Woulda Coulda Shoulda

This is the trip that never ends

by Mir on June 14, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

I blinked, and then our idyllic week at sea was over. Over! Finished, done, and there was nothing left to do but stuff all of our laundry back into our suitcases, let the kids have ice cream for breakfast (oh yes we did), and then… go sit up on one of the higher decks and wait for our disembarkation number to be called.

My brother and stepbrother and Otto had all spent the previous night as we gathered for drinks networking their laptops and swapping photos. And Otto and I had choked down some sickly-sweet “drink of the day”s so as to get the souvenir cups they came in for the kids. (We, um, may have neglected to buy any souvenirs while on our trip, on account of it just never occurred to us. But who doesn’t want a cup shaped like the Carnival ships’ signature smokestack fin thing? Hooray!)

But yesterday we sat there and the kids played and we all chatted and Monkey ended up covered in ketchup (don’t ask) and then, suddenly, it was time to go. So there were hugs and kisses and thank yous and we were off to customs. (more…)

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Whoops, I missed Mexico

by Mir on June 11, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

Today I didn’t get off the ship. Somehow today was the day when all of the GOING and DOING and EATING caught up with me, and I could’ve happily spent the entire day sleeping. Chickadee was due to meet up with her aunt and uncle for ziplining early this morning, though, so I dragged my butt out of bed and took her to breakfast while Otto and Monkey got ready at a more leisurely pace.

Chickadee had eggs and a bagel and some fruit and juice and milk. I gulped at a cup of coffee and barely resisted the urge to put my head down on the table and fall asleep.

After Chickadee was packed off for her adventure, I went back to breakfast with Otto and Monkey. I had more coffee. And an omelet. And thought to myself that I was really, really tired of eating. And this was how I figured out that I was either 1) completely exhausted or 2) dying, because since when am I too tired to EAT? (more…)

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Love’s just right

by Mir on June 10, 2010 in Offspring: ecstasy and agony

I know I said yesterday that this cruise would be a lot more fun without the kids—and that’s true in many ways—but the other truth is that it’s not that it would be more FUN so much as it would be less COMPLEX.

Having kids makes it more complicated. (Having a kid with some special needs makes it a lot more complicated, quite frankly, but whatever.) Kids are complicated, period. My own special snowflakes are both easier and harder than other kids, in various ways, and I’m not up for a rousing game of “whose kids are the very most baffling” right at the moment.

The other truth is that if the kids weren’t here, this trip would not contain some of my very favorite moments so far. It would be a different trip, and while I may wish we were experiencing some of the perks of traveling kidless, now and then, this trip has quite a lot to recommend it exactly as it is. (more…)

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Magical! (kind of)

by Mir on June 9, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience", Offspring: ecstasy and agony

So yesterday was our adventure to “stingray city,” and it was definitely unlike anything we’ve ever done before.

I’m going to back up a minute here, though, and say something that probably makes me a lousy mother, and maybe even a lousy person, but I’m going to say it anyway because it’s true: This cruise would be a lot more fun without the kids. Now, I’m perfectly happy to be here with the kids, and I’m actually pretty fond of the kids, but this is just the true fact of the matter, that we are a little bit captive to their needs even with extended family here.

Chickadee is on steroids and that can make her behavior a little bit… interesting. Monkey is… well, I think Monkey is bearing up incredibly well considering that he doesn’t do well with 1) noise, 2) crowds, and 3) waiting, given that cruises are apparently filled with all three of these things. They pipe music into the pool areas so loud that I myself kind of want to wear earplugs (or stab the DJ with a fork; either way), so I can only imagine how irritating he finds it. Basically we are spending a lot more time in our cabin that we otherwise would, and a not inconsequential amount of time talking Monkey down from various perceived injustices and intolerable circumstances that arise from his schedule being turned upside down and shaken well with 3,000 other people and a lot of sea water. (more…)

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Food, ridiculous food

by Mir on June 8, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

My father tried to warn me about the food. I mean, I know that eating is a central part of cruising, just from talking to people. But GOOD LORD. I expect my children to each be five pounds heavier at the end of the week. Which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, really, as both could really use a little meat on their bones.

I also find that the frugal side of me—knowing that all this food is already paid for—feels sort of like Hey, it’s kind of wasteful if we DON’T eat. And I realize that’s completely twisted, but there you go. So when the kids want ice cream at 10 in the morning and the machine is RIGHT THERE, well, why not.

Look, I worked REALLY HARD to lose some weight this year, so I’m trying to control myself. I’ve had dessert after dinner both nights so far, because I’m not made of STONE, but I’ve been good other than that. I stick to my South Beach-esque ways and eat lots of fruits and veggies and I’m good.

But the kids, well, it’s kind of crazy. (more…)

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Family (re)union at sea

by Mir on June 7, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience", Woohoo!

Why yes, I am blogging from the middle of the ocean. I have to purchase some Internet time here on the ship at the luxury rate of about a bajillion dollars a minute so that I can do a little work, so I figured in for a penny, in for a pound—you get a piece of me, too. Lucky you!

Yesterday was a VERY long day. It turns out that the business of getting to the port, meeting up with eight other people in your party, getting through security and check-in, and then finally boarding the damn ship takes quite a while. And then just as you’re thinking to yourself, “Wow, I’m on a floating city and will never find my way back to my room again,” you have to run out on deck to your “muster station” for a safety drill, where they tell you how to put on a lifejacket and which lifeboat you should take in the event of an abandon ship order. (While that’s kind of crowded and boring no matter what, they pack you in five lines of people deep and sound various alarm chimes and I thought poor Monkey was going to abandon ship of his own volition if it didn’t conclude pretty promptly, which—thankfully—it did.) (more…)

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The guilt is crushing me a little

by Mir on June 5, 2010 in Oh look! Something furry!!

We flew to Miami today; tomorrow we’ll board the cruise ship, and I predict Chickadee will be hurled overboard by Wednesday at the latest. (Um, did I mention she’s on her second course of Prednisone? Hell hath no fury like an itchy tween on steroids. Mercy.)

Last night Otto and I were up until midnight, doing the things one does the night before a big trip (no, not THAT): Packing, trying to finish up last bits of work, cleaning the kitchen, and whatever else seemed important at the time.

Licorice leapt onto our bed and curled up on Otto’s pillow, worriedly watching him as he finished packing his suitcase.

The truth is that Licorice has been freaked out even since the first suitcase came out of the attic, which was about a week ago. The suitcases came out; Licorice turned back into the sweet but clingy dog she’d been when she arrived at our house back in the Fall.

And lo, it was pitiful. (more…)

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You wanted more beets, right?

by Mir on June 4, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

My my my. Y’all had a lot to say about beets. Some of your comments made me laugh out loud. It appears that no one is neutral on beets; they’re one of those love-em-or-hate-em foods for most of you. Interesting.

Naturally, I took this as a sign that you wanted a whole ‘nother post mostly about beets, so that’s what I did over at Five Full Plates. Feel the love! Or revulsion! Your choice!

What, you don’t like beets? Okay, how about a peek at this year’s garden?

MAH BABIES! MAH BABY SQUASHES! (more…)

Comments { 37 }

Bad mood, dude

by Mir on June 2, 2010 in Health is overrated, My name is Grumplestiltskin, Offspring: ecstasy and agony

Today we went back to Emory for the second time, to talk about Chickadee’s mystery skin condition. (Pretend that I linked back to the previous relevant posts on this subject. That will also require pretending I am not typing this in the car on my teeny tiny piece of crap netbook, and also that I’m a lot more organized than I actually am. And also that I’m in a better mood, which I’m not, which is also sort of the point here.) You may recall—and we’re pretending I linked to the post about—they’d put her on a new medication and I thought it was working right up until she busted out in a fantastic rash (right on schedule!) and she had to go back on Prednisone.

So today we farmed Monkey out to some friends and Otto drove us into Atlanta because I HATE driving in Atlanta and we spent a couple of hours with our friendly neighborhood pediatric dermatological specialists, and they had some really interesting things to tell us now that they’ve had some time to think it all over.

And we’re looking for some ANSWERS here, preferably, so I was READY. For ANSWERS. So it was all very exciting. (more…)

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Beet it

by Mir on June 1, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

Friends, Romans, fellow Farmer’s Market nerds: I need your input.

One of the things we do when we go camping is prepare a bunch of food ahead to make meal prep in the wilderness as easy as possible. So—just for example—the second time I attempted falafel, it was delicious and I froze half the (cooked) batch and then we threw it in a pan and heated it up in our wee little camper oven for dinner one night. Easy peasy.

Also, I made a trip to the Farmer’s Market before we left and got some beautiful beets, which I roasted and made into this amazing salad concoction with caramelized sweet onions, feta cheese and a balsamic glaze. Otto and I both love it. And both children… refused to touch it. Even after I (encouragingly) promised them that it would turn their pee a very festive color.

Now; these are kids who eat broccoli, asparagus, eggplant… it’s not that they don’t like veggies. Me, I never ate a beet until I was an adult, and then my first brush was PICKLED beets (which are vile and disgusting), so for years I believed I hated beets. So I ALMOST understand, but not quite.

So, tell me: Beets, yay or nay?

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