Which didn't seem to bother the kids who inhaled them

and were very excited that the flowers were edible too.

I think it might qualify as sacrilegious for someone

who doesn't like chocolate cake

to make cupcakes that taste this good.

I was kind and benevolent and held some back from

the ravening horde of kindergarteners

for Hero Husband and Super Son gush about.

They were grateful.

And then I did it again and made a full cake version for

Miss Thing's birthday party.

With a chocolate chantilly icing.

And fresh berry filing.

Sacrilege I tell you

Sacrilege.

Eli the weird

2011-11-08T06:53:00.000-06:00

Eli had a chance to reconnect with our wonderful friends

from Action Pack Dog Center who so generously brought him into our lives.

I think he remembered her.

But then he completely forgot himself

and started channeling Carmen Miranda

chicka chicka boom

Indeed.

Eli the weird.

Apparently we are doing something right

2011-10-13T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday on the way home with the Wee Ones I was listening to NPR and chuckling to myself as they plotted world domination via stink bombs.

After the usual world headlines they cut away to a story about gay civil rights pioneer Frank Kameny who died earlier this week. You can listen to it here if you are interested.

A few minutes in Super Son pipes up.

"Hey Mama" he says "What is Gay?"

He waited patiently for me to listen to the rest of the story, asked me again, and so I told him.

Then he started to talk.

"When I was at camp this summer I heard some kids talking about it."

"I didn't know what it meant so I didn't say anything."

"They said it was a bad thing."

And so I asked him. "Well honey, what do you think?"

"I don't think it's right to judge other people."

"There's this girl in my class, her Mom loves a woman and they had to have someone help them to have her when they wanted a baby. She's really nice. And so is her Mom."

We talked about God and his love for us and how he made us all different and special and that he loves us all regardless of who we love. We all have the right to be happy and live our lives fully. We talked about teasing and the power of words and we talked about love in all its beautiful shapes.

Simple.

Clear.

Honest.

Love is a gift from God and judging others, especially for who they love, is wrong.

I worry sometimes that I am messing this parenting thing up.

Apparently, Hero Husband and I, we are doing something right.

An attempt at self determination

2011-10-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

There is a wiggly tooth in our house.

It has been wiggly for some time.

Our sweet little thumb sucker moves it around a bit,

but unlike her brother who at the first sign of a loose tooth was

up in his room wiggling it until he got the darn thing out,

she was happy to wait.

We noticed that the permanent tooth was already erupting

and still she would chew on the sides, not take big bites of her apple etc. and

so we made the decision for her.

That tooth is coming out.

When I was little my PaPa tied a string from a loose tooth an

electric train and let me "pull it" myself.

Worked pretty well for me so we decided to let Miss Thing

have a try at some self determination.

Hero Husband is a bit of an expert in tying knots and using ropes

and so he got everything ready

slipped the string around the tooth

and let her have at it.

Pulling your own teeth is not for the faint of heart and

she just couldn't get up the gumption to yank hard enough

to pull the sucker.

Makes me feel for Tom Hanks extracting his own with an ice skate blade.

Wiillllsoooonnnn!

But I digress.

One quick tug was all it took and I relieved her of the

burden of the loose tooth that just wouldn't come out.

At which point she freaked out and cried until she realized

that it didn't hurt and the tooth fairy would be visiting her that night.

Then she smiled.

I loved that gummy grin before and I love it now!

Date night adventures

2011-10-11T00:06:00.004-05:00

I have this friend.

We'll call her Maura.

She was Miss Thing's preschool teacher a few years ago.

Okay I give up, her name is Laura and she is going

through the training camp for the Lonestar Rollergirls league.

For the record, every kid is well served to have a

Roller Derby girl for a preschool teacher.

Oh and she has great taste in books.

So guess where Hero Husband and I went for our date night last weekend?

Roller Derby is really an interesting sport.

Kind of a mix between olympic speed skating, WWE and hot pants.

Rule #1 about Roller Derby

Don't talk about Roller Derby.

Just kidding.

Roller Derby is a growing sport and they would really

appreciate you talking about them as much as you like.

My friend Laura was kind enough to grab us some prime seats

and fill in the comprehension gaps.

For example I saw her arm and said something along the lines of

"Criminy, what the heck happened to you?"

Apparently this is what is referred to as "Respect"

I call it crazy, but you know tomato - tomahto

Roller Derby like many sporting events has its parent support contingent.

They even come with matching shirts.

These folks were here to support the Cherry Bombs.

and so was this guy

I'm not sure how exactly the mascot for the Cherry Bombs

is a green mohawked beaver, but hey this is my first time.

I'm sure it'll make sense at some point.

Hopefully this guy will too.

Some things seemed a bit more familiar

last minute repairs

National Anthem

and then something like this happens and I'm confused again.

I was profoundly grateful when they were kind enough to put on one of these.

I could explain the rules, but I'm sure I'll mess it up.

Feel free to go here if you are really interested in the details.

In short there is one girl from each team that scores points

she's called the Jammer

and then there's a pack of girls trying to either help her score or keep

her from scoring, depending on which team they are skating for.

That process is what generally results in much of this

Apparently Hero Husband likes a good girl fight.

Who knew.

But I'm ahead of myself.

It's time for the first jam (the roller derby version of a down or an at bat).

The Cherry Bombs were playing the Putas del Fuego.

We decided to cheer for the Cherry Bombs for three very valid reasons

1 - I like green

2 - The word puta bugs me

3 - Rocky Casbah is my new girl crush

When a player is charged with a major penalty they visit the penalty box.

Minor penalties are much more entertaining.

For a minor offense the mistress of penalties spins a wheel and the

offended and the offender will have to compete in a challenge...

some possible challenges are a dance off, arm wrestling,

a pillow fight or a no holds barred two laps.

When they say no holds barred, let me tell you, they mean it.

and with names like Holly Homicide and Truck Stop Trixie

you better watch yourself. These girls mean business.

Minor penalties are fun!

And in the event Roller Derby isn't your thing, or sports in general

it's still worth going.

Seriously, their halftime act is a live band.

If that wasn't enough it's worth going just for the people watching.

I have never seen such a diverse,

interesting,

eclectic,

friendly yet bloodthirsty collection of people

In one place in all my days.

It's a people watching smorgasbord.

All the way down to the mustard yellow jacket wearing announcers

who will bend over for a spanking one minute and

happily lip synch to Journey for your watching pleasure the next.

The Cherry Bombs prevailed in this round and advance to the finals.

And the verdict - Roller Derby is Awesome.

We already have out tickets for the finals next week.

Oh and the guy with the blue cape never really did make sense,

although at one point he was swiffering the track which only confused me further.

The End

Boys

2011-09-19T16:00:00.001-05:00

My children are an endless source of entertainment.

Hero Husband ended up working a double shift this weekend leaving Super Son no options but to come along to the dreaded girly birthday party that Miss Thing had been invited to.

The principle that

"You are 9 and they are 6 and therefore you may not beat the
pinata into submission until they all get at least two turns"

is lost on him.

He is also not enthused about face paint (unless of the war paint manly cammo variety), glittery butterfly crafts and things that don't involve beyblades.

I paused to take a picture of my sweet girl

(don't you just love her new sassy haircut)

and when I turned around Super Son had gone AWOL.

Miss Thing was happily gluing her glittery do-dad to the sparkly do-hickey and

so my parental reconnaissance mission was underway.

He was not at the bowl of queso,

he was not snacking on the spoils of the pinata beating,

he wasn't watching the football game

Where I found him was outside just around the corner

going all martial with his arts,

battling unseen adversaries,

and apparently not wanting to be watched

or photographed.

The End

Ten Years

2011-09-11T23:40:00.000-05:00

Ten years.

There is nothing that I can say this year that I haven't said before.

Ten years

and it still hurts.

This is the first anniversary that Hero Husband and I have not marked together.

Fitting that he is out with his team again. Searching and Rescuing.

And so I held my children close

we laughed

we loved

and we remembered.

And we can't wait to see Hero Husband when he gets home.

Humiliation: Full Moon

2011-09-09T17:35:00.000-05:00

Last week I caught a stomach bug.

It was 12 hours of utter misery followed by 3 days of general malaise and blah peppered with small bursts of feeling halfway normal except for the unattractive shade of green that would grace my skin every time I thought about food.

This happened to coincide with the burning of greater Austin which isn't really relevant except Hero Husband was off living up to his moniker and I was left to whine and moan with no one to pity me and Wee Ones that still needed to get to school.

I also had a work meeting with some official-types about a re-zoning hearing that was happening and couldn't be delayed. My meeting thankfully ended up being timed perfectly with one of my bursts of semi-normal energy.

The meeting went well and I was pleased to pat myself on the back for getting the issue cleared up.

Look at me. Hear me roar. Mama survives stomach plague, bounces back enough to send the kids off to school and meet with zoning folks and solves the problem. All in a days work.

That is until I entered the lobby and proceeded to tumble down a short flight of stairs.

Wearing a dress.

That managed to end up somewhere north of my ears.

With a security guard, a janitor and 2 parolees as witness.

Oh and don't let me leave out the security cameras that were on hand to save the whole thing for posterity

or to monitor the parolees.

Po-tay-toe ~ Po-tah-toe

The stairs were covered in sandpaper tread that claimed their victory over me with the skin from both of my legs as trophy to a job well done.

Upon reflection it seems that I must have been a bit faint, which I guess happens when you can't stomach food of any sort for several days in a row. My wound pattern (hello CSI) indicates that I did not try to catch myself and considering that I don't actually remember falling it seems like a safe bet.

My loving friends and family did their best not to laugh

much

and I'm sure were only concerned for my health when they asked if I had asked for copies of the security tapes.

A full moon in the sky is a beautiful thing to behold. Mine upside down on the floor of a municipal building lobby is just fodder for the humiliation chronicles.

You may all laugh now.

The End

The Remodel - Finished!

2011-08-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

The Epic Rainbows and Sunshine RV Trip took over the last few weeks, then school started and I just realized that I never gave you the final update on the Remodel.

The house is done.

Yay!

And now is on the market for sale.

You are welcome to come and buy it.

I'm talking to you Brenda!

Or send your friends and family to come and buy it.

As long as they are good neighbors.

No weirdos.

Oh wait. They will have to live across the street from us so weird might be a good thing.

Our realtor extraordinaire put together a virtual tour that you can view by clicking here.

Enjoy!

To all the teachers that I love so much

2011-08-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

Day 14 - Oh Texas my Texas

2011-08-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

After Dinner in Perry we loaded back up and drove another short leg

to Guthrie, Oklahoma.

They don't have an RV park in Perry.

The kids were in bed and asleep by the time we arrived and it wasn't until the next

morning that they were able to see where we were.

Miss Thing dared not venture out of the RV for fear of being carried off

by the giant carnivorous mosquitos.

Super Son being immune via his father's genetic contribution was

out collecting rocks and inspecting the redness of the Oklahoma soil.

If left to his own devices I'm sure he would have figured out how to

weigh himself and take home his body weight in precious rocks that must never be discarded.

Alas, Guthrie it is time for us to say goodbye.

And as we left we ventured from the land of

green into the desolation that is drought land.

The only upside I have found to this drought is a new road trip game.

Count the wildfire burns.

Whoever gets to 50 first wins.

I really didn't ever want to get to 50.

I was even tricked into thinking that fall was coming early.

Some of the leaves were a lovely rusty color.

Sadly they were just too close to the fires and were crispy.

The Red River marked our transition out of Oklahoma.

Which makes for one seriously squiggily state line.

The Wee Ones were so very patient

looking out the windows,

playing games,

wrestling,

stealing my seat.

Which I had refused to give up until we saw this sign.

Oh Texas my Texas!

Even with your dry unrelenting miserable sweaty hot summer

you are home and we are glad to see you.

Someone google map the closest RV sales lot. I think we need one of our own!

Day 13 - And the drive begins

2011-08-21T23:30:00.004-05:00

It is always hard for vacation to end, but today is the day we

start our drive home.

At home it is over a 100 degrees and hasn't rained in months

here it is 60 degrees and rained on me, a lot.

Even raining on me there is almost no humidity here.

My hair is so happy.

We kept shocking each other with static electricity.

Me and Hero Husband

not me and my hair.

Just to be clear.

The biggest surprise of the day for me was Eastern Colorado.

It was so darn flat.

It looked like what I expected Kansas or Oklahoma to look like

And then it was official.

We had left Colorado.

But I was excited to see Kansas.

It was beautiful and green.

There were sunflower farms.

It was hotter than Colorado.

sigh.

After leaving Kansas we were warmly welcomed into Oklahoma.

They have been suffering through a drought too.

But apparently had had some rain in the last few weeks.

Things looked perky.

And there were mosquitos.

We stopped off in Perry.

My grandparents were born in Perry, Oklahoma and I had never been there.

Perry is a quaint small town that I can imagine them growing up in.

It is also was site of the Cherokee Strip land rush.

The town square is such a throwback

including the Kumback.

I can just imagine my Great Uncle Bob having lunch here with my Grandfather.

My Grandmother walks in and she's wearing this awesome vintage hat...

Sorry I digress.

Oklahoma has some beautiful sunsets.

I can totally see the appeal.

Day 12 Part Two - Rain in Breckenridge

2011-08-20T11:30:00.001-05:00

After our morning horseback ride we got settled back at the

fancy schmancy campground just outside of Breckenridge and it wasn't

long before the Wee Ones were ready to get back out and enjoy

our last day in Colorado.

They opted for a bike ride.

Breckenridge has an amazing bike trail that connects the communities.

It is set off from the highway. I wish Austin had one.

I also wish Austin was 75 degrees yesterday.

I have been reminded a few times on this trip that I am a bit slow to adjust

to altitude. It was not surprising when riding my bike and pulling Miss Thing

on the tag-a-long was challenging.

It wasn't so much that the ride was all that hard.

I have climbed more and bigger hills and this was only a few miles to ride.

It was that this was the easy part. The return trip would be really uphill.

And then it started to rain.

We laughed and were glad that we had put on sweaters before we left.

Then I started scoping out bus stops. There was no way I was going

back up the mountain in the rain.

The gondola had been closed early because of the lightning and

so we found Eric's Downstairs and ordered some dinner.

I found their motto amusing.

Oh and the food was good too.

When we were done it was still raining and the clouds sagging down

from the tops of the mountains.

We found the bus stop and were ready to load our bikes when

the driver asked where we were going.

Hero Husband gave him the name of the Fancy Schmancy RV park

to which we were told...

Oh I won't be heading there for another 45 minutes, maybe an hour

and by then the route may actually close for the night.

I sighed in despair.

I was going to have to ride my bike

back

the

mountain.

Off we went.

The wind with the moisture made our fingers tingle.

Miss Thing agreed to help pedal.

Except she didn't

And neither did I.

We didn't have to, we were flying!

Then Hero Husband slows down a bit and smiles at me

"Did you notice that are going the same direction as the river?"

Nope

"Downhill"

My humiliation was tempered by the fact that I didn't

have to ride my bike up the mountain, again.

And the scenery as we flew back down the mountain

wasn't too shabby.

Day 12 - Rusty Spurr

2011-08-18T23:19:00.001-05:00

Anticipation of horseback riding is not conducive

to sleep for 9 year olds.

It was still dark outside when Super Son whispered

in my ear while I was sleeping

"Mamma I'm gonna go outside and take a picture"

I don't recall responding but when I did get up I found this on my camera

Well this one and 247 more that look a lot like it.

I guess after my Grand Canyon sunrise I shouldn't be surprised

that my offspring would choose to do the same thing.

Horseback riding is apparently a good motivator for the Wee Ones.

They were dressed and ready in no time and we were on the road.

We found the turn to the Rusty Spurr with no problem and were greeted by this.

So beautiful

We followed this road 4 miles into the foothills

And then we reached the bunkhouse

They don't rent pigs, if you were wondering.

Super Son told Miss Thing all that she needed to know about horses.

They are apparently missing Eli

a lot.

Every dog they meet is getting the full love treatment.

It wasn't long and then we met our horses

I was riding Delbert

Super Son was riding Thunder, who was named for his gastric emanations.

He spent the next two hours proving he was well named.

Miss Thing was riding Patches

Hero Husband paired up with Cactus

and we're off!

I love it when Hero Husband takes a photo with horse ears in it.

This is truly a beautiful piece of earth.

Miss Thing felt confident enough to try no hands.

We rode through aspen groves, sage brush

and gorgeous mountains.

I could do this all day!

And this is what Miss Thing does after an exciting morning on the ranch.

It's worth recommending that if you are in the area you call the Rusty Spurr Ranch and book a ride.

The wranglers were knowledgeable (Hi Heather) and nice.

They treat their horses really well and it shows.

These people really do it right and I can't wait to go back and ride with them again.

Disclaimer:

The Rusty Spurr only knows me cause I annoyed them with my endless

chatter for a few hours last week. They did not sponsor this review in any way

Day 11 - Kremmling

2011-08-16T22:48:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago when Hero Husband and I were in Colorado for the first time skiing at Copper Mountain we stopped in a little shop on the side of the road and bought a chainsaw carved bear. It has sat next to our front door since then and since Super Son started school it has served as the backpack rack.

I was so thrilled to find the store still there and still selling bears.

Miss Thing starts kindergarten next week and it was agreed that she needed her own backpack bear.

She chose a pretty black bear with hair the same color as hers.

The fancy schmancy campground didn't have a spot available for us on Saturday night and so we checked out and headed down the road a bit to the Wolford Reservoir just outside of Kremmling for the night where we learned something.

Lakes in Colorado are cold.

This one is fed by a creek and not by the snow melt and that supposedly makes it warmer than the others.

All I know is that it was cold.

Nevertheless the Wee Ones were still 100% committed to getting wet.

That is until they put their toes in and then turned around

and hightailed it back to the campground.

We were able to convince them that riding in a paddle boat would
keep them dry and we could still go play "in" the water.

On our walk to the boat rental area Super Son read a sign that promised $20 for every pike that you turned in. He felt it was his mission for the day to catch a pike.

Sadly he had no luck but it was a fun day and tomorrow we are going horseback riding

and that seemed to make up for it.

Day 10 - Colorado Rocky Mountain High

2011-08-15T17:00:00.053-05:00

Colorado is such a beautiful place.

Hero Husband and I came here for the first time 10 years

ago and fell in love with the Frisco/Dillon area.

Sadly there are really no RV campgrounds in those areas

and so we settled on the only place we could find near

Breckenridge and when we called they had a last minute cancellation.

Breckenridge is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it is a bit more

upscale than we were anticipating.

We are driving a really nice 35 foot RV and when we pulled into the RV park

you'd have thought we were driving a Gremlin.

But hey, we've never been much on keeping up with the Jones'.

All along the way we saw pine trees.

What was different was that these pine trees were not all green.

Many were dead.

Super Son explained to us that the Pine Beetle had infested many

forests in North America killing lots of pine trees. They live in the

bark and give the tree a fungus that basically starves it.

I thought he was making this up.

Surely a 9 year old didn't know that much about the Pine Beetle.

Alas, Alfred the Hedgehog has taught him this relevant detail for our trip.

Seeing so many of these beautiful trees die was really heartbreaking.

The red and gray colored trees have been attacked by the beetle.

Once they are attacked there is nothing that can be done. The tree will die.

In some areas we saw entire hillsides bare.

Climate change has been a huge contributing factor.

Warmer, milder winters allow the beetles to flourish.

Always looking for the silver lining we did find a furniture manufacturer in

the area that uses pine beetle wood for his products and with so many pine

trees dying off will allow the aspen, spruce and other trees a chance to flourish

And on that positive note. We got checked in to the campground.

Super Son and Miss Thing immediately grabbed their bikes and were off.

Hero Husband grabbed a lawn chair and a beer.

I forgot that altitude takes time for me to adjust and I drank mine way to quickly.

We did have a lovely view

and the roads were easy for the kids to get around on.

Super Son and I were really excited about seeing the Perseid

meteor shower, that is until this showed up over the ridge.

We decided to take it as a chance to tinker with the

camera and get some good full moon photos.

The cool brisk night made me so glad that Hero Husband

decided on this beautiful little slice of heaven.

Good Night All.

Day 9 - Moab to Colorado

2011-08-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Utah got hot really quickly and while St. George was nice

you have to shop at a special store to buy beer that isn't watered down.

That is basis for leaving just on bad beer principle.

Today was a driving day which means that there was a lot of this going on

which ultimately digressed into this.

They called it skydiving.

Then we stopped at Devil's Canyon

and Moab

While both were beautiful, but neither had low enough temperatures to entice me to stay.

We decided to drive on and camp for the night in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Super Son learned how to flip on the rings at the playground

and we saw a pretty sunset.

Everyone is ready to get to a place where we can stop and

stay for a few days before heading home.

Hero Husband is pretty set on Frisco.

It is a beautiful town, but unfortunately is lacking in RV accommodations.

The one park there is booked solid and costs double what we

have been paying for sites elsewhere.

Tentatively we are planning on just driving through to Boulder

or Colorado Springs where we have friends to see.

There is a meteor shower on the 13th and so we are

hoping to be somewhere we can see it clearly...

It seems like the Griffith Observatory in LA would be a

good place, but I won't tell Hero Husband that!

Day 8 - Utah via Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier

2011-08-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

The original plan for this part of the trip was to head up the California coast

and camp in the redwoods just outside of Santa Cruz.

We would make a stop in Santa Barbara to see some friends on the way

and get dessert at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

Then the good people of California decided to fill up every RV campground

anywhere near a Redwood Grove South of San Francisco.

The campsite that I had reserved near Santa Cruz had been reserved months ago before we knew the length of the RV we would be renting and needless to say 35 feet was more than they would be able to accommodate and so we lost the reservation and couldn't get another.

Considering he had done 99% of the driving to get us to this point including the harrowing hairpin turns in the Hollywood Hills I turned over the rest of our trip to my beloved.

He chose Colorado.

I looked up the weather and gave my blessing.

And so we headed out first to the Santa Monica Pier.

It took us precisely 9 years to get there.

I really don't like Los Angeles traffic.

Once we got there we marveled at the beautiful coastline,

things that we just don't have on Texas beaches

and the fact that we could be on a beach in the middle of August and have very cold feet.

And there were people actually swimming in the water.

Of course my Wee Ones would have willingly jumped in if I had

let them change into their swim clothes.

Instead they settled for digging in the sand.

Then we rode our bikes down the shore and watched the skateboarders.

Super Son analyzed their moves and calculated the risks involved

and which bones were most likely to get broken.

By this point the earlier traffic had eliminated the time we had left to go to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo and we simply headed East back toward Las Vegas.

The roads around here are never boring.

And the scenery is just breathtaking.

Around midnight we passed through Las Vegas.

Hero Husband offered to drive the RV down the strip for me a'la Rodeo Drive

I opted to let him push on through.

We will be back in October anyway and the views from the highway weren't to shabby.

The time zone changes are making us all a little crazy.

I don't even really know what time we made it there

but we finally camped in St. George, Utah.

The moon is nearly full and the light it cast over the barren

rocky mountains around the Virgin river were spooky.

I tried to get pictures but considering I was dealing

with only moonlight and Hero Husband was making good

time you will just have to take my word for it.

Day 7 - Disneyland revisited

2011-08-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

By this point we are feeling like veterans of Disneyland.

We plot and set strategy for our days adventure maximizing our time to complete the most desired rides and activities.

We managed to get to the park before 8 and were ready when the gates opened.

Except then there was still a que just outside of mainstreet.

The mass of humanity converged and when the welcome was over and the music started we realized that our idea was not unique in the slightest.

Everyone was on a mission.

It could have been mistaken for a power walkers convention had there not been so many Mickey Mouse T-shirts and ears

Top of Super Son's list was Star Tours.

Mind you he has never seen Star Wars (*gasp* I know it is one of my many parental failings)

Hero Husband and I were very entertained and the kids got to ride through space.

It was really precious when Miss Thing asked me...Did we really just go into space?

Next was Autotopia. Mainly because it was close,

looked like fun and let us Fast Pass to avoid the lines.

Super Son tolerated me as a passenger only because my

legs are longer and I could help him accelerate as fast as possible.

It was reported that Miss Thing was confident after her turn behind

the wheel and agreed to drive the RV home for us.

Then we rode on Nemo's undersea adventure

Super Son is at that precocious age of ruining the illusion for everyone.

He insisted on looking up through the submarine port hole the

entire time just to remind us that we hadn't fully submerged.

My favorite was the Seagulls from the movie.

They sat on a rock in the harbor and called "Mine mine mine"

I mimicked them and laughed.

No one else seemed to be as amused as I was.

Miss Thing had reminded us no less than 427 times that we HAD to find Jasmine before we left because she had a message to deliver from Rapunzel.

Heaven help me if Jasmine had the day off.

Next stop was It's a Small World.

Tried and True it's a classic and was worth doing.

Then we caught the train

around to Adventure Land where praise God we found

Jasmine and Aladdin

The message was delivered.

Jasmine, Rapunzel says you will never beat her in a hair growing contest.

Whew, that was an important message!

We toured Aurora's castle,

took a few parting photos,

collected a few more autographs

Pluto left us with a bit more than an autograph

He licked their books too!

Next was the final round of rides at California Adventure.

Both kids were keyed up to ride the big roller coaster that goes upside down.

It doesn't have a real name in their world, it is simply the

BIG roller coaster that goes upside down.

But first was Mickey's Ferris Wheel.

Which had some unique features.

More than half of the gondolas were not fixed.

They slid around on a series of rails.

Basically each gondola swung around like it was on a giant swing-set.

Which is why I am sure they felt it wise to provide these.

I bought some toys while we were there.

Sorry you can't have one. Limited Edition and all.

Sadly, Miss Thing was 2 inches too short for the big roller coaster that goes upside down.

She was content to ride the Carousel again and wait for the report from her brother.

Who for the record LOVED it and then made me ride it with him.

Sucker was smooth and fast.

Okay, I loved it too.

Earlier in the day we had Fast Passed for Soarin' over California and as the day was winding down we had only two rides left to go.

The Wee Ones took the time to cool off in the misting station before we went in.

The ride was amazing.

Relaxing and beautiful.

It won't scare the pants off of you or make you yark, but it was worth doing if you don't mind keeping your pants and your lunch in their rightful places.

Sadly the two fabulous days ended with a bit of a bummer. The one ride that everyone had agreed to save for last closed just as we walked up. Mechanical problem of some sort.

We opted for dessert instead and counted all of the happy memories instead of worrying over the last. I don't really have any doubts that we will be back...

They are building a Cars section to the park that opens next year after all!

Day 6 - Disneyland!

2011-08-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

First night in the campground it was really hard to get the Wee Ones to bed.

That in turn made it really hard for them to get up early.

Breakfast in the campground is fun

and it is hard to be anything but happy and energetic when you know you get to go to Disneyland even when you are waiting for the bus to pick you up.

Oh and California is home to the biggest ficus trees I have ever seen.

Seriously look at that sucker!

It was entirely fitting that the first thing we should find is the Disneyland Fire Department.

Walt Disney used to have an apartment there on the second floor and would stay in the park.

The Wee Ones both bought autograph books.

I was very skeptical of this racket, but oh my goodness were they excited.

Miss Thing waited in line for over an hour to see her first princess!

Rapunzel asked Miss Thing to deliver a message to Jasmine.

This meant that before we could leave the park we absolutely

HAD to find Jasmine and deliver the message.

A princess had asked her personally to tell another princess.

What else was she going to do!

We rode a bunch of rides and considering the length

of the lines we made pretty good time.

We figured out the Fast Pass system and made plans for

implementing it on the rides that we could.

By this point Miss Thing was getting a bit concerned that the only princess she had met was Rapunzel. The day was getting along and the girl needed to find Jasmine.

Just outside of Aurora's castle we found Snow White's

wishing well and both of them made a wish.

I'm not sure what they wished for but as soon as we

walked around the corner we met Fairy Godmother.

Miss Thing knew that we had a surprise for her that afternoon

and that we only had time for one more ride before

heading to the California Adventure Park for her surprise.

This surprisingly involved a lot of coercion.

She did NOT want to leave Disneyland.

Thank Goodness we bought 2-day passes.

Lunch was her surprise.

Lunch with all of the disney princesses.

This was not an inexpensive proposition.

However, considering the waits that we found all

around the parks I think it was worth it.

We sat in a lovely lakeside restaurant eating what was a very tasty

lunch and while we ate one by one Aurora, Cinderella,

Snow White, Ariel and Belle came to our table. They chatted briefly

with Miss Thing and her entourage, posed for

photos and signed the autograph books.

She was in heaven.

The dessert included a white chocolate sea shell...that went home in our leftover box.

California Adventure is the newer section of the Disney theme park

and is across the entrance from the original Disneyland.

The lines are shorter there.

Oh and that's where we met Mickey Mouse

who thought Miss Thing wanted to play peek-a-boo.

Buzz offered high fives and fist bumps (blown up of course).

One of the rides that we found with no lines was Ariel's undersea adventure.

The weather in Anaheim has been beautiful. Cool and overcast in the morning and burning off within a few hours. The evenings get brisk enough to need a sweater which is why riding this ride has proven to be problematic.

It is a whitewater rafting ride.

I don't even remember what it is called, but the only times we can get a Fast Pass to ride it are after dark. Which means it is late, the kids are still up and likely overstimulated. I am not really big on the idea of adding wet and shivering while waiting for a shuttle to that equation. It will have to wait for tomorrow.

But oh the lights and the sights at night.

Day 5 - Los Angeles

2011-08-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

There were only two things I wanted to do in Los Angeles before we settled in Anaheim for the days dedicated to Disneyland

See the Hollywood sign

and

Drive the RV down Rodeo Drive.

I put some serious effort into finding the easiest spot to see the sign in an RV and found that the Griffith Observatory has a great view and also lots of open park space.

Kids run around, I get my picture, everyone is happy.

That is until the navigation system directs us to what had to be they are talking about when they say Hollywood Hills. All I know is we turned off of Los Fleiz and proceeded up the steepest hills making the tiniest hairpin turns that indeed get us to the Griffith Observatory. A VIEW of it at least. 200 yards to the right and up a really steep grassy hill. Hero Husband was seriously considering backing out down the streets if it got any worse. People out walking their dogs looked at us like we were insane. We felt a bit crazy by then.

I just kept reminding myself.

Hero Husband can drive a fire truck.

These roads have to be big enough for fire trucks.

It was the mantra that I repeated to myself when I wasn't hanging my head out the window watching for trashcans or sloppily parked Jaguars.

It should be noted that my husband is a complete and total RV driving master

He has mad crazy skills.

I mean it.

And of course when we did find the actual observatory it was packed.

So packed that we had absolutely no hope of ever parking

unless we were prepared to start a riot.

And so we left. I figured we may see the sign from the road somewhere and would take my picture then. In the meantime the natives were getting restless and so we found some lunch.

It too was packed. I chatted up one of the employees and she

actually said "Oh our rush is in about an hour."

I don't think I could ever live in a place so densely populated.

Even if the kids lunch came with the least objectionable toy possible

and the food was so tasty.

We set the navigation system for Rodeo Drive and set out.

Hoping that we wouldn't be led astray again.

As Hero Husband trucked along the highway I was thrilled to

have the chance to lean out my window and take this picture.

And then this one that wasn't even on my list

And then we turned onto Rodeo Drive.

Hero Husband had a blast explaining to the kids why its

called Ro-Day-Oh Drive when its spelled like Ro-Dee-Oh.

Miss Thing was okay with it, but she has always liked fancy things.

Personally I was pretty unimpressed.

It was very touristy (not surprised) and

was very short (the street that is).

The palm trees were nice.

And it was pretty funny driving it in an RV.

I felt a bit like Daisy May Clampett.

I liked the shops at the end of the street better.

And our last stop before we arrived at our campground was the Santa Monica Pier.

This was as close as we got.

It was a Sunday at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

I think the parking lot attendant may have actually laughed at us before

he told us to try again on a week day, early.

And so we drove on to Anaheim and became closely acquainted

with smog and greater Los Angeles area traffic.

I really could never live in a place this densely populated.

As soon as we checked in the Wee Ones headed for the pool.

The decision was made to go for two days at Disneyland and we bought our passes.

This was really our first chance to hang out at the camp ground for any length of time.

We met a super nice family from Calgary who loaned us marshmallow roasting forks.

Hi Heather!

We made s'mores and talked while our kids rode bikes around the park.

Then we all watched the Disneyland fireworks and shuffled off to our campers.

The kids are loving that everything we have done so far is as new to them as it is to us.

That being said tomorrow feels daunting.

Disneyland here we come!