I Love This Bar - Baltimore, MD - September 2011

Since the arrival of the Monkey, I've been keeping my ear to the ground for good, time saving products that would make daily life and household chores a little easier.  About 6 months ago I discovered this...

The Bounce Dryer Bar, and I immediately fell  in love!  It's just about the best thing to happen to laundry since... Well, since Mr. Brooks Stevens developed the first electric clothes dryer with a glass window in the 1940s.  Round and round and round... SO FUN!!!

All you do is stick the holder in your dryer, slide in the dryer bar and wait 2-3 months (depending on your dryer usage) for it to look like this...

Yep, it really says "replace" when it's time to put a new one in.  Until then, you get wonderful smelling, static free laundry without doing a thing.  

No more messing with those dryer sheets. No more finding them in your pants leg while you're in the middle of an important meeting. No more having to covertly remove them from a sleeve or pant leg before someone says "hey, did you know you have a dryer sheet hanging out of your shirt sleeve/pants leg".  Okay maybe this has only happened to me.

Note to Cloth Diaper Users: You will want to remove the dryer Bar before drying inserts or liners in your dryer as it makes them repel liquid even better than than an umbrella and will require you to strip your diapers once, maybe twice.  Yep, I've done this... MORE THAN ONCE!

And not even the Monkey can resist yummy smelling, static free laundry!  In the great words of country music singer Toby Keith "I love this Bar"!

Til next time,

Bon Voyage!

Mater Strikes Again!!! - Baltimore, MD - September 2011

Mater Strikes Again! 

Yeah, I know, you thought her name was Kitty Sticks, but she has an alter ego.  She's a Super Villain... 

(Doesn't she look like s super villain?)

"Mader" is the destroyer of all things tomato!

LOOK OUT!!! She'll strike in the still of the night, 

or the broad daylight of the afternoon.

Roma's or vine ripe, cherry or giant stake tomatoes she isn't picky. 

No tomato is safe!

Till next  time,

Bon Voyage!

It's Vacation Time - Baltimore to Bermuda and Back - August 2011-

Last week we embarked on our first BIG family vacation with the little one in tow. Some of our friends told us we were crazy for taking her with us and that it would be way more work than vacation. Well on the flip side of the trip, I'd have to completely disagree. We had a BLAST and having her with us was so enjoyable and so fun!  She is really a funny kid and CRAZY social, so a cruise ship with a million people to say "Hi...Hi...Hi.." to and wave at put her completely in her element!

The Trip: A 5 night cruise to Bermuda aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Sea.

We used Inner Harbor Travel to research and book our trip, and our travel agent Ted was a wealth of knowledge and had actually taken the cruise himself so he had a ton of great tips

On the last night of the trip we were talking about what the best parts of the trip had been and decided there were a few "best parts".  One great part logistically was that the cruise  left from Baltimore, which meant our commute to the port was literally 20 minutes and made it a super easy taxi ride. Second was the fact that we didn't have to make our own bed, clean our room, and their were fresh towels twice a day. Third is that there was food, both healthy and not so healthy, whenever we wanted.  I jokingly said to the hub that "for our next vacation we should hire a housekeeper and a chef and just hang out at the house, it be a little easier to pack!"

There really was only one part I could have done with out and that was the mind blowing sea sickness on the first night because I thought I was too cool to get sea sick and didn't put on my scopolamine patch or "Scōp" patch. The problem was rectified on day 2 and we were "smooth sailing" for the rest of the trip.

So as I said the trip was 5 nights (6 days), so that broke down like this:

Day 1: Baltimore, Maryland 12 noon - Boarding / 4:00 PM Embark

Day 2: Cruising

Day 3: Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11:00 AM Docked

Day 4: Kings Wharf, Bermuda 1:00 PM Embark

Day 5: Cruising

Day 6: Baltimore, Maryland 7:00 AM / Debark the ship 9:30AM

As always I wish I'd taken more pictures (or maybe I'll add to my list of people to hire for our next, vacation photographer) but I think we did a pretty good job of capturing our adventures.

Day # 1

From our Balcony - "Bye Bye Baltimore see you in a few days".

Cruising is fun because we get to stay up late!

Day # 2

"Bermuda here we come!"

 El LOVED the Towel Animals that our housekeeper left for us each night - A Bunny

We spent a lot of time in the solarium...

No rowdy kids and a snack bar and drink station, how can you beat that!?

The Pools were wonderful and always full of life and people.

The Windjammer salad bar was AMAZING!!!

And the Windjammer buffet had anything and everything we could have wanted!

Day # 3

Bermuda was a British settlement so it was fun to find the Red Phone Booths there.

People Watching at Horseshoe Bay Beach

 

Our little lady didn't care for sand, 

but was cool with people watching from her towel in the shade of our umbrella.

The beaches were beautiful

Day # 4

  

Sight seeing around Kings Wharf, Bermuda

  

Everything was SO colorful , from shop fronts to flowers, to street signs, it was a BEAUTIFUL place!

This is the "kissing gate" that I made the hub kiss me under (he he).

That's a BIG boat!

That's a beautiful smile!

That's our little family

It's hard to tell from the photo but this towel animal was a dog, or in El speak, a "gog" (one of her favorite animals).  She sat and pet it for about 5 minutes occasionally saying "Arff Arff"

Day # 5 

Our stateroom had these great Monkey sized shelves that were great for storing and easy access for her toys.

Playin' in her p.j.s

Hanging out on the big bed

On the final night, after dinner, we found this little guy "hanging out" in our room.  Our housekeeper was FANTASTIC.  A monkey for our little monkey.

I wish I'd gotten pictures of us in the "Fancy Dining Room" because it was beautiful and our waiter and assistant waiter were GREAT!

If you can't tell from the pictures, we really had a wonderful time.  We're definitely fans of the "family vacation" and are already thinking about our next adventure. Who knows where we'll end up

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Bed Time Songs -Baltimore, MD - August 2011

Some of my most fond memories of my childhood are the hours before bed time. No matter what was going on in the world around us, even if my dad was in the midst of law school finals or my mother had had a horrible day at work, for a few short moments my family would come together around this old ratty upholstered rocking chair in our living room.

I might not paint the prettiest picture of this chair, but really it held a sort of magic for us. It didn't matter how; in, on, around, beside, underneath, as long as we were close enough to touch it's scratchy fabric and brush against the well worn afghan that embraced it's occupants. It was a special time, because even with all the things they didn't or couldn't or wouldn't do right, the one thing that they could ALWAYS do well together was make music.

My mothers voice is that of any world class opera singer, beautiful, pure, and clean and my father's ability to pick up and play any instrument under the sun and his natural ear for perfect pitch are probably the God given gifts that brought them together.

Anyway, I have always wanted to make music a part of our world and especially our children's world. So in those brief moments before she goes to bed we, the Hub and I, have been singing to our little girl. We sing all manner of songs, from songs from The Sound of Music to made up ballads about a monkey swinging in the trees.

Here are two of our favorites:

Mine: George Strait's Run - Sang by Taylor Swift

The Hub - Jamey Johnson's Baby Don't Cry

And a new one we both like: Trace Adkins: Just Fishin'

Do you sing your babies to sleep? What are some of your favorites?

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

My "Gem" - Baltimore, MD - July 2011

I caught myself thinking last night "I wonder if I'll ever run another marathon now that I'm a mom. I mean when is there time to go running, I don't have a jogging stroller, It's more important for the Hub to have time to work out while I watch the Monkey or get dinner ready, I wish I'd just run one more..." I mean I was really lamenting the loss of the races I could have/would have/should have run.

I read this this morning and it really put me in a better state of mind. Not to say that working out, being healthy, and having goals isn't important, but WOW, look what I've gained! Look at my little "Gem"...

Motherhood: My Only Gems

“She came tonight as I sat alone, the girl I used to be…

And she gazed at me with her earnest eye and questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans and hopes that I had for you?The career, the splendid fame, and all the wonderful things to do?Where is the mansion of stately height with all of its gardens rare?

The silken robes that I dreamed for you and the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad for I wanted her please with me…This slender girl from the shadowy past the girl that I used to be So gently rising, I took her hand, and guided her up the stair

Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems, and precious they are to me;That silken robe is my motherhood of costly simplicity.And my mansion of stately height is love, and the only career I know

Is serving each day in these sheltered walls for the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest, she smiled through her tears at me.

And I saw that the woman that I am now, pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author Unknown

Quoted in Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Six Years Ago...

Six years ago I put on a beautiful white dress

and the Hub put on a handsome tuxedo.

Six years ago, we met at the end of the aisle in front of our family and friends.

Six years ago, I married my best friend!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Happy Father's 2nd Day - Baltimore, MD -June 2011

To the best Dad in the world...

Happy Fathers Day!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!