Making the Best of it: A lesson for the Kiddos!

This weekend we planned on a camping trip with Tyler's Cub Scout pack. It was the final camping outing of the year and featured the annual Blue & Gold dinner.

On Saturday afternoon, we got to the campground, set up, played for a while and headed over to the banquet hall for the dinner and awards ceremony. The weather was not looking good. During the ceremony, it started to pour. We thought about our campsite and everything that was outside, and we checked the weather forecast on our phones to see was in store for the rest of the night -- the answer was not good. It was going to rain all night and into the next day.

I don't know about you, but rain just kind of takes the fun out of camping for me. So, once we got back to our campsite and saw how soaked everything was, we packed it up and went home. This was not a decision that made Tyler happy -- after all it was the last camping trip of the year, and he was having a ball. There was still a nature walk and a campfire to look forward to.

Paul and I understood how he felt and decided to make the most of it for him. We told the kids we would "camp" on the family room floor! This seemed to help. On the way home in the car, we talked about what fun we had had so far and about how fun it would be to sleep in the family room together.

When we got home, we set up the sleeping bags on the floor, got out the flashlights and told ghost stories in the dark! It was awesome! We totally made the best of it! And, we used this experience to teach the kids about that life lesson -- we all make the grandest of plans, but sometimes, things change. We have two choices -- give up and cry or go out and make the best of it! I choose to make the best of it!

Get rid of that Mommy guilt!

I can't believe how great I feel this morning! I have so much energy, and I have been really "present" with the kids. I think it is because they went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday -- from about 1 p.m. until 9 a.m. this morning. Yippee! Paul and I had a break!

After we dropped the kids off, we went to get a couples massage; I got a pedicure; we went to a local waterfront restaurant for an appetizer and a cocktail; then we spent the evening chillin' on the patio at a friend's house. It was so relaxing.

I started to miss the kids early, though. The entertainer at the restaurant had his 3-year-old daughter with him -- she was playing around the stage and laying down in his guitar case. It was so cute! Watching her made me miss my little guys and feel guilty for wanting a break from them. It's funny how that works, isn't it? You want a break so bad, but when you get it, you feel guilty for taking it.

Well, this morning when I realized how happy I was to see the kids and play with them, I thought about that guilt, and I realized I shouldn't feel that way, because the mom Tyler and Alyssa got back this morning was a much better mom than the exhausted one that dropped them off at Grandma's house the day before.

As parents, we need a break from our kids. We need time just to be, and we shouldn't feel guilty for taking it. It makes us better parents when we are with them. Happy  Sunday!

Fit for a Princess

Last weekend Paul and Tyler went camping with the Cub Scouts, so Alyssa and I stayed home to have a Girls Princess Weekend! I wanted to make the weekend special since it would just be the two of us.

On Saturday morning, we went down to Coconut Point to do some shopping -- the Disney store was, of course, about the only store Alyssa had any interest in visiting, so we did that first!

Since the Princess and the Frog movie was about to be released on DVD, the store was abuzz with activity. I bought her the Princess Tiana doll, which made her day! Then, we went to my favorite store, Ann Taylor Loft, where I happened to have a gift card to spend! Yippee!

After that we spent some time playing at the playground, and while we were there, a Disney store employee came over and handed us a flyer for a Princess and the Frog party they were having that day. Wow! Just our luck -- a princess party on our princess weekend! We hung around long enough to go to the party, where they had the girls dance to Princess and the Frog music videos and made a Princess and the Frog craft. Too cute!

After that, we stopped at another playground, before dressing up for a visit to Ladies Night at my hair salon. Alyssa was the hit of the party! She looked so pretty in her black party dress, and she brought her Princess Tiana doll, which was a fun topic of conversation for all the ladies! This made her feel like a princess even more!

The next morning, I made a royal breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, and we wore our tiaras all morning! Everything we referred to was "royal!" We had a ball roll playing!

What a wonderful way to spend a girls weekend -- I think we'll both always remember it!

It's all in the utensil

The other night at dinner, Alyssa became difficult. She wanted me to feed her. This is what she does when she is tired or when she is not thrilled about what is being served.

She’s four years old. I should not have to be feeding her – isn’t that supposed to stop when they’re babies???

But, every once in a while I’ll give in, just to get the job done – that’s a mistake, I know! Well, that night, I was not in the mood to feed her. I tried to be creative with my words, I tried to bribe her with dessert, but nothing was working. She kept whining, crying, and reaching across the table for me to help her.

I was out of ideas, so I got up and went into the kitchen to start cleaning up. I left her there with Tyler and Paul. Next thing I know, I hear commotion and whispering at the table. Something very exciting was going on! I pretended not to see what it was, because I got the gist I wasn’t supposed to. But, I knew. I peeked!

Next thing I know, Alyssa has finished her dinner – thanks to her Daddy’s creativity! He got her to eat by giving her chopsticks instead of a fork! Too funny! She loved the idea and went wild with it!

I was so grateful for Paul’s creativity – it was just what she (and I ) needed at that moment!

The Stroller Incident

While at EPCOT last weekend, we rented a double stroller for the kids. At dinnertime, we decided on a little café in Morocco and went inside. We left the stroller right outside the restaurant, but when we came back, the stroller was gone.

At first, we weren’t too concerned – sometimes Disney cast members move them around. So, we looked around and asked a couple of cast members, but it appeared the stroller was MIA. Huh. Who would steal a stroller at Disney?

It wasn’t a big deal as far as we were concerned – we didn’t leave anything personal in it, and it wasn’t our stroller. We knew the stroller wouldn’t leave EPCOT, so it wouldn’t be a loss to Disney. It was just a minor inconvenience.

We kept a light-hearted attitude with the kids and didn’t get upset about it – we want them to learn to take things in stride and save getting all worked up for the important things in life.

We did take the opportunity, though, to educate the kids about theft. This was their first experience with it. We just explained that not everyone is honest. Sometimes people do things that are less than caring to other people. They were disappointed that someone took “our” stroller, but we pointed out that nothing was lost to us. All we had to do was go pick up another stroller.

Tyler, Alyssa and I waited on a sidewalk while Paul went to get a new stroller. When he came back, the kids hopped in and Paul put down the sun canopy, since it was dark. There happened to be two Disney cast members standing next to us, and one of them said, “Oh my gosh, how did you do that?”

So, Paul showed her how to put it down – it is actually a hidden latch underneath the stroller that is not marked in any way. There’s no way you would know it was there – unless you knew. And, it is apparently not something Disney teaches its cast members, because these two were not the first ones we have shown.

Paul continued with the cast member and asked if she wanted to try it herself, just so she would know exactly how it works for future guests. She tried it and was very appreciative we took the time to show her how it works.

Paul and I realized as we were walking away that we would never have been able to help her in that way if someone hadn’t walked off with our stroller. We were sure to share that with the kids and teach them that something good can always come out of something “bad.” Life is what you make it, right?

On a funny note, the nametag we put on the first stroller was Tylyss. When we got the second stroller, Paul named it Tylyss II. Just another way to laugh about the incident!