Today I was up running about, doing dishes, and cooking for a few concerns: first, the salad to bring out to the campground for an early dinner, secondly, a meal to take to the Mission (today we did not make up our weekly Conch meal* – but we continue to feed the hungry with food donations). For the latter I’d made up about ten servings of a salad: brown rice, black beans, corn, small-dice celery and garlic, vinaigrette dressing. I picked up a bag of hot fresh chips from Los Arcos ($2) to compliment. And – for myself – I got an Earl Grey tea latte from Tully’s for the drive, lactose intolerance be damned! (Tomorrow I’ll be weeping though.)
Out at the lake Nels and I found my mother and my daughter playing with another grandparent/children family scene. After sitting and talking with my mom I could tell something she could not: my two kids could play for FIVE HOURS (no joke) nonstop, in the water, and weren’t going to want to come away as early as we were. My mom still has that grandma or occasional-in-charge-grownup or whatever sense, thinking a playdate should be like an hour at most. You know, I’m realizing kids actually don’t nearly have the short attention span adults do.
We stayed a fair while at the lake edge, and I was due in town at seven, so there wasn’t time to camp cook – nor did my mom have the energy for her part (she and Phoenie had not slept well the night before). We travelled the few minutes into Montesano to an open and family-friendly diner (fortunately, the dish I’d brought for campside dinner – a salad with precisely-slided broccoli florets, dried cranberries, crumbled bacon, peas, sunflower seeds, and a sugar/red wine vinegar mayo dressing – was safe enough in my car, tidied in a cooler and iced). We four had a lovely meal but soon my little girl was curled up on my lap sleeping. My mom worried the girl had over-tired but Phoenix wanted to go out for her second night camping. I carried her to the car (stopping briefly to say Hello to a boy, ha, I went to school with) and loved her up then we parted ways.
Today: Phoenie and a newt. She, of course, is expert in catching them. This newt was so goddamned cute. (Yes, I’m a poet and boy don’t I know it!) It had it’s little mouth open at one point and I almost died from the sweetness:
Home and picking up Ralph, who was deathly tired. Now into bed with my two fellas – time for some grateful prayers and lovely cuddles.
***
* What’s up with the Conch thing? Nothing, we still want to finish our tour. We’ve had a few breaks – not my original intention. Ultimately enough people held on to baskets and dishes (part of our mission was to be as environmentally conscious as possible) that it took the wind out of my sack a bit. I should probably get my shit together but I’m a bit tired from other commitments lately!
“… thinking a playdate should be like an hour at most.”
I stopped telling people how much time I set aside for Kylie to play at playgrounds because it makes them uncomfortable. I could speculate as to why, but it probably wouldn’t be very constructive.
On the occasions that we are following someone else’s schedule (the one hour playdate), I try to have the next adventure set up in advance so that she has something to look forward to. Sometimes we improvise. The odd thing is, the improvised adventures often turn out to be the most fun.
“… thinking a playdate should be like an hour at most.â€
I learned about this in a bit of a rough way when a not-so-well-known friendly acquaintance accepted a birthday party invitation for our 4 year old’s party. After about an hour (when less of half of the guests had arrived cuz that is just how our friends roll) an early arriver said, ~are you going to open the presents or have cake or something? cuz we have to go to xyz soon…~
@Luckychrm
I totally know what you mean. Whirlwind b-day parties like that make me miserable. I much prefer the slower-paced family b-day parties, but I rarely get to host those. The rushed ones always feel like somekind of dreaded trade-off, “Here’s a gift and card. Give me my cake and goodie bag so we can leave. And no sudden moves, or the pinata gets it!”