picnic disaster

Picnic disasters. I imagine the propensity was handed down, genetically speaking, by my mother.

To this day, if you mention the word picnic to my mom, she will no doubt tell you about the only time she planned one for my brother, my sister and I. She packed homemade fried chicken, biscuits, slaw, potato salad, etc. and loaded up the family and drove to a park for a picnic. (And she was NO June Cleaver, so this was a big deal!) In her mind it was going to be sheer perfection. No sooner had we gotten there than the gentle spring zephyr turned into gale force winds. The sun was still shining beautifully, but the wind was formidable! Mom swears the crust was blown off the chicken! The memory of this picnic to her is just plain disaster. Sad, really, because I remember what fun it was to be on a picnic (our only) with my family.

I love taking my family on picnics. The funny thing is they mostly are disastrous not unlike the one and only from my childhood. Take today for example. We were planning to go to the Science Center but it was very close to lunchtime, so I stopped and got us McD's salads. We head to the Science Center and find a gorgeous parking spot in the shade. All the picnic tables are empty and shaded. There is a gentle breeze. The perfect day. As we launch into our salads, remarking to one another about how beautiful the day is, we began to feel raindrops. There was not a cloud in the sky, so I figured it was just one of those freaky things that wouldn't last long. We kept feeling drops, but it was still a mystery as to where they were coming from (I thought at one point we were unknowing participants in a Science Center hidden camera experiment) until we noticed that the raindrops were actually soapy and there was the faintest smell of Clorox. Turns out the Science Center, connected to a 15 story apartment building, was being pressure washed today. Even though the pressure washer dude was ALL the way at the VERY TIPPY TOP, those soapy, bleach-laden droplets were raining down onto our lunch. Into our drinks. Onto our shirts.
I was livid.
I cursed.
Out loud!
Then I remembered "The Picnic" and I had to laugh.

Hopefully my children will remember it fondly and with the humor God must have intended. Unlike my Mom, I will not swear off picnics, but I will try to continue to approach them with the attitude that we are together as a family and this will make a GREAT story one day.

So, what about you? Do you have any picnic disaster stories?

sum sum summertime

My kids and I have a different perspective on how the summer is going. When someone asks them "How's your summer going?" They always give a positive answer.
When I am asked the same question I pause, roll my eyes and say, "It's going!" I am mentally comparing this summer to last when we did lots of neat things like visiting a glass-blower studio, going to a cheese factory, walking around historic Old Salem in NC, etc. We haven't done as much this year. I sort of feel guilty about not being a better "activities director".

Thirty years ago or so, summers for my sister and I were low-key. We were responsible for our own fun many times, unless we were visiting family. We would begin each summer by spending a week camping at the lake with the whole fam-damily- like I'm talking extended family even! Then we'd be adopted for several days by each of our dad's sisters (he has 4) and then finish the time off by spending a week at my grandparents'. I can remember swimming, going to Stone Mountain for the light show, and one aunt even got me art lessons because she somehow knew that I loved art. But the most fun of all was being with our cousins. During the rest of the year, we were 6 hours away, but during the summertime, we got to spend lots and lots of time with our very favorite people.

So, when I look at the summer of 2008, it's no wonder my kids give a resounding thumbs up. They have gotten to spend a time with each of their cousins and are planning a couple more in a week or two. And, my job as Family Activity Director is probably a fairly secure position.

eight legged beasties

Every morning when I walk down the back stairs to go to the car on my way to Curves, I walk through at least one spider web. No matter if I wave my arms in front of me or not, I always get it in the face.

Even when I skip Curves and the kids and I are going somewhere.... it matters not how many wee ones go before me, I will be the one who walks into the web!

I'm thinking they are smarter than I previously gave them credit.

a black cloud kind of day

hrrmmpfh... I want to be a spoiled brat today.

like anesthesia

Bia is making everyone in her life write haiku poetry. (Japanese poems with 3 lines. The lines have 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.) I wrote this one for her. Musta been the cappuccino I just downed.

Thunderstorm tonight!

Ah, the kids are in bed.

Where is my pillow?

summer fare

YUM! Here is what I have been enjoying this week:

• tomato aspic - made with shrimp, green onions, avocado, carrot shreds, capers, and celery
• watermelon
• strawberries
• blueberries
• spinach soup
• Heroin chicken (named so because it is addictive!)

And for the rest of the family:

• meatloaf
• corn on the cob
• sliced tomatoes
• salad
• watermelon
• Heroin chicken
• cream cheese and cucumber sammiches

setting the record straight

After helping #4 put together a "specially-made" for toddlers puzzle I asked, "Who's that a picture of?"
He replied, "Dumpty".
Close enough. It was Humpty Dumpty to be exact. And he was sitting precariously on the edge of a wall, arms outstretched to show the action which was just about to take place.
"What's he getting ready to do?" I inquired.
"Jump."