A little belated as she's already been there and back, but Gma G headed to Hawaii at the beginning of the month -- her last trip there while Uncle Hooter, Jenrie, and the kids are living there. She loves Hawaii and she loves seeing the kids, but she HATES that trip! With good reason... something always happens either their or back, or both. This time, she got stuck in LA for six hours and it ended up taking her about 24 hours to get there. Oy!
But she got there. She had a great time. And she's safely home. No more trips to Hawaii for her.
Showing posts with label gma g. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gma g. Show all posts
Friday, June 15, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Spring Break '12: Day 5
Day 5: Heading Home
We slept in this morning thinking we weren't in a rush; however, at 9am I happened to look at the guest services book and we realized the complimentary breakfast ended at 9:30. So we threw on clothes, brushed our teeth and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Sufficiently stuffed, we went back up and showered, packed up what little we'd unpacked, and headed back to Orlando to catch our flight home. :-( We had a little traffic, but got to the airport in plenty of time. Again, we didn't have to check anything and we had printed our boarding passes at the hotel before we left. So we got through security (long line) and headed straight to our gate for our non-stop flight back to DC.
As we flew home on a different airline than we left on, we had to walk all the way through the terminal to get back to the truck. But we found the truck, paid an arm and a leg for the time we left it parked at the airport, and headed home. We were early enough that we went and picked K-Dog up instead of leaving her at the kennel an extra night. We were also able to pick up Hubby's car from the mechanic. We had left it to be inspected while we were gone. And then we went to grab some dinner... J-Mav chose Olive Garden. Really? We JUST ate there the other night. Sigh.
So our short trip is done. We packed a lot into what was, essentially, three days, and yet, we still had a relaxing time. We've been following the blog about Gma G and Keeper Boy's trip, and I think they are going at a much more frantic pace. But it looks like they are having a great time!!
Already thinking about spring break '13!!!
We slept in this morning thinking we weren't in a rush; however, at 9am I happened to look at the guest services book and we realized the complimentary breakfast ended at 9:30. So we threw on clothes, brushed our teeth and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Sufficiently stuffed, we went back up and showered, packed up what little we'd unpacked, and headed back to Orlando to catch our flight home. :-( We had a little traffic, but got to the airport in plenty of time. Again, we didn't have to check anything and we had printed our boarding passes at the hotel before we left. So we got through security (long line) and headed straight to our gate for our non-stop flight back to DC.
As we flew home on a different airline than we left on, we had to walk all the way through the terminal to get back to the truck. But we found the truck, paid an arm and a leg for the time we left it parked at the airport, and headed home. We were early enough that we went and picked K-Dog up instead of leaving her at the kennel an extra night. We were also able to pick up Hubby's car from the mechanic. We had left it to be inspected while we were gone. And then we went to grab some dinner... J-Mav chose Olive Garden. Really? We JUST ate there the other night. Sigh.
So our short trip is done. We packed a lot into what was, essentially, three days, and yet, we still had a relaxing time. We've been following the blog about Gma G and Keeper Boy's trip, and I think they are going at a much more frantic pace. But it looks like they are having a great time!!
Already thinking about spring break '13!!!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Spring Break '12: Day 1
Day 1: Getaway Day
Today was getaway day, not only for us, but for Keeper Boy and Gma G, who are en route to an awesome Spring Break in Europe! We sent Keeper Boy to school and kept J-Mav home. Keeper Boy was able to get 3/4 of his school day in (and he had two tests). J-Mav would've been in school for less than two hours. Didn't see the point.
I picked Keeper Boy up from school a little after Noon. Hubby, J-Mav, and I left for the airport shortly thereafter. We had no traffic getting downtown, got through security with no issues and no real wait, and were at our gate in plenty of time. Keeper Boy texted when the car arrived to pick them up. That was the first of two potentially stressful items. And it was great to know that the car had arrived (15 minutes early!) and got them to the airport.
Traveling without checked luggage is great. Print the boarding passes ahead of time, and you're good to go! Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful. We changed planes and had another uneventful flight to Orlando.
We found the rental car counter, let J-Mav pick our car (a grey Chevy Impala) and off we went. We found our resort with no problem and I went to check in, hoping that our reservation (made via a Groupon) was there. It was! No problem. I politely declined the push to go to a timeshare presentation and off we went to find our villa.
The villa was beautiful. A small living/kitchen area, a bedroom, a huge bathroom, and a small lanai. We dropped our stuff and went to get something to eat. We opted for Chili's as it was getting late and it was across the street. :)
Looking into the bedroom (to the right) from the kitchen/living area. The lanai is through the door on the far side.
Looking into the bedroom (to the left) from the kitchen/living area. The bathroom is through the door on the far side.
Looking into the kitchen from the bedroom. You can just see the foot of the sofa bed on the left... it folded out and left a small path between it and the table to get to the door. There was a flat screen TV mounted on the wall above the table (you can just see the bottom of it).
Looking into the bathroom from the bedroom. Closet, double sinks, sunken tub, shower (to the left of the towel rack on the far wall), and a separate room with the toilet (door to the right of the towel rack).
Looking into the living area (J-Mav's room) from the bedroom. You can see the edge of the "front door" on the far wall.
Today was getaway day, not only for us, but for Keeper Boy and Gma G, who are en route to an awesome Spring Break in Europe! We sent Keeper Boy to school and kept J-Mav home. Keeper Boy was able to get 3/4 of his school day in (and he had two tests). J-Mav would've been in school for less than two hours. Didn't see the point.
I picked Keeper Boy up from school a little after Noon. Hubby, J-Mav, and I left for the airport shortly thereafter. We had no traffic getting downtown, got through security with no issues and no real wait, and were at our gate in plenty of time. Keeper Boy texted when the car arrived to pick them up. That was the first of two potentially stressful items. And it was great to know that the car had arrived (15 minutes early!) and got them to the airport.
Traveling without checked luggage is great. Print the boarding passes ahead of time, and you're good to go! Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful. We changed planes and had another uneventful flight to Orlando.
We found the rental car counter, let J-Mav pick our car (a grey Chevy Impala) and off we went. We found our resort with no problem and I went to check in, hoping that our reservation (made via a Groupon) was there. It was! No problem. I politely declined the push to go to a timeshare presentation and off we went to find our villa.
The villa was beautiful. A small living/kitchen area, a bedroom, a huge bathroom, and a small lanai. We dropped our stuff and went to get something to eat. We opted for Chili's as it was getting late and it was across the street. :)
Looking into the bedroom (to the right) from the kitchen/living area. The lanai is through the door on the far side.
Looking into the bedroom (to the left) from the kitchen/living area. The bathroom is through the door on the far side.
Looking into the kitchen from the bedroom. You can just see the foot of the sofa bed on the left... it folded out and left a small path between it and the table to get to the door. There was a flat screen TV mounted on the wall above the table (you can just see the bottom of it).
Looking into the bathroom from the bedroom. Closet, double sinks, sunken tub, shower (to the left of the towel rack on the far wall), and a separate room with the toilet (door to the right of the towel rack).
Looking into the living area (J-Mav's room) from the bedroom. You can see the edge of the "front door" on the far wall.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Christmas Recap
Christmas has come and gone, and we are barreling toward 2012. How is that even possible? Wasn't I *just* in Hawaii the other day?!
I suppose you could say our Christmas season began on Thanksgiving. That's when I dragged all the Christmas stuff out of the attic, discovered we did not have a single full, working strand of lights for the outside bushes, and trekked out to Wal-Mart, which for some strange reason is OPEN on Thanksgiving Day. Over the course of the weekend -- in between the kids' hockey games -- I decorated the house.
The following Friday was my company's holiday party. Hubby and I got all fancied up and made the marathon drive -- on a work night -- to Greenbelt, MD for a very nice shindig. Alas, neither of us won the ginornous flat screen TV or the game system or any of the other gadgets that were given away. But we had a good time, and the food is always good. :)
I did most of my shopping in the month of December this year. How unlike me. I have discovered Amazon Prime, which I highly recommend! My 30-day free trial is about over, but I think I will be paying the annual fee. SO worth it!
We took a break from holiday stuff to go to Lake Placid the second weekend of the month with Keeper Boy's hockey team. What a fabulous trip to a small town with such a history. I think its entire identity revolves around the events of February 22, 1980, but that's okay. We had a blast -- even though we rode up and back on a bus with a hockey team of 13 and 14 year olds.
Gma G arrived on the 22nd. By then we were all done with our shopping, and the cookies were all baked. Gma G and I attended the Grandparents Day Sing-a-Long at J-Mav's school. That day also signaled the beginning of the boys' break from school. And our cousin K and her new hubby arrived for an overnight stop before heading to the airport the next morning for their honeymoon. It was a fun evening!
On the 23rd, Hubby and I worked, and Gma G and the boys hung out, shopped, and wrapped gifts. We celebrated Gma G's birthday that evening (a few days early because she actually flew home on her birthday).
On the 24th we all got up early and drove up to PA for my family's annual Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first time Gma G had been to my parents' new home, the first time my family had all been together since my grandfather died, and the first time we got K-dog to successfully use the steps I bought her to get into and out of the truck (what a show). We arrived around 10am and were able to visit with our niece and her mom before the rest of the family showed up. That was nice. We had a great day... always lots of laughs. And we were back home by about 8pm. There was work to do. We put out cookies and milk for Santa, got the kids in bed, and did what needed to be done.
We managed to hold the kids off until 8am on Christmas morning. Then they opened stockings and we had some breakfast before my parents arrived. Once they arrived and brought their gifts in, the chaos ensued. We opened gifts for about two hours. Lots of awesome stuff all around. Then we had a relaxing day of games, food (steak, gourmet potatoes, garlic sauteed spinach...), and family. It was awesome to have all three grandparents here at the same time as it was the first time in many years that that happened. We talked to Uncle Hooter and Jenrie and kids in Hawaii a few times on FaceTime, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins in PA (love that iTechnology).
The day after Christmas was all hockey. Tournaments for each of the kids... at two different rinks.
And Gma G flew home on the 27th. It seemed like a short visit. My parents left last night. Their visit seemed short, too. It was nice to have everyone here, and we are looking forward to my parents coming back at the end of January and Gma G coming back at the end of March before she and Keeper Boy leave on their European adventure!
Hubby and I have returned to work, although I worked from home today and will do so again tomorrow. Cousin K and her hubby return to town tomorrow and will stay with us tomorrow night before heading out. And then we have a New Year's Eve party to attend, as well as a Winter Classic Party on Monday. And then I guess it's back to normal life as hockey craziness will resume.
But I can hold on to Christmas by a thread for as long as I have the tree up and decorated. Maybe a couple more weeks. Or maybe I can just take the Christmas decorations off and put hearts on it... then shamrocks... then eggs...
I suppose you could say our Christmas season began on Thanksgiving. That's when I dragged all the Christmas stuff out of the attic, discovered we did not have a single full, working strand of lights for the outside bushes, and trekked out to Wal-Mart, which for some strange reason is OPEN on Thanksgiving Day. Over the course of the weekend -- in between the kids' hockey games -- I decorated the house.
The following Friday was my company's holiday party. Hubby and I got all fancied up and made the marathon drive -- on a work night -- to Greenbelt, MD for a very nice shindig. Alas, neither of us won the ginornous flat screen TV or the game system or any of the other gadgets that were given away. But we had a good time, and the food is always good. :)
I did most of my shopping in the month of December this year. How unlike me. I have discovered Amazon Prime, which I highly recommend! My 30-day free trial is about over, but I think I will be paying the annual fee. SO worth it!
We took a break from holiday stuff to go to Lake Placid the second weekend of the month with Keeper Boy's hockey team. What a fabulous trip to a small town with such a history. I think its entire identity revolves around the events of February 22, 1980, but that's okay. We had a blast -- even though we rode up and back on a bus with a hockey team of 13 and 14 year olds.
Gma G arrived on the 22nd. By then we were all done with our shopping, and the cookies were all baked. Gma G and I attended the Grandparents Day Sing-a-Long at J-Mav's school. That day also signaled the beginning of the boys' break from school. And our cousin K and her new hubby arrived for an overnight stop before heading to the airport the next morning for their honeymoon. It was a fun evening!
On the 23rd, Hubby and I worked, and Gma G and the boys hung out, shopped, and wrapped gifts. We celebrated Gma G's birthday that evening (a few days early because she actually flew home on her birthday).
On the 24th we all got up early and drove up to PA for my family's annual Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first time Gma G had been to my parents' new home, the first time my family had all been together since my grandfather died, and the first time we got K-dog to successfully use the steps I bought her to get into and out of the truck (what a show). We arrived around 10am and were able to visit with our niece and her mom before the rest of the family showed up. That was nice. We had a great day... always lots of laughs. And we were back home by about 8pm. There was work to do. We put out cookies and milk for Santa, got the kids in bed, and did what needed to be done.
We managed to hold the kids off until 8am on Christmas morning. Then they opened stockings and we had some breakfast before my parents arrived. Once they arrived and brought their gifts in, the chaos ensued. We opened gifts for about two hours. Lots of awesome stuff all around. Then we had a relaxing day of games, food (steak, gourmet potatoes, garlic sauteed spinach...), and family. It was awesome to have all three grandparents here at the same time as it was the first time in many years that that happened. We talked to Uncle Hooter and Jenrie and kids in Hawaii a few times on FaceTime, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins in PA (love that iTechnology).
The day after Christmas was all hockey. Tournaments for each of the kids... at two different rinks.
And Gma G flew home on the 27th. It seemed like a short visit. My parents left last night. Their visit seemed short, too. It was nice to have everyone here, and we are looking forward to my parents coming back at the end of January and Gma G coming back at the end of March before she and Keeper Boy leave on their European adventure!
Hubby and I have returned to work, although I worked from home today and will do so again tomorrow. Cousin K and her hubby return to town tomorrow and will stay with us tomorrow night before heading out. And then we have a New Year's Eve party to attend, as well as a Winter Classic Party on Monday. And then I guess it's back to normal life as hockey craziness will resume.
But I can hold on to Christmas by a thread for as long as I have the tree up and decorated. Maybe a couple more weeks. Or maybe I can just take the Christmas decorations off and put hearts on it... then shamrocks... then eggs...
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Christmas
This year, we had Christmas in four parts...
Part I, Early Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa
Two weekends before Christmas, Mom and Dad came down for a quick visit. They arrived on Friday, we had "Christmas" on Friday night, and then basically spent the rest of the weekend in hockey rinks. It was a lovely Christmas with very nice and very generous gifts. The boys really liked the toques brought to them from Alaska. They have worn them almost non-stop ever since. Hubby and I have worn our scarves brought from Scotland. Hubby's is black watch plaid, and mine is some plaid that has both the red of my coat and some orange (my favorite color) in it. Love it!
I'm not sure who was more excited about Keeper Boy getting Risk... Keeper Boy or Hubby! And J-Mav got Parcheesi, a favorite from my childhood. Keeper Boy got a new hockey bag -- one made specifically for goalie equipment. ALL of his equipment fits in the bag (as does J-Mav as we found out).
There were lots of awesome gifts... Star Wars Legos for J-Mav, a USB turntable for Hubby, a purse and some plates for my Christmas set for me, the bag for Keeper Boy. And Mom and Dad seemed to really like their gifts, too. I keep hearing that the train puzzle we gave my dad is giving him fits (but that as of this morning he is about 2/3 done with it). Mom loves her Mukluks and the hockey Santa we gave her.
A very good start to our Christmas celebration!
Part II, Christmas with BFF and kids
The night before we left for Ohio, we got together with BFF and her kids N. and V. The kids opened their gifts at BFF's house and we had pizza, and then we all piled into the truck and headed across the river to National Harbor and ICE! It was really cool... tons of ice sculptures, all in the theme of the Grinch!
Highlights of this part of Christmas included a 5-foot goalie fathead for Keeper Boy and a new set of knee hockey nets for J-Mav.
Part III, Christmas Day
Christmas morning was chaotic. With nine people, it took more than two hours to open gifts. We were in Ohio at Gma G's house. Also there (from Hawaii!) were Uncle Hooter (Hubby's brother), Jenrie, and the kids -- J. and P. It was the first time we'd met P. and she was ADORABLE. She wasn't shy around us at all, even though she's almost a year old and had never met us.
Highlights included learning a new game (Blockus), that the kids had learned over the summer when they visited Gma G. And Keeper Boy got the game for Christmas, so we can play here, too. Other highlights were a Kindle for Keeper Boy, an iTouch for J-Mav, and plane tickets for our family to travel to Hawaii this summer to visit Uncle Hooter, Jenrie, and the kids. Can't wait!!
We also celebrated P.'s baptism and 1st birthday (a month early) the day after Christmas. Hubby and I are honored to be her Godparents. :) The following day, we celebrated Gma G's birthday. The guys took the kids sledding one afternoon. And one afternoon Gma G took the boys to see Gulliver's Travels while Hubby and Uncle Hooter saw The Fighter and Jenrie, P., and I went shopping. (No Kohl's on Oahu, so we spent some time there.)
The night before we came home, we all went to Dayton and stayed in a hotel as Uncle Hooter and family had an early flight out of Dayton to go home to Hawaii. Their flight ended up being cancelled. :-( So we all went to brunch and then they went to Cincinnati, where they were able to get a flight out the following day, and we headed home. A long trip home for everyone, but everyone got home safely.
Part IV, Santa
J-Mav had sent Santa a note early in December asking him to leave his and Keeper Boy's gifts at our house rather than delivering them to Ohio. This was because J. and P. wouldn't have room to take their stuff home on the plane and J-Mav didn't think it was fair for he and Keeper Boy to get their gifts and not their cousins. Very empathetic on J-Mav's part. :)
By the time we got home from Dayton, it was after 10pm, so the boys opened their Santa gifts the following morning. They were very excited... Keeper Boy got a new Caps jersey (Neuvirth); J-Mav got a new Cowboys throw-back jersey (Romo), a Star Wars action figure set, and a couple games for his DS. Excitement all around. :)
So I think Christmas is officially over. As I type, we are watching the Winter Classic and the Caps are up 2-1. Hopefully that lead will hold and we will be a happy family tonight! Luckily, the kids don't have school tomorrow, so we are letting them stay up. I guess tomorrow I'll start taking the Christmas decorations down. Today the kids asked if we could just leave the tree up all year. I'd love to!! But I fear that would be a little weird.
In conclusion... Happy New Year!! And remember: only 358 shopping days left until Christmas!!
Part I, Early Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa
Two weekends before Christmas, Mom and Dad came down for a quick visit. They arrived on Friday, we had "Christmas" on Friday night, and then basically spent the rest of the weekend in hockey rinks. It was a lovely Christmas with very nice and very generous gifts. The boys really liked the toques brought to them from Alaska. They have worn them almost non-stop ever since. Hubby and I have worn our scarves brought from Scotland. Hubby's is black watch plaid, and mine is some plaid that has both the red of my coat and some orange (my favorite color) in it. Love it!
I'm not sure who was more excited about Keeper Boy getting Risk... Keeper Boy or Hubby! And J-Mav got Parcheesi, a favorite from my childhood. Keeper Boy got a new hockey bag -- one made specifically for goalie equipment. ALL of his equipment fits in the bag (as does J-Mav as we found out).There were lots of awesome gifts... Star Wars Legos for J-Mav, a USB turntable for Hubby, a purse and some plates for my Christmas set for me, the bag for Keeper Boy. And Mom and Dad seemed to really like their gifts, too. I keep hearing that the train puzzle we gave my dad is giving him fits (but that as of this morning he is about 2/3 done with it). Mom loves her Mukluks and the hockey Santa we gave her.
A very good start to our Christmas celebration!
Part II, Christmas with BFF and kids
The night before we left for Ohio, we got together with BFF and her kids N. and V. The kids opened their gifts at BFF's house and we had pizza, and then we all piled into the truck and headed across the river to National Harbor and ICE! It was really cool... tons of ice sculptures, all in the theme of the Grinch!Highlights of this part of Christmas included a 5-foot goalie fathead for Keeper Boy and a new set of knee hockey nets for J-Mav.
Part III, Christmas Day
Christmas morning was chaotic. With nine people, it took more than two hours to open gifts. We were in Ohio at Gma G's house. Also there (from Hawaii!) were Uncle Hooter (Hubby's brother), Jenrie, and the kids -- J. and P. It was the first time we'd met P. and she was ADORABLE. She wasn't shy around us at all, even though she's almost a year old and had never met us.
Highlights included learning a new game (Blockus), that the kids had learned over the summer when they visited Gma G. And Keeper Boy got the game for Christmas, so we can play here, too. Other highlights were a Kindle for Keeper Boy, an iTouch for J-Mav, and plane tickets for our family to travel to Hawaii this summer to visit Uncle Hooter, Jenrie, and the kids. Can't wait!!We also celebrated P.'s baptism and 1st birthday (a month early) the day after Christmas. Hubby and I are honored to be her Godparents. :) The following day, we celebrated Gma G's birthday. The guys took the kids sledding one afternoon. And one afternoon Gma G took the boys to see Gulliver's Travels while Hubby and Uncle Hooter saw The Fighter and Jenrie, P., and I went shopping. (No Kohl's on Oahu, so we spent some time there.)
The night before we came home, we all went to Dayton and stayed in a hotel as Uncle Hooter and family had an early flight out of Dayton to go home to Hawaii. Their flight ended up being cancelled. :-( So we all went to brunch and then they went to Cincinnati, where they were able to get a flight out the following day, and we headed home. A long trip home for everyone, but everyone got home safely.
Part IV, Santa
J-Mav had sent Santa a note early in December asking him to leave his and Keeper Boy's gifts at our house rather than delivering them to Ohio. This was because J. and P. wouldn't have room to take their stuff home on the plane and J-Mav didn't think it was fair for he and Keeper Boy to get their gifts and not their cousins. Very empathetic on J-Mav's part. :)
By the time we got home from Dayton, it was after 10pm, so the boys opened their Santa gifts the following morning. They were very excited... Keeper Boy got a new Caps jersey (Neuvirth); J-Mav got a new Cowboys throw-back jersey (Romo), a Star Wars action figure set, and a couple games for his DS. Excitement all around. :)So I think Christmas is officially over. As I type, we are watching the Winter Classic and the Caps are up 2-1. Hopefully that lead will hold and we will be a happy family tonight! Luckily, the kids don't have school tomorrow, so we are letting them stay up. I guess tomorrow I'll start taking the Christmas decorations down. Today the kids asked if we could just leave the tree up all year. I'd love to!! But I fear that would be a little weird.
In conclusion... Happy New Year!! And remember: only 358 shopping days left until Christmas!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Things my kids learned at Grandma's last week...
- The term "numb nuts" comes by its moniker honestly [discovered while swimming in Lake Michigan, and subsequently explained by Grandma]
- Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon with his left foot first [according to J-Mav, just a small fact that we might like to know"].
- Whomever spies the courthouse first while driving back into town "wins."
- It's quite giggle-worthy, while painting rocks, to say that one looks like a penis [they boys got quite a kick out of this one].
- Remaining quiet when you're sitting in a truck in the middle of a heard of buffalo is a very good thing.
- Climbing giant dunes is fun.
- Getting stung by a bee sucks.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
That was fun!
On the eve of Hubby's birthday, we decided to go to The Melting Pot for his birthday dinner. Keeper Boy was most excited. He's been there twice in his young life and loves the whole fondu experience. J-Mav seemed fine with it when we told them that's where we were going. But then it was bedtime. All the wackiness happens with J-Mav at bedtime. He holds in all of his insecurities and fears and they all come out in a ball of sobs at bedtime.
So Hubby comes out from his turn at tucking J-Mav in on Sunday night and says, "[J-Mav] is totally stressing about going to The Melting Pot and cooking his own dinner."
Eh?
Turns out he must've thought he had to go into the kitchen and MAKE DINNER, like he sees us doing at home. But he didn't want to do that. He doesn't know how to use the stove. He's not allowed to touch sharp knives. On and on.
Hubby tried to explain to him about how he would put his food on a big fork and put it in a pot of broth and that's all he would need to do to cook it. I don't think he got it, but he agreed to go. Good thing, because he was going whether he wanted to or not. :)
Flash forward 24 hours and we arrive at the restaurant. J-Mav is now a little excited... although I think it's more because of the obnoxious, sparkly, "The BIG 40 balloon" he has toted along to the restaurant -- and the gift he has to give his Daddy -- than because of the restaurant at this point.
We ordered the full dinner, so we started with the cheese fondue. He liked that, and there was no cooking involved, so we were all good. He had some bread, apples, celery, and carrots. And he tried both of the cheeses we had on the table, though he preferred the cheddar over the Wisconsin Trio, which had blue cheese and green onions in it.
Next was the salad course. Neither of the kids even got a salad. Ours were good though. :)
And then it was time to cook. He still didn't quite get it when the waitress brought out the food. He said he didn't want anything because, well, raw meat and seafood isn't exactly appetizing to look at on a plate. I think he thought he was supposed to eat it like that. Eew. We gave him all the raw broccoli and mushrooms (instead of putting them in one of the pots of broth) from one of the orders and he started munching on those while we explained how to cook the food. He agreed to try a piece of chicken and Hubby showed him how to put it on the fork and put it in the pot. After he saw that one come out nice and cooked, he was fine. He tried everything... even the Ahi tuna, which he was a little leary about because it was red when it was raw. But he loved that. He ended up eating several pieces of it. And he tried shrimp! This is big because (a) he's tried it before and hasn't liked it, and (b) it was GREEN in its raw state because it was some kind of island lime shrimp. I think they died it a little. *I* didn't even try the shrimp... there was enough other yummy stuff and I just had a little trouble getting past the fact that it was green. Keeper Boy had no problem eating my portion of shrimp (and Gma G's portion of steak).
Anyway, J-Mav really liked everything and had a good time once he figured out what the cooking entailed.
He didn't eat too much during the chocolate course. I don't know if it's because he was full from the entree course, or if he's just not that huge of a fan of chocolate. I suspect it was a little of both. He gets the ambivalence over chocolate from his Dad. It's certainly not from me. :)
So, J-Mav's first experience at The Melting Pot was a good one. He had fun and wants to go back. We told him that's a restaurant you go to only once in a while. He wanted to know why. Because it's EXPENSIVE! He said, "what, like $20"? If only... if that was the case, he could go cook there all the time!
So Hubby comes out from his turn at tucking J-Mav in on Sunday night and says, "[J-Mav] is totally stressing about going to The Melting Pot and cooking his own dinner."
Eh?
Turns out he must've thought he had to go into the kitchen and MAKE DINNER, like he sees us doing at home. But he didn't want to do that. He doesn't know how to use the stove. He's not allowed to touch sharp knives. On and on.
Hubby tried to explain to him about how he would put his food on a big fork and put it in a pot of broth and that's all he would need to do to cook it. I don't think he got it, but he agreed to go. Good thing, because he was going whether he wanted to or not. :)
Flash forward 24 hours and we arrive at the restaurant. J-Mav is now a little excited... although I think it's more because of the obnoxious, sparkly, "The BIG 40 balloon" he has toted along to the restaurant -- and the gift he has to give his Daddy -- than because of the restaurant at this point.
We ordered the full dinner, so we started with the cheese fondue. He liked that, and there was no cooking involved, so we were all good. He had some bread, apples, celery, and carrots. And he tried both of the cheeses we had on the table, though he preferred the cheddar over the Wisconsin Trio, which had blue cheese and green onions in it.
Next was the salad course. Neither of the kids even got a salad. Ours were good though. :)
And then it was time to cook. He still didn't quite get it when the waitress brought out the food. He said he didn't want anything because, well, raw meat and seafood isn't exactly appetizing to look at on a plate. I think he thought he was supposed to eat it like that. Eew. We gave him all the raw broccoli and mushrooms (instead of putting them in one of the pots of broth) from one of the orders and he started munching on those while we explained how to cook the food. He agreed to try a piece of chicken and Hubby showed him how to put it on the fork and put it in the pot. After he saw that one come out nice and cooked, he was fine. He tried everything... even the Ahi tuna, which he was a little leary about because it was red when it was raw. But he loved that. He ended up eating several pieces of it. And he tried shrimp! This is big because (a) he's tried it before and hasn't liked it, and (b) it was GREEN in its raw state because it was some kind of island lime shrimp. I think they died it a little. *I* didn't even try the shrimp... there was enough other yummy stuff and I just had a little trouble getting past the fact that it was green. Keeper Boy had no problem eating my portion of shrimp (and Gma G's portion of steak).
Anyway, J-Mav really liked everything and had a good time once he figured out what the cooking entailed.
He didn't eat too much during the chocolate course. I don't know if it's because he was full from the entree course, or if he's just not that huge of a fan of chocolate. I suspect it was a little of both. He gets the ambivalence over chocolate from his Dad. It's certainly not from me. :)
So, J-Mav's first experience at The Melting Pot was a good one. He had fun and wants to go back. We told him that's a restaurant you go to only once in a while. He wanted to know why. Because it's EXPENSIVE! He said, "what, like $20"? If only... if that was the case, he could go cook there all the time!
Friday, July 9, 2010
And they're off...
Gma G is on her way here for her "baby's" 40th birthday. She'll be here through Tuesday morning, and there is much excitement in our household as it's been awhile since the boys have seen Grandma. :)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Spring Break Review
We had a great spring break... busy, but very fun!!
Day 1: Saturday, 3/27
Hubby and Keeper Boy headed south to Richmond for a hockey tournament while J-Mav and I headed north to see the Hershey Bears game. We went to my parents' house first and picked them up to go with us. We had a GREAT time. Only one photo because they wouldn't let me bring the camera into the arena. :-(
Day 2: Sunday, 3/28
Hubby and Keeper Boy were done with the tournament early in the day and were home by lunchtime. J-Mav and I stayed at my parents' house for a family dinner and got home around J-Mav's bedtime. It was great to see my family -- including my grandpa, who was having a GREAT day!
Day 3: Monday, 3/29
Nothing exciting. Hubby worked at the office. I worked at home. The kids played.
Day 4: Tuesday, 3/30
Hubby worked at the office. I worked at home. Gma G arrived in the late afternoon! And then I was officially on vacation for the rest of spring break. :)
Day 5: Wednesday, 3/31
Gma G and I took the boys and headed to the outlets. Both boys needed new sneakers. We had success at the Nike Outlet, though I NEVER would've chosen the shoes Keeper Boy came home with.
Day 6: Thursday, 4/1
Gma G and I took the kids to Caps practice!!! It was an optional practice for the team since they had a game that night, but almost everyone was there. I got some really good pictures, and the boys got autographs from John Erskin, Dave Steckel, and Tom Poti.
Day 7: Friday, 4/2
Hubby was able to take the day off! We all piled in the car and headed downtown for the day. First stop was standing in line at the Spy Museum to get tickets. We got tickets for 2pm. Since it was only 10am, we went to Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. It was fun, but we (the adults) didn't think it was worth the admission fee. We also didn't think it was as good as the one in Las Vegas. And it definitely wasn't as good as the one in London! After we were done there, we tried to go to Ford's Theatre, but it was closed for an actual production. So we went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (and sat next to one of Bob Dylan's guitars). We killed some time in the National Portrait Gallery (very cool) and then did the Spy Museum. I'd been there before, but no one else had. I think everyone liked it, but Gma G said she definitely enjoyed the later stuff about people that she'd heard about. :) J-Mav was a little whiny by the end of our time there, so we walked over to the McDonald's in Verizon Center and had a shake break. Then we went to the coolest place: The Museum of Crime and Punishment. VERY cool. We all really liked it. And who knew? America's Most Wanted is broadcast from there! By the time we were done, we were getting hungry, so we stopped at Cheesecake Factory on the way home. YUM!!
Day 8: Saturday, 4/3
We all went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Cute movie. Keeper Boy and I decided that the book was better than the movie, but it was still cute. Keeper Boy also had baseball practice in the late afternoon. While Keeper Boy was gone, J-Mav decided to take his training wheels off and after just a couple attempts, he rode his bike!! We were so proud of him!! And then Red Robin for dinner!
Day 9: Sunday, 4/4 -- Easter
We had a lazy morning. We were bad and didn't go to church. :-( The kids went through their baskets from the Easter Bunny and found the eggs that had been hidden. Later in the day, Hubby's cousin and his wife came over. The kids played outside a lot, and we had a yummy dinner and a great visit.
Monday morning it was over. Hubby took Gma G to the airport on his way to work. The kids went to school and I went back to work. It was fun while it lasted.
Day 1: Saturday, 3/27
Hubby and Keeper Boy headed south to Richmond for a hockey tournament while J-Mav and I headed north to see the Hershey Bears game. We went to my parents' house first and picked them up to go with us. We had a GREAT time. Only one photo because they wouldn't let me bring the camera into the arena. :-(
Day 2: Sunday, 3/28
Hubby and Keeper Boy were done with the tournament early in the day and were home by lunchtime. J-Mav and I stayed at my parents' house for a family dinner and got home around J-Mav's bedtime. It was great to see my family -- including my grandpa, who was having a GREAT day!
Day 3: Monday, 3/29
Nothing exciting. Hubby worked at the office. I worked at home. The kids played.
Day 4: Tuesday, 3/30
Hubby worked at the office. I worked at home. Gma G arrived in the late afternoon! And then I was officially on vacation for the rest of spring break. :)
Day 5: Wednesday, 3/31
Gma G and I took the boys and headed to the outlets. Both boys needed new sneakers. We had success at the Nike Outlet, though I NEVER would've chosen the shoes Keeper Boy came home with.
Day 6: Thursday, 4/1
Gma G and I took the kids to Caps practice!!! It was an optional practice for the team since they had a game that night, but almost everyone was there. I got some really good pictures, and the boys got autographs from John Erskin, Dave Steckel, and Tom Poti.
Day 7: Friday, 4/2
Hubby was able to take the day off! We all piled in the car and headed downtown for the day. First stop was standing in line at the Spy Museum to get tickets. We got tickets for 2pm. Since it was only 10am, we went to Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. It was fun, but we (the adults) didn't think it was worth the admission fee. We also didn't think it was as good as the one in Las Vegas. And it definitely wasn't as good as the one in London! After we were done there, we tried to go to Ford's Theatre, but it was closed for an actual production. So we went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (and sat next to one of Bob Dylan's guitars). We killed some time in the National Portrait Gallery (very cool) and then did the Spy Museum. I'd been there before, but no one else had. I think everyone liked it, but Gma G said she definitely enjoyed the later stuff about people that she'd heard about. :) J-Mav was a little whiny by the end of our time there, so we walked over to the McDonald's in Verizon Center and had a shake break. Then we went to the coolest place: The Museum of Crime and Punishment. VERY cool. We all really liked it. And who knew? America's Most Wanted is broadcast from there! By the time we were done, we were getting hungry, so we stopped at Cheesecake Factory on the way home. YUM!!
Day 8: Saturday, 4/3
We all went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Cute movie. Keeper Boy and I decided that the book was better than the movie, but it was still cute. Keeper Boy also had baseball practice in the late afternoon. While Keeper Boy was gone, J-Mav decided to take his training wheels off and after just a couple attempts, he rode his bike!! We were so proud of him!! And then Red Robin for dinner!
Day 9: Sunday, 4/4 -- Easter
We had a lazy morning. We were bad and didn't go to church. :-( The kids went through their baskets from the Easter Bunny and found the eggs that had been hidden. Later in the day, Hubby's cousin and his wife came over. The kids played outside a lot, and we had a yummy dinner and a great visit.
Monday morning it was over. Hubby took Gma G to the airport on his way to work. The kids went to school and I went back to work. It was fun while it lasted.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Cast of thousands
OK... maybe not THOUSANDS, but I have talked about a lot of people on here since I started, and in some cases, I've referred to the same person by different "code names." Oops. Anyway, here's the a primer... immediate family first, then alphabetical order.
- Hubby -- Obvious, I hope
- Keeper Boy -- Eldest son
- J-Mav -- Younger son
- K-Dog -- Four-legged daughter
- BFF -- My best friend
- BFF's Hubby -- BFF's husband
- Bro -- My brother
- D&G -- My youngest cousin on my mom's side and her husband
- Dad -- My dad
- GmaG -- My mother-in-law (also referred to as MIL in earlier posts)
- Jenrie -- My sister-in-law/Uncle Hooter's wife (also referred to as SIL in earlier posts)
- Mom -- My mom
- N -- My Godson
- Nanya -- BFF's mom
- RDM -- My eldest cousin on my dad's side of the family
- S-Dog -- Uncle Hooter and Jenrie's dog
- Spidey -- My nephew (Uncle Hooter/Jenrie's son)... also referred to as JGS in earlier posts
- Uncle Hooter -- Hubby's younger brother (also referred to as BIL in earlier posts)
- V -- My Goddaughter
Thursday, October 15, 2009
And they're off...
A new category to keep track of my parents (M&D) and my mother-in-law (Gma G) as they travel. :-) I should've started this over the summer!
M&D left bright and early this morning for a quick trip north. (Aren't you supposed to go SOUTH when it starts getting cold?!) It involves a motor coach, some trains, and a river cruise. They'll be back on Sunday sometime.
In recent travel news, Gma G just returned from an annual overnight trip to Frankenmuth, MI with her girlfriends. She's now back at work. And M&D spent four or five days last week at a cabin in Southern Virginia, and 9/20 - 10/4 traveling (Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and Ashville, NC). Once they return from (snowy) New England on Sunday, they'll be home for four whole days before they head down here for their first visit since the spring. They'll stay with us for a few days and then head out to my brother's house for a few days.
M&D left bright and early this morning for a quick trip north. (Aren't you supposed to go SOUTH when it starts getting cold?!) It involves a motor coach, some trains, and a river cruise. They'll be back on Sunday sometime.
In recent travel news, Gma G just returned from an annual overnight trip to Frankenmuth, MI with her girlfriends. She's now back at work. And M&D spent four or five days last week at a cabin in Southern Virginia, and 9/20 - 10/4 traveling (Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and Ashville, NC). Once they return from (snowy) New England on Sunday, they'll be home for four whole days before they head down here for their first visit since the spring. They'll stay with us for a few days and then head out to my brother's house for a few days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
