Least Annoying Family

I recently had a light-hearted e-mail exchange with a friend of mine who shall not be named about taking vacations with other families.  She mentioned that she has a strict rule about not vacationing with families whose children are younger than hers.   I must say, that is a rule backed up by sound logic.  

I go on vacation with my sister's family twice a year.  In the winter we rent a house in the snow and in the summer we rent a lake house together.  It works out quite well since I am comfortable getting mad at my husband in front of them, we both put our kids to bed pretty early, my brother-in-law used to be a bartender and makes a mean margarita and our kids are all around the same age and get along famously.  The house at the lake we rent each year is massive.  

This past summer while we were at the lake, my sister mentioned that we could easily accommodate another family.  We started listing all our friends and coming up with reasons that we could never go on vacation with them.    We finally settled on my friend V and her family.  Here was our reasoning:

1.  They only bring one other child into the mix and he's a very well behaved, sweet boy.  

2.  Gloppy is the only boy cousin and he could use another little boy to play with, and V's son is the right age.

3.  V's husband J is hilarious and really fun at parties.

4.  J is also a total kid at heart and will keep the kids entertained for hours making up silly games and goofing around.  We call him the fifth Wiggle.

5.  V is a small woman and she won't eat much.  

6.  J is a master behind the grill.

7.  V is not one to gossip or say mean things behind someone's back, which may cut down on trash talking for me and my sister.  But the good thing is she won't go back and tell everyone how crazy my family really is.

So we decided that we might invite V and J and their darling son with us to the lake next year.  It's still under discussion, but for now they hold the title of "Least Annoying Family."  

Congratulations V & J!!  No offense to any of my other friends who might be reading this.  I love you all, but maybe not enough to go on vacation with you.  Sorry.

Setting the Record Straight

I need to set the record straight.  Yesterday I sent a twitter that compared my niece to Baby Kate from Arthur.  That's right, I called my sisters baby an aardvark on the internet.  Many of you are worried that my sister might find out about this.  Just so we're clear, I would never call anyone's baby an aardvark unless I could say it to their face.  My sister is fully aware that I compared her child to an aardvark and we had a little giggle about it.  My sister has a sense of humor and even if she was offended by it, she'd tell me and then we would kiss and make up.  That's just the kind of sisters we are.   She even sent me a picture of her daughter (whose middle name is my first name thankyouverymuch) so I could post it next to a picture of Baby Kate.  You be the judge:

I think Baby Kate AND my niece are adorable.   So everyone is cool, OK?  OK.

Dear Jolly the Sister

Thank you for giving my kids a stack of post-it notes.

This is just a small portion of the post-it-fest.  Right after I took this picture Lolly asked me if I could put them all back together for her.  I am so getting this for your kids for Christmas.

-Mama Ginger Tree

Life's a Beach... Well Maybe Not For Me

Day two of our mini beach vacation and my sister and I have all the kids fed, cleaned up and tucked in bed.   I have decided I really just don't like the beach very much.   We spent the morning on the beach, came home for lunch and naps, and spent the entire afternoon at the beach.   My sister and I had very different experiences of the same day.

Sure we may look like we're having fun.  I brought a beach umbrella, but spending the whole day in the direct sunlight seems to suck the life right out of me.  Lots of people are soothed by the sound of crashing waves.  Call me crazy, but I just find it loud and annoying.  I felt like a sherpa hauling all our crap across the sand.  But my biggest gripe... the sand.  I just plain don't like sand.  I don't like it on my feet, I don't like it stuck to my sunscreen soaked legs, I don't like piles of it in my bag.  Don't even get me started on all the sand tracked into the house and piled up in the bathtub.  I go to take a drink from my water bottle, and it's covered in sand.  We break out the snacks and five minutes later, it's all covered in sand.  Sand, sand, sand.  It's my own personal hell, the stinky seaweed everywhere and salt water on my lips.  I realize this is a very unpopular opinion, especially judging by how crowded it was at the beach today.  

Now don't get the wrong idea, I love the water.  Give me a swimming pool or a lake any day.  I could spend all day sipping ice tea by a pool or jumping into a cool lake off a water ski boat.  I've had all I can take of beach fun for a while.    

My sister on the other hand, loves everything about it.   I think she could live here.  While my kids were asking for a new bathing suit when they got a little sand in their nether regions, her kids were practically dipping their pretzels in sand and licking it off.   

The cousins made great memories and I survived just fine.  But you won't catch me at the beach anytime soon.  

The Post That Almost Didn't Happen

My sister and I decided to rent a little seaside cottage and take our kids to the beach for a couple of days.  My nablopomo streak was almost broken when I discovered that our little rental did not have wireless internet access.   Jolly the Sister saved the day when she discovered the handy, dandy bright yellow DSL cable line.  Hooray!  Now you get to see some photos of our little excursion.  Try to contain your excitement.

Here's what two moms and five kids look like in my mini-van.

We did a little of this:

And then a little of this:

Although as they were going to bed tonight, Lolly said she didn't want to go to the beach tomorrow.  When I asked why she said "it's too sandy."  I guess we'll try to find a less sandy beach.

A State for Cats

On the way to ballet today Lolly coincidentally started asking me about our dog Kirby.   

Lolly:  "Where does he live now."

Mama Ginger Tree:  "He lives with a family in Montana."

Lolly:  "Why Montana?"

Mama Ginger Tree:  "It's a nice state for dogs, he has a lot of room to run around."

Lolly:  "Are there other dogs there?"

Mama Ginger Tree:  "Yes, there are lots of other dogs."

Lolly:  "Is there a special state for cats?"

And because every time I watch this it makes me laugh even harder... I thought I'd share this piece of levity with you that my sister shared with me the other day.  "Team Building Exercise '99" kills me every time.  Enjoy.

Cease and Desist

Dear Fantastic Blog Writers,

I am writing to ask you to please stop writing such compelling blog posts.  That's right.  I'm talking to you, you, you and you.  Sure you make me laugh and feel like I'm not alone, but can you please just give it a rest already.  I have things I need to get done.  I have dishes to wash, meals to cook, kids to pick up from school, a husband who need his dry cleaning.  I don't have time to sit at my computer for hours and be inspired by you.  

I have TV shows I need to catch up on and have you seen my closets?  Now that I have discovered all of you, how am I ever going to get the laundry folded or go for a run?  My kids need snacks and I seriously need to finish my book club book by next week.  Not to mention the fact that my three readers (hi sister, husband and BFF!) are anxiously awaiting some fabulous writing from ME.

So can you please stop for at least a couple of days so I can return some phone calls, answer some e-mails and do some writing of my own?    I would really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Mama Ginger Tree

Silliness

My 4.5 year old niece to my sister:

"Mommy, I need a towel and don't come over here."

No need to take your kids to an amusement park...  just open all the window in your mini-van and yell "hands up!"  They won't know the difference.

A special thanks goes out to Jolly the Sister.  My sister has not been without a pet, or two, since I don't know... birth.  Right now she has a dog and a bunny.  After spending Sunday afternoon at her house, my kids are now obsessed with getting a bunny.  On the drive home I heard little whispers from the back seat, "Santa, can I please have a bunny?"

A Trip Back to the '80's

My sister turned 40 this weekend.   She wanted a karaoke party, with an '80's theme.  Jolly the Sister lived large in the '80's: big hair, a fast car and Rick Springfield on the radio.   It turned out to be an awesome party.  Like OMG, the food was rad and everyone who came looked totally killer. The tables were set with some Reagan era jelly beans.

My brother in-law, the master bartender was mixing up the margaritas.  

The birthday girl was dressed and ready to rock on.

The girls just wanted to have fun.

And the boys brought the noise.

A good time was had by all.  My sister sings karaoke like she approaches life, holding nothing back.  Within five minutes of meeting her, it's likely you'll know her life story.  She's not afraid of her emotions, a trait I have always envied.  I prefer the safety of a relatively anonymous blog to put it all out there.   I had a whole speech planned, but just fumbled over my words when it came time to speak.   My thoughts come out so much more distinct and relevant through my fingertips on my keyboard than they do through my mouth.  

So my dear sister, I hope you enjoyed the party that was tailor made for you.  You made the evening fun for everyone with your infectious enthusiasm for karaoke and Rubik's Cubes.  You've come a long way in 40 short years and I can't wait to see what you do with the next 40.

For more party pics, click HERE.