Mamahood.org » outings

Hershey Park Happy

Jenn — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:43:55 +0000

On Friday Jason and I took Alyssa, Ryan, and my brother to Hershey Park. The park opens every year during the holiday season for their “Candy Lane” event. The coasters and major rides like the ferris wheel and log flume are all closed, but the majority of the kiddie rides and many other rides are open for the kids to ride. The entire park is decked out in holiday lights, and hot chocolate and other seasonal goodies are available for purchase at different areas throughout the park.

Last year my mother and I took all four kids (Alyssa, Ryan, and my two brothers), but we went during the daytime a few days after Christmas, so obviously we didn’t get to see the lights lit up, and the excitement of Christmas was pretty much over. This year, since we went at night a good five weeks before Christmas, the lights were on and the Christmas music was more than enough to get me excited for the holiday.

Just like last year, Alyssa and Ryan had a fabulous time, and I really enjoyed seeing their excitement and enjoyment. ♥

Pictures (slideshow):

My husband doesn’t pay attention

Jenn — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:36:00 +0000

A few weeks back Jason, Dan and I discussed the possibility of spending a day at a local lake, which features diving areas, tubing, a picnic grove, etc. It sounds like a very nice way to spend a relatively low-key day at a lake, as opposed to all of the planning and driving and stress involved with going to the beach for a day. Plus, this lake is less than an hour away, whereas the beach is three hours away.

So finally a date was decided upon, and this is what I put on our shared Google calendar:

But my husband doesn’t pay attention to what’s glaringly apparent, because guess who scheduled himself to work that day, and due to timing and such now can’t get out of it? Grrness. But I still love him.

And we’re still going to try and make it work!

An uneventful trip to the petting zoo

Jenn — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:15:51 +0000

The last time we went to the local petting zoo — which is actually a part of a somewhat popular tourist attraction about thirty miles from here — Ryan managed to fall into the pond. Fortunately, the part he fell into was the shallow run-off, with the deepest part being no more than two feet. Unfortunately, the water in that run-off area is still, murky, full of duck and goose poop, and a gross shade of shiny green. It was so gross that I did the bare minimal touching required to fish him out, strip him of his soaked clothes, wipe him down with baby wipes and then get him changed into fresh clothing.

Today, Ryan didn’t even go near that part of the pond. Instead, he walked/ran the perimeter of the petting zoo and pond, while Alyssa fed the animals and played with other kids. Ryan’s therapist was there too, and she and I kept an eye on Ryan in between walking around, feeding the animals crackers and talking.

We did have plans for the pool this afternoon, but it’s rather overcast and not all that hot out, so I think we’ll put that off for another day instead.

Oh Christmas tree

Jenn — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:18:57 +0000

Normally Dan and Alyssa pick out a Christmas tree from a local lot and drag it home. This has had mixed results. One year Dan drug home what turned out to be a giant bush (seriously, that tree was as wide as it was tall!). Another year there was a small bare spot — easily remedied by rotating the tree, haha. This year we decided, or should I say I decided, to make it a family event by going to an actual Christmas tree farm! It was cold and slightly blustery and the sun was partially obscured by thin, grayish clouds, but all in all it was a beautiful afternoon for a hayride, tromping through rows of trees to find the perfect one, helping to hold the tree upright while Dan sawed through its trunk, and then strapping it to a sleigh and dragging it a half of a mile back to the farm (the plantation shutters on the windows of the back of the barn were a beacon, as the barren fields were otherwise a bit disorienting) for drilling, bagging and stuffing into the back of my hatchback.

Ta-da!

Autumn is perfect park weather

Jenn — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:39:38 +0000

I took Alyssa, Ryan and my twelve year old brother to the park last weekend. Since I have a hatchback, it was a relatively simple matter to load it up with the kids’ bikes and my bicycle (for my brother). I also packed a lunch, and brought along my camera, my netbook, and Alyssa’s Halloween costume so that I could get some pics of her in it prior to Halloween (a little tradition I do every year).

I love fall, seriously. Spring and its annoying bugs and pollen and warm weather and hazy sunshine can stay away forever, as far as I’m concerned. 65-70 degree temps, sunshine and a light breeze? Ideal Picnic In The Park weather, if you ask me! ♥

Dude looks like a lady

Jenn — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:33:50 +0000

I woke up this morning with Aerosmith’s Dude (Looks Like A Lady) song in my head. I’m not even sure why I woke up with it in my head, except that I had some weird, random dream involving Mrs. Doubtfire. And then I woke up to total darkness with just the barest hint of light in our hotel room*, and I thought it was only 6:30am or so, when in reality it was after 9:00am, but the overcast morning combined with the heavy curtains on the window blocked out most of the light. I just can’t believe I slept that late!

Anyway, about the hotel — my mom and I brought Alyssa and my two brothers to Pittsburgh for the weekend. I obviously have very fond memories of Pittsburgh, since I lived here with Dan for two years, and would seriously move back here in an instant if I could, but my brothers also enjoy Pittsburgh, and Alyssa is always up for new trips.

Right now I’m sitting here showered, dressed and getting ready to put on my makeup, while my brother is goofing around with his acne home remedies and my mom and I are debating what we’re going to do today. We originally wanted to do the Pittsburgh Zoo, but after doing Kennywood yesterday, we’re kind of like… eh. The idea of walking around for a good portion of another day is making us second guess those plans.

In any case, I personally would like to make sure that we leave Pittsburgh by no later than 5:00pm, so that we can make the four or so hour drive and still be home before it’s super late.

A family night out

Jenn — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:56:13 +0000

Yesterday evening the kids and I picked Dan up from work (my car is non-functional at the moment, so on the days I have errands to run I take Dan to work so I have a set of wheels to use for the day), and then went over to Red Lobster for dinner. I still remember the first time we went there with Ryan. It was back in 2008, and it was a bit of a disaster. He kept getting up, couldn’t sit still, would shriek and carry on at the drop of a hat, etc. We rushed through our meal and escaped as soon as we could. This time, however, Ryan was well-behaved. He did get up a few times, but he mainly stayed around our table. He listened to directions, at his dinner and dessert well, and in some ways was better behaved than Alyssa.

After dinner we planned on going home, but then the subject of mini-golfing came up, so guess where we went? Mini-golfing, of course. Mini-golfing is fun, especially in the evening. People who do that in the daytime are crazy. Who wants to sweat and deal with bright sunshine (can we say need-for-best wrinkle cream?) and sunscreen and sunglasses? So, evening it is! I haven’t gone mini-golfing since 2008, and I don’t think the kids have ever gone. Although I could swear we took Alyssa mini-golfing before… I do know this was Ryan’s first time, since he kept calling the golf balls soccer balls. And can you believe he got a hole-in-one? Of course it happened by him ramping his golf ball off of Alyssa’s foot and sending it into the hole of another course, but hey, it still counts in my book.

Then we came home, Dan and I got the kids settled and in bed, and we relaxed with our computers, and then with House. ♥

Another pool day

Jenn — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:44:48 +0000

I’m writing this blog post from our local pool. I worked until 12:00pm, and then Dan and I packed up the kids, swim gear, and lunch, and came down to the pool. It’s mostly cloudy today, the humidity is down, and the temp is maybe 75°. Translation? It’s not the best day for swimming. But the kids certainly don’t mind it. As I type this, they’re frolicking together in the shallow end, while Dan and I look on from a picnic table under the pavilion. We’re both in our swimsuits (plus size swimsuits for me, of course), but neither of us have gone in yet. I dipped my feet in the water, and it is cold, but not as cold as I thought. Now if only the damn sun would come out, then it would be perfect!

Speaking of swimsuits, I should really do a comparison of my swimsuit from last year vs. my swimsuit from this year. They’re identical, with the exception of the swimsuit from last year having a gold hoop in the front, around the cleavage area. This one has a twist in the fabric. Oh, and then there’s the SIZE DIFFERENCE! Last year’s suit? Size 26. This year’s? Size 16. :D

Like a fish

Jenn — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:38:52 +0000

Alyssa and Ryan have adapted to swimming very quickly. The pool has been open for two and a half weeks, and we have already been there six times. Today we arrived there a little after 12. The pool opens at 12, and I intended on getting there at 12 in order to snag a chaise lounge chair for myself (despite a hundred or more people coming to the pool every single day, the pool has less than 20 of those chairs. What the heck? I’d like to think that my $6 admission fee would help cover the purchase of additional chairs!), but unfortunately I got pulled over on the way to the pool. I didn’t do anything “wrong”, except to wrongly guess that there wasn’t a vehicle coming up the steep crest of a hill where our road intersects with it to form a T intersection. It’s a total blind spot, and I seriously did NOT see the cop car. But he pulled me over anyway. Fortunately, he was nice and let me off with a warning. But still, that was 12 minutes wasted…

Anyway, we had a great time at the pool today. I love that Alyssa and Ryan are getting to an age where being on top of them every single moment is no longer necessary. Alyssa is learning how to swim on her own, though she often stays in the shallow end anyway, and Ryan has a snug-fitting life vest that he swims in. We’re always within 10-20 feet of them, and I always watch where they’re at and what they’re doing at all times, so I’m still alert and vigilant, but it’s not the same thing as having to be in the water with them and physically holding onto them at all times. We’ve come a long way from the days of baby shower games and then diapers and toddlerhood! It’s a nice change. ♥

What we’ve been up to

Jenn — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:19:44 +0000

One word: water.

The pool opened last weekend, but only for the weekend apparently, as when Ryan’s therapist and I were making plans for her to observe him and work with him this past Wednesday, I found out that the pool wouldn’t be open regularly (as in every day of the week) until after June 18th, which is the “official” opening day of the pool. So in the meantime, we’re stuck sweltering in the heat and humidity with no relief. Boo.

(And for those interested, losing 100+ lbs. has made me less self-conscious in some ways, and more self-conscious in other ways! I may no longer need a miracle best fat burner, but I could definitely use some skin reduction surgery!)

Tomorrow though… tomorrow we’re definitely going swimming! My lovely boss has invited the kids and I down to Philadelphia for the day. We’re going to spend a few hours at the Philadelphia Zoo, and then we’ll head over to a local pool club for swimming and barbecue! Whoo! I seriously can’t wait. Since it’s getting so late, I suppose I should get into bed soon, huh?