Disney Bound!

Remember when I said it was going to be a quiet Thanksgiving…

You should know something about my husband if you don’t already.

He NEVER meets a stranger. It’s crazy scary how he can carry on a conversation with a perfect stranger (for hours if I don’t pull him away) and by the end of it they’re usually Facebook friends and continue to correspond on and off for months or years to come. I, on the other hand am a little more reserved. It’s a gift, I’m know.

That’s one of the reasons why we work so well…I just let him do all the talking (which he enjoys) while I get to stand there smiling and nodding (which I enjoy…and honestly I’m usually not even listening or my mind is off on another avenue of thoughts or I’m keeping an aware eye on where the boys are and what they are potentially getting into to or I realize early on in the conversation that the particular subject matter, I will not end up remembering anyways as soon as the conversation is over so I don’t even try to retain it). Anyways, I say all this so that you can believe me when I say the next thing I tell you is not uncommon with my husband…

He meet a nice couple from Florida through a Facebook group page that was created for people who were going to be traveling on the same cruise as us. I’m not even 100% sure if we met them in person while we were on the cruise. Maybe we did.

Wait.

Did he introduce me to them?
I think he may have.
I don’t know.
I probably wasn’t paying attention or was possibly chasing the boys around.
Best bet is I just don’t remember.

Okay. So I think he met them at least once while we were cruising. Apparently, they both work for Disney and through all the back and forth correspondences they offered us free entry into the Disney parks, they would just have to be available to walk us into the park. Sweet! Thank you so much people I have no recollection of ever meeting! This offer was extended back in October and I honestly thought that they wouldn’t remember offering it but the hubs reached out to them via Facebook and we are now taking the boys to Animal Kingdom and Epcot the weekend after Thanksgiving for free! They will be able to see the Christmas lights and experience a new park they’ve never been to before (Epcot)!

Thanks to the hubs for being such a chatty Cathy!

In other news, Mason had his Student of the Month breakfast earlier this week which I was able to attend. Since this is his second year receiving it, he acted like he was a pro, telling me as we were sitting there waiting for it to start “Next year I hope there’s a different award I can get, this one’s good but I need something better”. That’s right love, keep pushing for better!

 

Our superstar student!

 

Nash is ready for Thanksgiving!

 

Game night with my Mas!

 

You're So Pretty November!

Is it seriously already mid-November?!?! The end of this year is flying by with lightning speed! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas…I may or may not already be listening to Christmas music…I just can’t help myself!

Planning a quiet, travel-free Thanksgiving…looking into possibly volunteering or we may just end up having dinner with some good friends. I remember as a kid gathering with all my family at my aunt’s house every year and enjoying the best homemade dishes…my family can really throw down on the “from scratch” mac-n-cheese and stuffing (or “dressing” depending on what of part of the country you’re from). It was the best, we’d get there just in time for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to be coming on the television and it would serve as background noise as dishes were prepared and conversations were had. I only wish we lived closer to them so that the boys could experience those things as well. But we’ve been lucky enough to find friends here in Georgia who have become like family to us so I really can’t complain!

This month has been keeping us busy for sure and a lot of it is around the house related...for instance I have already done all my Christmas decorating. Yes. I know. I really do know. It is not even Thanksgiving yet, but last year I did get around to decorating until like two weeks before Christmas and it just made the hoilday seem to go by too quickly. Plus, it makes the house feel all warm and cozy, having the tree lit and fireplace decoated. What can I say...slight obsession, yes.

 

Luckily, Vince is off this year for Thanksgiving to celebrate with us (last year he was at the fire station) but he is on shift for Christmas, so we’ve decided to take a family trip up to Ohio the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with his family! It will be my first trip up to Ohio during the winter months. Being a Floridian I have always thought how nice it would be to experience a “white Christmas” (or in our case “a weekend prior to Christmas, white Christmas) and I just may get it with this upcoming winter being predicted as one of the worst. So, it will be a quick trip of just four days but long enough to see everyone and partake in all the pre-Christmas cheer!

We’ve been kicking around some ideas for Christmas gifts this year for the boys (I swear it feels like they already have everything) and I think we’ve finally decided for Mas it will be a telescope, getting the outdoor theater set-up for movies and some small odds and ends he has hinted at us. He is also currently obsessed with these Mind-Craft videos on u-Tube…he even asked if we could invite the video creator to his 7^th birthday party next year. He said “I think he might live in England, but if he doesn’t can he please come to my party?” It’s odd. BUT it’s what he’s into so I thought maybe I’d reach out to the guy and see if he could send me a Merry Christmas Mason video. I think Mas may flip over it, so we’ll see. Now, onto Nash…he is a totally different story. We have no idea. It’s so odd, he is kind of into everything and then is kind of not into anything at all. He loves music, fire fighters and ninjas…but he already has a million of those related toys and he bounces back and forth between them like crazy, not one particular one getting more than just a few minutes of his attention. I swear sometimes he has the attitude of a teenager…you know…acting like you are disinterested but you actually really do think it’s cool. He is really the biggest trip now, such a social butterfly. I always wondered with Mason and Nash’s age difference if Nash was going to get pushed out of Mason’s group of friends because he was the younger brother and who wants a baby brother hanging around. But it’s seems like all of Mason’s friends love having Nash around just as much, which is so funny to us and so far Mason doesn’t seem to mind either.

Oh and speaking of Mas, our little superstar also got STUDENT OF THE MONTH for November! We're so proud! He has also made it to the behavior wall of frame twice now this school year...we are trying to find a good weekend to plan a cool reward for him since he has been doing so awesome this school year!

On a totally unrelated note, our anniversary is coming up as well and while I usually have a good idea on how I want to celebrate, we’ve just been so busy this past month that I haven’t really given it any thought. We’ll probably end up in our favorite spot in Atlanta, maybe throw in a nice dinner somewhere…that’s enough for me. It’s always nice to celebrate you anniversary at the very place you initially got engaged. I'm hoping for our next anniversary, which will be our fifth that we can finally take that trip to Ireland that we’ve been talking about.

Now...
Back to my Christmas music.

 

 

 

Chicken Noodle Soup!

It's finally feeling like FALL outside! Yes.

I worked from home Thursday and it was the perfect day this week to do so...with it being a chilly 50 degrees and rain off and on all day. Oh yes. It was nice to not have to commute in. It was the kind of weather that called for homemade chicken noodle soup! I haven't made it in like...hmmm...at least six YEARS! Hey. I've been busy, don't judge. It's really very simple (which is why I make it) so I don't understand why more people do not. It taste way better than store bought, or at least I've always thought so.

If you'd like to take a crack at here are the basics...

For the noodles:
Mix together with a spoon in a large bowl 2 cups of flour and 1 tbsp of salt then pour in half a cup of water. Add 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. Mix together well, then add another half a cup of flour. Now it's time to get your hands dirty, coat your hands with flour and mix in the added flour by hand until it begins to form. Section dough into smaller portions then roll out flat, I cut my noodles with a pizza cutter...it seems to work the best. After all your dough is rolled out and cut, lay the noodles on wax paper to dry. They will need at least two hours, but in the meantime you can start your soup!

For the soup:
In a stockpot add 2 big boxes of chicken both and 1 cup of water. Add in your carrots and celery plus season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for at least an hour (the long it simmers the better it taste)! 30 minutes before you are ready to serve take a rotisserie chicken (I cheat and buy my from Wally-Mart) and pull your meat off and throw it in, then add your noodles and some fresh parsley. That's it!

So yum!

Halloween 2014!

This has always been one of my very favorite holidays, as a kid and especially now as an adult with kids of my own! We always do a family theme…in 2012, Mason and I were both pirates with Vince and Nash dressed up as our parrots. In 2013, we were all lumberjacks and this year was no different, Mason and I were both ninja’s, Vince was a sumo wrestler and Nash was Bruce Lee! Ever try spray dying a toddlers hair black??? Yeah. Anyways, we normally head over to the Eagles Landing Fall Festival but this year we thought we might try something different, it was also unusually cold (like 45 degrees cold) and that made our decision to op for the inside Georgia Aquarium Trick or Treating event a pretty easy one. We still had to pay for adult admission but kids were free and the last time we went (for Nash’s 2^nd Birthday) we didn’t get to see everything because it was so crowded. So, this worked out well! I was a little worried it would be sold out and ridiculously packed with people but to my surprise it was very much the opposite, in fact it looked about empty…score!

So, we got to visit each attraction and the boys got some candy (not as much as I thought they’d get, but we were already planning on attending our church's trunk or treating event on Sunday so it was no biggie since we knew they’d get a ton of candy there). Everyone loved Vince’s costume…it was pretty funny and about every 1 in 5 person knew who Nash even was (come on people, get with it. Bruce was only the BEST martial artist of his time and in my opinion has never been surpassed) but I thought he looked so cute in his yellow jumpsuit. He will probably wear this until it just doesn’t fit anymore…it is definitely not just a Halloween outfit!

We also managed to squeeze in some Halloween inspired cupcakes for Tiger Scouts and the boys got to partake in another one of Mommy’s childhood classic favorite movies: The Labyrinth (Bowie at his finest)! They are already obsessed now with Howard the Duck thanks to me and Mason is even campaigning for a Howard the Duck theme for next Halloween (the hubs is not sold yet, but give us time). It is really awesome to be able to share these things that I loved as a kid with them and that they are also totally into them! Vince is already in a planning mindset for next year’s costume….

drum roll…

A builders theme…Nash is currently into Bob the Builder so he’s thinking Nash could go as him, Mason could go as a construction worker, I could go as….well…I have no idea and Vince could go as MC Hammer (get it? hammer, builder.) Yeah. I’m not sold and I think he just secretly wants to rock those old school MC Hammer pants…

I am however jumping on Mason’s band wagon and thinking we should totally do a Howard the Duck theme…Mason has already claimed Howard (that should be an interesting costume to put together), I would of course be the awesome 80’s rock star, Nash would naturally be Phil the wacky wannabe scientist and Vince without a doubt would be the Dark Overload!

 

 

Camping.

Let me start by saying that I have camped maybe…twice in my life and I. HATE. CAMPING. If there is an RV involved then we can discuss the possibly but otherwise, no. BUT for my sweet Mason and Tiger Scouts, I was willing to give it another go (maybe as an adult it would be better, not so bad, hell I might even learn to like it)! Also, I need to state that I have a very realistic fear of spiders…there have been moments on several occasions when I’ve encountered a spider in my home and thought “You know what, you can have the house.” No joke.

So, let me paint the picture for you. It’s 6 am on a Saturday and we’re up and packed and on our way. It’s about a two hour drive, all back roads and both boys were enjoying the ride. Camp Thunder which is a Boy Scout camp is beautiful, peaceful and quietly located right on a lake. As we backed up from the registration cabin, I thought “well, maybe this will be nice after all.”

Then we heard it…that noise that makes every mother instantly cringe and then immediately think “damn.” Nash’s milk that morning and breakfast bar apparently did not sit well with him and he proceeded to vomit soured milk all down the front of him and in his car seat. Wonderful. We’re here five minutes and I’m already down one outfit for him…I only packed two! It was JUST an overnight trip. Plus, now the car is going to smell like vomit for the two hour ride home since I can’t exactly wash his car seat cover. Sigh. That should have been the first sign. We get him cleaned up and changed as best we could then head over to our camp sight to meet up with our pack.

Now, instead of tents we decided to reserve a “raised tent” since my husband knows how I feel about bugs, specifically spiders. Now. In my mind this “raised tent” was like a tiny cabin-ish thing…you know…four walls, a door, maybe a window and of course at least one outlet. Yeah, no. It was a standard tent with velcro straps to keep it closed (no zipper at all) lifted off the ground about 3 feet on cinder blocks with two wooden cots inside. It was still all okay, no big deal…at least I’m not sleeping on the ground, I can handle this…and then I walked inside and was smacked in the face from several different angles by SPIDERWEBS.

They. Were. Everywhere.

But I didn’t actually see any spiders, so I was still alright after I did a full body inspection for spiders. It was going to be okay.

After getting settled, we hiked over to the morning announcements and was given our schedule for the events that day. I was feeling a little bit better about the place on the walk back and Nash seemed to be feeling better. We got back to camp and we’re trying to get all the kids organized for the pumpkin decorating when I hear the cry only a mother knows…that of her own kid. I came around the corner to find Nash crying/screaming with blood running down his chin from his mouth. Directly from an eye witness, I was told that he apparently tripped on a raised wooden pole then proceeded to fall face first into a table. It. Was. Bad. The swelling started almost immediately on the side of his cheek and up under his upper lip was a serious cut that was already turning a bluish/purplish color, he was shaking and I felt so useless because I’m in the woods. I probably would have taken him to the hospital if my husband hadn’t been there but he insisted that he would be fine and that there was nothing a doctor could do. So, while the kids decorated pumpkins and hiked over to their morning shooting activity, I stayed behind with Nash in our “raised tent”. After he finally stopped crying, he slept and then got up long enough to crawl into the lap and sleep some more. My poor baby boy. It was horrible.

By the time the troops got back Nash was up and seemed to be in better spirits, he was playing with the other boys and another Mom brought Ibuprofen with her that I borrowed for him since I, of course did not pack such things. It was JUST an overnight trip.

The rest of the day was spent being shuffled from post to post doing different activities, working towards badges and dealing with random tantrums from Nash (it was just not a good day for him). It was not until the Birds of Prey show that things took a turn for the worst with me (Yes. It can get worst). We were waiting for the show to begin when I heard some raised voices about two rows and to the right ahead of me…it was something along the lines of “Oh my God! You’ve got to get it off!” These words never sit well with me. Then I saw it. There was a HUGE, hairy, black spider on the back of a grown man who was now squirming like a 12 year old girl. Someone knocked it off and of course no one could find it and the row cleared out pretty quick after that. Vince completely missed it, of course and then reassured me by telling me it wasn’t a big deal.

Yeah, right.

The day went on and we had sat down to eat dinner, Mexican. I’m no camping expert but I’m pretty sure that was not a wise meal decision. I passed on the re-fried beans. Anyways, I was telling my fellow campers about the GIANTIC spider that attacked the bodybuilder just a few feet from me leaving him with a massive hole in his back. Blood was everywhere. When one of the other Mom’s was like “Yeah there’s ton of spiders out here. I’ve been camping dozens of times and I can’t tell you how many of those times I’ve woken up with them crawling on me. Just this morning, there was a jumping spider in my tent.”

A JUMPING spider. Jumping. Since when do those fuckers jump?!?! Nope. I was out. And the fact that she was so CALM about it. No. No. NO. I told Vince, you stay here with Mason and Nash and I will pick you up in the morning. I packed, he laughed but there was no way. Nope. Then Mason overheard I was leaving, he knew how I felt about spiders so he naturally assumed that was why and then he decided he didn’t want to sleep with them either (can’t say I blame him). So, we all ended up leaving. I did have a good time while we were there…you know when I wasn’t cleaning up sour milk vomit, or nursing a busted lip and swollen cheek, or chasing a tantrum throwing toddler, or fighting off a massive black spider from a petrified grown man or battling jumping spiders to the death.

Once home and snuggled nicely in bed with the TV on, ready to watch an episode of our show I said to Vince “this is my kind of camping”.

P.S. – I have pictures somewhere but I think my mad dash to escape the spiders I misplaced it…still need to hunt it down and download them so for now these photos will do!

 

Mas being awarded his badges and belt loops for October!

 

 

Mas getting to throw a pie in Tim, our Pack 265 Leader's face for selling the most popcorn!

 

2014 Family Vacation!

So.

I have been working on this post for a bit, it’s been non-stop since we've been back almost THREE WEEKS AGO! But we are baaaccckkkk! It was a wonderful family vacation and just what the doctor ordered…of course the second day back and I’m sick. But it was totally worth it to get away and the boys had such a great time.

This was our first time taking advantage of Camp Carnival which is like a day camp experience for kids on the ship, they have all sorts of activities planned and they provide you with the complete schedule ahead of time so you can plan your days accordingly. The boys would usually go for a few hours in the mid-morning and then after dinner from 7 to 10 pm and both hated to be picked up earlier than told since they were having so much fun! Which meant I didn't feel so bad dropping them off there and letting someone else watch my kids.

Our first stop was Aruba, which is a beautiful island! We had booked a tour with the Jolly Rogers Private Experience but unfortunately due to our ship getting late clearance we did not get off the ship in time and missed our tour…which really sucked since both boys were so excited to be on a “real” pirate ship. So, we ended up spending the day on the beach, building sand castles and playing in the water. Best part about Aruba was…

Nash is no longer afraid of the ocean…or waves…or sand…or of anything beach related!!!

FINALLY.

Now, he did cry for a bit when I first picked him up and walked into the ocean with him…screamed is more of an accurate description actually, as bystanders floated within listening distance and proceeded to give me the “that poor baby, what a terrible parent she is for not just letting him get out of the water. If I knew the number to Aruba child protective services, we would totally call them right now” stares. Well, screw you judgmental tourist because after several minutes of singing the “Sailboat song” which I totally made up on the fly, he was good as new and happily slapping salt water into Mommy’s eyes. No. I will not sing you the “Sailboat song”. It was smooth sailing (ha. see what I did there?) from there on out with every beach we visited. I am sure there are several other amazing sights we missed out on seeing in Aruba but lugging around two kids, one diaper bag, one other shit we needed to bring bag, three sets of snorkel gear and my husband…it was just easier to pick a nice shaded spot on the beach and enjoy the water so that’s exactly what we did!

Our next stop was Curacao, this was to my own surprise my favorite island…like favorite out of all the islands we've EVER cruised too. I felt like I was in Europe, it was such a beautiful place! With Dutch inspired architecture and a fort to explore, we loved it! It downpour rained on us the first hour we were on the island which made the humidity almost unbearable but the sun eventually came back out and we spent the day roaming the city streets, looking in shops, grabbing a liquid lunch at this well-known all fresh fruit smoothie truck which was everything everyone said it would be. We then took a taxi over to this popular tourist beach, which name I cannot for the life of me remember but it was the prettiest water I think I have ever seen…so clear and blue you could see straight through to the bottom. Nash and I did not swim but instead relaxed up in this shaded patio area overlooking the water while I read and he slept (for a hot minute) meanwhile Mason and Vince played in the water and snorkeled for a while. Then Mommy and Nash found the bar. Three “Curacao Sunset” drinks later I was feeling the island life…Nash had two apples juices but then I had to cut him off…he was flirting with the barmaid so bad I was afraid he might have gone home with her, but he did get a free popsicle out of it so kudos to him.

The last island we visited was Grand Turk, I was not impressed with this island the first time I visited it but I will admit that this trip was much better. We ended up at Jack’s Shack and spent the entire day there! It’s just this little bar right off the beach just steps from the port so there’s no taxi’s involved or any real threat of being delayed to your ship. The food was your standard burgers and fries but the drinks were delicious and the owners we’re wonderful! If we ever cruise to this island again I will definitely head back there! Oh and I almost forgot about the DOG…no not our dog at home but Topher! The officially Jack’s Shack mascot…he was some sort of poodle mix and just the sweetest! He really does have the life, he LIVES on an island, doesn't have to WORK, and spends his days digging holes in the sand, swimming in the ocean and eating CHEESEBURGERS from the bar…I would love to know what that person did in a previous life to get this current gig.

Mason became some what of a celebrity during our cruise, especially after he was the grand finale winner of the Hasbro Game Show!!! 

His prizes came in the mail a few days after we got home and he was so happy, it was such a cool experience for him!

After we got back to Orlando we decided to make a quick pit stop at Legoland before heading back home to Georgia! My mom met us there too so she could spend some time with the boys. We were tired, it was hot and crowded BUT the boys both had a blast so it was totally worth it! Best part about the park was there was just as many rides for Nash to do as there was for Mason which is normally not the case!

Next up on our always busy calender is Tiger Scouts "camping" and Halloween!