The Adventures of Mom

Summer is upon us. Yes, it IS only April,  but I know this because we seem to have drifted outdoors and into water play- myself and the kids, that is. We start the day off in the vegetable garden, me watering/weeding and checking on the wee sprouts while Sydney collects all the strawberries- pink, green and sour- I don’t think there will ever be a strawberry that makes it to red under her watchful 2 1/2 year old eyes.  Logan concocts some weird invention with old sets of plastic water pipes and buckets- and somehow we all end up sopping wet- go figure- then it’s onto the plastic kiddie pool out back.

 I splurged for the medium sized pool from Wal-mart this year- you know the one, plastic, cheap- the dog can wade through it, and guaranteed to provide hours of summer fun. I stick a plastic slide into it for their own private water park- they make it into a tunnel- kids are so creative. Every morning they beg to go out to the pool- I always say, let the water heat up, but I am secretly tickled over their eager excitement, and hope it stays with them forever. I lived on a island for nearly a decade and each summer promised myself I would swim everyday during siesta. I could probably count the days on my hands that I actually made it to the beach each year- sad case in deed. And my last few years in Corfu I could even see the Sea from my bedroom window(a beautiful sight). It was just a walk down the mountain, but alas, I was too busy- too much work, too hot, too bothered- what a waste.

I have always loved the sea. It must be in my blood. When I struggled with life issues- boy friend break ups- I hit the beach. When my sister died, I fled to St. Augustine.  And ultimately, it was on a secluded  beach in Goa (Palolem) that I found an inner peace. I had been sick for days- fever/chills/ diarrhoea. It lifted off me one dawn all at once like a blanket being removed. I slipped out of our tiny beach room at Flavia’s GuestHouse ( Sandy, my sister and travelling companion was still asleep.) It was daybreak. I walked the beach alone in my salwar kameez and bare feet. The sun crept over the palm trees in the distance. I had always gained a strength from the sound of the surf and the smell of the salty water, but today felt like the first day of the rest of my life- I was energized, yet totally at peace. I knew then that I had absolute control of my own destiny- It was like I told a friend, I had one foot on enlightenment. Ever since then, if I am feeling overwhelmed, my meditation place is that morning in Palolem, and once again I am walking  barefoot at sunrise, along the white sands past the swaying palms towards the canal and Monkey Island- in my moment of enlightenment.

In my youth I have always loved the ocean.  Having grown up in Florida (I was born up north though), my parents took us to St. Augustine and the beaches from Ormond on up there. They were a never “let’s stay all day at the beach” kind of lot though- we stayed for a short time, moved on to Washington Oaks to roam the gardens, smell the sulphur water and climb the rocks at the beach across the road, then it was on to Fort Matanzas- free boat ride to the fort, a nature path (or was that before Washington Oaks- alas, it is such a blur now).

In contrast, our neighbors, the Carmens, spent the whole day at One beach. We went with them to Fort Island Beach in Crystal River, my sister and I accompanied them to Flagler Beach. They were always off to the KP Hole in Dunnellon, or some water destination. I was talking about them and their water weekends with my brother a few weeks ago. What kind of parents will we be? The day long survivalists or the hop and stop variety? Each have their points. Either way, we have to pack the sunscreen!

On another note, my dear sister, who oddly thinks we have a writing rivalry (I must point out that our writing is like comparing a surfer to a sea captain- I’ll let her guess who is who), well she got herself an invite to our govenor’s mansion in Tallahassee this past weekend. You can read about it on her website www.sandrafriend.com  oh yes, and you can decide who is the surfer and who is the sea captain!

It’s all over the papers, the news, and online- global warming, save the planet and today is Earth Day. I know my sister, Sandy is out there in the field doing her conservationist awareness part- you go girl! For my part, I’ve decided to stay home (no fuel usage). The  kids decided not to brush their teeth today (water conservation), but my son undid his good deed by trying to stuff an entire roll of toilet paper down the loo- negative points for wastage and double negative points for mommy clean up- waste of time- luckily I caught him before he flushed the toilet!!

Living here in sunny Florida has made me marvel at the fact that hotels, businesses and new buildings are not required to be more eco-friendly. Sun is our greatest energy source here, and it certainly is used to promote tourism, so why not use it to warm the bath water too? In travels abroad, most notably on the Greek Islands, I noticed that a vast majority of hotels had solar water heaters- the panels and actual water heater on the flat roofs. The owners invested in the solar water heaters to save money as electricity is notoriously expensive (in homes people turn on their electric water heater right before they plan to shower or wash dishes, then switch it off again afterwards- right at the fuse board, as the continual heating wastes electricity). I believe they should make a requirement- solar power(even just for water heaters) in new homes and hotels in this state.

Another eco-friendly practice over yonder is the usage of card keys that turn on the electric to your hotel room only when you are there. When you leave, everything goes off behind you as you remove the card key- of course, there were no mini-bars there…..hmm, would have to rethink that one. But abroad people laugh about how wasteful Americans are - leaving lights on in rooms they are not in…thinking it through, having lived on an island, everything was used, reused again and again until there was no life left- here they call it recycling, there we called it lack of money and survival skills. I remember walking through an Athens neighboorhood past an outside trashbin with a door propped up next to it- “Wow, how can anyone throw out a perfectly good door like that! You wouldn’t see that on the island!”

And on that note, I think I’ll go and refill my water bottles with tap water and hug a tree. Happy Earth Day!

My 4 year old son is crazy about trains. He builds tracks around the house- under the furniture and up over blocks for double levels. He wants to be a train conductor (I was thinking architect), but I just read in a magazine that a train conductor makes more than most other careers- so you go boy! Well, Thomas the Tank Engine was due in Eustis, FL this week, and last year I shrugged off my duties, thinking it was going to be Thomas in your face commercialism.This year, my husband and I packed the kids into the car and drove to see Thomas at Wooten Park in Eustis . I was pleasantly surprised.

      It was $17 each (OUCH!) to ride the big blue engine for a whooping 25 minutes- yes, we shelled out the cash- got to ride in the bubble car, which the kids loved, especially when the branches hit the domed roof, but even if we had not rode the train, there was plenty of other things to do- free stuff. The Thomas paraphernalia was tucked away in a big white unmarked tent, and surprisingly, my son didn’t fall into the “I want” phrase. There were tracks to set up and trains to push in one area, stamps and Thomas coloring pages in another, a tent with a bubble blower for the kids to play in, a bouncy castle and slide (ALL FREE- you didn’t even have to show a train ride ticket or anything!) Sir Topham Hat was supposably roaming around for the kids to meet, but we didn’t see him. I suspected he was off fishing on the lake with Lady Hat. There were hay bales for the kids to roll in, a live music band, which belted out the Hokey Pokey, among others, which my daughter bee-bopped to- and did I mention the wooden kids playground? That came with the park and I have never seen so many parents playing with their kids on a playground. My husband and I have been so many places that we have been nickled and dimed, that this was a refreshing change.

       We left tired and happy, and both kids fell asleep on the drive home. Of course, when Logan awoke, his first words were: “When we go back and see Thomas…..” Uh, maybe next year.

Kala Paska, or Happy Easter! It is that time of year for religious thoughts,  or egg hunts, as the case may be. I was recently asked about what Easter traditions I participated in, after having spent a decade in Greece, where Easter is the most important holiday of the year, well, I can not really start telling my kids about a rabbit that hides eggs with candy for them to find… Yes, of course the kids went on an Easter egg hunt with our local playgroup, and sugared themselves up for the rest of the day until I could confiscate the candy and eat it myself! But they knew it was mom hiding the eggs.

Today is Easter Saturday. I am prepping a feast of Greek proportions (Seafood kebabs, of course),  grilled shrimp, feta laden greek salad (the real kind- with NO potato salad!), hummus, tsaziki, grilled pita bread,  grilled potatoes, pepper and onions- mmmm- did I mention the feta? My sister is coming over later to help us consume it. In Corfu I can imagine my friend Paula preparing something similar- feast sized, canapes, all original and yummy, as she and her brother host a Easter party every year. They live in a lovely flat overlooking the plateria- main town square, now adorned with the pink blossoms of the surrounding judas trees. In the square tonight the people will gather and the Pappas will light a candle and begin his sermon- they turn off the street lights and everyone has a candle- originally they lighted it from the Pappa’s candle, but now everyone has their own lighters. At midnight, he will say “Christos Anesti”, or Christ Arises, and the fireworks will go off above, and the cross uptop the old fortress will light up. And then the parties begin… Really, now how can the Easter Bunny compete with that?

I went to my first MNO last night (Mom’s Night Out for the uninitiated). This is the other side of my kids local playgroup where I have never tred- mainly because no one wants to watch my headstrong daughter, who believes she part Peter Pan and the rest Wonder Woman. Anyhow, I’m sure my husband had visions of wild childless moms dancing on table tops- guys seem to think that way- but what does a mom do without her brood around to capture her entire attention?

I started out with a meander through Barnes and Nobles, as I had left early, and that is what THIS mom treats herself to when the kids aren’t in tow- a breath of books, old and new, for inspiration, for hope. Then it was off to Chili’s to meet the other five moms from our group. Yes, I would have loved an El Presidente Margarita, but God has delievered me a cruel, ironic fate that keeps me off the booze least it triggers a migraine- I think he’s decided I have had my fill over the past years, so I settled on a blackberry iced tea. No dancing on the tables, no waiters ripping off their tops a la Chipendale style, just girls talking about —–THEIR KIDS!!! and DISNEY WORLD!!! the secret is out! I found it ironic, as my mom’s favorite subject is Disney World- maybe all central Florida moms discuss this? Here I found myself thinking- I want to take the kids to Niagara Falls, train trek to Halifax- Bhutan(when the book sells), and I found the words coming out: ” I’d love to go to Epcot, they’re having the garden show….”

Well, I had to leave early as I had a curfew (my daughter told me so- “you come back…” but I had a good time, a joke and a laugh…I think I might try it again, now that I know I don’t have to worry about falling off a table…