Vacation 2010: Friday - Monday

Our Florida vacation was so wonderful and much needed.

Friday and Saturday:

We left on Friday, 07/16, and headed down to Ocala to visit with family. The Brain went to play golf while the boys and I swam in the pool with the Grandmas. A relaxing way to start Vacation 2010.

Sunday:
We left Ocala and headed to Orlando for the week. Our Google Maps directions were a little...ummm wrong.. and had us exit off of the toll road on a " Sun Pass" exit... we may be receiving a $100 ticket in the mail shortly...Thanks Google Map Makers! We checked in at The Hilton Orlando around 5:00. The hotel was sweet! The staff was really nice, even when there was no reason to be! That evening we hung out at the pool. Which was the coolest pool I have ever seen. It was huge with zero entry on both ends. It had it's own lazy river complete with waterfalls, steam, and water squirty things. It also had it's own really cool twisty water slide, water basketball courts, and kid fountains, and cabanas. Around the pool bar were Foosball and pool tables. There were also giant fire pits and an adults only pool with a hot tub.

Sorry there is a glare, I took the picture through the window.

Monday:
It's Sea World time! Sea World was pretty awesome. We got to pet dolphins and sting rays and see some incredible shows. The Shamu show was neat and of course we sat in the soak zone!! My favorites though were the dolphin show and the acrobatic show. We didn't ride many rides at sea world, however we did go on Journey to Atlantis - pretty nifty.

I did get into a rather nasty discussion with a 'lady' at the dolphin petting area...

Vacation 2010 - To Be Continued....

Lucy...We're home!

Our Florida vacation was amazing!

Ocala; Orlando - Sea World, Aquatica, and Downtown Disney; Tampa Bay- Busch Gardens; Daytona Beach; And a visit to Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

As soon as all of the after vacation chores (a.k.a laundry, grocery shopping, more laundry) are done, I promise to blog all about it! I have so much to share with you!

Want to say a quick "Hello and welcome to my world!" to all of my new readers, both U.S and international!

This blog grew like crazy while I was away!

By The Way:

Either The Brain never checked his work email or he did so in secret...only he knows...

The postman will arrive at dawn

The boys have devised their own secret agent spy language.

Which I think is awesome!

Even though I have no idea what they are talking about half of the time now.

The postman has already arrived.

And the winner is...

So most of you think that The Brain is smart enough not to get caught working while on vacation, huh?

And, I see that I am the only wishful thinker of the bunch...

For his sake I hope you are right!!

The end of a chapter

Last year I was the PTA Vice President at Boy 2's school.

This year, not so much. Between the boys school/ homework, Tae Kwon Do, my school/studying for finals and what not, the house (laundry), and The Brain's crazy work schedule, there just aren't enough hours in the day for the whirlwind that is PTA.

The other girls felt the same. Whether it was back to school or back to work, we all had to say, "Adieu!".

It was fun and I will miss it tremendously. I will miss seeing and doing stuff with all of the kids. I will miss working with the teachers and staff to plan events and activities. And I will miss the camaraderie that only those who volunteer their rear ends off with one another feel. Luckily the bonds that were created are strong and the friendships are sure to last a lifetime.

Granted, we haven't been on the PTA board since the end of last year, but the finality of my stint as 'That PTA Lady' became really real today when I went into the school to meet the new Principal. The new board was sitting at their table selling memberships and such. We chatted for a few minutes and I wished them the best of luck in all they do this upcoming year.

When I was done with what I came to do...I left. After spending so many hours at the school last year, it was strange to just go...

Book Review

Just finished Then She Found Me, by Elinor Lipman.

Apparently this novel was made into a movie starring Helen Hunt, Collin Firth, and several other well-knowns. I hope for the audience's sake that the film was better than the book. I just watched the trailer for it though and it looks NOTHING like the book, which is most likely a good thing.

Basic plot: An adopted woman's (April) eccentric birth mother (Bernice) comes to find her after her adoptive parents have died.

People, The New York Times, and tons of other respectable critics all seemed to enjoy this novel. Either they were smoking crack or I just don't know a good book when I read one.

If you can't tell by now, I really did not like this book. The characters were shallow, in multiple uses of the word. The dialogue was unrealistic. The characters reactions to almost every event in the story were pathetic at least. The only character that showed any realness was the biological father and he has a bit part in the end.

I like the idea. The storyline is good. I just feel that the author had a chance to do something amazing and she failed to do anything.

And it's not that I don't like this type of book. You know, the "girly" books.
I loved Sam's Letters to Jennifer. I adored The Poisonwood Bible and A Bend in the Road. And many others...

Then She Found Me left me feeling ... flat.

If you have read this book and enjoyed it, please share. What am I missing? Tell me how and why I'm wrong. Change my mind!

Date Night

The boys have gone to spend a few days with their most AWESOMEST , yep it's a word - I just said it, aunt and uncle.

Really, those two just might be the most incredibly wonderful people on the planet! (Hi guys!!)

Date Night doesn't happen that often around here. But when it does The Brain and I tend to revert into our younger selves.

Sometimes we do silly stuff, you know, the kinds of things that responsible parents don't do, like sword fight with toilet plungers in the middle of Blood Bath (read as Bed Bath and Beyond - don't ask why we call it that because I haven't the foggiest)

Sometimes we go to the zoo, and the arcade, and Chucky Cheese, and the circus...just kidding, that's just what we tell the kids we did while they were away.

Sometimes we sit around for hours trying to figure out what exactly it is that we are supposed to do. What do other grown up people do when they don't have the kids???

And sometimes... it all falls into place, like tonight.

The house is quiet, except for a little jazz/blues combo playing on the PC downstairs, The Brain is in the shower, and we are going out! To eat that is.

WOO!HOO!

An uninterrupted grown up meal. Followed by a nice bottle of wine back home.

It's Date Night Baby!!

Anatomy

So the other day, while in the car on the way to Tae Kwon Do, out of the blue, boy 2 says, " I bet it would hurt if you broke your tee-tee. I bet you would have to go to the hospital. Do you think you would die if you broke your tee-tee?"

"Well...I don't know if you can actually break it. It's not like a bone like in your arm. You could hurt it really bad and yes you might have to go to the hospital. But, no, I don't think you would die."

"What if you broke your wee-wee's?"

I slowly turn down the radio because now I am the one who is confused...... "Your what?"

"You know your little hangy down ball things.."

Trying really hard not to laugh, " Sweetie, those are called testicles and your tee-tee is your penis."

"No way! Tell the truth. What are they really called?"

"That is the truth."

"If you don't have bones in your tes-ti-colors then what is inside them?"

Now is when my brain starts working in over drive....how on earth do I explain reproductive anatomy to a five year old? And how do I do so on the fly and in an age appropriate manner?

NONE of the 'What to expect when...' books  that I read prepared me for these kinds of things. Granted, I may have just not read the right books, or all of any book on raising children , but there should have been a pamphlet or warning label or something!

I know! I can pawn it off on The Brain. He's a guy, he should be having this discussion not me. He is way more equipped to handle this stuff because let's face it, he does have the equipment.

Besides, I know that there is no way in Hell he would be having this discussion if we had girls!

"That's a good question. You should ask Dad when we get home."

"Why don't you know what's inside your testicolors mom?"

Danger, Will Robinson!

If there is one thing I should know by now it is when to shut up. Unfortunately, as much as my parents tried to teach me, it is a quality that remains as elusive to me as dark matter. Therefore, I said this, " I don't have testicles, I'm a girl. That's one of the the differences between boys and girls. Boys have a penis and testicles and girls don't."

Crap! CrapCrapCrap!

After a few moments, boy2 says, "OK, I have one more question..."

CRAAAAAP!!!

"Yes?"

"How do they make swords?"

Boys are gross

Yesterday, boy 1 and boy 2 were in the kitchen having lunch. I stepped out of the room, but remained within ear shot.

This is what I heard...

"Buttcrack!" laughter

blah blah blah...

"Buttcrack!"  more laughter

Then,

"Hey! Do you remember that time that you pooted in my room and it smelled so bad we had to leave?"

Laughter

"Yeah! That was funny!!!"

"Yeah, that was so awesome..."

Seriously???? BOYS ARE GROSS!!!