Road Trip

We are now on day 17 of our cross country road trip. What began as a 10 day cross country move from New York to California is evolving into a game of "how many sights can we see before we hit California." After nearly 4000 miles (many of which were NOT in the western direction), I think we're ready to settle in our new home Monterey.

The trip has been an adventure, and very enjoyable for all of us...with the exception of a few sibling spats and pre nap spouts. The driving is a breeze.(Of course, my husband does all of the driving, so I can't take much of the credit.) And our destinations have all been better than we expected- great weather, serendipitous opportunities, relaxed time to catch up with family/ friends, and no snafus or injuries or breakdowns. The tricky part is at night trying to configure the sleeping arrangements and getting three little ones to quiet down and drift off to la la land in one small room...and then the time between their bed time and ours when we struggle to keep quiet or surf the Internet and in the bathroom until we're sure they're completely asleep. Even then, we can't turn on the tv. I did bring cards and Scrabble, thinking they are nice quiet games. Not happening. (SERIOUSLY, anyone have any ideas they're willing to share?????) I have managed to watch a catch up with my summer Lifetime tv shows on the computer, thanks to my handy earphones. I brought a pair for PR, but he prefers sleeping over watching Army Wives. Hmph.


Day 1: Niagara Falls, Canada
Day 2: Grosse Pt, MI
Day 3: Dayton, OH
Day 4: Indianapolis, IN
Day 5-7: Grand Rapids, MI
Day 8-9: Chicago, IL
Day 10: Sheboygan, WI
Day 11: Davenport, IL
Day 12: Omaha, NB
Day 13: en route to South Dakota
Day 14: South Dakota sights
Day 15-16: Yellowstone
Day 17: Idaho Falls, ID
Day 18: Elko, NV?
Day 19: Reno, NV?
Day 20: Sacramento & San Fran??????

Niagara Falls: Amazing, of course. The town actually had more family stuff than I remembered, I wish we had spent an entire day and evening there...we arrived too late our first day to do more than drive through the main drag. Lady of the Mist was a big hit, especially with Owen. Caroline wasn't crazy about the spraying water, but the poncho made up for that.

Indianapolis: JUST missed the Indy 500 parade by a few days, but the kids museum was the best I've seen. Huge, hands on, and for all ages- even my new walker.

Chicago:I LOVE the city. Sooooo much to do, tons of kids stuff. We definitely needed more time there. None of us were crazy for the pizza.

Jelly Belly Factory: Well, it was okay. Definitely something to do to break up the trip and get out of the car. The tour was mostly just driving a little tram and watching videos on making the jelly beans....but the kids didn't complain when the each got a bag of candy at the end of the tour!

Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Bear Mtn,& Devil's Tower: All so close you really should do them all...but I do wish we had made time to hike Devil's Tower and stay for the evening Mt. Rushmore "lighting" with the Nat'l Anthem. Bear Mtn was the kid's favorite, tons of animals and we didn't even have to leave the car!

Yellowstone: It was truly breathtaking. I wish we had been there a week- even in the cold weather. We were astounded that we saw so much wild life- a grizzly walked right past our car while we were trying to drive in the park, there were TONS of bison, we happened upon a few moose, an elk, two black bears, a baby coyote, and lots of Osprey. (Most we saw between 6:30 and 8 on our way out of the park.)Can you believe it snowed today, in mid June??!!! I'm sure I took at least 200 pictures.

Grand Tetons: Beautiful. We only drove through and stopped to take pictures.

I highly recommend "Amazing Places to Take Kids," a book filled with destinations in all of North America. We've already hit 10 or so places, and two or three that we only knew about because of the book: the Jelly Belly Factory in Ohio. the Indianapolis Children's Museum, and Wild Bill's Cultural Center in Wyoming. After all, the trip has to be fun for the kids if the adults are hoping to have fun, right?

The journey continues....

Sew Posh Boutique

Just found the CUTEST website...and it's run by a military wife...so I wanted to pass it along...

Sew Posh Boutique

Date Night

We headed to the city for a Broadway show this week...and after much pleading my wonderful husband agreed to take a pre-show detour to the Waffles and Dinges truck.

What is Waffles and Dinges , you ask? Two weeks ago, I too was unfamiliar. Then one night when PR was out of town I was enjoying the Food Network and was introduced to this NYC food vendor on Bobby Flay's "Throw Down." He had challenged the owner, Thomas DeGeest and was overwhelmingly defeated with his scrumptious liege waffle...which he served spread with spekuloos spread (think Nutella consistency with the taste of graham crackers), then topped with whipped cream AND powdered sugar.

So.....not exactly low fat or healthy....but so very very delicious!

The liege is a dense waffle made with dough, not batter. The sugar used is a "Belgian pearl" sugar

which caramelizes when the waffle is cooking. Yum. Very different from the light and crispy ones.

It was quite a treat. (My mouth is watering as I type and I'm regretting that we have already packed

our waffle maker in preparation for our move. Gr.)We then speed walked back to the theatre district

and enjoyed the music, singing, and all that jazz.

We did NOT get accosted by two shady NY cops, visit topless (but nicely chiseled) men from my past,

or dance dirty for the mayor of NYC...but still, it was a lovely date night in the city.

Oh, and in case the liege sounds irresistible to you, here's a recipe:

http://liegewaffle.wordpress.com/liege-waffle-recipe-liege-gaufre-recette/

PS. Is it just me, or does my Date Night title not fit with the picture of me engulfing that waffle?

My little locksmith

Today Caroline discovered a new trick: locking the door. She slipped into the house today while I was still unloading Hudson from his car seat. I followed her to the door...it was locked. I was helpless- my arms were otherwise engaged with Hudson and Caroline's shoes. (when she can't undress completely due to car seat constraints, she opts for purging hair bows, socks, shoes, sippy cups, and anything else she can reach and throw on the floor- she's like an erupting volcano! ) I calmly ask Caroline to unlock the door (be cool or she'll know she's one up on you!) She replies, "I can't!" She rattles the knob, and turns the handle but doesn't seem to touch the deadbolt. Ug. Like a bossy parent (hm, where did she learn that?), Caroline instructs me -by yelling through the door- to "Go through the other door mommy!!" My options are limited, so I walk around to the front and try my luck. Locked. To add whipped cream and a cherry to Caroline's sweet stunt, PR is flying today and Hudson is overdue for his nap. I can only imagine what sort of adventure Caroline is having inside- raiding the pantry or my makeup drawer or something messier.

I'm thinking the only thing left to do is panic and break through a window. But wait! We live in base housing and the maintenance office has a key! I call and within 5 minutes time, I have learned a BIG lesson in homeland security and have regained access to the house.

Where was Caroline? She had stripped down to nothing and put herself down for a nap.

New foods for Hudson

Hudson had a very eventful culinary day. Today I introduced him to salmon, which I was excited to see him devour. Now his list of foods is a stunning FOUR. Today Hudson also had a few new tastes that neither of us was expecting. During lunch Caroline decided to share her peanut butter sandwich with Hudson. And like any self respecting peanut butter eater, she trained him to finish it off with her sippy cup of milk. (Eeeeeek!)
First I will vent. Ug. I can't count how many times I've talked to the kids about sharing their food with Hudson, about how Hudson's tummy is not quite ready for all the fun foods we eat (especially peanut butter!!!!), and how Hudson can only drink mommy's milk or water. Apparently, Caroline was consulting her personal parenting notes today. Glad to know I'm making such an impact!!
I had foolishly run upstairs to deliver a stack of laundry while she sat at the kitchen table with her lunch and Hudson sat in his high chair with his finger foods. I suspect that Caroline knew she was doing something taboo, as she was crying when I returned...complaining about hitting her cheek on a drawer that was ajar. She is all about playing the "I'm cute and sweet and have a boo boo so how can you be upset with me?" But I have finally mastered the art of decoding my daughter. It's all in how you ask the question. After scanning the room and seeing a happy and sticky little boy with the forbidden food I asked my crying little girl, "Did you hear mommy coming down the stairs and hit your eye as you were running to your seat? Were you feeding Hudson your food even though you know it might be dangerous to him?" Because she is two and wonderfully and thankfully and painfully honest she replies with a sniffle, "Yes!"
Of course I gave her a reassuring hug and a kiss on the injury...but she also got a repeat lesson in the dangers of being devious and food allergies. Something tells me I need to read another parenting book or something, because this kid is as stubborn and assertive as her mother.

I am happy to report that Hudson didn't have any reaction to the PB or cow's milk...yet.

Least comfortable and appealing place to sleep

Last night I went to check on the kids before turning in for the night and discovered Owen sleeping on the bathroom floor. I literally stopped in my tracks, as this was a very curious situation. Not only was he in his deep REM laying on the bathroom floor, but he was face down and had his pajama pants around his ankles with his rear for all to see. Hm. Without trying to sound too much like Forrest Gump, I really don't have anything else to say about it. (But I do admit to snapping a picture to show him when he thinks he's hot stuff in 10 years or so.)

Where is she....

I had a dog growing up that always hid under the kitchen table after (or while) some sort of crime had been committed. Now I have a daughter who does the same.

My first clue is always the lack of whining, questioning, or singing...when it's quiet I know she's up to no good. I look around, calling her name in a curious and nonthreatening tone. "Caroline??? Where a---rrrr----eee you?" I ask sweetly. Innocent until proven guilty, right? I check the pantry, because she had a phase recently that included sneaking in the pantry, closing the door, and then snacking on something until she was discovered. It was usually dry pasta (ick) or peanut butter, which she would lick with her ridiculously long tongue (ick ick.) Hmmm...not there.

Next, I scanned the computer area, as she enjoys popping the tiny magnets from the "chore chart" into her mouth like M&Ms. No, she doesn't eat them...she just has a mouth fetish. I guess I should be thankful she doesn't have a nose fetish! Not there...

I cringe to think what sort of mess/project/experiment may be occurring in the bathroom. Sometimes I'll find an entire box worth of tissues, each used for a single touch of the nose then wadded up and placed on a square tile- so that each tile has one used tissue adorning it. (My daughter, the artist.) Other times I will find the sink filled with water and the bath toys from upstairs (or any other toys that might fit into the sink) and the tell tale trail of water to her exact position. I actually prefer those options over the last...the messiest. She is quite independent in the bathroom, so she will confidently go in, lock the door and do her business. We haven't quite mastered the "big potty," so sometimes she will use her little Bjorn potty. All is good in the world until she tries to "tidy up" after herself. She will attempt to pour the contents of the little potty into the big potty...and this is rarely a complete success. I will come in (long after she has been there) to find a pretty good indication of every single move she made while in the bathroom. Of course I can't get upset, because she's doing such a wonderful job with it all and truly TRYING to clean up the mess. But can I just say that it is not a pleasant task.

Back to the subject. So, if there is no signs of her presence in the potty, I know she must be 1) either trying on my shoes in my closet; or 2) under the kitchen table hiding from me. So far she's been under the table about 10 times...eating Owen's Valentine's Day candy, licking from the peanut butter jar, snacking on Hudson's "Veggie Puffs," or munching on her barrettes. She's also hid under the bar stool, although this is definitely not a good hiding place, as I can see her clearly. And once or twice I've caught her under the dining room table with something fun, like the watercolor paints (RED) and Silly Putty (yes, I did have to cut it from her hair.)

What's the deal? Is it part of her game? Is she trying to have a snack AND play hide and seek with me? I doubt I'll ever know. The hardest part is once I find her, she has such an adorable little smile on her face that it's near impossible to focus on crime! I send her to the stairs for her time out for not "asking" for whatever it is that she's swiped...all the while hoping that these are NOT indicative of her behavior as a teenager.

Naked Girl

As a bonus to Caroline's "changing into several outfits and tutus a day" fetish, we see a lot of her in the raw form. Until now, this has been restricted to home shows...but this week Caroline took her "show" on the road.

We were across the street for a play date and Caroline was feeling so at home, apparently, that she decided it was time to shed her clothes. She and her little partner in crime, London, tiptoed upstairs to dissect the pajama drawer of London's older sister. However, the mismatched slumber girls had their flannels on for only a short time. Just seconds after the fashion show, Owen appeared to announce that there was a "vagina party" taking place in the laundry room. Hmm.

I'm hoping this term was one of Owen's creations and not something he's seen on tv or heard about at school (Christian education has made some big changes, I guess.)

Owen does have an active imagination...once, when I was nursing Hudson he asked if I had "milk" on one side and "food" on the other.

How does she know to use the permanent marker???!

Ug. This is NOT what I want to discover on my way upstairs to bed. There is only one possible offender: Caroline. Owen does not snoop in the "mommy only" drawers and Hudson is not yet tall enough. Plus, Caroline has not been caught doing anything sneaky or messy in the last 3 hours, so I'm not entirely surprised. I am a little curious though, as to why she replaced the cap. Did she make a horrible mess on something large and important (like the wall or carpet) and try to wash or cover up the marks and then, realizing that she had made a grave mistake, cover the pen with its cap- vowing never again to be mischievous? No.

I searched the house for signs of Caroline's signature- the hallways, bedrooms, furniture...all free from black scribbles. After 10 minutes of investigating, I decide to call it a night. Today I completely forgot about the incident...until this evening, when I pull out Hudson's Christmas puppy (the one that sings his name and the one he enjoys giving wet willies.) Either it's the ghetto puppy version Tag, or Caroline has graffitied the back of the poor green fluffy pup.

Inside, I'm a bit relieved. Frankly I don't think Hudson cares much, although all the slobbering he does on his things I hope his mouth avoids the permanent marked backside of Tag. It can't be good to digest. I also hope that was her only victim.

Caroline lucked out tonight, as I made the discovery while we had company over and the kids were off to bed afterwards. Should I make her scrub the little hound to help her learn about the idea of permanence? Hm. I'm sure she'll commit some other offense by morning and we'll be dealing with that instead.

Late night Balmex finger painting

This is a small snapshot (literally) of the kids' bathroom last night. I walked in the house after a quick trip to the grocery store (quick because there were no children with me) and PR informed me that Caroline had been busy in the bathroom. You see, Caroline duped her sweet but gullible daddy into leaving her door ajar. She then broke free and headed straight for the bathroom in search for some messy entertainment. I scanned the rest of the bathroom for evidence before deciding on a guess of her motives and sneaky activities.
The evidence in custody:

• pile of balmexed baby washcloths
• baby hair brush covered in diaper rash cream
• several pairs of socks, pajama pieces, and undergarments shoved into the trash (also covered in- you guessed it- Balmex.)
• 2 tubes of assorted baby diaper rash cream, nearly empty
• smeared fingerprints made from diaper rash cream

No Sherlock Holmes required here. But I'm not sure if she first found the tubes and then looked for something to decorate or actually made the mess and was trying to clean up the crime scene. Lucky for us, the floors are tile. Lucky for her, she was already sleeping when I discovered the Balmexed bathroom.