1m2aSandbox

My whole life, I’ve been a night
person. People knew that to call me before 10 a.m. meant to risk
disinheritance – or even dismemberment. When I became a mom,
I didn’t understand why everyone got up so early in the
morning with kids. I swore I wouldn’t be that way, and put
Maddie to bed at 9 p.m. from infancy. When Cora was born and Maddie
was two, Maddie was still sleeping until 9 or 10 a.m. every
morning.


Cora, of course, is the Incredible Non-Sleeping Girl, but while
she’s kept me up many nights, she still had the decency to
not get up as early as some of my friends’ kids (5:30. In the
morning.) With Cora, I crabbed if she got up at 7:30, and when
Maddie started preschool and had to get up at 7:45 to be at school
at 9, I thought the world had turned inside out. Where was every
shred of human civility?

My baby's starting kindergarten next
Monday, and I can't believe it. How is that I've spent the last
several months anticipating this moment, and yet I feel so
dreadfully under-prepared?


I mean, we've got the back pack. We've got the lunch box - the
same one Maddie used last year. When I told her we needed to go buy
a lunch box she said blankly, "But I've already got one!" I'm so
happy she hasn't hit that must-be-new state yet. But I digress.


As I was saying, we've bought all the "stuff". Maddie went
clothing shopping and bought her first day of school outfit - more
on that later. Suffice it to say it's done and she's excited.
She's been wearing her new shoes, to make sure they don't give
her blisters. She's opening the countdown calendar the school gave
her. School supplies are purchased and already at the school. I've
combed the internet and found some really great lunchbox
alternatives that are eco-friendly - but more on that later, too.


In short, we're ready. But I'm looking at this week and freaking
out. What to do??? One last trip to the mall for a carousel ride?
One last time around the ice-skating rink? Every time we go to the
pool I worry it could be our last time.


Stupid, I know. Especially given how excited she is about next
week. But I don't want to waste these last few days.

When we hit Colorado for our big family
vacation, we were determined to do all things Coloradian
(Coloradious?). We hiked the Garden of the Gods, we fished in
hard-to-reach canyons, we rode the train up Pike’s Peak. And,
oh yes, we met horses.


At ages 3 and 5, the girls are both too young to do any sort of
trail ride, which is hard for me since horseback riding is one of
my favorite things to do, and one of the best ways to explore an
area on vacation. But the girls had heard a lot about Colorado
ranches and riding a horse was one of the two things Maddie HAD to
do (the other? Fishing) so I cast about until I found a place that
offered pony rides. The rides were contingent upon there being a
gentle horse left after all the tourists had headed out on trail
rides, so it was a sort of “show up and hope” kinda
thing. They advertised the rides were available between 10 and 2,
so we showed up at 9:45, hoping the early bird catches the worm. I
mean, horse.

I had a truly fantastic time on our
vacation last week, and was loathe to come home for many reasons.
But I can say that on one front, I breathed a sigh of relief when
we walked back through our own door –


The bathroom front.


Let’s start with Cora.

Before we headed out on our summer
vacation, Brian came to me requesting a serious conversation.
Concerned, I sat down with him apprehensively.


“Listen, we’re about to head out for a week of
fun,” he started, clearly nervous. “And I was wondering
– and I know this is your area and I’m not trying to
undermine it – but I thought maybe you’d consider
relaxing their dietary restrictions.”


I was indignant. “I can loosen up for vacation! I’ve
already packed Annie’s Organic Cocoa Bunnies cereal, and some
organic fruit-flavored Cheerios.”


Brian looked at me. “Jen, just let them eat Fruit Loops
already.”

Many of you know that our recent trip to
Colorado was our first family car trip, and I was a bit nervous
about it, to say the least. I’m a pretty good packer, having
spent much of my adulthood traveling from city to city, so the
vacation portion didn’t worry me too much. But being ready
for the fourteen hours in the car – that was another story.


I did my research. I road-tested stuff. I polled other moms. And I
finally compiled several lines of defense to stave off boredom and
squabbles during our enforced family intimacy time.


And, I must confess, had a little freak out.

Yes, we've been gone on vacation, having
a fantastic time in Colorado and generating lots of material for
future blogs. We arrived back home around 5:30 p.m. Sunday night,
and the girls were so relieved to be back in familiar surroundings
that they promptly went into "check-out" mode and began playing
elaborate games by themselves, each in her own little corner. Life
is good.


As for me, I went crazy and unpacked the entire family, even
putting the suitcases away, last night. I couldn't bear the
thought of collapsing into bed and waking up to a messy house with
a list of chores waiting for me. Well, a longer list of chores,
anyway - today is all about grocery shopping and putting on my "get
my baby ready for school" hat.


I took notes all last week, don't worry - you'll hear plenty of
stories about the time we saw a mama bear and her bear cubs, five
feet from our bedroom window. Or about the time Cora danced around
on the peak of a 14,000-foot mountain with a lightening storm
rolling quickly in, singing at the top of her lungs: "I like to
move it move it!"


Many good stories, I promise. But right now, I gotta go get milk
for our cereal.