Higgin's Lake 2008

I love vacations. I mean REALLY love vacations. We're a travel'n sort'a family. Lots of travel'n. Lot's of vacations.


But ya know what I HATE about vacations and traveling?


Coming home to the "return from vacation chores".....the unpacking, the restocking of the groceries, the sorting through of a weeks worth of mail, the checking and replying to telephone messages....and OMG the laundry.....I'm on laundry load number 35....and still have 259 to go. There's sand in my luggage, there's dirt in my van, we still haven't been able to locate my son's sandals, and I feel completely out of touch with all my bloggy friends. I tried to read a few from my phone while on our vacation but found it incredibly frustrating as it would take 15 minutes to open each page. I eventually gave up. And quite frankly it may take me a few more days to get caught up with everyone's blogs. With school starting IN 34 HOURS!!! I'll have LOTS of time on my hands....=)


We returned home early Saturday afternoon from our week at Higgins Lake. We had a fabulous time. I posted about last year's Higgins Lake vacation a couple weeks ago. We took this same vacation and stayed in the same 2 houses, with the same families at the same time in August Last year. And it was a miserable week.

This year was a drastic improvement.

We arrived there last Saturday during a horrible thunder storm with torrential down pours but never saw another drop of rain the entire week. High seventies all week. AND all our water sport "toys" remained in perfect working condition all week. Major bonus.

So here's a recap of the week....

4 families

8 adults

10 kids

We spent lots of time on the boat. Taking turns skiing. Hefty Smurf got up on water skis on his first attempt. Was even daring enough to try to ski outside the wake....succeeded....but couldn't get himself back INside the wake without wiping out. Did a few face plants. And then came up laughing and got right back up to try again. At'a boy!

Papa Smurf discovered that skiing is a lot like riding a bike. Once you learn you never forget! Got right up after not skiing in over 18 years.

I on the other hand (those following me on twitter are already aware of this) only succeeded in getting a (not so) refreshing enema. Gave it a few attempts and gave up in frustration (and pain)...pretty sure I pulled a groin muscle trying to obey my ski instructor. In the photo below our friend L was giving me last minute instruction...... "whatever you do....keep your toes together...."

yeah....right....

Gave it 3 or 4 attempts and then handed the skis over in frustration.

The kids had a blast playing on the beach and in the lake. According to National Geographic, Higgins Lake is the 6th most beautiful lake in the world. This is a spring fed lake and so is exceptionally clean and clear.

We played a little tether ball....

And did a little fishing....

Took some breaks from the fresh air to squeeze in a video game.....or two.....or 500....

Did a little canoeing

And some more fishing

Played some baseball, football, and catch

Thing 3 learned how to blow her first bubble gum bubble

Did a whole lot'a jet skiing. This is my friend and running partner, T, and her daughter, T.

I rode a jet ski for the first time ALL BY MYSELF. I'm feel'n all growed up and stuff.

My back and arms were ridiculously sore from jet skiing.....I could barely lift my arms above my head the next two days. I had no idea I was getting a work out at the time. Who knew?



We spent the evenings by campfire Roasting "weeners" and marshmallows for smores, blowing up bottles with fireworks (we're good parents like that), melting glass and generally turning our kids into pyromaniacs.

The adults played a lot of euchre, a little volley ball, drank a lot of alcohol, and lounged on the beach.

I read two books. The first was a total smut novel....one of those historical romance novels (one of my guilty pleasures) with a dramatic photo of a couple in the throws of passion on the front cover. Can't even tell you the title or author. But It was good. Just ask my husband.



The second book, The Bride Stripped Bare, was a very strange and disturbing book. My dear friend K liked it. Now I know why. LMAO!


Every stink'n picture of me on this trip looks like the one below. I look like a deer caught in headlights. My husband has a horrible habit of picking up the camera...saying "hey, hun"....click....



Smurfette was in all her girly glory with her 3 friends on this trip.

The kids all had lots of fun taking turns on the swing

Hefty and Dreamy Smurfs caught their first fish....rock basses. But I wasn't there so of course there were no photos taken.

T, M, and I all got a few runs in this week.

OH!....And I certainly must not forget to mention the highlight of the week....Hefty Smurf was throwing a rock at a raccoon that had run up a tree after getting caught in the garbage. One of the rocks landed on our friend's sunroof. The sunroof shattered into millions of tiny shards of glass into their SUV. Unfortunately, I have no photos of this as I was a little preoccupied with beating my child....jk....notifying social services is not necessary....yet....

Our first experience with a broken window *sigh* Isn't this like a parental rite of passage or something. I feel like I've just graduated and entered a whole new level of parenting. I always imagined our first broken window to be from our own house....not a friend's car.

And here's the group photo taken just before departure. We had a blast and the kids are already asking if we can go again next year.

And now I must return to my chores.

Did I mention school starts in 34 hours folks!

Giddy with excitement....

I promise to get caught up on everyone's bloggy lives once I drop kick my kids out the front door to school see my children safely off to school on Tuesday.

Actually, scratch that....have to spend the first day with my daughter in her class room. Will catch up on Wednesday!

For sure!

Should we stay....or should we go.....

As much as I need to stay away from this computer to get ready for our departure tomorrow...I just can't do it. I'm addicted to blogging and the support, encouragement, and advice from comments.

I have an overabundance of nervous energy right now. And find no solution but to write it out. Unless, of course, someone has a spare Xanax or Valium they can send my way.

My nervous energy is completely premature and unnecessary at this point. But I'm a basket of nerves non-the-less.

Hubby came home from work 2 days ago and said the following...

"I had an interesting conversation with C (his boss) today. We were discussing the issues our company is having with our European operations and he (kinda) jokingly said...'so, do you want to move to Italy to run and "fix" our European operations'....Papa Smurf said he sorta blew the comment off but then looked up to find C silently looking PS straight in the eyes with a smile on his face waiting for a response.

Papa Smurf just laughed it off without responding.

My immediate response was HELL no.

But as the night progressed I found myself thinking about the possibilities. I was getting more and more intrigued and excited.

I even spent 2 hours on the internet that night trying to look up Italian real estate.

2 years in Italy.

What an adventure it could be for our whole family.

Some of the positives......

We have (distant) family in Italy as 3 of my 4 grandparents are either from Italy (my maternal grandpa) or are 1st generation Americans (my maternal grandma's and paternal grandpa's parents were born in Italy). What a fantastic experience it would be for my kids. I may finally learn to speak Italian. My kids would learn to speak Italian. We could use this experience to travel all of Europe. This opportunity will probably never come again. Family and friends could come visit.

Negatives?.....

2 years without our family and friends (my parents live right down the street from us, folks....and I live within a 5 mile radius from almost every other family member). New culture. New schools. What about gymnastics & dance classes? Where would we live? What about our home here? How do you transfer all your savings to Italy? Do we close all our accounts here? Would we have to live without our "stuff" or do they ship all our belongings? How would this effect my kids emotionally, socially, psychologically, educationally? Our dog!!??? What about our dog??!!

The questions keep coming and the anxiety is growing and yet I can't help but be a little excited at the prospect. And this all stemmed from a seemingly innocent question from my husband's boss.

So, we asked the kids how they felt about it. The boys shrugged their shoulders...looked a little apprehensive while saying "I don't know...It'd be scary but it'd be kinda fun." My daughter's response? "Would Grandma move with us?" "No....but she'd probably visit....and we'd come back to visit"......"then I don't wanna move."

I told my husband to look more into it. Get some questions answered. He's a little scared to bring it up because he feels he'd be opening a can of worms that would be difficult to close. But he sent his boss an email yesterday saying "So how serious were you yesterday when you asked me if I wanted to go "fix" Europe" his boss replied with "hmmmmm, sounds like we should talk".

I called my mom and within 5 hours me, my Mom, my Grandma, and one of my brothers were signed up for beginners Italian language classes at the Italian - American Cultural Center.

Premature? Absolutely! But the language course is something I've been talking about doing for years and now with all the kids in school full time I can actually do it.

I'm jumping out of my skin waiting for my husband to find out more. Which probably won't happen until after our trip. He's crazy busy at work right now trying to prepare for this vacation.

He's not sure the company would seriously let him go...he's involved in too much here and has too many things on his plate for them to just let him go. IF it did happen it would be many months from now and he's not sure they're willing to wait that long to "fix" Europe.

I'm a very status quo kinda gal. I don't like change. I don't like to "shake things up." And I'm NOT spontaneous....I'm a planner. And I have an unhealthy fear of the unknown. I love my life. I'm happy here. I'm right where I want to be. Couple that up with my slightly high strung nature and O......M.......G..........

And yet.....passing up an opportunity like this (assuming it IS an opportunity) would just be a damn shame. Even I recognize that. It's only been 2 days since this topic came up and already I feel like I might be a little disappointed if nothing comes of it.

So what do you think? Would you do it? Keep in mind I have 3 kids (11, 9, and 5).

Animals > Education?

Edited to add the disclaimer at the end of this post.

I know I said I wouldn't post until after Labor Day weekend...but I have a rant to get off my chest....

So here's my issue...

The Detroit Zoo is in a crisis. The Detroit Zoo threatened to close it's doors on the public if funding help was not found. There was a millage vote and the millage vote passed by a 3 to 1 margin. That's a huge margin ya'll. With this millage the average person (average = $200,000 house) will pay an extra $10.00 per year. Chump change. That extra $10/year/homeowner will generate approximately 13 million dollars for the Zoo. That's huge. A tiny contribution from everyone is helping to save the Detroit Zoo. That's fantastic. We visit the zoo every year. I've had family zoo passes for 3 years in a row. The Zoo has been saved .....Yeay!

Our Michigan schools are in a crisis. Programs are being shut down. Begindergarten (a pre kindergarten program for late fall birthdays or those kids who are not developmentally ready for kindergarten) has been stopped....and is no longer available. This makes me sad. We chose this route for my oldest because he is a late fall birthday and would have started kindergarten when he was 4 if we hadn't. We didn't feel he was ready and it turned out to be the best thing that we could have done for him.

My son had 35 kids in his 5th grade class last year and his teacher had no aide.

My almost 6 year old daughter will be starting kindergarten with MANY 4 year olds who can barely hold a pencil let alone write their name, identify their letters, or follow directions. We live in a VERY ethnic neighborhood where English is a second language to many of these kids. Out of 10 kids in my daughter's pre-school last year...5 of them were late fall birthdays, 5 of them spoke English as a second language, 5 of them couldn't hold a pencil, and 3 of them could not follow directions well. With begindergarten no longer being an option for these kids these are the kids that my daughter will be going to kindergarten with in a school that thinks 35 kids to a classroom (with no help) is acceptable.

Language classes are no longer being offered.

Music classes, sports programs, and the busing system are all in jeopardy.

And yet votes for millage increases for the schools are constantly being turned down.

Where are our priorities people!

Edited to add: It was brought to my attention that apparently I was talking out my ass on the millage votes for schools comment. Shows you how edumacated I am on school funding. Apparently Proposal A changed things here in Michigan years ago. Proposal A was a result of Govenor Engler's effort to reduce property taxes and help improve school funding inequities among local school districts. Our schools are no longer funded by property taxes but are now funded by State Taxes. So the state now provides schools with a per pupil allowance. Which eliminates the ability for school funding millage votes.

Thirteen years and counting.

Thirteen years ago today Hubby and I were married. At the risk of being gaggingly (Yes...that's a word....a Mama Smurf created word) cliche..."time sure does fly by when you're having fun."

He forgot.

I debated for quite awhile this morning on whether or not to remind him. I thought maybe I could milk this for all it's worth (in most women's eyes anyway). I could play the "I can't believe you forgot our wedding anniversary" card and maybe walk away with a guilt diamond.

But I didn't....play the guilt card that is. Because that would require me going out and getting him a guilt present. And I just don't have time today.

This post makes it sound like we're pathetic.

We're not.

We are still hopelessly in love.

But we don't celebrate our anniversary the way most couples do. It's pretty much just another day around here.

We are leaving in four days for our annual Higgin's Lake trip with three other couples and a total of twelve kids. So I've been busy trying to prepare for that. Grocery shopping, cleaning out van, making doggy daycare arrangements and such. We will be on vacation from Sat. to Sat. without internet. I probably won't get a chance to post again until after Labor day weekend.

Here's a recap of last year's trip. Ten adults. Twelve children. Rained 6 out of 7 days. Never got hotter than 70 degrees. Boat broke down twice. The ONE day that the sun came out and we were able to take the boat out....the power steering went out on the boat and it had to be towed in. Sleeping arrangements for Papa Smurf and I: 3 out of the 4 sides of our mattress were touching walls (no I'm not exaggerating).....and there was one foot of clearance on the fourth side....just enough to open the door a bit and SQUEEEEEEEEZE our body's in. It was a LOOOONNNNNNNG week.

I refuse to look at the forecast any more because as of yesterday morning they were already predicting rain for the first 3 days of this year's trip.

Pray for us.

Saggy...certainly. Droopy....for certain. But Black? and Tiny?

Every now and then I'll check my stats counter and look up the keyword searches that bring people to my blog. I've listed below all the keyword searches that are listed in the last week alone....complete with misspellings....There seems to be a common theme. Should I be humored or concerned?

how big is shacks penis
Black boobies
Big boobys
tiny black breast
all boobie no nipple
celebrate black nipples
how to tame big hair
little tiny boobies
boobie nipples
bigg boobis black mom picture
compulsive sniffling
gat nipples
coom by ya my lord
tiny boobies
black boobies
little black nipples
sexy fack
black boobies blog
nipples on boobys

I don't have much of a running update.

Still sick.

Ran 8 miles on Monday only because I felt the cold coming on and new it would get worse before it got better. So I squeezed it in because I knew it would probably be the last one I got in all week.

And I was right.

I ran 16 miles this morning and it was torture. I purposely left my GPS at home cuz I didn't even want to know what my time was gonna be. And I had no intention of killing myself. I walked a lot of it....including the last entire mile.

And now I have no voice.

I had pneumonia 2 or 3 winters ago and ended up in the hospital for 3 days because of it. And ever since then every cold I get goes straight to my chest. It sucks.

On to happier topics....

The neighborhood I live in had a subdivision garage sale. I hit the mother load jack pot at one of them. One of the sales had brand new (with tags) Gymboree outfits that just happened to be the perfect size for my daughter.... a few things for this winter and a few things for next summer.

Three brand new (with tags) sweaters. $5.00.

Summer dress. Very cute although not new. $1.00.

All 3 pieces below are brand new with tags....$5.00

Brand new with tags...Gymboree....$6.00.

Not new...but adorable....$5.00.

Not new but in like new condition for this winter....$5.00

And my bargain find of the day....this Rothschild wool coat for Smurfette.....$5.00

I should add that I looked this coat up online to see what it would cost new. I found this exact coat for $159.00. ...and I got it for $5.00. AND I can actually get 2 years out of it because it's a little big on her.

And that's it.

I'm going to bed.

Bring Out The Finger Violins

I have lots of profound shit I'd like to blog about... world hunger, twelve year old gymnasts and sore ass loser coaches (those Chinese girls DESERVED that gold...I don't care HOW old they are!), my husband who can't follow simple instructions to TAKE THE COOKIES OUT OF THE OVEN, and of course my comedic kids who think I "need to learn to share my money"....but I'm too busy being tired and wallowing in self pity because I'm sick.

Sick and tired.

Literally.

Haven't slept in three nights.

I'm not a pleasant or delightfully charming person ever when I don't get my beauty sleep.

Coughed up a layer of my left lung last night.

Wouldn't you all love to have someone do all your work when you're sick. Someone to take care of YOU when you are sick. Someone to wash your dishes and do your laundry, someone to burn bake cookies for your kids to sell at the garage sale, someone to sort, label, and price all your kid's shit toys to sell at the garage sale, someone to cook your dinner drive to Little Caesars and buy your kids pizza for dinner, someone to drive your children to gymnastics class, someone to do your grocery shopping, someone to take your children to get their hair cut, someone to take your kids school supply and clothes shopping, someone to pick up your dog's shit from your bedroom carpet.....and pay your bills, nurse your kid's boo-boos, and maybe spoon you and stroke your hair when you're wallowing in self pity because you're sick?

Yeah, me too.

The cost of "free" has risen

Sunday Papa smurf & I were invited to the PGA tour at the Oakland Hills Golf Club by a friend of PS's from a previous employer for "free". There were three couples going. PS explained to me that they were special "VIP" passes. I had no idea what that meant but it sure sounded pretty cool. And it was "free."

Well surely this calls for a shopping trip. A "VIP" worthy outfit was needed. What outfit would be "VIP" worthy? I had no idea but I was gonna search until I found one.

And I did.

I found a very cute outfit complete with matching purse. I didn't think to take a picture of it and cameras weren't allowed in the club so you'll just have to trust me...I was looking cute and sassy.

Of course, no outfit would be complete without a pair of snazzy little shoes. I had a pair of shoes that would have looked really cute. But husband said, "uhm, Mama Smurf, you may want to reconsider. We're going to be doing a LOT of walking. Your feet will be killing you if you wear those." They were 3 inch heels. Darn. But they look so cute with my new outfit. I debated for a long while wondering if I could tolerate the discomfort for the sake of looking cute.

No. I couldn't.

Which, of course, gave me the excuse I needed to go to the store for a another cute pair of comfortable yet sassy sandals. And so I ended up spending even MORE money on my snazzy little getup for this "free" event.

Yes. I have issues. Serious shopping issues. But my husband has accepted and loved me despite my "issues." And we can afford my "issues" so get over it and don't judge.

So I found these.

With an itty bitty heel.

Cute. Check. Sassy. Check. Comfortable. Check.

Perfect.

We drove to the club in the rain. It was only 68 degrees when we arrived at the club. The wind and rain combination made it feel like it was 60.

I was in short sleeves and capris and those cute little sandals. And I was freezing. It's August in Michigan and I was freezing. My cheap ass umbrella broke within the first 5 minutes of using it. The walkway on the course was soggy and muddy. My feet were sinking. Those little itty bitty heels were aerating the course. The balls of my feet were sore from trying to keep the heels from sinking in the mud with every step. My cute sandals...weren't so cute anymore.

I was freezing.

We went to the PGA shopping tent and looked for a jacket. The ONLY long sleeved jacket they had left was a flimsy bright teal blue/green wind breaker for $83. They didn't even have sweat shirts. So, it was either freeze or spend the $83 on an ugly jacket that I'll never wear again.

So now I'm wearing a mustard yellow knit short sleeved cowl neck sweater topped with an ugly flimsy teal green wind breaker.

Oh yeah, and my muddy sandals.

SO glad I bought the outfit. (read with dripping sarcasm)

SO glad I bought the sandals. (read with more dripping sarcasm)

We walked to the "executive lounge" where the food and booze were located and spent the rest of the afternoon watching the game from the TVs inside....which I should probably point out....I could have done from the comfort of my own home and couch for free.

Not "free", but REALLY free!

All bitching aside I had a great time. I enjoyed meeting PS's former and current colleagues and their wives. They were a lot of fun. I hope we can all try getting together again soon. I'm thinking we should try sticking to something indoors this time!

Another EXCITING, THRILLING, boring as hell running update!

Monday 8/4 - Ran 4 miles on the treadmill in 42 minutes which means I completed it with an average pace of UNDER 11 min/mile!! YEAY! While at the gym I spoke to one of the trainers about their fall team fitness program. It's a 10 week program that starts in October. One hour 3 days/week with a trainer/coach in a group. I think I'm gonna give it a try. It's a hell of a lot more economical than a personal trainer. The personal trainers charge $70 for EACH one hour session....*jaw hits the floor*. But the group training is $130/month. While I was there talking to the trainer he offered to do a fitness analysis for me. Here are the results:


First of all....the trainer put me on the scale and says - "very good....134 pounds" *gasp, choke, cough*. I debated with my self for 60 seconds before I responded "um, that'd be great if it were true....I haven't weighed 134 pounds since before my 5 y/o was born...you may want to recalibrate your scale". "REALLY!?" he replied. "Well, here, why don't we check a different scale". He walks me to the scale in a back room. "oh...148". *gasp, choke, cough*!!!! "I think I liked the 1st one better!"


BMI: 26.2 (*gasp*)- falls at the bottom of the overweight category - normal BMI should be under 24.9 for females.


Max VO: (not sure what exactly this is but it has to do with cardiovascular fitness) mine was 36.2 which falls in the "good" category.


Bicep strength - 194 - falls in the EXCELLENT category....*yipeee*.....My son must have gotten his "buffness" from his mother...heehee.....although, this was done on the same scale that they originally weighed me on so I'm thinking I probably should have come clean with this one also...but, hey, who am I to argue!

sit & reach - this was a flexibility test - and I rock in flexibility! Another "excellent" score for mwah!


Body Composition = 24.5% body fat which falls in the "moderate" section. (optimal is 19.1-24)....thus I am "sub"optimal.....


So for my overall fitness I got an 80%....which puts me in the "good" range....only 1 away from "excellent" range....imagine that!


According to the printout he gave me my BodyAge is 30 compared to my chronological age of 36. Although he never asked me if I smoke....so....there you go....


So here's my goal.....By December I will bring my Body Composition down to 20% and my CV VO2 score to 45. And quit smoking.


Tuesday 8/5- Ran 7 on the treadmill...had to take a walk break at 5.5 miles to reset the treadmill as it automatically shuts down after an hour. But I ran the rest of it straight through. Finally finished The Shack during today's run. Again, this is a MUST READ!


Wednesday - Paying the price for pushing myself yesterday.


Thursday 8/7- Ran 4 on the treadmill...still extremely sore. Today's run was painful. Quads were on fire!

Saturday 8/9 - 11 miles....2 minute walk breaks every 3 miles.....with an 11:14 average pace. Started a new audio book. I opted for a Nora Roberts Romance. Felt....OK. Just....OK.

"What Up Dawg!"

That, my friends, is my 1st born's hospital photo. I'll save his birthing story for another day. I wasn't awake when he was born & I only saw him briefly when I woke up in recovery. But my first thoughts and words when I caught that new mommy glimpse of him was "OMG he's perfect. He looks just like his daddy." I thought he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. We now jokingly say that this is truly a face only a mother could love. With that big ole' melon head...and the resemblance to a Chinese sumo wrestler. Kinda looks like he's say'n "what up dawg" with his head cocked slightly to the left and fist in the air.

But I digress....

It was recently brought to my attention by a fellow parent/neighbor/friend (the parent of my son's best friend) that this handsome and charming child of mine is apparently the "it" boy in all of 6th grade. The one that all the girls are dreamily swooning over.

I've seen the signs but chose to ignore them.

One day at a park I watched as he was approached by a boy in a younger grade at his school. This child approached my son with a dim witted grin and a star struck gaze...."are you Hefty?"....."yeah"...."as in Hefty SMURF?"......"um, yeah"....and the child ran off giggling....Hefty Smurf then looked at me and shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as if to say "kids these days."

He recently was called (we weren't home) by a girl who was hoping to invite him to a pool party with other girls. I was informed by a parent that these girls were prepping themselves with lemon juice (for their hair), ridiculous amounts of makeup, and bikinis that would have made Pamela Anderson blush. These girls have just finished 5th grade folks. I'm talking 11 years old.

My SIL was recently teasing my son about my niece's friend who has a big crush on HS. She came to our house with my niece for our New Years Eve party and was apparently commenting on HS's...physique. It makes me uncomfortable. He's 11! He's a child. QUIT IT! I don't like all this talk and teasing from my adult family about boyfriends and girlfriends and dating....he's a CHILD! So I jokingly said (but wasn't really joking) - "HS, your only eleven years old....relax....you're too young to be talking about girlfriends" to which he jokingly replied "WHAT!...I can't help it if I'm buff and good looking!"

This is the same child that still has arm pit fart contests and still cherishes his favorite toy....the fart master machine.

I recently approached my son when I saw his nasty unbrushed teeth caked full of food and grime and said "Hefty Smurf! Go brush those nasty teeth! What girl is gonna want to kiss that nasty mouth!"

I know, I know....that statement automatically disqualifies me from this year's mother of the year award. Believe me...the second it came out of my mouth I regretted it....but I sometimes open my mouth before engaging my brain.

That CHILD.....this 11 year old CHILD of mine replied by smugly saying "I already KNOW a girl that wants to kiss this mouth!"

Oh dear God help me. Help me keep this child a child for just a little while longer. He's in such a hurry to grow up and it is scaring the hell out of me.

I guess my break will come in September

I'm standing in my kitchen at the counter peeling what remains of my half rotten pile of produce. I'm making a salad for lunch so as to save the un-rotten half. A yummy salad. With HB eggs, and bacon, and feta cheese....yum!

I serve the kids their lunch and continue cutting up the rest of the produce. My kids are sitting at the table discussing what we can do today. "Can we go to the zoo?"....."Can we go to the park?"...."Can we go to the pool?"....."Can we go to hell?"...(just making sure you were paying attention)....to which I promptly replied "no", "no", and "no"....

Dudes....have you read my blog lately. EVERY stinking day we are off somewhere doing something. Which is fabulous I know. We are thoroughly enjoying our short summer. But even mama needs a break. A day to do absolutely nothing. My house is trashed, my laundry is piled high, and my front yard landscaping is starting to look like a jungle.

Hefty Smurf starts begging in his "I'm so cute how could you resist this pouty lip" sorta way. "pretty please mommy....bestest mommy in the whole wide world....could you pretty please take us to the park" (keep in mind this child is 11).

What happened to the good ole days when summers were spent bike riding, playing hide 'n' seek, jumping on the trampoline, eating ice cream, or just playing with the neighborhood kids?! Why must I entertain them every hour of every day.

I continued cutting up my tomatoes and basil......."Hefty Smurf, going to the park is fun for you but not so fun for me. I just sit there watching you guys play. Which I don't mind doing on occasion but today I need a break. A day to do nothing."

Hefty gives me the patented dramatic eye roll and smirk and points to the tomato... "Oh I see, so you're telling me that cutting that tomato is more fun than watching us play??!"

*sigh*

He's got a point!

We're off to the park!




Edited to add: I got off the computer to search for my children to gather them up and make a trip to the park. And this is what I found.

All three of my children playing legos downstairs. Nicely. Quietly. No fighting. No arguing.

Hell has officially frozen over folks...get your coats...

It's been another crazy week for us. Last Thursday was the start of our city's annual festival. So I picked up my niece and nephew and took the five kids. They were all incredibly good considering the heat and amount of walking we did. We played hooky from gymnastics and swimming class...sometimes it's just gotta be done!

We parked the car a few blocks away in the high school parking lot. There were shuttle buses running but we chose to walk so I could take a peek at all the craft and art booths that lined the parking lots on the way to the festival. We finally made it to the park 30 minutes later only to discover they don't accept credit cards and I only had $20 in cash on me. Each wrist band was $20. I had 5 children with me. You do the math.

This wasn't good.

So I loaded the kiddos into a shuttle bus back to the car...grabbed my ATM card from my purse...grabbed another shuttle bus back to the park.....an hour after parking we were finally able to start having fun.

So that's why we played hooky...we got a late start and didn't want to be rushed.

Their favorite part of the festival was the reptile show and balloon animal guy. Mamma's favorite part of the festival was the elephant ears...=D

Will I EVER get a picture of this child with his tongue in his mouth?....seriously!

Saturday I played golf. I'm not a golfer. My husband bought me golf clubs 7 years ago in the hopes that I might enjoy it with him. The last time I golfed was almost 6 years ago when I was 6 months pregnant with my daughter. I gave up in frustration after the 4th hole, threw my club, and commited myself to being the golf cart driver for the rest of the game. I couldn't even hit the damn ball.

Every year one of my neighbors hosts and organizes a neighborhood golf outing. And every year I decline the invitation out of fear of making a complete ass of myself. Well, this year I decided to step outside of my box and give it a try. And DUDE! I had a blast and enjoyed playing so much that I've decided to go get me some golf lessons...OH YES I DID!

I actually hit the ball. And it actually went more than 10 feet. And I actually saved our team a few times.....in other words....I actually had better hits than my husband a few times! AND! I sunk a 25 foot putt! OH YES I DID!

After the game we met back at my neighbor's house where she cooked us dinner and distributed the prizes. There was no hope for a best game, furthest drive, or closest to the pin prize.....BUT we won the mystery prize. $65. I swear I always win. When it involves a drawing or a raffle....I always win...and I'm SO not kidding. It's almost a little freaky. I'm like the luckiest person you'll ever meet.

The kids all went swimming and the adults played cards and drank and we were up until midnight. It was a fantastic day. With perfect weather.

Tracy and Devon are our wonderful neighbors and friends and were our golf partners for the day.

I'm always hearing my husband talk about golf etiquett and attire. So before we left I asked him what I should wear....what is proper golf attire for a woman. He said "hun, the course we're playing you could walk out there nude and no-one would say a thing." So I chose comfort over style....it was 85 degress and sunny. Gorgeous day.

Sunday morning we over slept a smidge and got a late start. We were invited to spend the day up in Port Austin (a 2 hour drive) with the whole gymnastics team. The assistant coach has a home on Lake Huron up there with a lovely beach front property. Another 85 degree sunny day. The kids spent the day swimming, tubing, jet skiing, playing volley ball, and building sand castles. Fun was had by all!

And now I must pay the price for the fun weekend. My home has been neglected for 3 days straight. I have a mountain of laundry to attend and my kitchen looks like a tornado struck.

Was it worth it? Yep!