Butterflies

So I'm getting nervous about our trip. I know people travel every day, but we don't. Doug and I haven't flown in 7 years (since our honeymoon) and we haven't even been on vacation in 3 years. I was nervous when I was just Doug and I, but it gets more complicated when we have 2 little kids.

For example, we're almost all packed, but what if we forget something important? I get that we're going to Florida and not some other planet where they won't be able to sell us anything we need, but to have to pay for something we forgot just doesn't fly with me. There's a lot of pressure for me to remember everything for everyone (and if you think this responsibility doesn't all fall onto the mother, you're sorely mistaken). Don't get me wrong, Doug is very good with this kind of stuff, but he's already sick of me talking about planning and packing, so he's probably not going to be the best help.

Then there's my in-laws. I'm beginning to wonder why we thought it was a good idea to have them come along. I have done a lot of planning to make sure the kids get to see what they want to see without having to stand in line all day (therefore, missing some things). However, my in-laws are so not about planning things. They'd rather just play it by ear, which is fine for them, but I have a bad feeling it's going to cause some tension. While I realize they can go do their own thing, they're also going to want to see the kids enjoying the rides. And this will put the kids in the middle as well because they're going to want to hang out with them.

Finally, and here's my big worry, I worry that something will happen...to the kids. Like getting lost or getting hurt. Heck, Doug and I lost each other in Target yesterday!!! We've discussed with Charlie what to do if he ever finds himself lost, but will he remember? Who knows! I feel a little better that we have 4 adults to 2 kids, but the possibility still exists for something to go wrong. I know it's unlikely, but it's still in the back of my mind.

While it seems I'm over-worrying, I really am very excited. I think we all need a vacation right now and I'm going to make sure we have a great time!

Are we there yet?

We are Disney bound next week (in exactly 10 days, to be precise, but who's counting)! And I can honestly say, after a grueling summer at work, that I am SO looking forward to leaving my work (both work work and housework) behind for a week. And what's even more exciting is that I will be turning 30 while we're there!!! And then when we get home, our son will turn 5. So lots of happiness going on around here in the next month. I think we're all ready for a huge dose of overloaded happiness as only Disney can do.

We will be going with my in-laws, which I'm hoping turns out to be more helpful than burdensome. With them, it could really go either way, but I think they'll be good. I know there will be a few rifts, though, because I'm a planner and the in-laws like to fly by the seat of their pants. When Doug and I went for our honeymoon in 2001, we didn't have any real plans in place. No dining reservations, nothing. It was nice, but my thought was, with kids, a little planning is needed. There are many things they want to ride and I'm sure they don't want to stand in line all day only to be able to actually get on 3 rides. But I've decided that if they don't like it, we can always split up. No harm no foul.

That's all for today. I have begun the "final countdown" (thanks Charlie for reminding me by singing this song every day)!

Losing Your Temperature

Last night, my 4-year-old told me that we needed to have a talk. He was very concerned about his 2-year-old sister wasting electricity. She just learned that if she stands on a step stool, she's tall enough to turn the light on and off. She prefers to turn them on and this drives my son nuts because he doesn't like waste. So we discussed that.

I then apologized for losing my temper earlier. He said, "That's OK, mommy. I lose my temperature a lot! Maybe we should talk about that next." He proceeded to educate me on what I should do the next time I lose my temperature and why the rules for losing your temperature are different for him.

This conversation was a real eye-opener for me. I'm glad we talked because now I will probably think of him, very seriously, sitting on the step stool in his jammies telling me how not to lose my temperature.

I hope this story made you smile :)

Flying the friendly skies

Recently, a friend of mine flew from Philadelphia to Orlando. She had an interesting encounter while on the flight. Her boyfriend had the window seat, she had the middle, and a very large woman was sitting in the aisle seat right next to her. The woman was so large, she took up her own seat and half of my friend's seat. This forced my friend to sit halfway on her boyfriend's seat, making the 2 of them very uncomfortable. Not to mention all arm rests had to be kept up to accommodate this situation. At one point, my friend tried to put her seat back, which involves a button on the side of the armrest. She literally had to reach behind the woman's back/shoulder to get to this button and the woman had the audacity to flash her a dirty look. SHE was annoyed? Did she not see the inconvenience she was causing to the other people in her row?

My friend and her boyfriend decided to suffer through it and not to say anything to her or the flight attendants as it was a full flight and there was, most likely, nothing that could be done. My friend, being the nice person she is, also figured it would probably hurt the woman's feelings and would do more harm than good. When she returned home from her trip, she decided a letter to the airline was in order. After all, she had paid for a full seat, not the half seat she ended up getting. She did not ask for a refund of any kind (although she may be hoping for one), but merely felt the need to voice her opinions to the airline. The airline has not yet responded.

Hearing this story made me think. Should a person who takes up more than 1 seat have to pay for more than 1 seat? I think so. Should a person who only gets half a seat be required to pay for a whole seat? I think not. I will be flying in a few weeks and if this were to happen to me, I would be livid, especially since we will be travelling with small children. The way I see it, it's not about discrimination, but about what's fair. It's not fair that my friend and her boyfriend, who paid the same amount of money for their seats as this woman did, had to endure an uncomfortable 2 hour flight, while this woman was totally comfortable taking up a seat and a half. Disgraceful.

Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?

I am constantly asking myself this question. Maybe this isn't an issue for most people, but it's certainly an area in my life where I am lacking. I may be at a disadvantage because I don't remember ever really developing social skills as a kid. I was painfully shy and for that reason, most people thought I was snobby and just didn't want to be friends. This couldn't have been farther from the truth. I desperately yearned for friendship, but just couldn't figure it all out. I suppose that's still true for me.



I've gone through most of my life without any strong friendships. I had a horrible friendship in high school that involved emotional and mental "abuse", which I stuck around for because I didn't feel I had any other options. Now, as I near 30 (and when I say near, I mean in 3 weeks), I find myself without any close girlfriends. I keep reading that having close friendships is an important part of a healthy life; this makes me feel even worse.

It's not that I don't try. Believe me, I do. It just seems that women my age aren't looking for one more person in their lives. People kept saying that once my kids started school, this would all change. But he's been in preschool for 2 years and nothing. I seem to be shunned because I work. All the stay-at-home moms get together during the school week with the kids. Well, I can't do that because I have to work. I try to set things up in the evenings and on the weekends, but that doesn't work for them because their husbands are home then and they want to spend time with them. I'm not saying I blame them, it's just hard to mix a working mother with a SAHM. And where I live, there seems to be a shortage of working moms.

I'm not trying to turn this into a pity party. I'm just trying to figure out why this seems so easy for some gals and so tough for others. I know women who have tons of friends. They have someone they can call in any situation. If they need to go out and have fun, they have a friend to call on. If they need someone to watch their kids in a pinch, they have another friend perfect for that. If they need a shoulder to cry on, there's someone for that as well. And so on, and so on. I do have my husband, and he is great in most situations. But that is very different than having a real girlfriend.

I look at my husband and his friends and wonder what it's like. He has a few VERY close friends. They've been friends since high school and are tighter than ever. They talk often and even though some live very far away and some have crazy jobs, they always find the time for each other. (On a side note, I also tried to befriend these wives at one time. Although I am the youngest of the group, we are all about the same age. This approach did not work either; they all seemed to be too busy with the people they already had in their lives. Sure we all get together as a group from time to time and the guys go do their thing and the girls sit and talk, but it's one of those forced sort of talks. Not natural like you'd have with a friend.)

So, I continue on my search for real, true friendship.