Top Ten List

Ten days until we get our stuff back from storage.

The top ten things I can't wait to get my hands on:

1. My fancy extra-sharp kitchen knife. So over sawing the carrots in pieces with the cheesy dull apartment knives.

2. The Whirley-pop popcorn pot. Nothing else even comes close to making tasty stovetop popcorn. And don't even get me started on microwave popcorn. Bleh.

3. My robe, not sure why didn't I bring it with me.

4. Our bed, complete with extra-soft sheets and the perfect pillows. Ahhh, I can't wait.

5. The lavender thingy that I microwave for headaches. Could have used it more than a few times, like last night... and the other day.

6. My bathing suit cover-up. Schlepping to the pool in a t-shirt isn't cutting it.

7. My sun hat.

8. My shoes, especially the silk ones that wrap around the ankles and my one pair of Prada heels. Oh and my Kors sandals. Come to think of it ,better get a pedi.

9. My straightening iron. Haven't used it in ages, but now I need to wrangle my east coast frizz.

10. The drinkware. Sipping microbrews from a juice glass and they call these wine glasses? And my favorite coffee mug...

Lobsta

Yesterday was a particularly crazy day with the kids, mostly Little Guy. It was supposed to storm in the afternoon, so I took them to see Toy Story 3, Little Guy's first movie. I think the excitement of going to the theater led to a shortish nap. Afterwards he was literally bouncing off the walls.

Overall, I didn't feel the greatest about taking him. The movie themes were more mature and darker than the original. A little much for an almost three year old, though the eight year old loved it. I'll give myself a C- on parental judgement for that one, only slightly redeemed because he did sit all the way through it.

Anyway, I had one of those end of the day dinner preparations where I was stopping every two seconds avert some disaster.

Hubs came home a little late and by the time we got the kids to bed, I could barely form sentences. I slunk to the couch, popped some Top Chef on the DVR (this season not so much, by the way), and mumbled responses whenever he tried to chat with me. Poor guy, I am usually all over him to have adult conversation in the evening, and then when he's into it, I send him away. You lose some, you lose some.

Anyway, this weekend we're taking the maniacs up to Maine to join some friends for a 40th birthday. There will be lobster, or lobsta as they say up here, and Shipyard beer and blueberry pie.

That should do it.

Scrambled

We just finished a farm style dinner - fresh eggs scrambled with farm tomatoes, sage, green onion, and a little feta with a side of potatoes and roasted squash. I ran out of time to hit a regular grocery store today and had to whip together dinner from whatever came in our CSA box. Oh, but it was delicious.

It has been a busy couple of days - a new pediatrician for the kids, haircuts (for them, not me, though I desperately need a little color), working out car details, insurance and registration, and an agonizing decision about where to place Little Guy in preschool next year, with two really great options. On top of all that, Hubs' schedule is imploding right around the time we are supposed to move into our new and final digs, so we're trying to juggle that too.

I told him I'd handle the movers by myself with the two kids in tow if that's what it would take to get our stuff out of storage.

I need my stuff.

Luckily, we commandeered a grandfather to come in and pull some handyman heroics during the few weeks after we move in. He'll take the kids to the park and then come home to do my honey do list around the house, kind of like a wife/husband all rolled into one. Of course, it will cost us a few gallons of coffee, a daily paper, and an unlimited evening beer supply... but it will be so worth it.

Fried fish and a fine fender bender

On Saturday we decided to take a little drive up to Ipswich to check out a strawberry festival at Russell farms. Ipswich is a coastal town around an hour drive from Boston, travel Gods willing. The weather was going to be amazing, so we thought maybe we'd catch a glimpse of the ocean and check out a local strawberry farm.

I did some research and found out that Ipswich is also the home of the legendary Clam Box, a roadside fried seafood place that is known for having a permanent long line snaking around the building and through the front door.

We were prepared for a wait, but timed it just right, got there right when the place opened, and treated ourselves to a three way combo platter piled high with clams, scallops, and shrimp, served with a side of french fries and onion rings. The kids would have nothing to do with the fried seafood, but we were able to order chicken and an older man even stopped by our table and complimented us on how well behaved our children were. We were a little taken back, as in our kids (?), but then again I literally had the soap bar sitting on the table, so maybe.

A perfectly timed trip through the Clam Box alone would have been enough, but then we made our way to Russell Farms for some strawberry picking, a hay ride, and cider donuts. It was a sunny afternoon and the farm had some wonderful shady play areas. There was a perfect breeze, the kids were in heaven and Hubs and I had plenty of time to relax and chat.

The beach parking was full and closed, so we decided to find some ice cream and then head back. On the way back we stopped at White Farms ice cream and picked up two giant cones for $5. But just to prove that no day can be without a twist, a young girl hit our car while we were sitting outside (and this while Hubs was rinsing sand from Little Guy's eye, always the calamity happens in multiples). So the van looks a little wonky, which makes for some eyebrow raising as I am parallel parking around town, and now I'll have to hassle with the estimates and repair, but no one was in it and we were able to drive it away. And that ice cream was homemade.

Do I sound like a boring travel brochure? I can't help myself, New England is just so damn cute and I just can't get over how much I love it. Really, crunched fender and all, it was one of the best days we've had in a while.

Soap Opera

So the whole ignore it thing wasn't working with Little Guy's newest phrase that pays, and we're back to the soap.

Sigh.

Life would be so much easier if I didn't have to actually discipline these children.