Home Sweet Home

We are on our way home!  Slowly but surely.  We will trek the whole night and take turns driving.  It stinks but we are able to bring the girls' bikes and not have to rent a car for 2 1/2 weeks. 

There is a cute arcade in the little village by our little house.  The girls were able to play some of the games this week and turned in their tickets last night for prizes.  B-real got a card too and had arranged with the girls that they would split all the tickets earned with the three cards equally between the two girls.  As the girls were interacting with the woman who owned the arcade she remarked to B-real that she had never met such polite, well mannered children.  As a result she went to this claw game (you know where you manipulate the claw down to the stuffed animals and it gives you nothing), opened it up and took out two stuffed animals for the girls.  The girls were thrilled and so appreciative.  The arcade owner came out and told me I was doing such a good job raising such nice girls.  She said she sees plenty of kids working at the arcade.  

I think she was a smart lady.  Normally when a child behaves well the parents receive the compliments.  The parents may in turn compliment the child or let the child know about the compliment.  Here was a woman who was rewarding the child for their behavior.  It provided a nice opportunity for us to discuss that being kind, friendly, and polite gets you things in life.  It pays to be those things.  Big C had another time at Caribou where she went up to the register and asked for a glass of water and the clerk was so impressed with her manners that she gave her a free blueberry muffin.   People do nice things for you when you are a nice person.  

A little extra NYC

I took the girls to see Lion King on Broadway.  It was good but my expectations were so high that I wasn't completely wowed.  I liked Matilda, which we took he girls to see in the west end of London, better.  And I took little c to Annie on Broadway last year.  Less pricey and just as pleased. 

Aren't they cute?  We were walking around mid-town in the way to the subway. 

Dream fulfilled.  As a child there was a time when I wanted to be a tv news anchor.  I got to report on a hurricane at the Sony lab.  Little did I realize they broadcast it on huge t.v.s throughout the museum.  I sort of got into it, pretending like I was being blown away.  Big C, upon seeing it on the large t.v.s said "Make it go away mom".  I kind of wanted it to go away too!!! Would never have been that dramatic if I had known it wasn't just for me!

The Sony Lab was neat.  

The girls loved Dylan's Candy Bar.  We even got to see the real Dylan!

Little c drew a lot.  This was her drawing of me.  I texted it to B-real and he said I am much prettier in person.  I love the size of my ears!  I cherish their drawings so much.  One big c drew graces my loving room wall.  It's a picture she drew of our family when she was three or so. 

Gulf Style

Seeing as B-real has been feeling so ill I have been sticking close to the beach house.  Today he said it would make him happy if I walked to the beach.  I love to take walks and I love the beach.  

It is just a beautiful, peaceful time to be here.  Seems like after lunch the spring breakers have woken up and taken over. It is hard to find any sand to stake your towel.  The people watching is awesome!! 

Still hoping B-real will begin to feel better.  Although he said he couldn't drive home for 21 hours in his current state.  Extended vacation?!! Little c is jones-ing for a return to the Hilton.  

Arizona

This MN winter has been a doozy.  So doozy-luscious that I really didn't think I could last until our march trip to FL.  I asked B-real if we might be able to steal away for a quick warm up in February, just the two of us.  Happy to oblige we looked for somewhere warm we could get to in a morning, no connections, short commute from airport to hotel.  

Initially we planned for Sedona but learned it is still pretty cold there in February.  Instead we found a nice hotel 

in Phoenix and sat poolside, ate nice meals, walked, and drove to The Grand Canyon. 

We reveled in our time together and had so much fun!  We both devoured our books and lounged on the lazy river.  We thought our kids would have loved the resort because of the huge river and the water slides.  

Can I tell you how nice it was to see grass and fresh flowers?

What I Learned This Weekend

Today I learned that when Big C is interested in something and she wants to do it, her behavior is fantastic.  I don't need to worry about her being unpleasant and moody.  However, if I force something on her, the outcome is usually not good. 

If I think she needs more physical activity and suggest she might try a tramp and tumbling class, she will reluctantly go but will likely be grumpy with the instructor, embarrass herself and me, and have a bad time.  If she loves downhill skiing and wants to go to Skijammers, I will worry about her spending a whole day away from home and her attitude and her stamina, and she will come home with some pin saying she's the superstar of the day.  Huh?

I mentioned it to my dad and he asked if I was surprised that a child is just like an adult.  If they are excited about something and really want to do it, they will be joyful.  If they don't want to do it, they will be grumpy and not have much fun.

I had thought I might push her outside her comfort zone and she might pick up on some fun, new activity.

I need to listen to my children and be o.k. if they seem o.k.  Especially with Big C; I think she's more self-aware than other children her age. I don't need to force my agenda on them.  One child requires a lot more activity and the other is just as happy with her occasional hobbies.  The later does not feel like she is missing out.   And I don't need to buy into the business of other people's children and feel like a failure for not keeping my children as busy as other children. 

If they are o.k., I should be o.k. too. 

TSA again

B-real was coming back from a trip last week.  In Atlanta they only have body scanners so he exercised his right of refusal and waited for the manhandling called security.  During that time, as I mentioned in a previous post, everything you have been forced to take out of your pockets, proceeds to go through the X-ray machine.  As I reported in La Guardia his stuff, including wallet, passport, phone lay unattended for the taking as he waited for the TSA to slowly make their way to complete his manhandling.  The same thing happened in Atlanta last week, except this time he found his passport had been taken.  Yep, gone.  Nowhere to be found.  And with hundreds of dollars of visa clearances in it.  Basically permission for him to enter a host of other countries provided and paid for by his employer.  He reported it stolen.  

This all comes on the heels of the Malaysian Airlines confusion where two individuals were flying on passports that had been stolen and reported stolen.  How can people be using passports to check in for flights when they are in a database somewhere indicating they have been stolen?  I just don't understand and it baffles me that we aren't making a bigger deal about that fact.  It makes me nervous to fly.  Here we manhandle people in the name of security at airports yet we are not prohibiting individuals from gaining access to airplanes whom are flying with fraudulent identification.  

Instead of going on and on about whether the pilot committed suicide or whether there was a maintenance malfunction on the cable new channels, they should be talking about this flaw in our international security system.   

Vacations and Our Family

Vacation and the Murray family don't always mix well.  B-real said he thinks maybe we should not go on vacation anymore.  I said it might be as a result of all of the travels we take. Someone is bound to get sick.  Although, I have to say, it seems our more pressing illnesses occur outside of our hometown. 

B-real is super sick in FL.  So sick that he asked me to take him to the urgent care and he hates the doctor.  In the 14 years we have been married I have never seen him really ill.  The poor guy is suffering from some GI issues, high fever, headache, just yuckiness.  And it's his week of vacation.  Well deserved vacation.  Last week he worked while my parents were with us.  Why couldn't he have gotten sick last week?  He has never had a sick day from work!  So we are spending a lovely FL day cooped up in a tiny urgent care room while he is getting an IV and going through a battery of tests.  Fortunately we have grandparents with with us to watch the girls because B-real couldn't drive himself here.

We have plenty of experience with doctors in FL because little c had her infamous sliver experience down here.  I like our MN healthcare so much better. 

A little Iv fluids, Zofran, and Toradol and he's starting to have a little more energy!  Here's to hoping he kicks the bug today and gets to enjoy the last three days of vacation.