European Vacation Travelogue: Days 1 & 2, Getting There

Hello! We're back!

And... This is my 1001th post over the course of about five and a half years.

Anyway, I plan on telling you little by little about out trip with pictures and words over the next few days.

Let me say first and foremost, however, the kids did great. Absolutely fantastic. We had a few flareups, of course, but really no more than we would have had at home, and certainly no less than expected, given how much time the four of us spent together.

Also, let me say that we took nearly all of the advice offered to us in terms of helping the kids cross the Atlantic and while we used ALL of the tricks over the course of the two weeks while flying, eating out at pubs, and driving (a lot), the three indispensable items were as follows (in no particular order):
1. Suckers: three kinds.
2. Wrapped nonsense presents from Grandma (which may or may not have been broken and which often caused fights after-the-fact, but the anticipation for the wrapped presents helped so much).
3. Nintendo DS's (which I purchased at a major local retailer somewhat reluctantly, and spent WAY too much money on in terms of acquiring two and outfitting them. We weren't sure how they could possibly be worth it, but they allowed us to avoid hours of are-we-theres-yet while traversing the country).

So, here we go, the trip in words and pictures!

Here's our first flight: Minneapolis to Chicago.

It turns out that that flight was one of Big's worst moments in the entire trip and we get one of the best quotes from BioMom of the entire two weeks. Toward the end of the flight Big started kicking and pestering the seat in front of him, severely annoying the passenger in the seat. BioMom couldn't get him to stop freaking out and they battled all the way to O'Hare. We step off the plane and start heading out of the domestic gates area toward an extremely long security line and a three hour wait for the long flight and BioMom looks over at me (I can still see the gate we just came from, mind you, if I look over my shoulders) and says "I'm emotionally and physically SPENT!" with a sort of implication that she'd be of no help in the impending future of dealing with Big.

I thought to myself: Holy shit, we've just taken ten steps into our climb of Mt. Everest and I've already lost half of my SHERPA's and my oxygen tanks!!

This is my family, plugged in and satisfied during our three hour layover. Big's watching an episode of Batman on my iPhone, Ten is listening to music and BioMom is crackberrying.

Meeting up with my Brother. . .

Here we are exhausted but alive and well in Dublin. About to embark on a left-hand-sided drive to Omagh* (the fiance's hometown in Northern Ireland)! Notice the sucker in Big's mouth and the eye-cover on Ten's forehead-a first gift from Grandma.



*Omagh came into the international focus of the media on 15 August 1998, when the Real Irish Republican Army exploded a car bomb in the town centre. 29 people were killed in the blast — 14 women (including one pregnant with twins), 9 children and 6 men. Hundreds more were injured as a result of the blast.

Cousin Luv

Because BlogAuthor loves her cherries and is out of the country, here is the 1st of many cherry harvests...

Not to mention the Cousin kids claim that they've never had cherry pie!! We expect cherry pie and homemade vanilla ice cream as soon as you are back!!

XXOO,
Cousin, Q and L

Until Two Weeks...

I'll be back in two weeks with updates and gossip about it all!

In Search of Summer Part III

Cousin's Family Before Cousin

Cousin's Mom's (Aunt on my Mom's side) old house is up for sale and she and one of Cousin's brother's went for the open house this past weekend and snapped a picture of this little tidbit. What great concrete.

The Start of Summer: Officially

So yesterday Nine finished her fourth grade year, and the day before, Big finished his first year of preschool.

We are officially in summer mode.

Its funny about transitions. I think we all stress about them until the moment they happen, somehow. Now, suddenly, I am happy that they are home and we have time and we have the chance to spend some down-time together. That we can afford to have one parent at home with them so that no schedule needs to be adhered to.

Big and I spent the day together yesterday and it felt a little like pre-preschool where we spent most days together. It was really only the morning, because we picked up Nine at noon, but so nice to slow down together.

We're enjoing some bagels this morning and coffee and a little video that we found yesterday at the library. It is cloudy and cool. We have nowhere to be.

I think we're ready for Ireland. I've taken ALL of your suggestions: workbooks, suckers, no dvd player but dvd's in case we can ever find one or someone's computer on which to play them. Snacks -- nuts, dried fruit, ovaltine (!). And lots of talk about what to expect.

I didn't mention that we're flying with my relatively high maintenance brother. Any suggestions for him?

I'm hoping to blog a bit during our trip, to keep a record, but I may have to post it all upon our return, pictures and all.

Headline: Obama Quietly Expands Same-Sex Benefits

From the AP:
President Obama signed a memo expanding the rights of same-sex federal workers on Wednesday evening. "While this memorandum is an important step on the path to equality, my administration continues to be prevented by existing Federal law from providing same-sex domestic partners with the full range of benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples," he said. Last year, Obama ordered basic rights extended to same-sex couples including visitation and dependent-care rights. At that time, he asked federal agencies to determine what additional benefits he could provide without Congress acting, and the new rights ordered on Wednesday were a result of that review. "They include child-care services and subsidies; more flexibility to use family leave to attend to the needs of domestic partners and their children; relocation benefits; giving domestic partners the same status as 'family members' when federal appointments are made; and access to credit union and other memberships when those are provided to federal workers," the Associated Press summarized. The New York Times called the new package of benefits "modest," but they're certainly a step forward for gay rights. In the memo, Obama regretted that it wasn't within his power to extend full health care benefits, which is the ultimate goal of most gay activists, though he did call on Congress to act. "The limitations of these new benefits however serve as a glaring reminder that the Defense of Marriage Act ultimately stands in the way of providing true equality to LGBT Americans," president of the Human Rights Campaign Joe Solmonese wrote in a statement, according to the Advocate, a gay-news Web site.

In Search of Summer

City Farm Girl alerted me to another blog that is documenting people's search for summer.

Here was our first taste of summer in Minneapolis! (And check out yawning guy in second picture... Must have been PRE home-run/fireworks!)

June 1: Changes Approach

In a few days both kids will be off for the summer.

I have a few weeks in between the end of my courses and the end of theirs in which I usually stop for a bit. Tie up some loose academic ends. Read a novel. Mark the progression of the kids, ending another year of preschool and gradeschool. A little interim for me between the distinct stages of my year. Biomom always says that her year doesn't change. It doesn't really start or end (other than the beginning that coincides with the calendar). She goes to work every day. No new backpack for the start of school in September, or big letdown in December and May after finals.

This spring has been that and more for me. I've started a few new projects (my first firsts since Big was born) and I've run one half marathon and prepared for the next one (this coming Sunday) and am preparing for Cousin's impending move.

Did I mention that she's moving? Yeah. They were here for a year.

A really serendipitous year; one that I really needed her here for and one in which I seriously took advantage.

I just finished Anna Quindlen's new novel Every Last One.

I had only read One True Thing, of her's and haven't really sought out her work, other than running across her column The Last Word in Newsweek at the doctor's office occasionally. Her style is soft and easy. Filled with zinger one-liners that really capture a feeling or a moment. Sort of like watching an hour drama on Sunday's on NBC. But you get used to it, and I came to appreciate the profundity of some of her zingers.

I thought about repeating a few of them here for you now, but out of context it seems silly.

But the book was just what I needed right now. It's a tragedy. It's sad. But she is such a graceful and loving author that you can't help but love the characters, their complexity, and the universality of her experience (the main character's now) as a parent and someone in grief.

It's not for everyone, but if you need a little cathartic help, pick it up.

Are Kids Really Good at Multitasking?

So Ten and I work on math every morning for a few minutes.

She will often hum, or tap her feet, or try to carry on a conversation with me while doing a few math problems.

And sometimes Big will come downstairs and try to get my attention, or demand breakfast or something.

I will regularly correct Ten and try to get her to focus on one thing at a time.

That is sort of my thing right now, trying to maintain presence and focus on whatever is at hand (even as I write this, however, I've got about six windows open on my computer, and my cell phone is playing music to my left. At least I've given up IMing.).

Already though, Ten has tried to make the argument to me that she does math better if she's humming, or doing other things.

Of course, her time and her scores don't show this, but kids aren't convinced by evidence, anecdotal or otherwise.

Check out this video on multitasking the next time you try doing ten things at once, or watch your pre-teen in action.

Before After

These are depictions of himself that Big drew in September of 2009 and then in May of 2010. The left picture is the newer one, the right done in the fall.

Tons of research discusses the relationships between a kid's psyche, maturity, etc. etc. and their drawings. Particularly their drawings of people.

I can't see much in these drawings other than a year of major change for our young man. He's still crazy and gets really wild when he's exhausted, but he is a different person now after a year of preschool.

Insanity

So in a couple of weeks we (the four of us in all of our glory) are going to Ireland for my nephew's Big Fat Irish Wedding.

Two recent things that I have seen/witnessed create a tight metaphor for our plan to do this:
1. During the half marathon that Cousin and I ran a few weeks ago, there was a sign at about mile 9 that read "This seemed like a good idea three months ago!"
and
2. For any of you who watch Modern Family, you'll remember the line on a recent episode in which Claire responded to a question about how great their family vacation to Hawaii was going to be: "I'm a mother of three" she said "This is a BUSINESS TRIP!"

Of course, I'm excited to go to Ireland, to see the wedding, to have a family vacation, blah blah blah.

But I can't wrap my head around getting the four of us across that ocean.

Particularly Big.

So we're stocking up on small snacks, books, toys, things to do. We're talking about it. We're considering medication.

I kid.

Anyway, all tips, thoughts, ideas, recommendations are really, really welcome.

Oh, and insanity act number 2? I just signed up for a second half marathon.

When?

Two days before Ireland.

Two New Blogs

So I'm supposed to be using these precious few moments between the end of the semester and the beginning of the summer (with kids -- i.e. when school lets out) to be working and focusing on my research, but I'm distracted.

Here are two new (to me) blogs that I can't believe I haven't noticed before!

Life with the Kid
and
Middle Aged Queer Mom

Enjoy!

Eenie Meenie Minie Mo

So tonight we were engaging in a little game of family Crazy Eights after dinner.

BioMom had this Back To The Future moment thinking about how this past January we played Canasta with her parents night after night during our little Florida getaway, and then projecting into the future, thinking about how we might be able to play with our kids.

Anyway, in the middle of it, I recognized that little gleam in Ten's eye that tells us that she needed (needs, will need soon) to go #2.

Me: Do you need to go [#2]?

She: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Flabbergasted and appalled at the mere question!)

But this conversation reminded Big that he, did, indeed, have to go #2, in fact.

He got distracted along the way, however, and returned to essentially auction off the right to, well, to wipe him afterward.

He comes out pointing back and forth with his little finger: Eenie, meenie, miny, mo! BioMom and I hoping, each of us, that "My Mama said that you. Are. The. Very. Best. One." won't land on us.

Blueberry Girl

Check out this narration of a great book by Neil Gaiman.

No Girls Allowed

So today Big came downstairs to get dressed for school and have breakfast, etc. All the things one does in the morning.

As we were getting his shoes on he told me that he needed a sign for his door (to his room) that said: "NO GIRLS ALLOWED."

Then he went on to say that essentially the rule applied to all girls EXCEPT cousin's girl.

I nodded.

And, [Ten].

Yes, of course, I said.

And Sidekick's sister.

Right.

And, all the girls that go to [his] school.

Basically, he said, it was for all the girls he didn't know.

I wondered, aloud, how concerned he was that all these girls he didn't know were going to gather around his room, seeking entrance.

A Great Video on Asperger's

Cathryn over at Yogurt and Granola shared this video and I thought I'd share it with you. It is amazing.

Enough about Me, Can we Talk about Me Now?: The Nuances of Language

So yesterday after school I asked Ten what everyone thought about her race the other day.

Her response: No one asked.

At first my reaction was again this notion of how self-centered kids are.

But then I realized that she meant exactly what she said and had no concerns whatsoever about it. What she meant (in adult speak) was that it was really a non-issue. She didn't think to tell people, and people didn't, subsequently, respond.

Camp Du Nord (Again)

This summer we are heading up to Camp Du Nord again.

We got #$%@ed on the lottery and so got the last week of the summer.

Which, now that I think of it, isn't so bad because I miss our college meeting which is usually a snore-fest.

Anyway, Cousin just pointed me to a review of the camp in the local rag.

The author is dead on.

A Global Mosaic and a Half Marathon

So today at 11 a.m. central time I participated in A Global Mosaic by taking a picture of where I was and then posting it at the New York Times. Check out the pictures from today(they intend to post all submissions)*.

I happened to have just finished a half marathon in La Crosse, WI, only a few minutes behind Cousin.

Yes, Cousin rocked it.

I sort of ran out of any extra energy at mile 10 and finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes. Our goal was to be under 2 hours and 10 minutes -- she made it! 2:08!!

I was doing fine and not in any real pain, but I just didn't have the oomph to pick it up for those last three miles.

The kids also participated in some 100m dashes!







*This is an early summary of the more than 10,000 pictures they received: So far, that portrait seems to be one of surprising tranquillity. No one has to tell readers of The Times, or just about anyone else, how upended and violent the world seems to be at the moment. But our respondents tended to show moments of repose, rather than anxiety; of warmth, rather than heat. It may not constitute a “realistic” view of the human condition, but it does offer something of a balance to the images of suffering and destruction that are more often a staple of the Lens blog.