Category: Family

Vacation Notice

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We are leaving for Ocean City, NJ tomorrow morning. Elly knew of our plans a month ago and has been ready to go all that time.

The past two days of packing have just increased the “Why can’t we go now?” questions. Though I am excited to put an end to those questions, I am not looking forward to 2 hours of “Are we there yet?” questions. Perhaps I will be the woman who invents the vehicle that can transport you to your destination by the push of a button. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?

Typically, on beach vacations, I never set foot on the beach as there is little that I like about the sun, cold ocean water, and sticky sand. Elly, on the other hand, would live by the water, so truly a compromise or two will have to be made. Hopefully, a little hand quilting will do wonders to help me forget my surroundings. If that doesn’t work, a glass of port at the end of the day should ease my sun-weary feet.

Hope you have a wonderful week! I’ll be back with lots of pictures.

Sunday Snapshots (of the new KidZooU)

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Since purchasing a Philadelphia Zoo membership, Elly and I have visited the zoo three times. On the last 2 visits, we spent the majority of our time in the new KidZooU.

The KidZooU section is located in the old elephant home. When the elephants moved to their new homes, the place was revamped for the kids. It’s like a Please Touch Museum except better because the kids get to touch animals.

Elly loves it!

Outside in the barnyard area, she’s petted several goats, a few sheep, and a horse.

Elly’s two complaints have been that she isn’t allowed to feed the animals and she isn’t allowed to sit down next to the animals. Although hay is provided for all the animals and the animals are almost always munching on it, the staff does ask that you not pick the hay up so little fingers are not nibbled along with the hay. Dear Elly desperately wants to feed the animals and I find myself constantly reminding her of the hay rule as well as discouraging her from finding rocks on the ground to feed the animals. Oh, the things I thought I would never have to say.

As far as Elly’s desire to sit next to an animal, well that is just her way of making friends with it. It is the cutest thing. The zoo staff discourage sitting on the ground only because the animals urinate and defecate on the ground. It’s understandable.

Outside, there is even a playground for the kids. Though it is designed for the older kid and not the population of 3 and under. Poor Elly had a panic attack on their rope bridge and I had to go save her.

Inside the KidZooU, Elly has pet a Madagascar hissing cockroach. How I wish I could show you a picture of that! Alas, Elly insists that I hold her while she pets the cockroach; it helps her be brave.

Though the cockroach is the only animal we have been able to pet inside the KidZooU, there is no fear a kid getting bored. Like I said, it’s similar to a Please Touch Museum, although to be honest, I have never been to a Please Touch Museum despite my best friend’s open invitation. Must rectify that.

Elly’s 3 favorite things to do inside the KidZooU are to play in the ant cave which is filled with foam ant eggs,

to play in the barn designed for children 3 and under,

and to operate the recycle box elevator.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Philadelphia Zoo, I highly recommend the KidZooU.

Excuses for No Preschool

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Elly turned 3 in February.

In September, most children her age will head off to preschool for at least 2 days a week. Elly will not.

I could come up with a few excuses to justify my decision, but the main reason is because I want her home with me for 1 more year. This is my time with her. Starting at age 4, she will be going to school for the next 13 years. If we count the college years, then she will go to school for 17-21 years depending on how much education she needs for her career. One year less won’t stunt her growth and it would mean the world to me.

But back to those excuses. You do want to hear them, don’t you? Of course you do.

Like most parents, I think my child is wicked smart. Either that or I am losing brain cells by the fist fulls because I have already lost arguments to Elly.

Thanks to the Moms Club, socialization is not an issue. Almost on a daily basis, Elly meets and hangs out with kids her age. She even has 2 best friends and none of them are family. The only best friend I had at her age was my older sister.

Elly has been exposed to every craft supply I can get my hands on. During the winter months when it is too cold to go outside, we make a lot of crafts. Other moms that have watched me buy supplies at Target and AC Moore have expressed amazement because they don’t have the patience for such messes. Thankfully, Elly’s favorite crafts are not overly messy: sculpting and painting. Though I just introduced her to pottery. It truly looked like a bomb had gone off when we were finished. Thus, I have deemed it an outdoor only craft.

We don’t sit at home. Yes, Elly is her father’s daughter and loves to play video games, but I do not.

When she is with me, very few video games are played. Instead, I keep her busy. We go to the zoo, the library, the local playgrounds, and anything else I can find. Idleness is the devil’s playground. It is also a fast ticket to madness for any mom.

They are pretty good excuses, no? Still that is exactly what they are: excuses. I just want one more year to spend every day with my little girl. She is growing up too fast as it is.

Just today, she told me that she wanted to go to school. I explained that she would indeed go to school in another year. Then, she asked if moms could go too. I said no. “I would miss you”, said Elly. Me too.

Dave Painted Our Walls

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To be precise, Dave painted our living room walls in 1996. If we purchased this house in 2005, how do I know?

That is how.

It was behind the big mirror that has been mounted over our fireplace since presumable 1996. The big mirror that reflected nothing but the ceiling. For many years, I have wanted to take that mirror down. Finally, I got my wish.

Dan and I got a good laugh out of Dave’s signature and the garish pink paint.

Mr. Elliott, the husband of the couple that built our house, must have been a loving and tolerant man. I don’t know too many men who will allow their wives to paint their living room pink.

Before the day was through though, I had painted over it with a primer. I can tolerate a lot of colors, but pink is not one of them. Sweet Elly will have to live her entire childhood without pink walls.

Hopefully, relocating the huge mirror that once hung over the mantle into her room will make up for the lack of pink paint.

Though I would love to claim that moving the mirror into Elly’s room was my idea, the brilliance came from her Grandpop. He saw how Elly lit up in front of the wall of mirrors in her aunt’s house and promptly informed me that she needed a huge mirror in her bedroom.

Now she has one.

I imagine a lot of time is going to be spent in front of this mirror.

Sunday Snapshots (of warm weather)

Marie Haigh2 Comments

Before the recent cold snap hit, there was enough warm weather to pull out the new sprinkler.

With 80’s predicted for at least two days this week, rest assured that the sprinkler will get some more love.

Though if Elly gets her way, “Cookie Monster” will finally be blown up. She hasn’t played in it for about 9 months, but darned if she hasn’t forgotten.

Gahh, look at the chub on her! So cute! Not even a year has passed, but all that baby fat is gone.

It all went to her height. My little girl is getting tall.

No doubt she’ll pass me in a few short years.

Elly’s 1st Pony Ride

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A few months ago, Elly had informed me that she wanted a pet horse. As stubborn as my “little mule” is, she was not dissuaded by my excuses of why we couldn’t have a pet horse. Thus, it came as no surprise that the first animal Elly wanted to ride at the Philadelphia Zoo was a pony.

It didn’t matter that she couldn’t reach the stirrups. It didn’t matter that the staff woman held the reins for her. It didn’t even matter that she only got to walk slowly around in a big circle.

She was thrilled.

I held my breath after thinking she would ask again for a horse of her own. Thankfully, the zoo was filled with so many other animals to look at and places to run around that I was saved.

Of course, she did ask to ride the ponies again. As I’m sure she will ask every time we visit the zoo now.

Sunday Snapshots (of the May Fair)

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers out there, including my dear MIL!

Elly surprised me with a handmade foam ‘Mom’, a beetle pin and a Flinstone card. The best present though was when she ran to me in the morning and wished me a Happy Mother’s Day followed by a big hug. Melted my heart, it did.

Pictures this week are from the May Fair we attended last weekend at our local Pottsgrove Manor.

Elly’s favorite activities included petting the animals, particularly Tuppence the sheep,


Elly’s favorite thing about Tuppence was how she would say “Baah”. It never failed to send Elly into a fit of giggles.

watching an acrobatic show by the lovely Signora Bella,

and pumping water from their well.

OK. So playing in the water that poured out of the spigot was also a huge hit.

 

 

Free Pizza

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The Pottstown Library has a reading program during the summer. The goal is to read at least 20 minutes a day for a total of 20 days. As a reward, Elly gets a free slice of pizza this afternoon.

Meeting that requirement was super easy. Elly is a voracious reader. Which is to say that I am a voracious reader and Elly is an avid listener, since Elly is only 3 and can’t read. Although she is starting to recognize some words.

This is a typical stack of books that we read on a daily basis.

Her favorites are anything by Dr. Seuss, almost anything by the Berenstains (though I donated the one about the moon because I hated it) and Fancy Nancy.

Gone are the days I can change the story up so I don’t end up reading the same text over and over and over again. Even a slip of the tongue draws a correction from Elly now.

New Wheels

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Dan has brand new wheels.

It’s a Honda Civic.
He went back to his first love.

Though the Toyota Camry is still going strong, our 2nd car the Mazda was on its last legs. It needed a new engine. A new engine it wasn’t going to get.

With this purchase, Dan has a new car, well new to him anyway; it was purchased used from Car Sense, to drive to work everyday and rack up the miles on and Elly and I have a reliable car that we can take out of Pottstown without having to hold our breath.

Though Dan and I operated as a 1 car family for many years before Elly was born and we even survived the first year of her life as a 1 car family, after having a taste as a 2 car family, there is no going back. The freedom of having a 2nd car is too tantalizing. Yes, Pottstown has a bus system and Septa can get us anywhere beyond the boundaries of Pottstown, but a car allows us to make our own schedule. Perhaps if the buses ran more frequently rather than every hour and if they actually ran on time, it would be feasible to live without a 2nd car, but they don’t. Too many times we were stuck in downtown Pottstown for an hour because we missed the bus by a few minutes. It’s not a fun scenario when you have a cranky, tired, and hungry child on your hands. A 2nd car is worth its weight in gold.

When Dan got home in his new car, he received a warm welcome.