After the Storm August 28, 2011

Man oh man…what a night/morning!  We were prepared for Irene’s arrival and I am glad that we were.  Mark had to stay at the hotel to be sure he was at work in the morning.  I know… I am still kinda bothered, but I will choose to keep my mouth shut about that one.  He came home for dinner and went back before things got super crazy.

 

Ella was in bed at her normal time and I was cleaning up from the tornado (a.k.a.the kid) that whipped through my house earlier that evening.  As I was doing the dishes, the lights began to flicker.  I knew it was coming but was still a little panicked when it happened.  The power went out around 10 p.m.  Shortly after, I heard the little one start to cry.  She sleeps with white noise from her air purifier and fan, so when the power went out…she woke up.  I brought her in my bed in hopes that she may fall asleep next to me.  With the sound of the wind and rain…there was no sleeping to be had.  She kept getting up and asking about the noises and wanted to see it.  She would lay back down for a few more minutes and then would sit straight up smiling at me and asking for a snack.  Haha.  Leave it to her to have hurricane munchies.  She was talking my ear off, but yawning at the same time.  I even pulled out my kindle and we read a few chapters of my book together.  I finally got her to fall asleep around 1 a.m.  I woke up around 2 a.m. for some reason and noticed my lights were on in the kitchen, so I got up and shut everything down.  Ella then woke me up around 5:30 a.m. chattering up a storm.  I knew the kiddo did not get enough sleep, so I put her down in her crib where she then got 3 more hours in.  Thank goodness.  When I woke for good, I got 2 cups of coffee in and when I was getting ready to start our hurricane omelettes, the power went out again.  So cereal it was!

 

Our power came back on about 12:45 p.m. and so far so good.  I have checked everything and the only thing that seemed to have impact from Irene is the tree in front of my house who lost a few limbs.  Some leaking in the fireplace, nothing major.  It is still a little windy, but this feisty chick is outta here.  “SEE-Ja!!”, as Ella would say.

 

Thank you to all my friends and family and the husband for the continuous checking in.  So glad everyone is safe and very grateful to have each and everyone one of you in our lives!

Our special Hurricane Treat. Notice the little hand reaching for it.

Come on Irene! August 26, 2011

This week has got to be the strangest week regarding weather and mother nature I can remember.  (at least on the East coast that is)  On Sunday, they were calling for possible tornado’s down state near the beaches.  On Tuesday, we had an earthquake that was felt up and down the east coast.  And now this!  Irene is ticked off and out to take vengeance on the east coast.

 

I remember growing up and the thought of tornado’s and earthquakes happening around me were unheard of.  So all this makes me wonder, what in the Sam hell is going on?  Way too much is happening all at once or at least within one week.

 

I have been in a hurricane before and we often were in the eye of the storm while vacationing at the beach.  As I spoke with my mother last night, who is at the beach now, she informed me that she is being evacuated.  She spoke to a sales clerk at a nearby store who said, they have not had a mandatory evacuation since 1980.  They are also not letting anyone else into the beach towns.

 

While I am usually not rattled by storms, I have to admit I am concerned with this chumfy heading our way.  Alerts are everywhere, even my company is sending us warning alerts and ways to prepare for Irene.  As I read the news, I realize just how serious this really is.  They say Hurricane Irene’s tropical storm-force wind field is larger than both Hurricane Ike (2008) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) at maximum size!  WHAT!!!  I believe this validates the concern.

 

Now, I am being informed that my husband’s work wants to put him up all weekend, leaving me and the little to fend for ourselves during the storm.  He works in a fancy restaurant at a hotel and they want to ensure all their employees are available to work.  Are they serious??

 

Well hopefully Irene does not make an appearance early, as I have a busy night of preparations ahead of me.  I will be filling my bathtub, getting my canned goods, water, candles and charging up the batteries for Ella’s DVD player and my kindle.  This weekend will be all about quality time, snuggling, dancing, singing, indoor fort building and whatever else we can come up with.

 

I pray for everyone on the East Coast to stay safe and be smart!

Life’s a Beach! August 23, 2011

There is no other place in the world that can make me forget about all my troubles, fears and stresses of every day life.  Just gazing out into the vast open waters or listening to the waves crash against the sandy shore, it brings a sense of peace to me.  The beach is also where I met my husband, so it also brings so much joy to the both of us!

 

This past weekend, Ella and I trucked into the sea salty air of Ocean City, MD and what a beautiful weekend it was!  Last year, she was a little too young to be able to really enjoy the fun of playing in the sand and jumping the waves.  Well, she more than made up for it this year!  As we stepped out onto the sand for the first time on Saturday, she was in awe at the ‘Big Sandbox’ or “Sandbock” as Ella calls it.  Once we had the blankets and umbrella set up, I took her down to the water.  She was a little apprehensive with such a “Big Tubby”, but after a couples waves…she was hooked.

 

After jumping waves, building sand castles, getting buried in the sand, enjoying Popsicles on the beach and absolutely no naps…needless to say my little bugger was exhausted.  She is a definite trooper and has proved over and over that she can hang with the big dogs!  haha.

 

It truly was a wonderful weekend, but there definitely was a piece of the puzzle missing.  Unfortunately, the husband had to work the weekend and couldn’t make this trip.  As a special token, Ella and I posed for some telescopes and brought them home as a gift for daddy.  He loved them!  Before fall is here, we will definitely be taking another trip to the sandy shores…all three of us!

You know you’re getting old when… August 12, 2011

You need Pepto as a chaser after eating spicy food!  Feel free to fill in your own ending, but mine is definitely the spicy’s.  I used to love hot, spicy food, but as I am getting older I have realized I just cannot tolerate it anymore.

 

I am not trying to be gross, I actually get an allergic reaction even when there is red pepper in a recipe and it is totally not cool!  You think I would learn, but I don’t cause I still enjoy it.  My husband has learned that if I eat anything that contains peppers…the “Pink Stuff” is served on the side.

 

At first, I thought it was just red peppers, but Mark made sausage and peppers (green) not too long ago and I had the same reaction.  It totally stinks because it tasted fabulous going down!  This is on my mind presently, because I just had rice for lunch that contained red pepper.  Although I picked the majority out…I will probably get sick.  : (

 

Getting old sucks!  lol

The Cruiser Chronicles #4 – Bike Safety August 11, 2011

While I know I am not the most graceful person on a bike, but I try to keep my child safe at all times.  I may not have perfect balance, nor do I have much coordination with the bike…but if I do not feel safe crossing a busy intersection, I wait until I do.

The 1^st thing that came to mind when purchasing my bike was getting a helmet for Ella.  I tried talking Mark into sporting one as well, but I think he believes he’s too cool.  Haha.  The other thing that I found was extremely important was to make sure we had a safe and approved child’s seat for my bike.  We bought the WeeRide Kangaroo center-mounted child bicycle carrier.  The center mount allows for all her weight to be distributed where mine is, which in turn makes it simple to balance, turn and maneuver all around the neighborhood.  Her being in front of me allows us to have conversations and interactions that a rear carrier would not allow.

After witnessing the little girl that was hit by a truck in front of my house last Saturday, it has really opened my eyes to see how others approach safety.  I really wished that little girl was wearing a helmet.  I think she would have walked away with maybe just a broken arm, instead of head injuries as well.

Another neighbor just taught his 5 year old son how to ride a bike without training wheels, but the little guy never wears a helmet.  As we rode around the neighborhood last night, every kid I saw….not one helmet.  They also rode in the street and were not looking for oncoming traffic.

I know everyone parents their children differently, but it seriously saddens me that these kids and/or parents are not even taking any precautions to keep their kiddos safe.  When the time comes and Ella is out cruising on her own bike, she might get made fun of, but at least she will be safe.  She will be the one rocking a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, a pillow strapped around her dupa…and I quite possibly might create a bubble to surround her.  SAFETY 1^st!!

Enough is Enough! August 6, 2011

How much tragedy can one family face??  In a lifetime, in a year, how about in a week?  Yesterday I posted a brief description of a shooting that happened not even a week ago.  Well this afternoon, misfortune struck this same family!  Their daughter who was out riding her brand new motorized scooter was hit by a truck in front of my house.  I went outside to get in my car for a trip to the grocery store and noticed a crowd of people in the middle of the street.  There was a lot of yelling and these people were surrounding a little girl that was laying on the ground.  When I looked closer, I recognized the little girl.

 

Cops and paramedics arrived on the scene within minutes.  The little girl was strapped to a stretcher and taken to the hospital.  She was accompanied by her mother, who walked with a limp from her previous brush with tragedy.  The driver, witnesses and cops are still here going over everything.

 

This is absolutely heartbreaking and frightening!  Like I said in my post yesterday…kids run around in my neighborhood.  This does not slow the drivers down who come through.  While there are speed bumps a block up, there are none on my block.  Not even 3 days ago, I was telling Mark that I really think we need them on our block.  People fly by without a care in the world, and my neighbors are always yelling at drivers to slow down.  I have strong feelings about either side regarding this one.  While the driver was admittedly going faster than he should have been, why was this 8 year old girl in the middle of the street riding her scooter?  We have a school right behind our house that has a large parking lot and even walkways around the school that would allow for children to have fun while being as safe as possible.  Why when we have backyards are these parents letting their kids play in the street?

 

I currently do not have a fence and it is increasingly becoming more and more difficult to keep Ella contained in the back yard.  If we are hanging in the back,  she will sneak around to the front.  We have less than 1 month till our fence is put up and that day, I will be jumping for joy!  Ella will be on lockdown in our backyard where I know she will be safe!

Oblivious August 5, 2011

Sunday morning Mark was heading out the door at 6 a.m. to go to work.  He said that when he got outside there were police cars lining the street on both sides with crime scene tape stretched back and forth across the road.  When we spoke around lunch time, he relayed this information to me.

 

When it comes to news and current events, I have to admit we are oblivious.  We do not watch the news, read the paper, nor are we the nosy neighbors that peek out their windows and watch everything that is going on around us.  This time I am truly sorry and freaked that we are so disconnected.

 

Yesterday, I had a visit from an old friend at work who said, “Hey… how bout what happen on your street?!”.  I asked her what had happened and as a mother of a young child, I must admit that I am a little paranoid and sick over what she told me.

 

While a mother and her children were asleep at 4:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, her house was involved in a drive by shooting.  Several bullets were fired, some hitting the mother as she slept.  The children were sleeping on the floor next to her bed and were not harmed. (THANK GOD!)  The mom, after being shot, made her way to the living room where she called 911 herself and was rushed to the local hospital.  She was in stable condition and to my understanding she is now home.

 

This woman was a victim of a crime that supposedly had nothing to do with her.  Rumor has it, it was meant for the person who previously lived there.  ARE YOU KIDDING?  I mean the thought of this happening to a random person, let alone the woman across the street from me totally freaks me out!  What if they were looking for someone who used to live at my house before we moved in??   All kinds of thoughts keep running through my busy mind.   So as I walk out of my house by myself or with the little one in tow…I am now even more aware of my surroundings.

 

It’s crazy to think that something like this could happen in what you think is a nice, quite neighborhood.   The main reason I love where I live is because you see kids out running around and the neighbors are friendly.   Now, I am straight up paranoid!

 

http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2011/07/31/news/doc4e35ff48473db902608703.txt

Project F.U.N. August 2, 2011

Sarcasm, yes!  But it is also something that speaks the truth.  Ella loves slides!  Whether it is on ground or in water…she is up for the challenge.  This summer we have toured all the nearby parks for her to experience every slide imaginable.  What toddler would not love to roll out of bed into her very  own playground right in the back yard.

 

Mark worked all weekend, but once he got home it was onto the swing set assembly.   A friend of ours helped for a few hours, but the rest was up to us.  Saturday we began working at 5 p.m. and wrapped up at 11 p.m.  Sunday we really wanted to complete this project so our little adventure seeker can enjoy her new backyard play set.  We worked from 5 p.m. and were putting the final bolts in at midnight.

 

This morning Ella woke up and I told her to take a peek out the back door.  She was ecstatic!  “E-ya slide, E-ya slide…outside mommy!”  After work and daycare it was time for the fun.  Ella loves her new play set!  Included for her enjoyment is a slide (of course), fort,  a rock climbing ladder, 2 swings, trapeze bar, sandbox and picnic table.  After all the sweat  and arduous work that went into this project…one look at our baby girl with a big smile on her face makes it all totally worth it!  Let the fun begin!!

Now that's a lot of wood!

Swing area assembly

Fort in the making

No lie...it was actually midnight!

Finito!

Sweet baby enjoying her slide