Boy Tricks

It is the nine-to-twelve year old boy fantasy, at least for our son.  He is able to play video games for hours on a 60-inch screen, with his two girl cousins cheering him on, laughing at his jokes, learning and repeating the secret songs he knows from the bus and his friends.  We make them turn off the tv to play shuffleboard or eat dinner or swing some golf clubs or play a family game, but the little trio eventually retreats back to the media room, Ronan with the controls and the girls watching, giggling, directing him how to move.

He is on stage,  teaching them songs about Barney that your toddlers should not know with lovely lyrics like

“A-B-C-D-E-F-G Barney is my enemy…” and “Joy to the World that Barney is dead.  We barbequed his head…”

and burping tricks and Wii shortcuts.  And they wonder–why would anyone make a booby trap?  What kind of traps throw boobs?  Oh yeah, that’s the thirteen year and older fantasy.

Cousin fun. C

 

Headlands

The Marin headlands are one of my favorite, most beautifully desolate places to visit.  Go north over the Golden Gate Bridge, and take the first left off the 101, instead of the familiar right curve to Sausalito.  When we lived in San Francisco, we often explored the sehills, our Aussies Maxx and Annie running up and back, exploring, smelling, chasing, wandering.

These windswept hills overlook the forever-pounding Pacific Ocean, salty water foaming over tall black rocks sitting like miniature islands, some now white with bird guano.  Remnants of old military barracks dot the hills,  and this week Ronan found a rusted bullet remains on a sandy path we walked.

One day I will be part of these hills,  winds whirling my dusty remains onto the lichens and dancing mango-colored California poppies and tiny succulants that cover the ground.  It is already the resting spot for our loyal friend Maxx, and last week we spread the ashes of Annie, who came from these lands, so she can run with us during future escapades over these hills.

Just avoiding the rain, we lunched under cloudy skies, before they dissipated as we began our climb.  We soon wrapped our sweatshirts around our waists, stopping for water as the air warmed.  We meandered to our favorite spot to leave Annie,  then walked on for another hour, stopping to watch lizards play, throw rocks off the cliffs, search for sea lions in the surf (alas-none spotted today), and stop/start as we came to unexpected ends of paths. One daughter, who claimed to dislike hiking, wanted to climb to the very top hill, but there was no path from where we were.

We descended from the hills to let the kids run in the surf, trousers wetter than expected as the tide moved in, picking up flat rocks and split sand dollars then finding a sixteen-inch jellyfish wash onto the beach then eventually taken back into the churning waters.  We never figured out if it was still alive, or now.

“That was a fun excursion,” one of our kids commented as we climbed back into our car.   Agreed.

A final, fitting farewell to Annie. C

 

No Parking!

Sadly, no time for the tale I long to tell.  Maybe tonight.  Here are a couple photos from a recent trip to Blue Harbor Resort, in Sheboygan, WI.  Another great weekend with close friends doing the WI thing–Friday night fish fry where we were the only tourists (good perch and shrimp too! ) but hate that you can still smoke in bars and restaurants.  That lingering smell on my clothes and hair I do not miss), bike riding, beaches littered with flocks of raucous seagulls, a sunset, a thunderstorm, cocktails and cards.

 

LOVE!

C

 

Drive-in on UP

Do you have childhood memories of going to the drive-in in your pajamas, sprawled in the back of the station wagon or atop the car, straining to listen to the tinny sound of the voice box (seeing Peter Pan comes clearly to mind)?  Or high school memories of cramming a dozen people in a car, possibly a few in the trunk, hiding beers in coolers, to run around the parking lot, probably annoying many other viewers, barely watching the film?  

We went with three other families to the drive-in last weekend and saw the new Pixar film UP, a chilly but clear night, the drive-in filled with cars of families and teens and friends.  Not too much had changed at the drive-in, other than my perspective, perhaps. Our kids were comfy in their sweats, some did fall asleep in the back of the SUV’s, bowls of homemade popcorn in their laps, chilled wine and beer aplenty for the drivers,  the film enjoyable with the sound slightly better on the car radio. 

What a wholesome, family-filled way to spend time, talking with friends, kids playing baseball before darkness sets, anticipation of a great movie, a party like atmosphere wafting about all the cars.  Our kids enjoy the experience, we get to catch up with friends, and we can all see a film together. C

 

Rainy Day Sunday

Our weekends during soccer season are full of driving, directions, yelling, hoping, sitting, winning and losing.  But they are busy.  It rained hard almost all day yesterday, thunderstorms last night, and today we woke up again to cold drops pouring by the bucketful from the sky.  So those calls that game one-then game two-then game three were cancelled were greeted with Woo-Hoo!  Unexpected free time, a welcome treat for all.  Yes, the games will be rescheduled, but I will take this small gift today.

Unexpected time for me to head to the gym, run a couple errands on the weekend rather than at night or during lunch hour, spend some time with the girls in the kitchen as they and Tara’s friend spend the afternoon baking cookies and doing homework and giggling and drinking smoothies and just having fun. 

And then  the sun peeks through, the temperature now 70, and we rush outside to feel the sudden rays, the wind so reminiscent of our San Francisco days. 

Ah, to feel a little bit ahead is a great way to end the weekend. C

 

Konerko Rocks!

It was a gorgeous, sunny Phoenix afternoon to enjoy  Camelback Ranch,  the new White Sox and Dodgers spring training facility.  Why go to a regular season game again, I wondered, after the game (though my Sox lost 4-1 to the Colorado Rockies).  For $8 lawn seats, we sat on the grass directly behind the bullpen–and I mean RIGHT behind it.  The players were friendly, and the kids could see and hear how fast the relief pitchers throw the ball.  Amazing.

With no commercial breaks, the game time is cut about 30 minutes, the giant beers stayed cold, there were accessible bathrooms, many vendors, and the kids could run around the grass–when the over zealous guardsmen weren’t watching our every move, and we had 7 kids with us, what could we really do?!

The kids ran over for autographs as the players left the field. Josh Fields came back from his exit as my son asked him to sign his shirt.  And while many of the players ignored the tiny voices yelling “can I have an autograph?), Paul Konerko signed again and again, with a couple newcomers.  You rocked!  We appreciated it, even if you were done before you got to my kids.

There were many empty seats, but we found more than  worth the $8 lawn seats and only $5 parking right next to the stadium.  We’ll be back.  Go Sox! C

 

Our San Diego Excursions

For those who asked me what to do in San Diego, it is a candy store of adventure: playlands, beaches, shopping and  phenomenal sunsets for those who seek it. The entire western border of beaches, tidepools,  dolphins riding waves with surfers unending beauty itself.

We stayed in a lovely condo in Oceanside, about 40 miles north of San Diego, right on the beach.  My son and several of his cousins ventured with the dads to Legoland–as Bob calls it “Crack for Kids.”  Being the Legomaniac, he was obsessed.  Kids over 12 might be bored, but the younger set can play for hours with the legos, ride the rides, see the amazing Lego exhibits.

Everything was set for the Lego innauguration.

 

 

You could spend each day at a different park, with an unending budget–which we did not have.  We made the right choice and spent the day at San Diego Wild Animal Park, since there is nothing like that around here.  On the tour around the park you feel like you are seeing the animals in the natural habitats, as you learn about how many are endangered or almost lost from civilization.  All the kids and adults loved it!

There were also mini-habitats for birds and monkeys.  And fun (shhh..they’re educational) programs.

 

The older girls wanted to shop, shop–ick. But they found a couple stores in La Jolla to spend their money in, after I made them hike in Torrey Pines State Reserve.  Not the most spectacular place I have hiked, but pretty enough, with relatively easy, but hilly 1 hour hikes. 

jumping tide pools

But even with all the explorations we did, the kids really wanted to just head to the beach and play in the sand, find shells and rocks, jump the waves, grab the waves, play volleyball, and hang out with each other and us.

We adults looked forward to the evening sunsets on the deck, drinks in hand, an array of food and cameras spread on the table.

sand time!

view from the deck!

It was a wonderful place to visit.  Hope you enjoyed your 70th, mom! C

 

Cyber kisses and handshakes?

Yesterday I felt like Alice who slipped down the tunnel, caught in a maze of doors to open, lost in the keypad of my laptop.  I had a couple spare hours–what should I update first?  Excluding work, there was a myriad of electronic options–write on my blog, update my facebook page, find new contacts on Linkedin, upload and sort vacation photos, post new pictures on my Flickr page after categorizing photos, visit my family’s new social networking page, surf the internet, respond to an evite, donate online to a friend’s upcoming charity walk, start on a new freelance project…the list expands as I reminisce. 

I chose to start with a short facebook update, donation, then uploaded my photos woefully after the fact on my flickr page; hopefully the friends I sent emails to remembered attending the events with me!  But since I had photos from a school function to turn in, I can cross that item off my “to-do” list.  And there is now a new “2009″ photos folder on my computer, already bulging with pictures from San Diego.

I was satisfied with my choices, but I continued to think about my long  “to-do” list that all involved the computer.

A day later, still rambling through the Gateway, I wonder if people still make face-to-face or voice-to-voice contact, with all the electonic conversations, bullets, rants, thoughts that pulse through the airwaves all day and nite.  But is a cyber handshake enough to cinch the deal?  If my friend is scared for the future, I can’t give her a hug online or reassure with the written word like the timbre and tone a voice and touch can give.  And when emotional, skittering fingers across cold, unfeeling letters can misconstrue words and thoughts. 

Yes, the computer (and the cell phone with texting) is a wonderful, useful time-saving  tool, but what are we losing, with the lack of  human interaction? Only time, measured in milli-seconds and over analyzed, will tell. C

 

My Life as a Sitcom, Episode 1

If this were a sitcom, no one would believe this to be realistic. But we laughed so hard, I know it happened to me. All 16 of my immediate family members are on vacation in lovely Oceanside CA, for my mom’s 70th birthday.  Oceanside is a large surf town, about 38 miles of San Diego, the outdoors much more beckoning in winter than Chicago.

To remember the occasion, we decided to hire a professional photographer to freeze our families at this moment in our lives.  Now, I was not sure why we needed to do this, as we have a number of competent photographers in the family, and the several times we have done this before the photos have been forced and unrealistic depictions of us.  There is a reason why I have NEVER taken my children for formal portraits; I enjoy my candids so much more.

In hindsight though, this might have been a good idea (though I won’t confirm until I see the final work), since we have too many art directors, too many opinions.  Letting John the photographer be in charge let everyone relax.

Anyway, no one could have imagined all the bizarre happenings that occurred literally 20 minutes before he arrived, and as he scouted shooting locations.

First, a near meltdown as the tie on my daughter Devon’s shirt–a simple buttercup yellow ribbon, fell off and I had to re-sew it when I should have been in the shower. Seemingly simultaneously, a lens in Ronan’s eyeglass popped out, and Bob spent 15 minutes trying to repair it.  Two workmen showed up to fix the hottub and toilet as we were headed  out, and someone had to show them which rooms needed repaired.  Two of the older girls went for a last minute snack and spilled a huge bowl of cut watermelon from the fridge onto the floor.  As we were laughing but hurrying to clean up, my sister in law Karen announced her 10 year old son Jackson was throwing up!  How long did she have to get him to the beach?

A trooper, Jackson recovered long enough to be carried to the beach and force a smile for an hour. Now the shirt is pinned, the glasses repaired, the toilet flushing, and the watermelon disposed of.  Hopefully we will be rewarded with some excellent photos, to remember the funny day (Jackson may not want to remember).

  More on vacation later. C

 

Merry Christmas!

Our priest at mass last night emphatically declared that “We are a merry Christmas people,” to a smattering of applause from parishioners.  And I agree that we are a “merry Christmas” family–in beliefs and thoughts yes, but in spirit as well.

We spent Christmas Eve day in a snowstorm morning, running errands and preparing for our Christmas day.  This is the first year we have ever had a party of five, no family here-no friends-still in pajamas for the evening film of Indiana Jones #4, opened this morning. It was a strange beginning  for us once the gifts were open,  but I eventually realized it has been nearly never since we all sat at home all day, no where to run to, no sports, no chores.  And we loved doing our thing–putting together legos (only 1000 pieces for the 8 year old), setting up the ipod, playing Pictionary/Connect Four/Scrabble and watching films.  An unspoken,  unwrapped gift for us all.

During this holiday season, may you and your family enjoy a quiet family moment, appreciate the beauty around you–be it falling snow or rain or sun–, hug your pet, share with those not as fortunate, explore somewhere new in your town and love most moments with your extended family.

A toast of excellent St. Francis Zin to you, and the merriest of Christmas (or holiday season)  to all my friends and family.  I have thought of many of you today.  Enjoy this needed break for all.  C