The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Once I got the hang of the single mom thing I stopped writing about it. Actually I got so busy and was so worn out I decided I would rather play computer games and watch the Olympics than write. Here are my final thoughts on the whole single mom for two weeks adventure:

*Brought all five kids with me to Costco and we made it out without a scratch on any kid. Of course it helped that sample time was over. :)

*Took a walk on a bike path and the kids enjoyed being outside.

*Went to first day of school with no obvious mishaps. Did I mention it was the first day of school? I only had two kids for four hours and as soon as the kindergartner got home I put baby down for a nap. Loved it!

*Baby took a bottle and went to sleep without too much fuss. No problems after the first few days.

*I was finally able to work out after I dropped three kids off to school. Everyone should have a jogging stroller.

*My computer came in the mail! Granted it was shipped to Utah but came nonetheless.
*The last week there, the high temperature was above 100 degrees. It finally cooled down the day I picked up my parents and brother and wife at the airport. I abhor the heat! At least the kids were able to play on the slip-n-slide to cool down after school.
*In attempts at drying out the back lawn to mow it, I killed some grass in the front lawn. Who has two sprinkling controllers?! Got most of the lawn revived before leaving but never did mow the back lawn.
*I really don't like whining. It bothered me as a teacher and bothered me more as a "parent."
*I have a lot of patience at times and very little at others. See previous line. :)
*Teething babies can be difficult. Gratefully Infant Tylenol did wonders for baby!
*My sister Suzy saved me at times. I saw her everyday and loved talking with her. We talked about the kids, school, our own personal frustrations, and most importantly, the Olympics. It was fun to share my life with her for two weeks.
*Most importantly I came away understanding what kind of mom I want to be and maybe how to be that. The key to that is having a good husband to help. Being a single mom is tough. Every child needs two parents and every parent needs a good spouse to help support him or her. Dads balance out moms and moms balance out dads. I'm sure all you married people understand what I am trying to say. I believe a child needs a mom and a dad. As for those who thought being a single mom of five for two weeks would squash any desire for my own family, they were completely wrong. If anything it fueled the fire.

Things of Note

*Baby likes new schedule so much more. He even refused to let his sister help him eat. He wants me now.
*Five-year old comments maybe innocent but can still be hurtful.
*Being a single mom can be lonely. Good thing I have older sister here to visit with often.
*Two parents are so much better than one.
*Kids need lots of love and affection and attention in life.
*Kids like knowing how to do things themselves. Better to teach them than to say no all of the time.
*This experience has not sqaushed my desire to have my own family.

Moving Right Along

Yesterday, I tried doing one long nap with Eric since the two small naps the past two days wasn't working. Baby slept 3 1/2 hours! He went to bed early too and as a report from this morning slept in until 7:00. My sister Suzy suggested I put a bottle of water in his bed and a book. I heard him "talk" this morning and went to get him out of bed. Low and behold, he had the bottle in one hand and the book in the other. It was nice because he wasn't crying which usually wakes everyone else up too. I want to try this schedule again today. Oh! He also drank 4 oz before going to sleep last night so I am making progress. All the other kids are doing well. They try to convince me that they can stay up later, not clean up their messes, etc. Unfortunately for them, I was a school teacher. Their excuses and pleas don't work.

ABCDEFG...

Yesterday morning, Eric (the 11 month old) barely ate any breakfast. The kid had to be starving! I had a brilliant idea. I had Tiana (8) feed him. Little one ate the whole bowl of rice cereal. Eventually, he will get used to me. That morning we went to the park with my sister Suzy and her kids. It was nice for the kids to run around with friends and get energy out and it was nice for me to talk with Suzy. We always have fun conversations. Lunch was great. Now for naptime. Believe it or not, Eric fell asleep to me singing the ABC song. I sang it over and over again and kept singing it as I put him in the crib. Still sang it and rubbed his back as he settled in the crib. I think I found a winner! I know that parents get a routine down that kids are familiar with and maybe this is my routine with Eric. Suzy also gave me a suggestion to help Eric take a bottle from me. He didn't drink his usual 6 oz. but he drank something. I'm going to keep working on this one. The kid has got to be thirsty. I also used the ABC song again for nighttime and it worked! So Eric slept the whole night long. I also figured out that it was better to put Josh (3) and Andrew (5) down before the older two. I'm getting the hang of this mom thing. I swear it is easier when you add them one at a time instead of five at once!

Being a Mom Day 1

My brother, his wife, and my parents left for Denmark yesterday. Crazy fool that I was, I offered to help babysit his kids while they were gone. In my defense, I offered when they only had four kids. :) Yes, you read that right. I am now a single mom of five kids ages 9 1/2, 8, 5, 3, and 11 months. The kids are getting used to me and my tolerance level, and I am learning what they need. The five-year-old and I are working on helping him use a "house" voice. He loves to yell and scream everything. The older two are just great helpers. The three-year-old is actually doing really well with me and loves to help. That leaves the youngest. Naptime was okay. I finally had to let him cry himself to sleep which he did within five minutes. Bedtime however was almost a nightmare. He was so mad his mom wasn't there. He only drank 1 oz. and refused to calm down. He even started crawling around, crying the whole time, looking for his mom. My favorite is when he put his head on the floor, falling asleep for just a second and then kept searching and crying. Eventually, my niece held him until he was drifting asleep and then I took him. After I put him in his bed, the three-year-old sang to him. Gratefully he slept all night. This morning when I got him out of bed he looked so disappointed to see me instead of his mom. Hopefully he gets used to the fact that I am here.

My Second Home

Growing up my dad and I would sing songs around the piano. One of my favorites was this old school song titled California. (One of my new favorites is also titled California.) I love California! My grandparents lived there and I have such great memories of watching the golfers from Grams and Gramps' balcony, swimming in the pool, walking along the golf course at night, and playing at the beach. Right now I am sitting in my sisters bed enjoying the sounds and smells that are truly Californian and remembering all the fun times we had as kids. I have very distinct memories of this one type of bird. I have no idea what bird it is but its call always reminds me of California. It has been yakking away for over an hour this morning but I love it. The smell is a mixture of humidity, a bit of smog, and fragrant flowers (right now it is the magnolias). Every once in a while you get that smell in Utah, but not often. I am amazed how I always feel at home here in California.

Too Late

Can I tell you what I hate? I hate timing. It is the worst! It never seems to be on my side. I'm not going to elaborate on what is bothering me at this moment because who knows if that bothersome will actually stumble onto this blog. All I will say is something I said would never happen has happened...to me. But the timing gods are against me! I am probably 1 1/2 years too late on this one. Curse the timing in my life. Arg! Oh well. I guess this is where patience and faith come into play.

Hiking

My family thinks I don't like hiking. It isn't that I don't like it but sweating like a dog and gasping for air has never been much of a thrill for me. I absolutely love long stretches of trail that wind through canyons (Calf Creek Falls, The Narrows, etc.) but actually have very little elevation change (unless it is going down). So I must have been crazy when I offered to carry my cousin's son on our annual family reunion hike. Surprisingly, my hiking abilities have increased. My stamina and endurance are so much better than when I was younger. The hike was great and Gavin even fell asleep. I like hiking. Hopefully I can find more hikes like this one.

Lake Powell

I love my family vacations. So often I hear people grumbling about family members or family reunions they have to go to. When my family gets together, we always have fun. This year we vacationed in Lake Powell. Four days on the lake. My family is one of the few crazy families who gets up at the crack of dawn to be the first ones on the lake. I am still amazed at how early Dad wakes us up. However, I love gliding across the water so it is all worth it. The days were full of more wakeboarding, more water skiing, riding Mable, swimming back in coves, playing in the sand, going down the slide from the houseboat, or just floating in the water. And when we were so exhausted that we could barely lift our pinky, we just kicked back and played some Rook. Finally at the end of each day, we slept on top of the houseboat under the stars, watching in awe and amazement at the multitude of stars that peak out when you're away from the city lights, and seeing the occasional shooting star. Needless to say, we had a fabulous time.

Charleston Day 8

Today was our last day in Charleston. We didn't finish the walking tour yesterday so my mom said she would finish it with me. Everyone else also decided to come with us. We finished up the tour stopping at the Old Exchange Building and the Old Slave Mart. These two museums are on my list the next time I come. Afterwards we brought Kathrine to the airport and then headed to Patriot's Point. Talk to Nettie about how quickly she explored the aircraft carrier in two hours. She was a speed demon. The USS Yorktown was amazing. I can't imagine living on it though. Incredible is the only word I can use to describe it. After our quick stint at Patriot's Point we headed to the airport and traveled home. Gratefully we did not have any flight problems this whole trip. I highly recommend Charleston to everyone. So where is my next trip? I think Prince Edward Island.

Charleston Day 7

Today was the day my family decided going on trips with Thamina is not a good idea. For me I love just being part of a city. I love walking around and seeing what is there. I have a photographic memory so I literally take the views of the city with me. We stopped at the Charleston Visitor's Center and got ready what everyone thought was the Museum Mile tour. This tour brings you through the major historical center via Meeting Street. However, when I went into the visitor's center I found a walking tour of Charleston which added x-amount of descriptions to the original tour. The path was similar but I knew that my family would get tired of me quickly. So we began the adventure. Honestly, it would have gone quickly if it had been myself but when you are a group of seven everyone has their own agenda, something I needed to be reminded of constantly because I was becoming a brat about it. So what I thought would only take a couple of hours took longer. People were tired and lunch did not happen until 2:30. We only took tours of two houses: The Calhoun Mansion and the Edmondston-Alston house. I wanted to go on a couple of more tours but did not feel right making others pay for more stuff. Every house had a $10 entrance fee so four houses adds up quickly. After lunch we called it a day. We stopped at Patriot's Point to check out their times and decided to stop there tomorrow before we flew home. The rest of the time we played at the beach. I love the beach! I would love to come and visit Charleston again. This has been a great vacation!

Charleston Day 6

Today was Sunday which meant less walking. My mom and dad had a great time at church meeting up with old friends. I think they enjoyed being remembered. Afterwards we went exploring trying to find the remnants of Fort Johnson where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. We had to walk a bit but found the ruins. I would love to excavate the site! Not much has been done except a placard placed to designate the spot. We walked a bit downtown but it was raining so we came back to the hotel and played cards and watched movies. It was nice to relax especially since I knew what I had planned for day seven.

Charleston Day 5

To anyone who actually reads this I am finishing up the Charleston trip. I haven't been in town the past few weeks and when I have been it has been repacking for the next adventure. To be honest day five paled in comparison to day four. I loved day four! Today we walked around Charles Towne Landing, the first official settlement in the area. They had animals in cages and alligators not in cages. The grounds were beautiful and I love the Spanish Moss on the trees. Overall though, it was more of a park that I would visit for a Sunday walk or bike ride with the family. Do understand though, that if you are going to travel to Charleston this is a must see. Just do it before the other cool stuff so it doesn't seem as anti-climatic. Afterwards we went to Middleton Place. The gardens were very nice but I loved Magnolia Gardens better. I also think the heat was getting to all of us which made walking around outside less than desirable. Once again, Middleton Place is a must see. Every night we have gone out for dinner at some little quaint place in Charleston. If anyone wants a list of places email and I'll give you my favorites. Most evenings after we walked around in the heat we would relax in the pool at the hotel. Nice way to cool off from the sweltering day.

Yes, I was a Trucker

I'm taking a break from the Charleston updates because I haven't been in town to go through pictures and organize them. I have only been in town one week of the past five. Week 1 and 2 I was in Charleston then at our family's cabin. The third week I was doing statistics. Yes it was as boring as it sounds but completing the class made my acceptance to MBA school official. And yes that is as scary as it sounds. Week 4 was Lake Powell which I will post when I get back to home. Where am I week 5? I have been driving. Yes folks driving. Monday we drove to Bryce Canyon and hiked down into the canyon. I have hiked this before, but Annette has no memory of it and she wanted (?) to do it before she moved. Tuesday we (Annette, my mom, Kathrine, and I in two different cars) drove for 12 hours to Sacramento. Wednesday we drove to Palo Alto and moved Nettie into her new place. I am actually a bit jealous of her. I have tried over and over again to move to that area. I love it there but my life doesn't seem to be moving in that direction. If you are reading this, you probably know that back story. After we moved Nettie into her house, we drove back to Sacramento. Today we actually get a break, but do you know what I am doing tomorrow? That's right folks, driving back to Utah. I drove all but two hours out to Sacramento. I drove to Palo Alto and back. And tomorrow I will do most of the driving. What can I say...I was a trucker in my former life.

Charleston Day 4

Today was my favorite day. It is best described as "how much can Thamina stuff into one day." We started at Fort Sumter. You take a ferry boat out to the fort. The ride is quite nice. They tell you cool historical things that happened in the area and point out significant landmarks. It is fun to see the Charleston peninsula from the harbor. Fort Sumter is quite amazing to see. The fort functioned up until World War 1. During the Spanish-American War the gunner holes were bricked up and filled with sand and dirt and other debrie to fortify the fort. Not until 1950 did they excavate and find all these Civil War cannons. The grassy knoll you see in the pictures is the non-excavated part. Sonar testing reveals large metal objects (canons) underneath but these will probably be left alone. After Fort Sumter we went to Boone Hall, the place where my fascination began. The grounds are incredible. I love the house and the line of oaks and the slave quarters and the cotton house and the river...basically everything! I just feel like I am in another time. I have decided that if I lived in another time period I would live as a merchants daughter in the deep south prior to the Civil War. It all just fascinates me. After we visited Boone Hall we stopped at a sweetgrass shop and bought some sweetgrass hot plates. My mom has had some of these for as long as I have been alive. I love them! I didn't buy anything else because I wasn't going to play $150+ for a basket. Next we went to Fort Moultrie. We actually didn't get to the fort until after it closed but I was okay with that. We were still able to walk around and view Fort Sumter from Fort Moultrie. Right before the Civil War, Major Anderson moved his troops from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter in the middle of the night. This act infuriated the people of Charleston which just added fuel to the fire. That night we ate at Poe's Tavern, named after Edgar Allen Poe. He was stationed at Fort Moultrie for 18 months and the people of Sullivan's Island are quite proud of this fact. We decided to walk along the beach after dinner so we drove to Isle of Palms and just walked along the sand. I love walking on the beach especially when the sun is about to set. Today really was a good day and I was so happy that everyone enjoyed what I planned.

Charleston Day 3

I really should be finishing my final exam for my stats class but my brain is fried! I will finish the test tomorrow. Sorry mom. I may be lucky. She probably doesn't read my blog. So to delay going to bed, I decided to add day three of our trip. Compared to day two, today was relaxing. We drove to Angel Oak, the largest live oak in South Carolina. Rumor has it to be well over 1400 years old. I'm sure scientists have done testing but I rather like the legend. After driving around on Johns Island and then James Island, we walked out to the Morris Lighthouse lookout point. Actually we were on the furthest tip of Folly Beach on James Island. The fascination for me wasn't really the lighthouse. Somewhere on Morris Island stood Fort Wagner which was featured in the movie Glory. Told you I was a Civil War geek. Before the trip I Google-mapped it and knew where it was so this spot and Fort Sumter was the closest I was going to get in seeing where the fort would have stood and where the attack began. The fort no longer exists, but that didn't matter to me. I just realized I never told my parents or aunts the fascination with that spot. Of course Annette knew. Next up was the beach. This was my first time playing in the Atlantic Ocean. The water was Lake Powell temperature and the waves were nice and rolling. However, you can only float so long in the water. We tried body surfing but the waves were weak. Not much force at all. In spite of this, I loved my time at the beach so much that I rearranged some things so we could go back another day. Later that evening we went and visited MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina). This is where my dad completed his medical residency 30 years ago. My dad enjoyed seeing all the changes and saying, "This isn't the way it used to be." Tonight we also picked up Kathrine from the airport. Now we had seven driving around in the van.

Charleston Day 2

Since I am sitting here waiting for my laundry to be finished I thought I would add another day. Our first full day in Charleston started at Drayton Hall. For the most part it has kept its architectural integrity. As you walk through the house you can see the years of change but the history fascinates me. This house is one of the few authentic plantation homes from the 1700s. During the Civil War, Sherman burned most of the homes on his march through the South but Dr. John Drayton posted yellow flags at the entrances to the property indicating that it was being used as a smallpox hospital. Thus the house was saved. After the tour we walked around the yard and the nearby swamp reading the points of interest on our map. I like walking tours because tour guides get verbose and I am not that interested in what they have to say. After Drayton Hall we went to the nearby plantation Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The house was built in the early 1900s and cost to enter so we didn't take that tour. However, we did walk all around the gardens which were absolutely beautiful. My mom says the gardens are even more magnificent during the early spring when the both the azaleas and the camellias are in bloom. The humidity was amazing! And by amazing I mean the most I have ever sweated without working out. I did plan for this though. I expected to be sweaty and yucky the whole time which is another reason I always pulled my hair up. Thick long hair does not help the heat situation. After walking all over the plantation we went to dinner and topped the day off with a visit to a dessert cafe. I did plan on working out during the trip but we walked around so much and the heat and humidity were so draining I decided that sleep was a better option.

Charleston Day 1

I haven't posted for a while because I was on vacation. If I could do anything in the world as a career I would want to be on vacation. I love traveling and seeing new places. Charleston has been on the list since I was seven. The reason: the Civil War and North and South (not the BBC version). Finally after years of anticipation I decided I was going to go by myself. My mom not wanting me to travel alone said she would come with me. My dad heard we were going and rearranged his schedule to join us. He and my mom lived in South Carolina during his residency. Not wanting to be out numbered by the parents and because I knew she would love to come, I invited and convinced Annette to come. Then I invited my mom's sisters Janet and Christine along because I know they are always looking for a new place to visit plus I know what it is like to be single and have no one to travel with me. Finally Kathrine decided she didn't want to be left out and joined us for some of the trip. All in all it turned out to be a great adventure. I would love to go back, especially during the Historic Homes and Gardens show during the spring. The next few posts will be pictures with explanation about the trip. We arrived late in the afternoon. After checking into the hotel, we ventured to historic downtown to walk along the battery (the barrier wall between the land and sea). We saw Fort Sumter from the peninsula and amazing historic houses. Some of these were featured in the TV movie North and South. I hope you enjoy the virtual tour.

I want the fairy tale

Unknown quirk

All of us in life have little quirks. Most of mine are quite obvious. However, I have one that many have not realized. I love watching airplanes, specifically their flight patterns. If a plane flies overhead I watch it and wonder where it has been and what path it has taken to arrive at its destination. I figured out which side of the airplane to sit on for the best views of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Zions when flying between Salt Lake and Phoenix. I can also tell you as we descend which side of the airport we will land. Many of you may not have realized that depending on air patterns, planes may take off or land from a different side of the runway. I love watching airplanes. Watching the sky is quite the fascination for me.