strawberries and summer
It turns out strawberry picking is good for a great many things besides filling your basket with mounds of mouth-watering fruit. I took two girls on a mommy-daughter adventure day last week and this is what I learned:
1. A strawberry field is the perfect place to people watch. E spent most of her time standing in the rows observing the social dynamics of six littles under six. They argued for a good twenty minutes about who would sit next to who on the "bus" (aka 14-passenger mom/daycare mobile) on the way home and why a certain someone is always stingy about who she allows to sit next to her. I go a detailed report complete with names, dates, culprits, and accomplices from Miss E when it was all over. I was shocked how much she had noticed and how important all of it was to her. You might have thought these kiddos were her playground buddies! I had just shrugged it off as a typical spat and moved out of earshot to find a little peace. It seems my girl was busy trailing the case.
2. A strawberry field is the perfect hiding place from mom when you don't want her to know you need to use the bathroom. Miss A disappeared for a short bit and we spotted her a few rows over crouched down so as not to attract notice. She was busy hiding so her mama wouldn't make her use the port-a-potty. Sister's stealthy, but E and I tracked her down and talked that poop shack up the whole way there. By the time we got there, she was ready to go. It even had its own outdoor sink with running water, which was a huge hit.
3. A strawberry field is the perfect place to EAT. The sticky handed, juice dripping down the front of your shirt kind.Good thing there were no before and after weigh-ins required of the kids!
4. A strawberry field is NOT the perfect place to pick strawberries. It's hot in the sun and the berries hide under their green and the hay on the paths is itchy. Plus, the thunder in the distance is bound to bring a little rain your way. And wouldn't it be a good idea to move the berries from Mama's tray to yours until you've filled it all up and she still has a LONG way to go?
The girls did their best. They did. But there are just so many other things to look at, do, and so very many strawberries to eat. We topped off the day with strawberry donuts and strawberry smoothies for lunch plus a romp on the playground and a visit with the resident goats. Plus a few more visits to the real bathroom with real sinks. Too many strawberries? It was a pleasure to focus on my big girls for the day without worrying about whether K was eating dirt or running away or feeding his own hand to the goats. We love him, but sometimes "just the girls" is just right.
In other news...
We just returned last week from a ten-day trip to Florida where we took a much needed breather from all things school-related. It was so much fun. Our hosts, my college roommate Rebecca and her husband Gustavo, were perfectly hosty and our kids were the best little troopers they could have been. We reconnected with great friends, reminisced, boated, sunbathed, swam, ate, and slept. We spent a fourteen-hour day at Disney World and thrilled to watch our kiddos experience "the place where dreams come true" for the first time. Miss A did a great job playing the roll of Phillipe at Belle's castle and both girls bravely insisted we visit the Haunted House and ride their first roller coaster. I don't know how many times I said, "It's just pretend" because at 6, 4, and 2 what you see, touch, smell, hear (and in K's case, taste) has to be real. Our constant companion, buddy, and tour guide Miss Meghan (another bestie from my college days) made the comment around 3 p.m. that "Disney is where dreams come true, but it is not the happiest place on Earth. For that, you have to go to California." But by supper time all had recovered and were ready to put in another six hours at the park. As we drove out of the parking lot, E commented, "I've never stayed up till tomorrow before!" It was an amazing day.
After our Orlando adventures, we packed the kids into a rental car and meandered two hours down the coast to spend four days by the ocean with my Nana, aunt, and uncle. The kids made plenty of memories playing marathon card games with Aunt Gail, feasting on Nana's delicious dinners, and K's favorite activity of the trip: taking rides on the seat of Nana's walker. "Bup, bup!" (up) and then "Weeeee!" we heard over and over as he toured the house in style. The girls and Mark watched a sea turtle swim by them in the water on our last afternoon, and Mark and I spent two evenings (kid-free) walking the beach under the super moon and (ready?) talking to each other. Priceless.
Of course, we returned home to plenty of house projects (a neglected yard and basement redo), plenty of unpacking, and plenty of bumps in the road towards restoring normalcy for our little clan--including a handful of tantrums, a few wakeful nights, a resumed therapy schedule for K, one missed doctor appointment, one kept, and one pulled tooth. We're hitting a summer stride here, enjoying the sun on the rare occasion it appears and making the most of the time summer allows: dinner with friends at our favorite swimming spot, bike riding practice at the cemetery, picking our first veggies from the garden, an afternoon visit with my parents, and strawberry shortcake heaped high with whipped cream for lunch...and breakfast.
Gearing up for our annual Midwest adventure. Seems like we just caught our breath and here we go again! To our Michigan friends and family: we'll see y'all real soon!
Happy summer, happy trails.
1. A strawberry field is the perfect place to people watch. E spent most of her time standing in the rows observing the social dynamics of six littles under six. They argued for a good twenty minutes about who would sit next to who on the "bus" (aka 14-passenger mom/daycare mobile) on the way home and why a certain someone is always stingy about who she allows to sit next to her. I go a detailed report complete with names, dates, culprits, and accomplices from Miss E when it was all over. I was shocked how much she had noticed and how important all of it was to her. You might have thought these kiddos were her playground buddies! I had just shrugged it off as a typical spat and moved out of earshot to find a little peace. It seems my girl was busy trailing the case.
2. A strawberry field is the perfect hiding place from mom when you don't want her to know you need to use the bathroom. Miss A disappeared for a short bit and we spotted her a few rows over crouched down so as not to attract notice. She was busy hiding so her mama wouldn't make her use the port-a-potty. Sister's stealthy, but E and I tracked her down and talked that poop shack up the whole way there. By the time we got there, she was ready to go. It even had its own outdoor sink with running water, which was a huge hit.
3. A strawberry field is the perfect place to EAT. The sticky handed, juice dripping down the front of your shirt kind.Good thing there were no before and after weigh-ins required of the kids!
4. A strawberry field is NOT the perfect place to pick strawberries. It's hot in the sun and the berries hide under their green and the hay on the paths is itchy. Plus, the thunder in the distance is bound to bring a little rain your way. And wouldn't it be a good idea to move the berries from Mama's tray to yours until you've filled it all up and she still has a LONG way to go?
The girls did their best. They did. But there are just so many other things to look at, do, and so very many strawberries to eat. We topped off the day with strawberry donuts and strawberry smoothies for lunch plus a romp on the playground and a visit with the resident goats. Plus a few more visits to the real bathroom with real sinks. Too many strawberries? It was a pleasure to focus on my big girls for the day without worrying about whether K was eating dirt or running away or feeding his own hand to the goats. We love him, but sometimes "just the girls" is just right.
In other news...
We just returned last week from a ten-day trip to Florida where we took a much needed breather from all things school-related. It was so much fun. Our hosts, my college roommate Rebecca and her husband Gustavo, were perfectly hosty and our kids were the best little troopers they could have been. We reconnected with great friends, reminisced, boated, sunbathed, swam, ate, and slept. We spent a fourteen-hour day at Disney World and thrilled to watch our kiddos experience "the place where dreams come true" for the first time. Miss A did a great job playing the roll of Phillipe at Belle's castle and both girls bravely insisted we visit the Haunted House and ride their first roller coaster. I don't know how many times I said, "It's just pretend" because at 6, 4, and 2 what you see, touch, smell, hear (and in K's case, taste) has to be real. Our constant companion, buddy, and tour guide Miss Meghan (another bestie from my college days) made the comment around 3 p.m. that "Disney is where dreams come true, but it is not the happiest place on Earth. For that, you have to go to California." But by supper time all had recovered and were ready to put in another six hours at the park. As we drove out of the parking lot, E commented, "I've never stayed up till tomorrow before!" It was an amazing day.
After our Orlando adventures, we packed the kids into a rental car and meandered two hours down the coast to spend four days by the ocean with my Nana, aunt, and uncle. The kids made plenty of memories playing marathon card games with Aunt Gail, feasting on Nana's delicious dinners, and K's favorite activity of the trip: taking rides on the seat of Nana's walker. "Bup, bup!" (up) and then "Weeeee!" we heard over and over as he toured the house in style. The girls and Mark watched a sea turtle swim by them in the water on our last afternoon, and Mark and I spent two evenings (kid-free) walking the beach under the super moon and (ready?) talking to each other. Priceless.
Of course, we returned home to plenty of house projects (a neglected yard and basement redo), plenty of unpacking, and plenty of bumps in the road towards restoring normalcy for our little clan--including a handful of tantrums, a few wakeful nights, a resumed therapy schedule for K, one missed doctor appointment, one kept, and one pulled tooth. We're hitting a summer stride here, enjoying the sun on the rare occasion it appears and making the most of the time summer allows: dinner with friends at our favorite swimming spot, bike riding practice at the cemetery, picking our first veggies from the garden, an afternoon visit with my parents, and strawberry shortcake heaped high with whipped cream for lunch...and breakfast.
Gearing up for our annual Midwest adventure. Seems like we just caught our breath and here we go again! To our Michigan friends and family: we'll see y'all real soon!
Happy summer, happy trails.