Daycare is closed this week. After all, child care providers deserve a vacation. Actually, especially child care providers deserve a vacation. After the morning I've had, I don't know how ours does it.
Our three year old nephew, Owen, and Murray both go to the same daycare. Their birthdays are five days apart and they're best friends (most of the time). Since I don't have class on Thursdays, it only made sense that I watch both boys. Two are easier than one - they entertain each other. Or so I thought.
So far today, we've eaten eggs and pancakes, gone on a long bike ride, painted masterpieces, played with colored bubbles (I don't recommend this), spent time in the sandbox, set up the castle complete with balls, had a snack, sung the clean up song five times, and each boy has had a bout of tears - oh wait, Murray just started up again (Owen was trying to get out of the castle and accidentally kicked him in the face). I've told them to share at least 52 times and constructed train tracks that rival Burlington Northern.
It's only 10:30, and already both boys are already battered. Owen has a bruise on his cheek because Murray whacked him with a hockey stick. Murray has a goose egg on his head because he tripped in the bathroom and somehow bonked his head on the step stool. I've called our pediatrician twice and I'm living in fear that I'll have to call again - or worse, call the ambulance.
At least they haven't peed in public like they did on Monday when my father-in-law had them.
Is it too early to put them down for a nap and pour a glass of chardonnay?
Hats off to child care providers everywhere. You are angels waiting for wings.
-MM
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Marie's Big Adventure
Where to begin? My trip was wonderful. It was super to "find myself" again. I missed Murray and DH terribly, but I enjoyed my alone time. I discovered that I can be adventurous, even if I'm on my own. I arrived in Las Vegas at 8:30am. Let me tell you, I wish I could afford to fly first class on every trip. Free beverages in REAL glasses! Needless to say, I was a bit tipsy when I arrived but that didn't stop me. I couldn't check into the Luxor until 11:00am, so I found the nearest salon and had a pedicure while I waited.
Upon check in, it took me literally an hour to find my room. Every hotel attendant I asked instructed me to find the elevator's by the Starbuck's. Do you know how many Starbuck's are in the hotel? I lost count after 10, and I know there are more. By the time I arrived in my room on the 20th floor I needed a nap.
Other events of the weekend included a day at the pool - there is definitely a reason why Las Vegas is nicknamed Sin City. I'll leave out the details, but I thought I was pretty worldly until I witnessed some of the things that take place at the pool.
The weather was gorgeous. It was 90 degrees and sunny all three days. I shopped, did some sight seeing and a lot of reading and relaxing. The most fun that I had as far as gambling was learning how to play craps. I even won $100.00! Who knew I would be brave enough to even try? Thanks to the nice guy next to me who was my teacher. I also won $85.00 at video poker, but that was the extent of my winnings. I certainly didn't come out ahead, but I had a ball.
To sum up the city of Las Vegas, I would say ANYTHING GOES! I can't wait to visit again with DH. 
I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane (but I'll be back on Monday)
I spent last night finishing laundry and preparing to pack. I picked up my clean clothes from Loads of Hope this morning, and I have to admit that I was mistaken when I complained in my first post about the program. Turns out, you CAN bring as much laundry as you like, but each individual receives 2 bags however, if you recruit some others to accompany you, each of those people receive 2 bags. So, had I taken Craig along, I would have been able to do 4 bags. Anyway, the funniest thing is that the same exact thing happened to my friend Roxane, which you can read about here (good thing she has a large family). It's a pretty cute story.
Today after work I plan to finish my house work and packing and hit the sack early. My plane leaves at 5:00, which means I need to be out of the house by 3:30. Yikes! Good thing I'm going for R & R.
Speaking of R & R, little Murray doesn't seem to want to sleep anymore. Just when we were able to sleep through the night and not wake until the blessed hour of 7am, we're on day number 2 of the 5am wake up call. Ugh. I will miss Murray and DH terribly, but I will not miss waking at that hour. I guess my early flight won't be so bad after all since Murray has been "training" me in waking in the wee hours.
Craig refers to the computer as my "life line", and after today I will be without it for several days. I hope I don't go through withdrawals. I'll be back next week with some pictures and no doubt, strange tales of my adventure.
Today after work I plan to finish my house work and packing and hit the sack early. My plane leaves at 5:00, which means I need to be out of the house by 3:30. Yikes! Good thing I'm going for R & R.
Speaking of R & R, little Murray doesn't seem to want to sleep anymore. Just when we were able to sleep through the night and not wake until the blessed hour of 7am, we're on day number 2 of the 5am wake up call. Ugh. I will miss Murray and DH terribly, but I will not miss waking at that hour. I guess my early flight won't be so bad after all since Murray has been "training" me in waking in the wee hours.
Craig refers to the computer as my "life line", and after today I will be without it for several days. I hope I don't go through withdrawals. I'll be back next week with some pictures and no doubt, strange tales of my adventure.
The Countdown Is On
I have loved every stage of Murray's existance. I'm finding, though, that this leap into toddlerhood may just be my very favorite (besides the newborn stage). His personality is emerging like a tulip in the spring on a mission. It's so much fun to watch and interact with him
at this stage. Of course with the hysterical moments come the all out battles - he's a pretty stubborn child. Hmm. . . wonder where he gets that trait? He has started hitting when he's angry with us, so we're dealing with that the best we can. When he's disciplined, it's so obvious that he knows that his actions were wrong; his screams turn to very sad cries. It's heart-wrenching, but necessary. Other than that, he is a very loving, playful child. He loves animals, his daddy, and most recently, socializing. I miss him as I write this, and can't wait to pick him up after work.
Just a few days to go until I leave on my solo mini-vaca. I'm excited, but a bit nervous, too. I've traveled quite a bit, but never alone (by air). It will be an eye opening experience and one that I hope to come back feeling refreshed and most importantly, a bit more self confident and independent.
Happy Monday. Have a fabulous week.
at this stage. Of course with the hysterical moments come the all out battles - he's a pretty stubborn child. Hmm. . . wonder where he gets that trait? He has started hitting when he's angry with us, so we're dealing with that the best we can. When he's disciplined, it's so obvious that he knows that his actions were wrong; his screams turn to very sad cries. It's heart-wrenching, but necessary. Other than that, he is a very loving, playful child. He loves animals, his daddy, and most recently, socializing. I miss him as I write this, and can't wait to pick him up after work.
Just a few days to go until I leave on my solo mini-vaca. I'm excited, but a bit nervous, too. I've traveled quite a bit, but never alone (by air). It will be an eye opening experience and one that I hope to come back feeling refreshed and most importantly, a bit more self confident and independent.
Happy Monday. Have a fabulous week.
Mahalo, Hawai'i
Above Right: Haunama Bay, where Craig and I snorkeled and saw some spectacular species of fish and other marine life (The Fink's took the "Big Kahuna Island Tour" that day with Murray and Mary.) Below: The four of us after our respective "dates". 
Above Left: The Big Kahuna Himself, and my wonderful mother in law.Left: The four of us after our respective "dates" enjoying a nightcap in The Barefoot Bar. Below: the Chimp that hated my presence and karate chopped the plexi glass right after I snapped this shot.
Below: "My Two Dad's" getting ready to boogie board at Bellow's. The shot is blurry, but you get the idea.
We are home. After flying all night long last night, and a three hour layover in MSP this morning, as hard as it was to leave, we are glad to be home. We flew into Fargo at about 10:00 am CST, which was 6:00 am PST. Murray was so much better on the plane home vs. the trip to HI. Neither Craig nor I slept, but it's impossible to sleep on the plane. I did catch a snooze in the MSP airport this morning on the airport chairs. They have never felt so comfortable, even though they were disgustingly dirty and hard. I crashed, despite my germ-o-phobia.
The pictures above really don't describe how much fun we had. I have decided that Murray is not going back to Hawai'i until he's 25. Even though he eventually ended up loving the sand, and everything Hawaiian, it's just too long of a trip to take a child of his age on. Not to mention that it took him until about 3 days before we left the island to adjust. Next year, we'll either vacation without him, or take him with and go somewhere a bit closer (my guess is we'll leave him here). :)
One of the many funny incidents that I just have to write about happened on Tuesday night. Troy wasn't feeling well, so Stef and I went to the PX to load up on "feel better" sundries. It was so hot and humid that night and our air conditioners weren't working very well. We discovered the cooler in the PX, where the sign says: "Walk right in". So we did. It was awesome. Not only was it fun to see the back side of a cooler, but it was stocked with everything from mango juice to Budweiser. We contemplated sleeping in the cooler, but decided we were better off taking care of the three boys.
One of the many funny incidents that I just have to write about happened on Tuesday night. Troy wasn't feeling well, so Stef and I went to the PX to load up on "feel better" sundries. It was so hot and humid that night and our air conditioners weren't working very well. We discovered the cooler in the PX, where the sign says: "Walk right in". So we did. It was awesome. Not only was it fun to see the back side of a cooler, but it was stocked with everything from mango juice to Budweiser. We contemplated sleeping in the cooler, but decided we were better off taking care of the three boys.
PS If this post has a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, I'm blaming it on jet lag. It might not even make sense, but here it is.
Aloha!
Aloha from paradise! We're having a blast, relaxing in the sunshine. The weather has been on the windy side, but we aren't complaining. Especially after hearing reports of the weather in Minnesota! I was hoping to blog earlier in the trip, but we have to pay for Internet access, so we picked a day that we would all use it.
Murray did fairly well on the plane, although he cried on the ascent from Fargo to Minneapolis. From Minneapolis to Honolulu, which took close to nine hours, he had about a one hour stint of screaming about halfway through the flight. He FINALLY slept (much to the relief of other passengers) in Craig's arms for the rest of the flight and woke up as soon as we had begun our descent. He was like a new baby - laughing and clapping and looking out the window. Since then, he's been on and off. Craig and Troy (as Stef has dubbed them, "My Two Dads") took Murray to the on-call doc on Thursday. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't settle down and was running a fever of 102.7. He checked out fine and has been better since. He still has some fluid in his ears which makes him uncomfortable at times, but otherwise, he's been flirting with the wait staff, guests, and making friends on the elevator. Stef taught him how to push all the buttons on the elevator and wave at fellow elevator passengers, so elevator rides are quite a treat. He loves the pool and hates the sand, but we have a tent and lots of beach blankets for those times when we just can't resist the beach.
We have seen several whales from our lanai. It's mating season for Humpbacks right now, and they travel over 3,000 miles every winter from Alaska to Hawaii to make babies and give birth.
They are amazing to watch.
I haven't been this relaxed on a vacation in years. We are so laid back and as long as we work around Murray's schedule, our days and nights are wonderful. Today is a bit overcast, so we're going to visit the zoo and the underwater aquarium.
I'm praying the weather warms up for all of you in the midwest. We'll see you on Friday!
I will post some pictures later today, when the computer recharges. Stay tuned.
Murray did fairly well on the plane, although he cried on the ascent from Fargo to Minneapolis. From Minneapolis to Honolulu, which took close to nine hours, he had about a one hour stint of screaming about halfway through the flight. He FINALLY slept (much to the relief of other passengers) in Craig's arms for the rest of the flight and woke up as soon as we had begun our descent. He was like a new baby - laughing and clapping and looking out the window. Since then, he's been on and off. Craig and Troy (as Stef has dubbed them, "My Two Dads") took Murray to the on-call doc on Thursday. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't settle down and was running a fever of 102.7. He checked out fine and has been better since. He still has some fluid in his ears which makes him uncomfortable at times, but otherwise, he's been flirting with the wait staff, guests, and making friends on the elevator. Stef taught him how to push all the buttons on the elevator and wave at fellow elevator passengers, so elevator rides are quite a treat. He loves the pool and hates the sand, but we have a tent and lots of beach blankets for those times when we just can't resist the beach.
We have seen several whales from our lanai. It's mating season for Humpbacks right now, and they travel over 3,000 miles every winter from Alaska to Hawaii to make babies and give birth.
They are amazing to watch.
I haven't been this relaxed on a vacation in years. We are so laid back and as long as we work around Murray's schedule, our days and nights are wonderful. Today is a bit overcast, so we're going to visit the zoo and the underwater aquarium.
I'm praying the weather warms up for all of you in the midwest. We'll see you on Friday!
I will post some pictures later today, when the computer recharges. Stay tuned.
Eye Update
Murray's eye looked a bit better this morning, but we'll know more after his follow up visit this afternoon. He absolutely detests his antibiotics, so it takes two of us to administer the white goo through a dropper. Anyway, thank you to everyone for you concern! It's very much appreciated. I will keep you posted!
Today I plan to shop for our trip so that we can finish packing tomorrow. Since we leave so early, it must be done before we go to sleep. I have a whole list of things I need. Target, here I come!
I will continue to post while on vacation, though it will probably be less often. I am excited to share some fun pictures and adventures!
Today I plan to shop for our trip so that we can finish packing tomorrow. Since we leave so early, it must be done before we go to sleep. I have a whole list of things I need. Target, here I come!
I will continue to post while on vacation, though it will probably be less often. I am excited to share some fun pictures and adventures!
Blessed Weekend
It's been a wonderful Saturday. It was my day to sleep in, so I did, and when I woke up at 9:30, Murray was already down for a morning snooze. I took advantage and read in bed with a hot cup of coffee. After lunch we bundled up to go sledding and let dogs run, but it turned out to be too windy. I did take the dogs for a good run while Murray and Craig played with Grandpa and Grandma B.
I finally went to the tanning bed. I have this fear of tanning beds, but it's so worth it when we get to a sunny place to be able to stay in the sun. I tan very easily, so in two weeks, I'll be ready. We purchased a pop up tent for Murray to use on the beach, and we'll buy a little lawn chair when we get there. He's also geared with plenty of summer clothes, thanks to Grandma B. for hitting the clearance sales last fall. The hard part will be packing a carry-on for a toddler on and eight -and -a -half hour flight.
Tonight Craig and Murray are going to T's house for the Gopher game. I plan to lounge around and read, maybe watch a movie. Tomorrow is house cleaning day - it desperately needs a deep clean. It's strange how lax I've become about house work. It still drives me crazy to have a messy/dirty home, but I've realized that spending time with my family is my number one priority. The housework will always be there and in time, it will get done.
Many happy returns (says Pooh)!
I finally went to the tanning bed. I have this fear of tanning beds, but it's so worth it when we get to a sunny place to be able to stay in the sun. I tan very easily, so in two weeks, I'll be ready. We purchased a pop up tent for Murray to use on the beach, and we'll buy a little lawn chair when we get there. He's also geared with plenty of summer clothes, thanks to Grandma B. for hitting the clearance sales last fall. The hard part will be packing a carry-on for a toddler on and eight -and -a -half hour flight.
Tonight Craig and Murray are going to T's house for the Gopher game. I plan to lounge around and read, maybe watch a movie. Tomorrow is house cleaning day - it desperately needs a deep clean. It's strange how lax I've become about house work. It still drives me crazy to have a messy/dirty home, but I've realized that spending time with my family is my number one priority. The housework will always be there and in time, it will get done.
Many happy returns (says Pooh)!
Back To Reality
The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. This year was no exception. We had fantastic weather and great fun. Some highlights of the weekend:
Saturday was on the windy side, so we loaded up the pontoon and headed across the lake to the sand bar. Murray HATED his life jacket. He was so mad at us, he didn't even have tears, he just screamed. Once we were anchored, we took it off and he was perfectly happy. But as soon as we started moving again and put it back on, the screaming ensued. He'll get used to it soon enough.
On the morning of the Fourth of July, the whole family gathered for a tribute to my mom. To make a long story short, my mom loved cheap beer. No fancy stuff for her! We all cracked open a Keystone at the same time and toasted her. We cried and laughed, and it was an awesome way to start the day. I do believe we'll make it a tradition.
After drinking 2 beers before 10am, we decided to ride our bikes around the lake. Several of my relatives are experienced cyclists and in excellent shape. The trip around is only 9 miles, but extremely hilly. For someone in my very unconditioned body, it probably was not a smart way to begin my exercising regimen. However, I made it, although my legs were comparable to jello afterwards. I didn't realize that there was so much to know about riding, but I am learning a lot. It was the wake up call I needed - my poor out of shape body was begging me to exercise it A LOT more often. By next year, I hope to be able to double the miles without a hitch. It's a bit hard on the ego when my aunt and uncle can lap me twice (they didn't, but could have).
Stay tuned for pictures - I forgot the camera at home this morning. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, however you celebrated.
Saturday was on the windy side, so we loaded up the pontoon and headed across the lake to the sand bar. Murray HATED his life jacket. He was so mad at us, he didn't even have tears, he just screamed. Once we were anchored, we took it off and he was perfectly happy. But as soon as we started moving again and put it back on, the screaming ensued. He'll get used to it soon enough.
On the morning of the Fourth of July, the whole family gathered for a tribute to my mom. To make a long story short, my mom loved cheap beer. No fancy stuff for her! We all cracked open a Keystone at the same time and toasted her. We cried and laughed, and it was an awesome way to start the day. I do believe we'll make it a tradition.
After drinking 2 beers before 10am, we decided to ride our bikes around the lake. Several of my relatives are experienced cyclists and in excellent shape. The trip around is only 9 miles, but extremely hilly. For someone in my very unconditioned body, it probably was not a smart way to begin my exercising regimen. However, I made it, although my legs were comparable to jello afterwards. I didn't realize that there was so much to know about riding, but I am learning a lot. It was the wake up call I needed - my poor out of shape body was begging me to exercise it A LOT more often. By next year, I hope to be able to double the miles without a hitch. It's a bit hard on the ego when my aunt and uncle can lap me twice (they didn't, but could have).
Stay tuned for pictures - I forgot the camera at home this morning. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, however you celebrated.
The Great Outdoors
Well, camping wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be, and I actually enjoyed myself. The best part was watching Craig relax and have a good time. I'm glad we went for his sake - he deserves to do something he really enjoys, even if it's not my cup of tea. We were home, unpacked and showered by 11:00am on Sunday and then raced over to get Murray. We both missed him SO MUCH and decided that it's just too soon to leave him over night. I had a complete melt down on Saturday morning before we left and almost stayed home. But I'm still glad that we went. It was fun to relax and visit and the food was great!
Back to reality today. The next two weeks will be wonderful at work, because the mean woman that I work with is on vacation. It's so hard to go to work (even if you love your job, like I do) when you have to deal with people like her. If she could just be nice it would help, but I will never change her. I always say that working with her on a daily basis teaches me a lot about the type of person I want to be (and don't want to be). Every cloud has a silver lining.
My soap box of the week is this: Please, do not tell me how to raise our pets or our children. Keep your opinions to yourself. Every situation is different, and you may not know the full extent of ours. Belief and moral foundations are different for everyone. I do not criticize the way you do things, so please leave us alone. It's just not nice to tell others that what you are doing is wrong. I work hard every day to be a good person and do what I think is best for my family and our situation. I am doing the best I can.
The zoo was a huge disappointment. Murray loved it, so it was worth going, but I wouldn't ever go there again. He especially loved the goats and the ducks. We forgot our camera, so we didn't get any good shots, but the vision of Murray getting so excited will be burned in my memory forever. It was hilarious. The zoo itself actually made us sad. The animals are so cooped up and have no room to move in their natural habitat like you would see in big zoos. There isn't much room for the zoo to expand, so I don't see the situation improving. I wanted to run around and open all the gates for the animals to be free. Anyway, it was fun for Murray.
Happy Monday!
Back to reality today. The next two weeks will be wonderful at work, because the mean woman that I work with is on vacation. It's so hard to go to work (even if you love your job, like I do) when you have to deal with people like her. If she could just be nice it would help, but I will never change her. I always say that working with her on a daily basis teaches me a lot about the type of person I want to be (and don't want to be). Every cloud has a silver lining.
My soap box of the week is this: Please, do not tell me how to raise our pets or our children. Keep your opinions to yourself. Every situation is different, and you may not know the full extent of ours. Belief and moral foundations are different for everyone. I do not criticize the way you do things, so please leave us alone. It's just not nice to tell others that what you are doing is wrong. I work hard every day to be a good person and do what I think is best for my family and our situation. I am doing the best I can.
The zoo was a huge disappointment. Murray loved it, so it was worth going, but I wouldn't ever go there again. He especially loved the goats and the ducks. We forgot our camera, so we didn't get any good shots, but the vision of Murray getting so excited will be burned in my memory forever. It was hilarious. The zoo itself actually made us sad. The animals are so cooped up and have no room to move in their natural habitat like you would see in big zoos. There isn't much room for the zoo to expand, so I don't see the situation improving. I wanted to run around and open all the gates for the animals to be free. Anyway, it was fun for Murray.
Happy Monday!
Hello Pete
Pete may not know it yet, and he probably doesn't care, but it's official. We will be visiting him again in February. Pete is our favorite bartender at the Hale Koa in Hawaii. Craig is booking our tickets as I write this. We are thrilled that the Finks will be joining us and feel that they are brave to travel with us, since Murray will be a little over a year when we go. There is just something magical about knowing you are going on vacation, especially when you know you can leave the cold and be warm for a while.
Today is a good day. We close at noon on Fridays, so I'm looking forward to having the whole afternoon free to run errands and get some things done so we can enjoy the weekend. It may be raining, but there are worse things. It's a good day to snuggle up with a good book and a favorite beverage. I think I'll do just that. TTFN!
Today is a good day. We close at noon on Fridays, so I'm looking forward to having the whole afternoon free to run errands and get some things done so we can enjoy the weekend. It may be raining, but there are worse things. It's a good day to snuggle up with a good book and a favorite beverage. I think I'll do just that. TTFN!
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