Vacation has come and gone

I am feeling the "I need a vacation from my vacation" in a bad way. We had a great time with my family and the boys had a blast with their cousins. I was glad that the older kids played with my boys and were so good with them. There wasn't much down time during the week.


Our drive home took us 11 hours which is 2 hours longer than the drive down. The DC metro area traffic just sucks. We need to try to figure out a way around the traffic or to travel at a different time. We were all glad to get home finally.

There are so many trails around he resort that we always rent bikes. It is a lot of fun for the boys to ride around. Tee love riding with his Dad on the bike. That boy is fearless.

Tee loved swimming in the ocean and jumping the really big waves. Again fearless! Jay and EE loved the boggie boards we brought with us. It did take a lot of coaxing to get EE in the water, but once we did he did not want to stop.

There is a big park near the lighthouse area the kids like to play at. This is a tree that they climb every year. Either our boys are getting bigger or the tree is shrinking.

Mima and Popi with my boys.

The family at the Harbour.



The sun setting.

We got a quick game of Putt Putt in.

The husband took my Dad and the older boys to the top of the lighthouse.

The most unpleasant thing we had to deal with for most of the week was the Spartina grass that washed up on the beach. I am not sure why it is called grass as it looks and feels more like a stick. We heard that whenever there is a full moon the grass flows from the marsh up onto the ocean. The grass helps with the beach erosion. Some of the grass will be washed back into the ocean and some will remain on the beach. The grass will eventually dissolve into the sand. We spent a good few days with the grass in the water. It was really very gross. And they really hurt your feet when you walked on them.


It was a very nice week at our favorite beach. I asked my husband on the way down if he thinks we should find a closer vacation beach spot. His response was yes. I asked again while we were on vacation and his response was that we couldn't imagine going anywhere else. So next year we will get geared up again to make the haul down to our beach spot.

R&R

I was so happy when last week ended. I had been very busy getting ready for our beach trip. It seems like I packed our entire house to bring here but I assure you there are things left at home. We left at 5 am Saturday for an uneventful trip. We made it to Hilton Head Island in about 9 hours. Tee had a hard time napping and only slept for maybe 30 minutes. I was so happy when we finally made it on the island.

This is somewhat of a family reunion. One of my brothers and his family could not join us this time. One of my sisters will be here on Tuesday evening. There is one sister and one brother and their families here. We each have our own units but my parents are staying with us. Yes, that is 5 children in the family, 12 grandchildren and 6 other "grandchildren" that have joined the family by marriage. I am the last born and joke with my siblings that I am the favorite which I think is funny. No one ever seems to argue with me.

The first day started off rough for the husband. He woke up having stomach issues and he was pretty much out for the day. The boys and I went to the beach for a few hours in the morning. Luckily, my sister was there and was able to help me with the boys. Tee loves swimming in the ocean and jumping the waves. EE does not like to swim in the ocean all that much but Jay does. They both seem to like digging in the sand the most. As much as I planned for this trip I did not bring enough sand toys for them to dig and make sand castles.

My parents have made meals for 4 night and I made lasagna for a night. Each night the family gathers at our place for dinner. EE and Jay have loved playing with their cousins. It is very nice seeing my family. It has almost been a year since I saw them last. I wish we could live closer but that just won't happen. It may be another year or longer before we get to see them again.

Tomorrow will include a visit to the outlet mall. I love the the outlet mall here.

The neighborhood

When we were looking in Maryland for a house I wanted to stick with a neighborhood that had an HOA. In general, I think HOA are a good thing for the community. They help regulate any riff raf that would likely bring house values down. I don't always agree with the rules of this HOA but we do comply.

Every spring, the HOA has a walk-thru of houses to ensure that everyone is in compliance and to point out "opportunities for improvement". I was shocked when I received a letter a few days ago. They said we had a major violation because we did not get approval to have a freestanding basketball hoop. I have to say this really made me mad. I forwarded the approval email I received way back when along with my opinion. I said that more time and attention should be put into the letter before they are mailed out. I am in compliance and don't feel that I should spend my time having to forward them paperwork they should have in my file. I wrote a few other things in my letter to get my point across. I have yet to hear back from them.

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I wrote a while back about clueless Mom from the bus stop. Well, she spent the rest of the school year avoiding me and would not make eye contact with me. I thought it was really funny honestly. I am not going to like everyone I come in contact with but I try to be cordial. Must be the southernness in me. I ended up making her have contact with me because I was collecting money for the bus driver. For some reason yesterday she decided it was the day to talk to me. She complimented me on my highlights, which is somewhat funny because they are growing out. She then invited the boys to come over after school today for some water play and end of school celebration. Nice gesture but it won't happen. I have to say I would not let them go over there unless I was present. They have a dog who is not friendly, a trampoline and I have heard that the father owns a gun. On top of that I have heard the child has had 11 reflection forms (a form that goes in your record when you misbehave at school). You know I am just not willing to take the chance.

The long weekend with visitors

It seems like I have not stopped going since last Thursday. My husband's father and his wife visited us for a long weekend. I spent the day getting ready for their arrival. I made chicken salad, a lasagna and a dessert in the span of 3 hours plus I vacuumed and dusted. I was vacuuming the the last area when they pulled up in the driveway.

My husband played golf on Friday and Sunday morning with our visitors. The boys got to play hooky from school on Friday afternoon. We figure it is close to the end of the school year. They

were very excited.

We did a lot of swimming in the pool this weekend. It was very humid so swimming was nice.

Tee has figured out how to kick his legs and keep upright in the pool. He loves "swimming" from one side to the other. We are very careful with him because if he is forced from this position he will float on top of the water, head in.

Saturday the boys had their last baseball game. The team did not play well and as a result the parents were so frustrated. Needless to say, they did not make it into the playoffs. One good thing happened at the game, a kid who has not hit a ball all season finally got a hit, made it to first base and eventually to home plate.

EE and Jay at bat.

My husband managed to get us into a suite for the Orioles baseball game on Sunday. It was a fun time for the kids and the adults.

Grandpa, R and the boys.

The husband and his Dad in the suite facing the field.

We had a nice visit with them. Tee can not say Grandpa and spent the entire weekend calling him Grandma. I though this was funny but we ended up getting Tee to call him PawPaw. That sounds so southern to me. Hopefully, he will be able to get it soon.

The Puzzle is finally finished. R (FIL's wife) worked on it all weekend. We (the boys, me, the husband and Grandma) started back in February and got stuck when we got to the azaleas.

This is a view looking at the lighthouse in Hilton Head Island which is where we are headed. I am ready for a little R&R and spend some time on the beach.

I have lots to do before the weekend.

The barber, the master gardner and now the plumber

I have been very focused on what we spend our money on lately. The downturn of the economy made us think about how we need to save money and know how our money is being spent. I have been very disciplined on using coupons and shopping at the wholesale stores for better deals. I did my homework and found that I can definitely save money on certain staples for our family. We have also cut out items/services that we feel we could live without.

I have learned that my husband is a master of many trades. He is very detailed (sometimes a little much), can follow directions easily and is patient. I know you are envious now.

We cut out our lawn maintenance company this year. My husband did research on how to care for our lawn. Based on what he found, he created a calendar and at the right time he spreads fertilizer, lime or whatever the lawn may need. We were spending over $1,000 on this a year. Our cost will be less than half of what we were paying. He also is in charge of cutting the grass each week.

We had been spending about $45 to get haircuts for all 3 of the boys. Jay gets his head shaved, EE's and Tee's requires a bit more work. We ended up purchasing a clipper kit and now my husband gives haircuts when needed. The best part is that they look like they have been professionally cut. We will go maybe once or twice a year to the barber for a clean up.

So what else can my husband do? The toilet in the basement had been broken for the last few weeks. Every time we went to use it we had to turn the water on and off. It was continually running. I really did not want to get a plumber out here because they are so expensive. My husband purchased new guts for the tank ($8) and replaced it on Sunday. Now we have a working toilet and probably an additional $90 in our pocket.

As I mentioned he does have an eye for detail. He has pointed out a few errors that our contractor has made in our bathroom. You know the never ending bathroom remodel. The cabinets were installed on Monday. My husband noticed that they did not install the 1 inch filler to the left of the cabinet. This is so that the doors can open and not hit the blinds on the window. And prior to that he noticed that they did not put the plumbing in the correct place on the wall. Both of these things are having to be fixed. Supposedly by Friday we will have a semi functioning bathroom. I will believe it when I see it.

Germs

I am not germiphobic. I do things people typically do to avoid germs, like not letting my children sit on public toilets and wiping down grocery carts before we use them etc. My kids wash their hands before they eat or if they have been playing outside. I always have Tee wash his hands when he leaves the child watch area at the gym. And I do carry hand sanitizer. I don't like for my kids to get sick but sometimes you just can't avoid it.

I know and have known people to be very cautious regarding germs. I had one friend who had the funniest stories on how she would not let her children touch anything and she always had her hand sanitizer ready to go. I have also known people who would not let her sick child slow her down. Medication would be given to cover any symptoms. I am sure there are people who fall in between these two right?

A few weekends ago my boys hung around the same group of kids from Friday through Sunday. Friday night they watched a movie at some one's house. The kids were on the floor sharing pillows. Saturday was a pool/moon bounce party. Sunday was short contact of let's hop in the moon bounce until they come take it away. I found out on Sunday that one of the girl's tested positive for strep. The Mom was very apologetic and I think taken back by my it is ok attitude. If they get it.....they get it, none of my boys got it by the way. A few days later I found out that 2 of the boys had lice in their hair. I get a frantic phone call from my neighbor about how we have to go purchase lice kits. I laughed at her and told her I did not need one. I did check my boys out of precaution and nothing came through on the comb. Jay has such short hair that I think I could see anything on his head. Luckily I have boys and their heads would be shaved if there was any indication of lice.

When one of my friends found out about the lice situation she got really upset. I could tell she was bothered by this news all evening. Neither one of these things are fun to deal with but I just don't feel that I have to spend my time worrying about things that may or may not happen. Life is way too short to worry about strep and lice. I am thankful for my laid back stay calm attitude.

Not happy with the Super Store *****UPDATED*****

I have been surprised at how many coupons you can find on the Internet. Not just any coupons but coupons for products that I actually use. And not just grocery coupons, you can also find coupons for popular clothing and home goods stores.

Last weekend, I found a coupon for Kirklands on the Internet that we used to purchase our mirrors for our bathroom. I think that saving $10 is awesome. I have also signed up to get notifications for coupons that are posted for some of the places I shop regularly. I have learned that I will not purchase anything until I have checked for a coupon or discount of some sort.

I also print out grocery coupons. This is such a nice feature to have. A few weeks ago when when I went to the Super Center(SC), I was told that I could not use Internet coupons. I didn't think much about it especially if that is their policy. However, I happened to come upon their coupon policy and guess what? That is right, it says they accept Internet coupons.

I called the local store today because I really need to go grocery shopping and I was thinking about going to the SC tomorrow morning. I spoke with a customer service manager who proceeded to tell me that they do not accept Internet coupons because of fraud by some and then are NOT reimbursed by the companies. Although I think it is a shame that there are people out there who ruin it for those of us who are honest, I do understand. What I don't understand is that the documented policy should be correct. As I was explaining this the manager hung up on me. I did not say anything mean nor was I argumentative in any way. This to me is unacceptable behavior.

The next call I made was to the SC's corporate customer service area. I logged 2 complaints. The first was for reporting the customer service manager. There was no way I would let that one go. The second was to have them update their coupon policies. If they accept them at some stores then they need to state that very clearly or state they do not accept them at all. I will follow my complaints until I get someone to help me with them.

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I ended up getting a call at 7pm last night from the store manager. She explained that they do accept Internet coupons and that there has been some confusion among the staff. She was going to take this opportunity to review procedures with her staff again. There have been some fraudulent coupons circulating the web so this is something that they are trying to keep on top of. They are also instructed to accept only original Internet coupons, no copies.

I received a contact name in case of any issues during my shopping trip which she gladly gave me. I am happy to report I shopped and used about 6 Internet coupons with no issue.

I am not completely happy with the way I was treated by the customer service manager and I did make mention of that during my conversation. She took the lady's name but I have little doubt that anything will come of it.

My main issue was that the policy needs to be accurate. So if not all stores accept Internet coupons then it should be clearly stated.

Weekend activities

The sun did not shine until late yesterday afternoon. This meant another canceled baseball game. It seems like we have had more cancellations than we have played games this season. The weather has been very unusual. The boys had a birthday party at a local pool on Saturday afternoon. I knew my boys would not swim. The water was freezing and the kids came out shivering. Luckily, there was a huge sand area they played in the entire 2 hours. It was very low key.

We had a sitter Saturday night and went out to dinner with 3 other couples. I got to experience Fogo De Chao. It is a Brazilian steakhouse. If you have been there then you know what I mean by experience. It was a bit too much for me. We immediately were seated and before we even got our drinks, we were told we could start with the salad bar. Each person was given a card, the red side said "no thanks" and the green side was the go side. Once the card is turned to green you are rushed by several waiters with huge skewers and knives. They tell you what they have and you can have them cut you a piece or not. I had to ask a few people to repeat what they said and with that I was given a dirty look. I found that I liked the filets the best. The table was also given mashed potatoes, polenta and fried bananas. Not a place I would like to frequent often but nice that we tried something different for a change.

Dreary Friday

It has been raining nonstop since yesterday. I am beginning to wonder if it will ever stop raining.

This morning was very hectic. Our event started at 8am and sure enough by 7:45 we had people coming into the cafeteria to pick up their donut and drink. We had about 540 people rsvp to the event. We ordered 600 donuts, had 360 juice boxes, one very large container of coffee with two smaller decaf boxes. Every single donut was gone by 8:27 and almost everything else was gone as well! We actually had a few late stragglers come in, some of the kids were very upset.

I made sure my husband fed the kids a bowl of cereal before they came. One donut is not enough for my boys in the morning. This is usually their biggest meal. The donut was like dessert for breakfast. Well, unfortunately others did not feel that was the case. Some people came back for 2 or 3 donuts(we had no way of telling unless the evidence was on their face). Next year when someone else takes over this committee they may want to spell it out a little more for the parents. I am glad it is over and my last event of the year!
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Today is a very exciting day. The tile guys are finally done. Our cabinets were delivered. And the contractor will be here tomorrow with the plumber and electrician. Our counter tops and shower enclosure should be installed next week. We actually need to find some time this weekend to go pick out our granite stone.

How funny

My committee on the PTA is hosting a donuts for Dads event tomorrow morning. We have over 500 people who will be attending, this is almost double from last year. This is typically held outside where the kids run wild and the Dads stand around and talk. The forecast is calling for rain so we have come up with Plan B. We will set up in the cafeteria and then shoo people off to the gym to run wild before school begins.

I have spent a large part of my day going to a couple different stores buying juice boxes (just 360 of them), creamer and coffee cups. Luckily, we can take everything up to the cafeteria tonight and set up. We hope that tomorrow morning won't be so hectic to get it all together.

Ok, now for the funny part. We sent out a note in the kid's folders today. The flyer was a reminder of the special event tomorrow and to let them know rain or shine donuts will be served. My co-chair got a call this afternoon from a Dad who asked if he could bring anything tomorrow. Nice of him right? She went on to tell him "no" just himself and child. He thought he needed to bring his own donut. Really? Sounds like a plan for me....we are going to invite you to an event and have you bring your own goodies.

And speaking of donuts. Tomorrow is national donut day at Dunkin Donuts. A free donut with a purchase of a beverage. Maybe we should have just told all the dads to go buy their own drink to get a free donut. It sure would have been easier on us.

B Team

We waited all day yesterday for an email about the Baseball Team. My hope was that they either both made it or they both didn't. We found out this morning that the boys made the B team. Luckily, there were enough kids who tried out to form 2 teams. We were also provided with a letter regarding the commitment we have to make as a family. Practices will be held 2 to 4 times a week from now until the tournament weekend of July 4th. There is a small financial commitment to purchase uniforms and we also may have a tournament (meaning more cost to us) prior to July 4th as additional preparation. Parents also have to volunteer at the tournament in some capacity. The biggest benefit of the boys being on the team is for their skills to improve tremendously. They will be playing with other kids who are as well or better skilled than they are now. I think this will be a great opportunity for them.

Speaking of baseball I have been so annoyed with the team the boys are on currently. There are 4 kids on the team who have never played before. One of these kids doesn't seem to be there at all. I don't think he has gotten one hit all season. The team has won 3 games this season. I am not all about winning. At this level I think that the teams need to be split up a bit so that you have an equal number of really good players as well as the not so skilled player. The other teams seem to be stacked with older really good players. We are debating going to a different organization for the fall. They seem to run it a bit differently but practices and games will be a 25 minute drive. We need to sit and think about this before we do anything.

Back to the tournament. We will be gone on a family vacation for 1 week during this time period so we may have to miss 2 practices. I am not sure if that is going to be allowed, meaning they will not allow the boys to remain on the team. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

House stuff

The pounding above my head and the sound of drilling outside my door is like music to my ears. There was no work done on our bathroom at the end of last week. But the tile guys have been here for the last 2 days and I think they will be done tomorrow. This means our cabinets will be installed by the end of the week and then we can get our counter tops. We are getting very closer to having a beautiful new bathroom.
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Do you remember our constant struggle with Moths? It took me over 6 months to stop looking at the ceiling when I opened the pantry after we saw our last Moth. Last week as I walked into my closet something caught my eye and sure enough there was a Moth sitting on my ceiling. I quickly got a stool and killed it. So I thought well just maybe he was a left over. I know that is not possible. The Momma moth will hatch her egg and 12 or more moths will be born. Last night as I was watching TV I saw another Moth flying around. I was able to kill that one as well. Then as I went to use the bathroom last night I saw a Moth floating around in the toilet. I think they are all out to get me. I really am not up for the fight against the moths. I hear they don't like the cold weather which is probably why we haven't seen any in 8 plus months. My call has already been made to my pest control guy. I just don't get why they are still around.

Disappointment

I believe that children should not be protected from disappointments in life. It is a part of life and they should understand it now. I know lots of people who like to shelter their children and that is fine, everyone has a different opinion. I know several people who will withhold a special "secrets" in case it for some reason does not happen.

I tend to let my children know things and if it doesn't happen then there is not much we can do about it. My boys do not do everything that other kids do and they certainly don't have everything other kids have. They don't always like it but for the most part they are very adaptable.

On Friday night we let our kids take part in a movie night at a neighbor's house. They got home around 10pm which if you know me is WAY past their bedtime (8pm). My boys don't function well on little sleep and regardless of when they go to sleep they are typically up at 6am. Saturday was a busy day which included a baseball game and a pool/moon bounce party at the neighbor's house. We were at the party the majority of the day. At 7pm we rounded our kids to get them home and ready for bed. My neighbor thought we were going to have issues getting our kids to leave. Oh, how wrong was she they left went to bed at 7:30pm and woke up 7am. I will say they were tired. They were ok with the fact they had to leave while other kids stayed around to play.

But this is where I am really going with this story. We decided to let the boys try out for a baseball team. The team will play for 4 days around July 4th weekend. There will be some practicing that will lead up to the championship games. It would be nice for them to both make the team to keep up with their skills this summer. My fear is that one of the boys will make the team but the other will not. I know it is life and they will have to face this sooner or later but I really don't want to face it now. There are about 35 kids for 24 spots.

I am not exactly sure that the boys understood the tryout on Sunday. We tried to explain it to them but I think they were just happy that they didn't have to go to their last Lacrosse practice. We should know in the next day or so if one or both made the team. I am keeping my fingers crossed.