I Feel Needed

Once again I find myself firmly entrenched in the daily grind of motherhood. In 2 short days I've done 6 loads of laundry, cooked 3 meals (not including cold cereal breakfasts or PB&J's), mopped the kitchen floor, ran the dishwasher 3 times, vacuumed, cleaned 3 bathrooms, and other assorted tasks.

While I am confident that my hubby managed the household and the children quite well while I was away, it was in the midst of sorting laundry that I found out why I am truly needed around here.

Without my guidance, my children's wardrobe choices were...how can I say it?...not good. In fact, it appears that they were abysmal. As I sorted the remains of their outfits from the previous week, I couldn't find any two items that I would have confidently put together. I began to wonder if it would be in bad taste to send my 3 children to school this week with notes pinned to their clothes letting everyone know that I've been out of town!

But I won't. They were alive and well and...happy. For 5 whole days they were in complete control of their individual styles. And they loved it, sincerely. So, if that means that Ellie wore her shirt backwards for a whole day, who am I to question?

I'm the mom, that's who! Buckle up, girls...the days of freedom are over!

Fun Run

As I sat down to write this particular post, I suddenly remembered that I had publicly announced that the Jones family would never participate in another early morning run/fundraiser. As I read over last year's debacle I'm pretty certain I meant it. At the time.

However, one good thing about parenthood is the gift of forgetfulness. (How do you think we ever managed to have more than one child?...but I digress.) Yup, I forgot the horrific experience suffered that fateful day...and that, my friends, is how we found ourselves awake at an absurdly early hour supporting our local elementary school. Wahoo!

Now, I should add (before my hubby interjects) that Ian was up waaaayyy earlier than the rest of us...running a 5K. And he was. Senor Speedy crossed the finish line just shy of 23 minutes. Yeah, he's pretty awesome.

And here's where it starts for the other "runners" in the family:

Lindy and Ellie are both smiling (I know, right?!) as they wait for their 1K Fun Run to start.

The whistle blows...and they're off. Running. All of them. No surprise, Ellie ran her guts out and crossed the finish line before anyone else in the family. For some reason that kid is focused when she runs.

Next came Lindy, running AND smiling, through the last turn. I was so proud (and relieved).

At last, with a little encouragement/support from his dad, came The Boy. He made a great show of huffing and puffing as he ran. But, he did it.

And they were all so VERY pleased with themselves.

(Yes, even her.)

Turns out we can do it. (And by we, of course, I mean them. I still hate running. And early mornings.)

Mexico: Food

An open letter of apology to my friend Emily:

Dear Emily,

I have always admired your gift of documenting life with pictures (not to mention your incredible gift of writing). Unfortunately, I do not share either talent and am hereby forced to bore you with a sparse sampling of the food items that were offered in Mexico.

In my defense: I have mentioned I'm Canadian, right? Most Mexican food down-right scares me. Apparently bad enough that I don't even take pictures! (Shiver.)

Forgive me, dear friend. I shall try to do better on my next trip out of the country.

Sincerely,

Amy

So, I'm afraid this will have to do:

This is the table where my waiter-friend, Mario, mixed a "Mayan Coffee" which basically was coffee, with a bunch of liquor which he started on fire, poured from container to container and let blaze while sugar on the rim caramelized. Entertaining, if not appetizing.

Festive mexican-colored Jello:

Jello art. (Who knew?):

And I don't even know what this is. See?...scary:

And, possibly the most frightening thing I saw? This:

Nope. Not even the least bit tempting for me. I may have vomited a little in my mouth then. I do remember thinking I don't think I like pork anymore. What's up, Mexico? Sheesh.

My (very boring) plate consisted of:

White roll, steamed cauliflower, steamed potatoes with rosemary and parmesan, roasted pineapple, mexican rice, and a tostada. And, believe me, 3 of those items are a stretch for my Canadian heritage. I'll let you guess which.

And here ends my post on the food in Mexico. I hope it will suffice.

Mexico: Day 4

We took a taxi to downtown Puerto Vallarta. On the way there, we saw a sight we never thought we'd live to see:

That's right...the Carnival Splendor docked in Puerto Vallarta. Miraculous considering the last time we saw her.

Anyhoo. Downtown Puerto Vallarta is a sight to behold.

There were people swarming around us, tempting us with "hey, pretty lady!" or "hola, movie stars!" and their super high-quality wares. One of the men from our group invited himself to come along with us. At first we were a little annoyed--a strange guy with his beer in hand following us around all afternoon didn't sound too fun--but as the day wore on, we were grateful for his body-guard-esque presence. We felt safe even when we got a little further away from the typical touristy area.

All in all it was a fun experience. If the heat doesn't kill you (I'm convinced it nearly did), you might find one of these babies:

So freakin' awesome.

Mexico: Pictures

The view from our room in the morning:

Our "Junior Suite":

(for some reason the beds are really close together...)

Our one desperate attempt at purchasing a Diet Coke. It tasted suspiciously like Pepsi...and our hopes were crushed. Luckily, Jody and I each packed a bottle of Diet Coke we purchased in the Phoenix airport. They are sitting in the fridge in our room (next to the complimentary bottle of wine) waiting for the perfect moment. Which will be really soon. (For the Diet Coke...not the wine.)

The lobby:

The pool:

That blue part to the left is actually another pool within the pool (so cool). The water starts out warm in the morning. By late afternoon, however, the temperature of the pool catches up to the temperature outside and you're basically in a big hot tub. Yeouch!

The view from our room at night:

(The picture is hazy because of the humidity. Never before in my life have I experienced humidity like this. Whenever I step outside it's like someone has wrapped a warm wet blanket around me. Needless to say, my hair looks AWESOME!)

Tomorrow is Mexican Independence Day. It is the day they celebrate their independence from Spain. Though it is not the day they actually gained their independence, it is the day that the people were inspired to fight for their freedom from the oppressive reign of the conquistadors and others. The poor people marched with pitchforks and shovels and began the insurrection. (A little tidbit of history for everyone.)

Tonight there will be some grand celebrations...including Mariachi bands, dancers, and an all-out celebratory buffet.

As for today, Jody and I will do our own celebrating by venturing to the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta and do some shopping.

"Viva México!"

Mexico: Day 3

This is what we did today:

Oh...and a funny thing happens when you're at the hotel. People keep asking you if you want something to drink. And you can order anything you want. This is my new favorite:

A "copacabana" (according to my new friend, Daniel) is a mix of Piña Colada, strawberry daiquiri, and a LOT of ice. No alcohol. So awesome!

Mexico: Day 2

I am worn out. Well and truly exhausted. Apparently that's what happens when you spend your day riding zip lines through the jungles of Puerto Vallarta.

We went with a group of 28 people on an Outdoor Adventure tour. It began with a 20 minute speedboat ride across Banderas Bay.

And then...I found the world's ugliest dog. And yes, that hairless dog is sporting a mohawk.

We left the pitiful hound behind and took a 20 minute ride on a "Unimog" (my first time) on what is arguably the worst road in the world. (I may never complain about road construction again.)

After getting appropriately outfitted, Lucas and I took another 20 minute ride further up the side of the mountain. (Lucas is the mule.)

With a multitude of pulleys, carabiners, and stuff I couldn't name...they strapped us onto a couple ropes and threw us off the edge of the mountain.

Literally.

My face probably wasn't this happy on the first zip line.

But after 4 hours of zip lines, rappelling, rope bridges of various style, and being dunked into river (after river, after river...) I was all smiles. And all wet.

What a great way to spend our first full day here!

Hola!

So...I'm in Mexico. So far I have:

• been offered a plethora of beverages (including, but not limited to, the Smirnoff which is "on tap" in my room)...which, of course, I have refused.
• been offered dancing lessons by a young mexican Michael Jackson impersonator.
• had my glasses fog up due to the unbelievable humidity.
• sampled about 1/80 of an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet.
• been unable to take pictures because the lens on my camera keeps fogging up.
• met 3 Javiers and 2 Miguels and a Jose.
• eaten a pear from our complimentary fruit plate.
• cried a little over the unavailability of Diet Coke.
• felt my hair frizz to a degree that would rival Carrot Top.

and

• missed my husband and children fiercely.

And that's only the first day.

Defining My Mood

Damage to my van (a.k.a. my Swagger Wagon):

neg•li•gi•ble /'neglijəbəl/

Adjective: So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.

Damage to the other guy's brand new Yukon:

sig•ni•fi•cant /sigˈnifikənt/

Adjective: Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

Damage to my otherwise wonderful Friday (not to mention my insurance):

pro•found /prəˈfound/

Adjective: (of a state, quality, or emotion) Very great or intense.

Ellie's 6th

For Ellie's 6th birthday her first request was a picnic in the park with some "food from the slushy place". With such beautiful weather, how could we say no? So, we picked up some Sonic and headed out to celebrate.

Ellie is one of my favorite present-openers. Her anticipation is only rivaled by her enthusiasm.

She also happens to be an incredibly grateful girl...which is super sweet.

(Curtis spent the entire day telling everyone it was his birthday. And he wouldn't listen to any contrary opinions. Poor thing wasn't used to someone else getting all the attention. In the middle of our little party he stood up on the bench and loudly pulled out his recent crowd-pleasing "Welcome to the gun show!!!" routine. It's hard to shut him down when he's showing off those muscles.)

Anyhow...back to the birthday. Ellie's second request was a black and white polka-dotted cake. Fortunately, for me, I recently made friends with the bakery at the local grocery store. She came through with flying colors...or in this case with black and white icing. Awesome.

Happy birthday, girl. We love you SOOOOOOOOOO much!

"Hey, Mom!"

Curtis: "Hey, Mom! This is a great place to put my light saber?"

Mom (laughing): "Yup, I think it's perfect."

Curtis: "Yeah, it's AWESOME!"

To Boo, or Not to Boo

That's the question of the day. Each year, as I watch the days slowly meander through the month of September, I ask myself the same question, "Is it too soon to pull out the Halloween decorations?"

(Ian typically answers with an emphatic, "Yes!")

But...I just want to. Somehow, over the years, Halloween has replaced Christmas as my favorite holiday. Before you brand me a heathen, please let me explain. While the "idea" of Christmas is still tops, the season has simply been invaded with more stress than I care to deal with. In all my attempts to simplify (it has been my battle-cry each year) I have yet to manage it.

Thanksgiving, with all it's talk of gratitude and blessings, is fantastic, of course. Fantastic until you're responsible for cooking the necessary Thanksgiving dinner for your family. (And, before you tell me that turkey is not necessary, I'll warn you that it would sound blasphemous to my turkey-dinner-loving heart.) Oh...and it's only really worth the effort if your family exists of more than three children who don't really care for what you cook.

That leaves me with Halloween. My kids are back in school...and will remain there for this particular holiday (awesome). The oppressive summer heat is finally retreating (also awesome). And, all I'm really expected to do is dress my children up in something and send them out in the world to collect candy (seriously awesome). In short, it's perfection.

So, I'll ask again, "Is it too soon to pull out the Halloween decorations?"

Mini Ellie

One of the kindergartener's first projects is a look-a-like paper doll. With some specific instructions from Ellie, and a little help from mom, we'd like to introduce "Mini Ellie":

According to Ellie, the best parts are "the eyes, cause they wiggle...the hair cause it's long with purple ribbons...and the sparkly buttons cause I wish I had sparkly buttons."

Curtis - Preschool

This morning I dropped my "baby" off at preschool. I suppose I expected to be happy about the four hours a week of "free time" that would be mine once my youngest was finally going to school. I expected to cheer; to hip-hip-hooray...or do something equally, selfishly, celebratory.

I did not expect to miss him so much. Or to fight back the tears as I drove away and realized I had no one depending on me. (sniff, sniff)

But then I spent an hour at a clothing store with NO CHILDREN...and I got over it.

With an accelerated (and successful) push at potty-training, this little boy was R-E-A-D-Y to begin school at "the blue school". He donned his brand-new backpack and posed for his very own First Day of School pictures with a smile.

And he had a blast! On our way home I heard all about his best friends (all 7 of them), Miss Heather (his new favorite person), and sitting on the floor. He loved it all.

(Miss Heather subsequently told me all about Curtis' tendency to build guns out of everything...blocks, pencils, crayons, fingers. Apparently she finally just told him that he wasn't allowed to shoot any of the kids in the class. Yikes!)

Then, when I read this cute little poem and saw that cute little handprint...I must admit I felt a little sad all over again.

Then I got over it.