Stroller Lane

Bye-Bye Car Seat - Sarah is 8!!!

2012-01-22T15:25:00.008-05:00

Ac cording to the laws of the great state of North Carolina, Sarah is a big kid and no longer legally requires a car seat. Sarah turned 8 yesterday and another milestone has passed in our house - one car seat down and two more to go. .

We celebrated with a cookie cake at lunchtime on Friday (no cakes in the classroom in 2nd grade) and a girls-only ice skating party. By the end of the party the kids were hyped-up on sugar and the parents were exhausted; it passed the test of a good party. We celebrated as a family that evening and proved that Santa isn't the only one to deliver gifts. Sarah was spoiled by friends and family alike.

As for the rest of the house, we are all well. I survived my first 12-hour night shift (7p-7a) on Friday night (yes, right before the party). Besides being a little tired, it was a great first night on the hospital floor. I am splitting the rest of the semester between days and nights, so I expect to be tired until graduation. If you see me wandering around in a daze, please point me in the right direction and give me a little push.

Scott is busy at work, but also busy trying to ignore that his birthday is arriving in 10 days. He is turning 39! How did that happen? Weren't we just complaining about turning 29 yesterday? But the calendar doesn't lie and that big birthday is just around the corner. To soften the blow, we are headed out with friends next Friday night (thank Nana for babysitting).

Jaley is having fun in kindergarten. She was the "star student" last week (don't worry this isn't a brag - all the kids get to be star for a week). She made a poster and then her teacher and her classmates wrote a book that was about all of her. Plus the 100th day of school is coming up, complete with a t-shirt she decorated with 100 things (thanks again to Nana for doing that project when I was working).

And Mick, he is wild as usual. I have a lot to learn about raising a boy. It is a whole different world. He currently turns everything he can find into a "gun" and "shoots" us. I mean everything. He was "shooting" me with Jaley's fairy wand last night. Where did he learn that? Not from me. Or Scott. And definitely not from the girls. It must just be a boy thing.

And that is the news from the stroller lane.

New Year, New Laughs

2012-01-08T14:46:00.003-05:00

I hope your New Year is off to a great start. Before I get into the news from the Harrell house, it is time for a little humor. Last week, here is the conversation I had with Mick’s Sunday school teacher.

Teacher: “Your little Mickey must really like Mickey Mouse.”

Me: “Yes, why do you ask?” Meanwhile, I’m thinking of course Mickey loves Mickey Mouse. He shares a name with Disney’s most treasured character and thinks the entire Disney Jr. channel is a personal serenade.

Teacher: “In class, we were asking the kids questions and having them respond. We asked, ’Who is the Son of God?’ All the kids shouted, ‘Jesus’, except Mick who shouted, ‘Mickey Mouse.’ We asked, ‘Who loves you?’ All the kids the shouted, ‘Jesus,’ except Mick who shouted, ‘Mickey Mouse.’ And so the class went.”

Me: I was laughing too hard to even respond.

I just love the things little kids say. It can be endearing, humorous, and embarrassing all in one sentence. Mick is going to grow up soon and stop considering a Mickey Mouse religious figure. Until then, I have to treasure these moments. It may not have made his Sunday school teacher happy, but Mick’s shout out sure cracked me up.

Now that we are back to the regular routine, we need all the humorous relief we can find. I am officially back to school tomorrow, but am already knee deep in assignments. The semester kicks off at 9AM tomorrow with a 3-hour comprehensive test, followed Tuesday with a multi-part practical exam – fun, fun. As busy as I am, I’m not the only one. Scott is on the 6AM flight to San Jose. Sarah is practicing for the class spelling bee. Heck, even the cats have vet appointments this week. Vacation is only a few days past, but it is already a memory.

As for the holidays, we squeezed in lots of fun into a short time. We visited with Mimi and Poppa and spent lots of extra time with Nana. Christmas was a hurricane of wrapping paper – which led to three very happy (and spoiled) kids. On New Year’s Eve we finally saw the Acorn drop in Downtown Raleigh, though we attended the early session and were home before 8:00pm. We ice skated, watched movies, and went to a kids museum. We slept in as late a Mick would allow. In the end, we tried to play as much as possible. We knew the holidays would be over soon, and play time would be a rare commodity once again.

While the New Year’s countdown is over, we have another countdown beginning. I have just one semester left of school. We are counting down these last 16 weeks and hoping life is a little less hectic in May. That is life in the stroller lane.

Pulling Together the "Perfect" Christmas

2011-12-21T12:55:00.005-05:00

I wrote Santa a letter and only asked for one thing - to survive final exams. He delivered early. I finished up the semester last week and only have one more semester until graduation. The countdown is on.

With the semester over, it was time to put on my Santa hat and conjure up the "perfect" Christmas at lightning speed. In exactly 7 days, that is what I have done. I have shopped, assembled, wrapped, and baked my way through my To-Do List to create the "perfect" Christmas. Though in my world, "perfect" now means good enough. As in, stick on bows are good enough, burnt cookies won't kill anyone, party packs from Sam's count as homemade, and a torn Scrabble box is fine because it was the last one at the store.

That is probably the best part about being in school, I don't have any time to actually make things perfect, instead I get things good enough. And, I am finding good enough is just as good as perfect, but it is much less stressful.

I hope that you have a "perfect" holiday, too. Merry Christmas.

Forecast: Sunny, Sixty, and Snowing

2011-12-04T16:19:00.006-05:00

To all of you that thought it had to be cold to snow - come on down to Cary. Once a year they bring in snow to a local park (with great hills) for an afternoon of sledding. Last year, I took the girls and it was actually (and ironically) snowing. This year, it was sixty and sunny. I must say I like traditional sledding, but this warm weather variety is divine.

As expected, the kids had a blast. Mick was leading the charge, with no fear or trepidation. He must have been the youngest kid on the slope. Jaley and Sarah were fulfilling X-games dreams, catching air on the bigger hill. Scott and I exhausted ourselves running point, trying to ensure everyone made a safe landing at the bottom of the hill.

It was a taste of fun in the middle of a very busy time. I am t-minus 8 days until the end of the semester. There is a mountain of final exams, simulations, and final clinical assignments, BUT at the end is a well-deserved four-week break.

That is life in the stroller lane.

Hello and Good-Bye - Visits with Family

2011-12-02T13:35:00.007-05:00

Family is our support system. They are there for the celebrations, for the sad times, and everything in between. This week was a lot of both.

For Thanksgiving, Scott, I and the kids headed to Richmond to hangout with the Beeman side of the family. You have to know that the Beeman's know how to do Thanksgiving. It was Aunt Pat's specialty and the skill was passed on to Tom (and Darlene) and Robin (and Ted) . What a great day. We ate, drank, and were very merry. It was a great Thanksgiving holiday and very much the break that Scott and I needed.

As the Thanksgiving weekend came to a close, we were saddened to hear that Grandpa Harrell had passed away. He was 92 years old and a fighter until the end. One of the last time's Scott talked to Grandpa, he was still making jokes, he never lost his spirit.

So this week of hellos and good-byes and a reminder of the importance of family. We loved seeing all the cousins in Virginia. We were so sad to say to good-bye to Granddaddy. He will always be missed.

Out of the Mouth's of Babes

2011-11-19T11:40:00.004-05:00

Everyone knows that two-year-olds are hard to understand. They have yet to master that all important piece of talking - enunciation. Sometimes what he says says sounds absolutely nothing like what he was actually saying. So it goes...

Recently, Mick has been into trucks. Any truck he spots - (and living in the South there are lots of them) - he screams (and I mean screams) "Go, Truck!!!!" The problem is that Go sounds like "Oh" and Tr sounds like "F". And that makes me feel like the best parent around as my son screams "Oh $uck" every time he sees a truck. You gotta loves toddlers for humbling you in every way.

It has been forever since I wrote an update. School has been crazy busy. I have about three weeks to go this semester and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be the end of my third semester and I have just one more to go - let the countdown begin. Heck, who am I kidding, I've been counting down since day one.

While I haven't been updating this blog very often, we have managed to squeeze in family time. Halloween was rainy and cold, but the kids had a ball. They brought home enough candy to ensure a long career for their dentist. Scott was a good sport and
joined in the family in our costume there. We all dressed up with as M&M's. The kids were the candy and Scott and I were the packs - it was fun and fitting.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays. We are off to Richmond to see the Beeman side for Turkey Day. And then the mad dash begins until Santa's sleigh takes off.

Fall Break

2011-10-14T10:36:00.006-04:00

The leaves are changing and pumpkins are easy to find - so it must be time for Fall Break. I am very ready for a couple of days without class or clinical.

While I still hold that motherhood is making my Peds and OB classes a bit easier, that doesn't mean it has been any less busy. This week was a mad dash - with two exams, two projects, a half-day simulation, a presentation to the hospital research council, and a 12-hr shift at the hospital. In just a couple of short hours, I will be done - expect to find me with a glass of wine in my hand.

While I have been running around playing student nurse, the kids have been busy, too. Sarah is really enjoying 2nd grade. Since her class is on the 2nd floor of the school, she is officially a big kid. Jaley is off on her first school field trip today. Yes, field trips are just as exciting as when we were little. Mick, is a walking talking comedy show. He is just a silly little goof-ball.

Scott has been mostly earning frequent flyer points. He just arrived from CA on the red-eye this morning and he is headed back next week. All told he is set to be on the road 6 weeks out of 9. While we all miss him, thankfully Nana and our wonderful babysitter have been helping out even more than usual.

That is life in the stroller lane.

Terrific To Be Two!

2011-09-19T17:32:00.006-04:00

Mick turned two this weekend. I know historically this is the start of the "terrible" phase, but I will trade you a talking, laughing, running, jumping two year-old for a newborn any day. So it is, I may be the only mom in the world that finds the toddler years easier than the baby ones.

While we didn't plan for a big party, we did try to celebrate the occasion. However, our attempts were foiled at almost every pass.

First, Mick was sick on Friday. Croup came a-calling at 2am. Poor Mick could barely breathe. We were just about ready to head to the ER when the medicine finally kicked in. Thank God for OraPred - I keep it in the fridge at all times. I just hate croup. And since Mick stayed home sick and missed a having a party at day care with his friends, he now hates croup, too.

By Saturday he was feeling better, so we were off to the corn maze for an afternoon of fun with the family. Mother nature was plotting against us and decided to provide us with 12 hours of rain. Then, we were off to Kidzu Kid's Museum, but found out they were closing too early. Then, we headed to Hopper's House. We pulled into the parking lot and found out they had just gone out of business. So we headed to Chick-Fil-A to play in the indoor playground.

I was a little disappointed; Mick could have cared less. He was thrilled to play at Chick-Fil-A. His joy only continued when he found out there was cake, ice-cream (diary-free), and presents waiting at home.

Despite the changes in plans, in the end it was a great 2nd birthday.

Age has it's privileges

2011-09-05T14:05:00.006-04:00

Usually the younger classmates in nursing school can run circles around me. They pull all an nighter and look great the next day. They have the energy to head to the gym after a 12-hr shift. They can up headache free after an indulgent Friday night. I fully accept that my 20's were a long time ago.

Every once in a while age and motherhood have their privileges. This semester is one of those times. The big classes of the semester are pediatrics and pregnancy. I already know about croup and ear infections and well baby visits. After waddling my way through three pregnancies, I know a bit about about labor and delivery, too.

I may have some grey hair and I may have some wrinkles, but I also have some experience as Dr. Mom. With a little luck, that experience will make this an easier semester. At least that is what I'm hoping.

That is life in the stroller lane.

ABC, 123

2011-08-26T12:31:00.004-04:00

The carpool line is long, the 25mpg school zone is flashing, and school is officially back in session. One, two, three, we were all back to school.

I returned for my senior year at Chapel Hill on Tuesday. Yes, I'm a senior again - it's all about keg parties and football season (or not).

Sarah started 2nd grade yesterday. She is a officially a big kid with her classroom on the 2nd floor. The day went smooth, but the ride home was little tough. The bus was almost an hour late and dropped the kids at the wrong bus stop. Luckily, the kids all found their way home.

And Jaley...Jaley who I swear was born only days ago, started kindergarten today. There were no tears shed, but I wasn't far off. She, however, skipped right into her classroom, grabbed some crayons and never looked back.

With school in session, we are getting back to the routine or at least pretending to get back to the routine. That is life in the stroller lane.

Could You, Would You

2011-08-19T14:43:00.003-04:00

I was reading Dr. Suess's Green Eggs & Ham the other day. You know the one. It's about all the places to eat Green Eggs & Ham (in a boat and with a goat...). As I read the book, I got to thinking. I am Sam-I-Am. You just need to swap the food for diapers. After 7+ years of parenting, I have diapered everywhere.

Have I diapered in a boat (yes)
...and with a goat (the zoo)
...and in the rain (pouring)
....and in the dark (too many sleepless nights)
...and on a train (yes)
...and in a car (of course)
...and in a tree (maybe)
...and on a box (definitely)
...and with a fox (maybe not)
...and in a house (a million times)
...and with a mouse (Disney)
...and here and there and ANYWHERE!

But maybe, just maybe, my days of diapering are numbered. Mick has gone in the potty a few times. Yippee. Not often enough to sell our stock in the Pampers company, but enough to let me envision a day when I retire the diaper bag.

As for the rest of the family, we are all gearing up for back to school. Armed with new backpacks and lunch boxes, sharpened pencils and glue sticks, we are ready for the first day. Jaley asks me every morning how many days until kindergarten. T-minus 6 days and counting.

That is life in the stroller lane!

Simple Vacation

2011-08-10T22:13:00.010-04:00

Exotic vacations are wonderful. If someone offered me tickets to Hawaii, I would be packed in a flash. But sometimes the best vacations are the ones a little closer to home. And so it was last week.

We started the week in the Mountains with Mimi & Poppa. While the rest of the country suffered an inferno of summer heat, we were treated to perfect weather. Sunny and in the 70-80's (yes, you should be jealous). The girls hung out during the day at nature camp - fishing, hiking, and fun. Sarah even caught her first fish (no, we didn't get a picture).

Thanks to some generous babysitting by Mimi and Poppa, Scott and I were also able to enjoy some fishing, hiking and fun of our own. Since we don't know the first thing about fly fishing we wisely signed up with a guide. Thanks to Matt's expertise, both Scott and I were catching fish as soon as we stepped in the river. Scott even snagged an 18" rainbow trout (no, we didn't get a picture of this one either). We also hit the trails. While I always love a good hike, scaling down the edge of McRae Peak on the ladder/rope/scale-the-side-of-a-mountain system at Grandfather Mountain just about scared me to death. I won't be taking that route again.

Then the girls and I continued onto Atlanta for a mother-daughter weekend. We enjoyed a few of the downtown sites on Saturday. We went to a kids museum, rode the subway, and saw a puppet show for the girls. We stayed at the Georgia Tech hotel for me. We enjoyed dinner with my wonderful friend, Priti. And before heading to the suburbs I made sure we got ourselves a parking ticket. It made me feel just like the good old days.

On Sunday, we were spoiled in Alpharetta by my aunt and cousins. It was a great surprise that all of the family was in town. It was so nice catching up. The girls had a blast hanging out with their second cousins. Most importantly, the girls and I were able to enjoy a short visit with my grandfather. I haven't been able to talk to him on the phone recently, and was so happy to spent a little time with him. Unlike fishing, I even remember to snap a few pictures with Papa, but sadly my camera had "issues" and the pictures are lost.

With our wonderful vacation complete, we are home. Summer is coming to a close and a new school year is getting ready to begin (for me and the girls). That is life in the stroller lane.

Summer Fun and Five

2011-07-28T21:59:00.010-04:00

I am five days into my summer vacation. Somethings never change, because
summer vacation is just as nice in my 30's as it was in my teens.

To make my first week of break even better, Jaley turned 5 yesterday. We made sure to celebrate all day -- including candles in her pancakes with Nana at breakfast, cake with her friends at preschool, and ice cream out after dinner. If you were worried that she didn't get to celebrate enough, never fear. The festivities continue this weekend with pool party for her and her friends.

With my second semester complete, I am officially half way through nursing school. It was a tough semester - reminding me of the weed-out classes at Georgia Tech. Too much work and too little time, but it is done. And to quote one of my closest friends "done is good."

The next few weeks are a mix of fun and catch up. Sadly, my to-do list kept on growing despite my best efforts to ignore it during the semester. While I need to get a few things done, the priority is on FUN. It is time to kick back and hang out with the kids and Scott. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends. I fear some of the folks may have forgotten who I am - it has been so long.

That is the story from the stroller lane.

A New Way to Pinata

2011-07-09T14:27:00.008-04:00

That is my son. Thanks to this picture we have material to bribe him with straight through to the slide show at this wedding. Not too many people have celebrated America's birthday, in their birthday suit wearing a very patriotic Captain America cap - but Mick has.

According to Scott, the rest of the 4th of July weekend was just as much crazy, fun. The kids had a great time hanging out with the Harrell cousins. As usual, Jan and Mike hosted quite a celebration.

Now Sarah, Mick, and Scott are home. Jaley has been enjoying a couple of extra special days with Mimi & Poppa.

She is coming home tomorrow and I can't wait. I miss having all three of my little "chicks" in my Cary nest. I'm ready for the whole family to be home.

Meanwhile, I am rounding the final corner for the semester. Less than two weeks to go. And thanks to the solitude at the house last weekend, I powered through a whole bunch of work that had piled up. And I even had time to catch up on some ZZZ's. So it was a good 4th for me too.

I hope your 4th was just as good. That is life in the stroller lane.

Time to Catch Up

2011-07-03T21:48:00.006-04:00

I have been very far from the stroller lane this summer and it is time to catch up. Where to begin? The list is long. Here is the Reader's Digest version of the first half of the Harrell summer.

Sarah finished 1st grade. There was the school play and field day and viola she is a rising 2nd grader.

Jaley graduated from preschool. Caps, gowns, and diplomas. It's official she is off to kindergarten in August.

Mick's started talking. One day it was baby-Greek the next day baby-English. Just like that we understand him now. On the phone today he said, "Dat Mommy?" It just melted my heart.

Jaley and Mick rode ponies and got their picture taken too.

Sarah and Jaley took swim lessons at the pool.

Sarah had a week of art camp. She is a budding Monet (I may be a little biased).

Jaley had a week of Safety Town camp. She has the whole family practicing Stop, Drop and Roll.

Mimi and Poppa came for a quick visit before heading back with Sarah for a week of camp in the mountains. Jaley starts her week after the 4th. Bring on the fun and the spoiling.

Then there was the Lollipop Incident of 2011. One nameless sibling shoved a lollipop stick into Mick's ear. Next thing you know his eardrum was ruptured and we were spending a Sunday night in the ER. Turns out that with 1 semester of nursing school under my belt, I couldn't fix that. It also turns out that neither could the ER doctor. What fixed that - time. A month later and his eardrum is mostly back to normal. We also have several new strict rules about placing anything in bodily orifices. I have been to that ER three times, once with each kid. That's enough or they are going to put our name on one of the rooms.

In between, I have been juggling one incredibly crazy and demanding semester of school. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Thankfully, Scott and my mom have been picking up for my slack. I have only a couple of weeks left. Ironically, the last part of the semester is the easiest part. I wrote two massive papers so far this weekend and I have two shorter ones to write tomorrow. Then, back to school on Tuesday.

So why do I have time to write this now? Scott is off with the kids in the mountains at Mimi & Poppa's. They are hanging out with aunts, uncles, and cousins. A mini Harrell family reunion. I wish I was with them. I'm manning the fort while I finish up that last of my work for the semester. Since all work and no play is no good, I took a break and enjoyed a wonderful dinner out with my mom tonight. Soon, I will be sound asleep and no one will wake me up in the middle of the night (no bad dreams or I need a drink of water or dirty diapers). A full night's sleep - it is a mom's dream come true.

That is life in the stroller lane.

No Lazy Days of Summer

2011-05-28T13:27:00.006-04:00

After just one day off, I was back to school for the summer term. And let me tell you, there was no rest for the weary. This term is only 10 weeks long, but has all 16 weeks of work crammed in. I am counting the days until break - it's 55!!!!

While this semester is absolutely crazy (figuratively and literally meant), I am in the hospital treating patients. Yippee!!! I spend one day a week at a psychiatric hospital - I wasn't joking about the crazy part . I spend two days a week at the regular hospital. Then, I spend the other two days in lecture and lab. I must say being in the hospital is much more interesting than the classroom and if the first few week's of clinical hold true, I'm will enjoy being a nurse. The problem this semester is that being in class all week, leaves no time to actually study. However, many others (even others with young kids) have made it through the program before me - so I too will get through this.

As for the family, they are good. At least that is what I'm told. Scott, Nana, and our regular babysitter have been picking up the slack while I'm off being a student. Sarah has 9 days left of first grade. Jaley is graduating from pre-school. Mick is 20-months and phasing out of some the toddler tantrum stage. All great things!!!

The girls are busy as usual. They are cooling off in the pool with swim lessons. They ran in the neighborhood Fun Run. And after much practice (OK, some practice) they are looking forward to their first piano recital.

One Semester Down

2011-05-06T15:15:00.006-04:00

I am officially one semester into nursing school. Six classes, 16 weeks, and in the last six days, six finals. I'm tired - but happy. The best part, by this time next year, I will be finished (360 days - not that I'm counting).

While I have read literally thousands of pages about disease, drugs, and the nursing process, I can boil it down to just a few of highlights.

The official word for itching is pruritus. Where the heck did that come from? I don't know, but I can tell you I have been seen that word on at least five tests this semester. Why confuse me and say "Varicella virus can lead to pruritus," when it is so much easier to say "Chicken Pox makes you itchy."
Don't get sick. It is definitely the better choice. There are a lot of nasty diseases out there - really nasty ones. Even if they have a medication to treat you, the side effects of the drugs may be worse than the original disease. It is better to just stay healthy.
Sometimes, staying healthy doesn't happen. If that is the case, I can tell you an absolutely wonderful group of nurses will be graduating from UNC in 2012. This semester I have met some of the best folks in the world. If you ever need a nurse, find one of my classmates and you will know you are in good hands. At least, that's my plan.

It isn't all about nursing school, I don't want you to think I have forgotten about my alterego as a suburban mom. There was the PTA Carnival last Saturday - I bolted out of my final to take my slot volunteering at the Spin Art machine. Yesterday, it was kindergarten orientation. And today, it was an urgent visit to the vet with Buford. He got in a fight with another cat and lost - though at 14 and with no claws, I don't think it was a fair fight. The car needs to go to the shop, I'm off to the grocery store in a few minutes, and I'll need supplemental oxygen reach the top of the laundry mountain. In other words, life is great.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

All Boy!!!

2011-04-26T17:42:00.006-04:00

I was hoping by the third time around, I would have the parenting toddlers thing figured out. I should be a pro. Sadly, I'm not. It turns out that raising little boys is very, very different from raising little girls. Oh yes, I have heard many a mom utter, "he is just ALL BOY!" Now I fully understand what that means. It starts with diapering (yes, sadly, I've been peed in the face) and just continues from there.

I would like to know why little boys enjoy destroying everything. It must be innate, because Sarah and Jaley certainly didn't teach Mick to use a fairy wand as a sledge hammer. They also didn't teach him that stomping on bugs is hilarious. He is a boy, and boys just do those sorts of things. Case in point, he slammed the door handle through the wall and thought his destruction was the best entertainment available. What makes his destruction even more amazing is that he somehow accomplished this feat without removing the door stop. I'm not sure how he did it, but the hole in the wall is sure proof that he did.

When Mick isn't destroying the house, he is tons of fun. He is talking up a storm, even in full sentences. The problem is that he doesn't enunciate well - so we don't have a clue what he is saying most of the time. He had a ball at his first Easter egg hunt (and was even more thrilled to learn there was candy in the eggs).

The girls are great. Sarah had a blast on her Spring Break Palooza with Mimi and Poppa. Her travels both ways were very smooth - which made me happy. It was terrific to enjoy a little one on one time with Jaley while Sarah was away.

Amid all the busyness of Easter, I managed to get another year older. It was the 8th anniversary of my 29th birthday. I was spoiled with not one cake, but two. First, a homemade cake by Nana and Jaley, then a surprise cake at my neighbor's Easter party. I live on the best street!!!

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Time to Fly On Her Own

2011-04-18T13:21:00.003-04:00

They say when the time is right a mama bird watches as her chicks leave the nest to fly on their own. I know just how that mama bird feels; today Sarah flew on her own. Thanks to Southwest airlines and an unaccompanied minor ticket, Sarah flew on her own to Florida to see Mimi and Poppa for Spring Break.

It was a great plan. Sarah's Spring Break was much later than mine. Instead of having her here while I toiled in school, she could frolic in Florida with the state's best tour guides. Way back in January, I brought the ticket, not thinking twice. Today, was a little different. It is tough for us mama birds to let go. We want our chicks to fly, but at the same time we hate for them to leave the nest. Knowing that I would probably cry at the gate, Scott took Sarah to the airport this morning (thanks, Honey). I sat in class waiting for the phone to ring. Good news! Right on time the phone rang, Sarah had landed in Florida, greeted by hugs from Mimi and Poppa. She is in for a week of fun - including Sea World, the beach, and the pool.

With Sarah in Florida, we are a temporary family of four. Jaley didn't get the Florida boondoggle (though she is already preparing for a trip for when she turns 7). We are planning to spoil her a little. Nana is going to have a cookie-baking sleepover and we are going to spend some time relaxing on the Good Friday holiday. I am also planning a few extra snuggles with Mick. He will need them. He adores Sarah and will miss her terribly this week.

For all of you mom's out there whose chicks are older than mine, I know this is just the tip of the nest leaving iceberg. I will look to you and your wisdom to coach me as my chicks flap their wings. I am going to need it.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Breakaful, Fastly, and Cash Money

2011-04-12T17:02:00.005-04:00

Learning a new language is tough, just ask the Parisians how badly I botched up French when we lived there. While my mistakes were far from endearing, the ones my kids make are too cute. I just love the little quirky words they make up as they learn English. Most of them disappear quickly, but there are those few that linger. The ones that I should correct, but I don't. Selfishly, I want to hear their cute personalizations of the English language. Plus, I know they will figure out the right way to say it soon enough.

With Sarah, my favorite was breakaful. Mommy's china was breakaful and so was Sarah's wrist on the monkey bars. Though she has long since dropped the phrase, Scott and I still sometimes say breakaful, just for fun. With Jaley it is fastly. If you ask her, she runs more fastly than any of the other kids and daddy definitely drives more fastly than mommy.

The kids are growing so fast, I know that fastly will most fastly disappear. While I miss Sarah's breakaful and am savoring Jaley's fastly, I'm looking forward to Mick's little talking mistakes. At the rate he is picking up words, he should soon have a few quirky phrases of his own.

I will fastly sum up the rest of household happenings. I just found out I got a nursing scholarship. Yippee!!! It is a grant through NC that emphasizes second career nurses - sound a little like someone you know. The timing is good as my next tuition bill is due. The girls are keeping themselves out of breakaful trouble (mostly). Conversely, Mick is always looking for breakaful trouble (and succeeding). Scott is plugging away at Cisco, working as fastly as ever.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Walking in Circles - Relay for Life

2011-04-07T17:26:00.010-04:00

Some days it feels like I'm just walking in circles. I'm moving fast, trying hard, and not really getting anywhere. Usually that is a bad thing, but today it was a glad thing. While we didn't get anywhere in distance, we definitely made a difference. The girls and I participated in the Relay for Life at UNC. Some folks walked for 20 hours, we signed up for a short 2-hour shift. The girls and I weren't up for walking all night. We left the night shift to the 20 year-old college students. We did our laps on the track during the day to raise money and awareness for Cancer and the American Cancer Society.

My hope is to catch my kids young and plant a little seed about giving back. If I'm lucky, that seed will grow. If not, at least I tried. And speaking of lucky, we sure were. The girls won NOT one, but TWO gift baskets in the raffle at the end of the relay. I need to take the girls to Vegas one of these days, they are just that lucky.

When I wasn't doing laps on the track, I was doing laps between my school and home. The girls finished tennis lessons last week, so I was up at 5:30 Tuesday morning, to make sure we could get them into swim lessons before the summer starts.

I also finagled a costume for Sarah. The author of the Aurthur books/TV Show was at Sarah's school this week for a special book reading. She didn't win the costume contest, but I thought she looked pretty cute as DW, Aurthur's aardvark sister.

Jaley and Mick are both doing well, though Mick is teething and not very happy about it. As for me, I am learning about all sorts of nasty diseases. My best advice, don't get sick. It is much easier that way.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Spring - Not Quite Yet

2011-03-28T08:37:00.010-04:00

Spring started a week ago, but Mother Nature had an early April Fool happening here. It snowed this morning. Nothing stuck, but it was snowing, nonetheless. I had already put the winter coats away after last week's beautiful 85 degree days. I'm from Florida, I barely do snow in January - Snow in late-March is against my religion.

Strange weather or not, life here is good. Jaley and Mick had pictures with bunnies in preparation for Easter. Our new daycare apparently got word that I'm a sucker for buying pictures. So in came the bunnies and out came my wallet. With the help of an Easter wardrobe selection provided by Mimi's (and Poppa), my kids were the cutest ones in front of the camera (yes, I'm biased, but that what moms do).

Sarah didn't get the bunny pics, but don't worry there are a second round of school pictures at her Elementary School next week (we are hoping to erase memories of her horrible pictures in September).

Even stranger than the weather, is the fact that I'm caught up on my classwork. No worries, I'll soon be behind again. Today and for today only, I'm not in a mad rush to get everything done. Add to it that Scott is in town, no one in the house is sick, and the baby slept through the night last night - you might as well call it a Trifecta. Sometimes, life throws you an easy day - and today life did.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Ignoring the To-Do List

2011-03-21T13:30:00.005-04:00

Spring Break is long gone and we are back to the busy, busy routine. It is that time in the semester when everything starts stacking up. All the projects need to be finished, all the papers need to be written, and all the tests need to be taken. Plus tax day is coming and the IRS seems to expect us to file on time. Sarah's class is in the middle of a month long reading challenge, which has crazy daily assignments. Last week there was an exhausting 50 item scavenger hunt (I don't think it helped her reading, but we had fun anyhow). Scott's work is even busier than usual. Jaley started soccer and both girls started tennis. The only one chilling these days is Mick - who by the way is now 18 months old - BIG BOY!!!

The to-do list is infinitely long. Instead of trying to get it done, we have been trying to ignore it (at least part of the time). We played outside in the nice weather and we baked cookies (though that was actually a school project). Plus, the girls made this amazing sidewalk art for Scott yesterday - since he is out of town. I hope it doesn't rain - so he gets to see the work first hand.

Even better than the weather is the fact that we are all healthy. For the first time in 3 months - all 5 of us are well. No coughing, no throwing up, no fevers. Yippee!!! At least one of us has been sick with something since early-December. What a nice change.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Spring Break 2011 - Girls Gone Wild

2011-03-05T14:55:00.004-05:00

It is my Spring Break and my girls have gone wild (or at least wacky). In honor of Dr. Suess's birthday it was Wacky Wednesday. Check out the plaid and stripes, the mismatched shoes, and the crazy hair. Mick kept it low-key - sporting his Cat in the Hat shirt.

What am I up to for my college Spring Break? Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Partying in Daytona Beach? Catching up on the laundry in Cary, NC? You can guess.

Once the laundry is done, I plan to relax a little. We took the kids to Monkey Joe's (inflatable castle place) today. Tomorrow I'm taking the girls to see Click, Clack, Moo at a local theater. Monday Scott is taking the day off work and we are going to hang out sans kids. Tuesday I'm going to spend some time with my mom to celebrate her birthday. Then it will probably be time to hit the books again - because I have lots of work that is due for school as soon as I get back.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com

Why is dinner so difficult?

2011-02-21T14:16:00.003-05:00

Why is getting kids to eat a healthy meal so darn difficult? Kids need food to live, so feeding them should be relatively easy. But NO, it is a battlefield. A war that doesn't end until... Well I don't know when it ends, because I'm still in the trenches.

This week, I learned that one child doesn't like to eat gummy vitamins. How do I know this? I found a week's supply of vitamins hidden in the back of a closet.

I learned that another child only likes the marshmallow charms in Lucky Charms cereal. How do I know this? I found handfuls of cereal (no marshmallows) thrown under the kitchen table.

I learned that another child has an affinity for mid-night snacking. How do I know this? I found the offender getting snacks from the kitchen long after I went to bed.

Don't get me started on table manners. It is a sad, sad story. Fortunately, the Queen of England hasn't invited us to dinner and Chick-Fil-A doesn't care if elbows are on the table.

I won't provide names, since all of the offenders are minors - instead I'll leave you to guess.

That is life in the stroller lane.
www.strollerlane.com