Playa del Carmen, Day 2

I’ve come to the conclusion that a vacation with kids is really just work in a different place.  Sure, there is no cooking and cleaning, but trying to keep three small kids fed and happy and entertained just doesn’t amount to much relaxation.

Today was pretty laid-back.  We walked the grounds of the hotel, checked out the gym and kids’ club, went to the beach, and booked our excursions for the next few days.  Honestly, it was as relaxing as this vacation will get.  Starting tomorrow we have a whirlwind of activities lined up for the rest of the week.  We figure this is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so we’re going to take advantage of it and do everything we can.

We added to our list of animals.  We have also now seen iguanas, toucans, tortoises, and a curious creature that has a monkey body but a head more like a…. ferret?  I’ll have to ask someone about that.

Highlights of the day: Michael’s grin as Rich held him in the ocean and they jumped up over each wave that came; Faith’s face with her sunglasses and sunhat on; Michael eating a really big lunch and dinner; Faith drinking Fanta on the terrace (she had "her" chair out there that she always wanted to sit in while she drank Fanta); Lauren wanting to hold my hand as she fell asleep; Faith giggling as she runs through the waves and they knock her over.

Playa del Carmen, Day 1

Today we arrived in Playa del Carmen.  It was a long, long, long day, and we are so glad to finally be here.  We woke up at 3:15, got a few last-minute things ready, then woke up the kids and headed out at about 3:50.  Jeff decided to call his parents just to tell them we were on the road; and it’s a good thing he did, because they were still in bed.

The major frustrations of the day had to do with our seat assignments.  On both flights, they had Faith assigned to a seat all by herself, far away from everyone else in our group.  Since her ticket clearly states “Child” on it, I’m not sure how the airline could be so stupid as to put her by herself.  We managed, however, by trading seats around so an adult sat alone each time.  But when we get home, I will definitely be writing a letter to the airline about that.

I should note that all three kids were champions on the trip down here.  We had several people comment on how well behaved they were.  So true.  I am very, very grateful for their positive attitudes and willingness to go with the flow today.  Even near the end of the day, when we were all starving and starting to get all “emo,” they were SO much better than I expected them to be.

We flew from Salt Lake to Dallas/Fort Worth, where we figured we’d get something to eat before heading to Cancun.  Well, Fuddruckers took FOREVER to get our food, and by the time we got it, our flight was boarding.  So we had to dump our food in to-go boxes and eat on the plane.  Anyway, long story short, that meal was the only thing I really had to eat all day.  My blood sugar and tolerance levels were both very low by the time we arrived at the hotel.  All the kids were hungry, and I was testy and irritated at everything that normally wouldn’t bother me a bit.  Jeff’s parents decided to take us on the scenic route to our rooms, which seemed to take forever.  Then we were all supposed to meet outside our room to have an orientation to the resort.  Well, we waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally Jeff and the kids and I just went up to the lobby, where we ran into Richard.  He mentioned that there were monkeys outside our room, and seemed to be suggesting that we go see them before we ate.  I was so bugged by this time that I wanted to scream, “We’re going to be here for seven days!  We can see the damn monkeys tomorrow!!!”  But I didn’t.  I tried to be nice, but I’m sure it came out a little testy when I said, “Good.  Where do we eat?”  And then, come to find out, the only time when there is no food service available is from 6:00 to 6:30.  And yes, it was like, 5:58.  So we had to wait anyway.

Once we had some food in us, we were all much happier.  We’ve been here just a few hours and we’ve already seen monkeys, flamingos, peacocks, ducks, swans, lizards, some kind of crane, and lots of ROUS’s.  Yes, Rodents of Unusual Size.  Not quite as large or vicious as the Princess Bride variety, but still, they are some member of the rodent family, and they are quite large.

At dinner tonight they had a clown going around making balloon animals for the kids.  Michael got a tiger, and the girls both got puppies.

This is a beautiful resort.  I am looking forward to relaxing tomorrow.  We have nothing planned, which will be very nice for our first day here.  We’ll hang out on the beach, swim in the pool, maybe check out some of the activities the resort provides.  They have pilates and yoga classes, as well as a kids club that does crafts and games.  Jeff and I want to go parasailing, although we haven’t looked into the cost of that yet.  They also have catamarans.  Maybe I’ll resurrect that sailing bug I once had and venture out on one.

Highlights of the day: Michael asking the clown to make him a sloth out of balloons; Faith telling a complete stranger on the plane that she was going to build a pink sand castle, but not a real castle, because no princess could live in a castle made from sand; Faith taking off her shoe in the plane and telling Anna she was going to do *this* with her toes in the sand (as she spread all her toes out as far as they would go); Faith holding on to Jeff’s hands when the first plane was taking off, and saying with a tremor in her voice, “Planes are so fun!” then holding on to her pet monkey’s hands to make sure she was all right too; Lauren falling asleep on Richard as we rode from the Cancun airport to our hotel.

to guard their psyche

In regard to my previous post, specifically the comment about how I yell too much, my mom shared an experience with me.

A long time ago she went to have her temple recommend interview with Marlin Jensen, who was at that time our stake president.  He asked her the question about whether there was anything in her relationship with her family members that was contrary to the teachings of Christ.  She told him that she yelled too much.  He advised her not to yell, and then said that it "will destroy their psyche."  (I think those are the words she said he used.)

Anyway, when Mom shared that, it really hit me.  I can tell that it affects the kids when I yell.  I'm not abusive - I don't call them names or belittle them at all.  But I definitely could do better about raising my voice.

So I made a goal.  Starting that day, I wasn't going to yell anymore.

It's been about 10 days now, and I'm pleased to report that I have only yelled three times.  Maybe four.  But still, that's enormous improvement for me.  And I'm also pleased to report that they have responded very well.  As I have found other ways to get them to do what I need them to do, they have been more cooperative and helpful; consequently, we have all been happier.  I could get used to this.

33

Thirty-three thoughts on this day:

1. When Mom was my age, she had five kids, ages 4 to 13. She had been through what was (up until that point, at least) the hardest time in her life, when my family was in the process of moving to Delta and my dad actually moved down there first for several months. Mom and the rest of us stayed in Huntsville until the house sold.

2. I would not have been a very good mom of five kids. I already yell too much, and I'm pretty sure it would be a lot worse with two more kids.

3. Now that I know we're done having kids, I've gotten "real" life insurance. (My patriarchal blessing promises that I will live long enough to see my children reach maturity, so I've always kind of jokingly considered that my "life insurance" policy.)

4. I hate waking up to a sink of dirty dishes. I hate it worse than just about anything. It's the surest way to have a rotten morning.

5. I have very mixed feelings about my parents moving away from Delta. Fountain Green is nice, too, but it will be very strange to visit my parents in a different town.

6. I fall in love with my kids again every day.

7. That being said, I also have moments where I really hate the word "mom." As my mom sometimes used to say, I wish I could change my name.

8. Why don't kids ever say "Dad" in the same whining/complaining/tattling tone that they say "Mom"?

9. I'm really grateful to be out of debt and have a solid savings plan. That makes me feel liberated and empowered.

10. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to rip apart my whole kitchen and replace the floors and cabinets.

11. Our ward has lost a lot of good strong families recently. I'm really bummed about that.

12. I've never been very good at keeping in touch with people.

13. Last night was Lauren's first night in a "big girl" bed. She did awesome. Probably because she's terrified of Jeff, so when he told her to lie down, she did what she was told. She probably didn't move all night long.

14. Unfortunately, however, she can now get out of bed on her own in the morning. Very, very early.

15. I really hate World of Warcraft and fantasy football.

16. I'm addicted to Pampered Chef. I got their knives, and I am a little obsessed with them.

17. Poor editing drives me crazy. But having worked at a newspaper, I know how hard it is to really catch everything. But still, I'm quite sure that a certain local paper could benefit greatly by having a couple of freelance, at-home copy editors. And I'd be happy to offer my services - for a fee, of course.

18. I've worked in hotels for nearly eight years. I've seen and dealt with some really strange things, but I've only been scared of a guest once.

19. I really want to go to law school.

20. I have mixed feelings about a lot of things - like Jeff's new job (same agency, different position). He has to work from the office again, which is a bummer. But I'm really kind of looking forward to a little more time and space in my sewing room.

21. I'm also really, really proud of Jeff and all the hard work he has done to get where he is in his work.

22. I once had my belly button pierced. I had it done a few months before I received my temple endowment. I took it out while I went through the temple, and intended to put it back in afterwards. But I couldn't get it back in; therefore, I now just have a funny little scar near my belly button.

23. I love our van. I would choose it over any SUV any day.

24. I have a sick and twisted desire to see Cowboys vs. Aliens. Because honestly, Harrison Ford AND Daniel Craig in the same movie? Even something as lame as Cowboys vs. Aliens just might be worth it.

25. I really love to read, but I don't know how other moms of young kids make time for it. I struggle to make time to read my scriptures. I can only dream of reading The Help just for fun.

26. I'm not at all emotional about my kids getting older and moving on to new things (school, etc.) - until THEY get emotional. Then I can't handle it anymore.

27. I really like the smell of coffee.

28. I sing at the top of my lungs when it's just the kids and me in the van.

29. When I was little and lived in Huntsville, Kathleen VanCampen and I were the founding members of "The Unicorn Club." Yeah, we were really cool.

30. I'm glad I'm not the Activities Committee Leader anymore, but I do kind of wish I'd gotten the chance to arrange that ward water fight.

31. I love NCIS. I really want to get all the seasons on DVD. But when would I watch them? Oh yeah, right after I read my scriptures. You know, with all that free time I have.

32. I'm seriously considering quitting my job. I've been telling Jeff for a long time that when he got his new job, I would quit mine. But now that he has it, I'm kind of waffling. Here come those mixed feelings again.... (Jen, just in case you read this, I wouldn't be quitting until at least the end of the year.)

33. I realized today that keeping up with all the dishes and laundry, over and over and over, is kind of like trying to fill the ocean with a tablespoon. No matter how much you do, it will never be done. Kind of depressing. Which is probably why I so like to wake up to an empty sink - it makes me feel like I've already accomplished something each day.

I'm lame, I know. :)

Thankful Thursday

Haven't seen one of these in a while, huh?

1. Modern conveniences. I'm really thankful that I can put dirty clothes in my washer, move the clean wet clothes to a dryer, and then just have to fold them and put them away. And I love that I can put my dishes in a dishwasher, push a button and go do something fun while the machine does the work. I sometimes wonder how people ever had time to have ANY fun before these things were around.

2. Hot water in my house. Okay, so maybe this is sort of like #1, but indoor plumbing isn't as modern a convenience as the dishwasher (I don't think). While I was on my mission, I saw a lot of women and children carrying 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from far away. They had to carefully conserve it to bathe, cook, wash dishes, etc. And it wasn't hot. So every once in a while when I turn on my hot water to rinse my hands off, or fill a pan with water, or wash Lauren's face, I just feel a little bit of gratitude for being able to do that without worrying about it.

3. Good-natured kids. Seriously. My kids have their moments, but overall, they are pretty darn well behaved.

4. Some extra hours at work, and opportunities to make some extra money on the side. Yeah, have to support my recent Pampered Chef addiction somehow.

5. The chance to try new things. In the past couple of weeks I've tried sushi, zumba, jicama, and yoga. Some experiences were better than others.

6. Jeff. I'm pretty lucky to have a husband who is so supportive of me. He encourages me to develop my talents. He tells me I'm beautiful. He lights up when he sees me, and I love it.

Before and After

I *finally* got around to reupholstering my thrift store chairs. It was so intimidating to me that the fabric sat in the corner for about a year before I took the plunge. And you know what? It wasn't so bad. I did the green one first.

Before:After:
I chose to do this one first because I thought it would be harder. It was actually pretty easy, and I felt really encouraged when I went to start the second one. But the second one took FOREVER!!! Mostly it just took forever to get all the staples out. Like, twice as long as it took to do the whole first chair. Huge thanks to Jeff for taking pity on me and spending so much time yanking them out. If I had done this one first, I would have never done the second one at all. In fact, I would have chucked both chairs and all the fabric in the trash, and went and spent a whole lot of money on chairs that I liked just as they were.

Before:
Notice the blue dry erase marker all over the seat - compliments of Faith.
After:
After all that, I am really happy with how they turned out. Reupholstering doesn't intimidate me anymore. Not that I'll be doing my couch anytime soon.....

Slippin' and Slidin'

Whoa, I am behind. I finally uploaded photos from my camera today, and decided to try to catch up a little.

I have some funny video of the kids going down the slip and slide, but for some reason, I can't upload them. So a photo of Faith will have to suffice.