A few Jamaica pictures.

1. My favorite spot to read each afternoon.
2. Me on our balcony.
3. I love love love this shower. It made me WANT to shave my legs.
4. The beach where we spent most of our time.
5. My love in front of a waterfall and mineral spring near the spa.

Going Home.

We check out of the resort in 30 minutes and are officially done with our vacation. I am really excited to go home and see the kids again (and I hope this new energy wave lasts at least until our next vacation). It is fun to see how my perspective on sticky fingers, mess, art projects and dirt changed after just a few days away. I can't wait to snuggle, read children's books, give baths, and play. As much fun as we did have here in Jamaica I know that we laugh a lot more when we are at home with Clare and Wesley.

Routine

I guess we all need routines. As we get ready to enjoy our last full day here in Jamaica I'm fascinated by the routine we created for ourselves despite the absolute desire to not have a routine.

8:00 AM Coffee and chocolate croissants delivered by room service.
Mario then goes back to sleep.
9:00 AM Breakfast in the dining room. Mario eats prosciutto.
10:00 AM Beach and ice tea brewed by Mario with Starbucks tea he brought along.
Read/Sleep/Pool/Beach
12:30 Lunch
Afternoon Beach/Nap/Room Service snack.
5-7 PM Read in the hammocks.
7-8 PM Cocktails in our room and get ready for dinner.
8 PM Cocktails in the Balloon Bar. Vodka gimlet on the rocks with olives for me.
8:30-10 PM dinner and dessert
11 PM - 2 AM Gwen reads until she can't see anymore.

Yesterday we had massages scheduled and it was funny how the addition of this wonderful event threw off our schedule that we created together.

We are loving our staples of Blue Mountain coffee, prosciutto, chocolate croissants, and gimlets. It is wonderful to be taken care of and to have our needs met with such little effort on our part. Even still we are craving little voices, little feet, and bleary eyed coffee at the kitchen table over Rice Krispies and wardrobe malfunctions.

Tomorrow we head back home and I know we already refreshed, connected and at peace to do the day to day routine we created for ourselves in South Carolina. (But we might have to add in cocktail hour and chocolate croissants because those are currently rocking my world.)

Day 2: Jamaica

Day Two =

• one very early morning
• coffee and pastries on our balcony
• sunshine
• an entire bottle of sunscreen
• room service
• a cancelled knee boarding trip
• Gala Under the Starts
• interesting dinner conversation
• finding hot spots near the lobby
• mineral springs
• Ginger Beer
• making a Jamaican play list
• two showers!
• a basket of hot french fries
• finishing one novel and starting another
• cliff side hammock reading
• lots and lots of joy.

In Jamaica

Perhaps next time that we book a resort we will consider NOT booking a resort on the side of a cliff so that we will be able to accommodate any and all potential physical obstacles. (The new improved inflatable boot is hot, cumbersome, and annoying to me right now!) Mario and I are here after a direct flight from Charlotte, a shuttle ride listening to This American Life, and lunch down by the beach. For the record: I am a huge jerk and sweet potato chip fan.

We are currently waiting for our room assignment in the games room where we have found Internet, air conditioning, and comfortable seats. We are both eager to begin our lounging and I even picked up another book at the airport called The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. I am a sucker for anything about letter writing.

Where are we? Here. It is gorgeous, quiet, and our little paradise to hobble around for the next few days.

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I celebrated my birthday yesterday with:

• salted caramels
• fun mail
• lunch with Aunt Rena, Junie, and the kids at Zoe's
• cupcakes eaten in the car
• some thrifting
• writing mini letters for the kids to open each day we are gone
• reading text messages
• talking to friends
• listening to renditions of Happy Birthday
• downloading for my new iTouch
• eating lettuce wraps with Mario
• and spending the night in Charlotte.

Good stuff and great fun. Knowing that our kids are in loving hands helps us to relax. Bring on the ginger beer, jerk chicken, sunshine, and afternoon naps!

Reading.

This article about the Mommy Track/SAHM/Working Mama split. (Thanks Sarah!)

The Not So Big Life. by Sarah Susanka

The Not So Big House. by Sarah Susanka

The Guernesy Literary and Potato Peel Society. by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

My favorite part about lazy vacations (besides sleep) is reading until I can't read any more, then taking a nap, and then reading some more. I read somewhere about taking a personal reading retreat...going away for a weekend or just a day/night to read. Wouldn't that be a wonderful quarterly retreat? A nice hotel room or cabin, a stack of books, a notebook and pen, and a kettle to brew non-stop tea. I'm ISO good ideas for beach reading...if you have any please pass them along!

And this week...

1. Grandma Junie and Aunt Rena are in town!

2. Wednesday is my birthday!

3. Thursday Mario and I leave for a Jamaican vacation to celebrate 9 years and 11 months of marriage together!

4. I plan on eating lots of cupcakes.

This Week.

1. We went to Charlotte to pick up Gigi and got to see Baby Ben too!

2. The girls went to see Disney on Ice attired in full princess regalia. We had a blast together and all squealed when the princesses skated.

3. Gigi and I enjoyed toast at the Gourmet Shop and mornings together while the kids were at school.

4. Mario and I went on three dates! We went to run errands one night, to the Publick House another night, and to the Columbia Museum of Art 60th Anniversary Red, Hot...Cool black tie Gala.

5. I took a nap yesterday afternoon and woke up to find a sparkling de-pollinated front porch because Gigi, the kids and Mario tackled the project together.

6. We went to the Junior League's Touch A Truck event Saturday morning. The kids (and grown ups!) climbed in fire trucks, dump trucks, ambulances, and more.

7. The Foot Clinic doctor examined my tendon, did another ultrasound, prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy, and told me to stay in the sexy boot for 4 more weeks. Ugh. The good news is that there is not any chocolate left in the house and I'm exploring alternative exercises to stay sane.

8. Gigi and I explored City Roots, a 3 acre urban farm near the Rosewood airport. We picked organic strawberries, purchased fresh greens and snow peas, and took home baby basil and tomato plants. The farm is awesome and worth a trip if you are in the mood for a mini adventure close to home. Kids are welcome (and they have chickens!) to explore.

The 10 pound boot.

Apparently I ran when I felt stressed. Now I eat chocolate eggs when I get stressed because I cannot run. All of this adds up to about 10 pounds of chocolate weight added to my body over the past four weeks (not including the weight of the actual boot).

I partially blame the poor timing of the Easter Bunny in the midst of my Achilles recovery. Mostly it is here because I felt crappy so I ate chocolate, then I felt sad so I ate chocolate, then I saw the cute pastel M and M's and ate those too, and then I accidentally bought Mario Nestle eggs with peanut butter in them instead of the regular kind so I ate those.

I go back to the foot doctor on Wednesday for a check up. I have a feeling I am looking at 2-3 more weeks in the boot because I can tell that the tendon area is still tender after walking on it a bit each night before bed. It's all very sad but I am hoping that the worst part is over and I can get laced back up into my running shoes before it turns dreadfully hot around here.

Breakfast in Savannah

This is Kate. She's one of those too good to be true friends with instant karma and connectivity. She gets me. I get her. She used to live in Columbia but last Fall she moved to Alabama. Since she left I have written lots of emails and letters wishing that we were walking along the river or meeting up at the zoo. Despite modern technology and the United States Postal Service I still really miss her.

Yesterday we had the chance to meet for breakfast in sunny Savannah. It was wonderful to see her, to fill in the gaps of our letters and communication, to see her facial expressions as we talked about things, and to share a simple meal together. We walked around downtown Savannah for a bit after our breakfast mindful of the blooming azaleas and the gift of this morning together. On our way up Abercorn Street we stumbled upon a dreamy fabric boutique. We took our time to absorb the beautiful fabrics, to drool over patterns, and to imagine all of the things we could create.

In the end we both left with little blue bags filled with colorful fabrics. The opportunity to wander, wonder, and absorb felt just as savory as our earlier breakfast. We enjoyed the rare chance to share a few of our creative dreams and I know we are both looking forward to setting up our sewing machines to play soon.

In my mind I'm planning a creative retreat to Atlanta. Something simple including our sewing machines, a pattern, a bottle of wine, pajamas, sushi, and an overnight hotel stay. The perfect chance to make something together while talking to catch up the entire time. It is amazing how much conversation we can fit in without toddler interruptions, I need to remember to bring a notebook along to jot down all of the ideas that our talks generate.

Our breakfast in Savannah felt good to my soul. I have names of books jotted down on the back of receipts, ideas for parenting dilemmas, new daties to try with Mario, and fabric for a new project. Hooray for friendships and the people who made our morning possible.

Friends at the Beach.

4 children.

2 picnic meals.

2 beach trips.

4 car seats in one van.

2 cafe mocha drinks.

1 nature walk.

2 park outings.

2 girls giggling in bed.

2 Bitty Baby dolls.

1 Easter egg hunt with birdseed.

1 bottle of Firefly sweet tea vodka.

1 bottle of Pinot Noir.

1 box of Honey Nut cheerios.

2 little boys giggling.

3 kids at a time in the tub.

25 temper tantrums.

3 Popsicles.

7:00 AM wake up time.

2 loads of laundry.

4 beach towels.

1 wagon.

3 dishwasher loads.

2 bags of popcorn.

1 box of Annie's Mac N Cheese.

2 tired by happy mamas.

4 happy but tired kids.

1 very good beach visit.

Operation Share.

Today we tackle something new-to-us at this age: guests. Clare keeps begging for a sleepover so having a few friends down (with their mama) seemed like a great way to accomplish Operation Sleepover a la toddler. This will be a huge test of their sharing abilities but I think we are up to the challenge.

The refrigerator is stocked to prevent meal chaos, menus are planned, and picnics are encouraged. We are looking forward to visitors and the built in entertainment that they bring. I am also looking forward to some adult conversation and someone to join me while I sip a seabreeze at happy hour.

Clare keeps checking outside for cars hoping that her friend is here (something she started doing at 9 AM despite the fact that we expect them to arrive at 3 PM). Her excitement is contagious though because she knows that friends make things that much sweeter.

Amelia Island, Florida

Just because I wanted to do something different we went to Florida. The kids loved the free orange juice samples at the Welcome Center, hated that they were only dixie cups, loved the samples in Costco, hated the rest of the trip through Costco, and loved being at a real beach with soft white sand.

I was happy to have this little tidal pool right in front of my blanket. The kids could do the water thing in relative safety and I could sit on my perch and watch. They were really well behaved, I feel like a total meanie but given the circumstances (crowded beach, water, and the boot) I needed to have some solid ground rules.

We loaded up on snacks and threw everything into the best $4.99 I've ever spent at Goodwill. This beach cart thing rocks my world right now.

This was my view...but I was happy to have sunshine, easily entertained kids, and the foresight to wear white linen. I left my books and paper pad in the car which made me feel naked. I had tons of things I wanted to write down as I watched the afternoon pass by in front of me. But not having those distractions also helped me to just be a mama on the beach spending time with her kids. I noticed the shells they collected, the size of the splashes they made, and the buzz of the beach.

Presbyterian Eggs

Then they ran off the sugar.

Clare ran in circles with her pinwheel.

Wesley dug a lot of holes.And I'm not sure...but we had a very sandy bathtub last night when they were finished bathing.

Easter 2010

Happy Easter! Guess who ate an entire package of Peeps before 8:30 AM? Sure he had a little help from me but the boy ate most of them alone. We just watched the sugar pump through his blood.See this! I'm not in pajamas for once for an Easter morning picture because I went to sunrise services, watched the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, and made it home before anyone else was even awake. There was something wonderful and campy about being outside at dark in a camp chair with a mug of coffee. The sunrise was also amazing, sadly I think it's only the third one I've ever seen. I need to do more of those in the upcoming year.

This is Clare's fashion model pose just before our annual egg hunt in the back yard.
Wesley and Clare were keen on the candy but even more excited for eggs that rattled. Inside 1/2 of the eggs we put birdseed mix so they could open them on the spot and fling seeds everywhere. Next time I think we will do 90% birdseed (or even grass seed) because they got such a kick out of those eggs. Thanks to Christi for the idea!
Wesley got a little side tracked on the egg hunt. Clare swooped in to help him out. Next year she will definitely graduate to the non-toddler egg hunting division. Happy Easter!

SSIUMC Egg Hunt

Clare found a silver egg! At the end of the hunt we learned that the silver eggs and gold eggs = prizes. She won a huge Easter basket filled with candy, toys, and art supplies!

Wesley had a egg hunt at his school on Thursday so he was well trained for the hunt today. He still can't resist the urge to open each egg he finds as he finds it. We were happy to find lots of soy free/dairy free candy in the eggs today.

Clare was an egg hunting pro at the top end of the age group. There's another hunt on the island at 1:00 tomorrow that they can try out for fun.

All in all these two scored lots of treats. We were happy to be outside and together for a family Easter outing.

A short lesson on eggs.

Pinka-freakin-licious

When I got pregnant nobody said to me "Congratulations! Did you know that you will go to 15 Burger King stores to find your child a happy meal toy?" Perhaps they didn't mention that small detail because like many things I am finding out lately: they would stop people from having babies.

So Clare saw her friend's Pinkalicious doll and I decided to see if I could find her one too. Her friends mom picked it up at Burger King for 99 cents a-la-carte. 2 Pinkalicious crowns and 15 Burger King store visits later we still don't have the doll. She's okay with it...I'm not. After going to that many Burger King stores I am embarrassed and pissed off that we didn't find what we were looking for.

At some point I crossed the line between casual mom looking to see if somebody might have this thing to a deranged woman on a hunt to kill. That said, if you happen to be near a Burger King in your neighborhood (those outside of Columbia because I've visited all of them here) and you want to ask if they have a Pinkalicious doll and you find one...well that would be swell.

During the search the staff members really impressed me. They seemed to understand the need to find this thing. Many stopped their registers, went to the back to double check or would go through pre-made happy meal bags looking for the doll. Above and beyond I tell you. And kind of comforting because I know they have done this before. I am not the only parent gone psycho to make their kid smile.