I love bags. I may have mentioned that before. It's a weakness. Fortunately I am not picky about brand names or designers. I do love to shop for new purses and bags but I'm perfectly happy to do it at Target or Kohl's or JC Penney. I've never even looked at Coach or Fendi bags. Not that I would be opposed to spending the money on one if I adored it; I just don't tend to shop at places that sell them. As long as it's pretty, fun or functional, I'm all over it, even if it's being sold at the local drugstore.
Every trip to California presents an opportunity for purse-shopping. This most recent one was no exception. And not only did I find some cute bags, I got fabby deals. What's better than cute purses? Cheap cute purses.
If you're going to have an extremely common first name, it helps to have a more unusual last name to balance it out. Marys are a dime a dozen but Mary (my last name here) are few and far between.
FYI, just updated my Blogroll. I removed anything that hadn't been updated in four months or more and added some new stuff. Incidentally, if you have an active blog and would like me to add it to my list, just let me know. I know I'm missing some people.
And also, in case you missed it, I POSTED NEW PICTURES.
[/picture whoring]
Yesterday was a momentous day for our Madalyn. Not only did she take her very first shower with no assistance (including shampooing and conditioning her hair), I also taught her to tie her shoelaces.
Now, before any passersby are tempted to email me with something along the lines of, "ZOMG! R u kidding? ur still showering ur 7 yr old?!!1! Srsly" I should call attention to Madalyn's unbelievably thick hair. When pulled into a ponytail the ponytail measures 5" around. Her hair, more often than not, is to her shoulders or below. I've simply never felt she would do a sufficient job washing the products out of her hair, thereby ending up with hair that looked grungier than when she'd gone in; and, really, what's the point in that? Not to mention she'd never shown any particular keenness to handle the job herself. I'd given her tips and had her try to rinse her own hair a few times, with supervision, but she only ever made a half-hearted attempt and I'd give up and take over to finish.
Then came yesterday. I told Madalyn it was time for her bath. She complained about it when I told her to go get started (she can turn the water on and adjust the temp herself). I only meant for her to turn on the tap, sit in the tub and wash her body and then I'd be in to do her hair. But, somehow, we moved from that scenario to her doing an entire shower herself. By the time I went in to check on her she was already doing the conditioner. So, knowing when I've been usurped, I left her to it. And she actually did a decent job. I had to wait until her hair dried to eyeball it and see if it looked clean and it does. She's thoroughly proud of herself and has already asked if she can take another shower today. Ohhh, it's starting already.
So, between the bathing and the shoe-tying, I was feeling a bit redundant this morning. I pointed out the two big steps she'd taken yesterday and said, "Wow, Madalyn, you can get your own food, dress yourself, read to yourself, wash yourself and tie your shoes. You don't need me around any more." Did I then receive hasty reassurances that it just wasn't true? No, I did not. Instead, with the air of someone being very charitable, she pointed out, "Well, Johnny and Eliza still do." Maybe so, but not for much longer, apparently.
I wonder how Miss Independence plans to get to basketball camp tomorrow, now that she's so self-sufficient?
I've uploaded a whole slew o' California pictures to my Picasa account. You can either click on the slide show in the left-hand column, or follow the link at the bottom of this post. Some of the pictures are repeats of the beach pictures I posted in this entry but I wanted the album to be inclusive of the entire trip for any of my non-blog-reading friends or family who come to check it out.
Also I'd like to invite you to check out the other album I created today. It contains my favorite non-people pictures I've taken over the last few years. If I ever get my scanner working again I will go back into my archives (from prior to my digital days) and add those to the album, as well. As I said in the description of the album, I don't often take really good pictures but, once in a while, I'll come up with one that I think looks pretty well-done. I'll continue to update the album as (if?) I snap any more good shots.
A little late, but here are some pictures from JZ's birthday celebration last month. Enjoy!
Random-y goodness, because I can't be arsed to pull it together cohesively.
1) Madalyn did basketball camp at the college this past week. She went every day from 1-4 and they worked on fundamentals. She said it was essentially the same stuff they did at the camp she went to back in June. I told her, tough titties, kid. If you're going to buy me a house and take care of me in my old age in the manner in which I'd like to become accustomed, you've got to start working now. I expect a return on my investment.
(Ha.)
2) Meanwhile, I had gotten the idea that it would be great to sign up both Madalyn and JZ for a gymnastics camp, also this past week. It was from 9-12 and was at a gym that's about five miles out of town. So Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday looked like this: Myself up by 7:30, kids up by 8:00, give them breakfast, rush them through grooming and dressing, leave the house by 8:40. Drive to gym, drop them off, drive back to town. Hang around the house. Make lunch around 11:40, put it in the fridge, walk out the door. Drive back to the gym, pick them up, drive home and throw lunch on the table immediately so that we can walk out the door again at 12:45 to deliver Madalyn to basketball. Come home and put Eliza down for her (overdue) nap. Wake her up again at 3:45 to leave to retrieve Madalyn. Get home and do dinner, baths, laying out of clothes, and attempt to shoehorn the children into bed at 8:00, even though it's still light out, because they both need about twelve hours' sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat.
3) On the plus side, both kids loved the gymnastics camp. I arrived to pick them up slightly early the first day and the first words out of their mouths when I walked in? "We're not done yet!!!" No hi, we missed you, let's have lunch, kiss my butt; just, essentially, "Don't even THINK about asking us to leave right now." They did tumbling, trampoline and obstacle course. We hadn't even gotten home yet Tuesday before I heard that they couldn't wait to go back the next day and make an even harder obstacle course (they got to build it themselves).
4) I really wish I had the energy (and motivation, for that matter) to spend three hours doing gymnastics and then segue directly into another three hours playing basketball. Hell, I'd be happy if I could muster the interest in three minutes.
5) Today Robert is taking the older two to stew in a festering soup of germs and God-knows-what-else, a.k.a. the public swimming pool. I'm going to stay home and enjoy the semi-quiet that comes with having most of them out of the house and the remaining one napping.
6) Alas, above will not be enough to entirely improve the crummy mood in which I woke up this morning. I have explained, numerous times, in the past that Mary without alone time equals a very unhappy camper. I can limp along for quite a while but I eventually reach a point where I start to implode if I haven't gotten to go roam free. And, going back to June, I have not had much opportunity to get out by myself. For a week or maybe two before we left on our trip I had no "me time" because we were busy with other things. During our three-and-a-half weeks in California I only got out alone a few times and mostly it was just to run an errand or two and then come straight back. Unfortunately, dashing to Walgreens for nasal spray doesn't really register on the relaxation meter. I sneaked in a meal a couple of times but it's never very leisurely. I always feel as though I'm under the gun, lest my dad bitch at me for leaving the kids with my mom too long. When Robert was there and could watch the kids I chose to go shopping with my mom instead of going places alone. We did avail ourselves of her babysitting services one night but that was for a (long overdue) date night. Then we returned last weekend and Robert was in the house less than 18 hours before he had to leave for work again. So, yes, it's been way longer than is advisable for me to go without an afternoon to myself, without people whining at me or nagging at me or delivering an unending soliloquy in a really high-pitched voice (which is, apparently, the only way stuffed animals know how to speak), or wanting to eat or just finishing eating or needing to go to sleep or just waking up from being asleep. (Or making a mess which, on the one hand, I'm happy to see is keeping them entertained but, on the other, is just one more thing I have to prod them to clean up.)
7) Happily, I have a husband who totally rocks, so I will be going out for those few, precious hours of solitude later today, after the swimming pool trip. We had planned to do a date night tonight (put kids to bed at 8:00, make dinner, watch new episode of Cinematic Titanic, uninterrupted) but I think, after witnessing my really bad attitude all morning, he's determined it would be in everyone's best interest to do some shuffling of the schedule to get me out of the house. Poor guy.
8) Speaking of pictures (What? I know you were thinking it. Don't lie.) I am planning on putting a bunch of new ones up on Picasa today or tomorrow. When that's done I'll make a new slideshow badge and post it here for everyone to check out. I've been slacking in the photo department lately.
9) Huh. Brain just locked up. Guess I'm done.
Bye-bye, loves. The kids and I are off home today. We take off from San Luis at 12:55, spend more than three hours sitting in Salt Lake City (sigh), and then zoom off to arrive in Oklahoma City just before 11 p.m. Then, because we won't have traveled enough for one day, we're driving home instead of spending the night.
Good thoughts, prayers, chants, spells, animal sacrifices, etc. in honor of our safety and sanity would be appreciated. I won't be on again till tomorrow but I'll try to update as early as possible to let everyone know we've made it. (Or, as I've told my parents before, you can just watch the news. If there are no reports of plane crashes, we've made it okay. ;) )
UPDATE: We made it home, in one piece, no less, around 1:00 this morning. We all slept in and are now lazing around, recovering.
Prior to now, I have never been much of a beach person, despite growing up a mere twenty minutes from the Pacific Ocean. I don't like to be hot or sit in the sun, I'm not a swimmer and I don't tan. While we usually have managed to get to the beach at least once per California trip, our visits consist of dropping by while in the area for something else, in street clothes, walking around a while, and then leaving. I like the ocean to look at; I think it's beautiful and I'd love to live near it. I've just never been inclined to be an actual beach bum.
This trip Robert took the kids to Morro Bay one day (in their regular clothes) and they had a blast. First they fed the squirrels but then went down to the water and ran around. He promised they could go back to the beach a few days later and asked me if I wanted to go. We decided that we would actually take swimsuits and other supplies and go spend some time there. So, off we went to Avila Beach. And do you know? We had a great time! I was slightly dubious, being that Eliza is still pretty young. I didn't know if she'd try to wander off a lot, or keep trying to banzai into the water. But she was no problem. She walked around a bit but stayed in the vicinity of our spot. She did like the water but was happy to come back to our area and sit and play.
All in all it was a lovely afternoon and I came away finding myself very gung-ho about returning. This time, though, I wanted to really go the whole nine yards. I went out and bought a portable beach shelter, a beach umbrella, beach bags and various beach toys for the kids. We packed a cooler with sandwiches and drinks and we headed off to Avila again this past Saturday. We were there from 12-6 and, again, had a great time. I think we're going to be spending a lot more time at the beach in future trips, now that the kids are getting older. I'm even window-shopping for equipment for next summer -- a larger, easier-to-handle shelter and a beach cart to wheel our paraphernalia. Apparently I am more of a beach person than I thought. And well I should be. I mean, here we're coming from a landlocked state where our only "beach" options are lakes (most of which are full of drunk rednecks). We ought to be taking advantage of being here.
All this blah blah blah is not without reason, by the way. What I'm leading up to is, of course....beach pictures! Click below to view them.
Guess what? We're having van trouble again!
The van started making a banging sound as Robert was driving it here to California. He told me last night about it and then I promptly forgot. I took it out this morning to have it washed and do some errands and about had a stroke the first time it made the noise. By the time I returned home the most godawful banging was coming from the front right side every time I turned the steering wheel. Upon closer inspection, the front right tire appeared to be slanted inward at the top.
Fab.
Robert and my dad and the neighbor, who happens to own a garage of some sort, have all left to take the van to said garage. I'm expecting nothing less than the entire steering system needing to be replaced or some crap like that. Because, after all, it IS I about whom we're speaking, here.
This makes the third issue this year. The computer incident carried over from last fall till mid-January. Then, a couple of months ago, the brakes went funny and had to have something-or-other done to them. Now this. Seems like a good time to reiterate my "Please never buy from Chrysler/Dodge" campaign, hmmm?