Long Family road trip 2013: day 1

After endless packing and cleaning this morning, we left for Mt Shasta at just after 11. The kids were all plugged into their devices and we drove the 4 plus hours easily. We only stopped once and damn it was hot. 100 or so. But it got even hotter later. 

We arrived at the KOA mt Shasta around 3:30 and immediately went to the pool which was freezing. Which was odd considering how hot it was.

The kids did some bike riding, playground swinging, and arcade playing (where the kids "won" all manner of plastic crap...love the Koa) before we went back into town for dinner at a yummy Mexican joint. Michael had the largest beer I had ever seen.

After a quick stop at the local rite aid for breakfast cereal and necessary Swedish fish, we were back at the campground where the kids took off in all directions again on bikes. (Love the Koa!)

Now Michael is almost passed out in the cabin, kids are still riding all over and I'm enjoying the view from the couch.

Oh...speaking of views...mt Shasta ain't bad.  

We've already planning a return houseboat trip to Shasta lake in the next few years. Hoping the mar-mars join us.

Re-check for Zeke

Hot!

This is where we are going Sunday. 

"down" week

We were going to go camping with Ebba this week, but it was raining heavily on the first day so we canceled it.  I was worried about an unplanned, unstructured week, but it all turned out ok.

On Monday, we went roller skating after swim team and swim lessons.

On Tuesday, we went ice skating after swim team and swim lessons.

On Wednesday, we went to the Alameda County Fair after swim team and swim lessons.

Today, I volunteered and then we hung out at the pool.

Tomorrow (Friday), we take Zeke to the vet, get some presents for a bday party, do some shopping and pack for our road trip on Sunday.

Saturday is Parker's 8.5 year bday party at the Antioch Water Park with four friends.

The best thing is that there hasn't been very much tv or video games. A little bit but much more reading than screen time.  Amazing.

High Diving

We went to the El Cerrito Swim Center today after Ebba watched all the kids this morning so I could do my cat volunteer thing.   There was a water slide there, but you had to be 48 inches to go on it. But then I read the sign and it said "48 inches or pass swim test". So I told Elizabeth, who was very upset that she couldn't go on the slide, to do the test and then she could. So she did and then they tell us the sign is wrong "it's a typo" and you DO have to be 48 inches. She turned into a grumpy grumperson. Took a long while, help from Ebba and watching Miranda, who later passed the swim test, go off the diving board, to get her out of it.  I couldn't believe they all went up on the high dive. It was so high!   Parker was doing dives off the board and all these older kids were clapping and hollering. At first I thought they were teasing him, but then I realized they were sincere and thought he was awesome since he was the only one diving from the high board.

County fair

Took the kids and Parker's pal Gary to the fair today. We've been going for years. I let them do these giant beach ball things today for the first time. They loved it.   They also enjoyed the science tent. Shocking, I know. Oh and Eli and I shared a sno cone and cotton candy. Also shocking.

No more kittens

We took the kittens back yesterday. They were an ounce or so shy of 2 pounds, the magic number they need to be in order to be fixed.  Miranda was sad in the morning but got over it. As she always does.  These were are best fosters in a while. Miranda socialized them very well even though she did slack off with the poop scooping a bit.  They were friendly, playful, didn't destroy anything and the girls could handle them no problem.

Bikes

As anyone who reads Chez Long knows, the kids are all pretty physical. They can jump, run, swim, climb better than the average kid their age. I take no credit for any of it and figure it's just who they are. Elizabeth rode without training wheels before 4 and Miranda just shortly after.  So when I got them the next size bike up at their past birthday, even though they had hand brakes and gears, I figured, no problem.  Boy was I wrong. They didn't like them and they don't ride them. Michael and I figured they just needed time to grow into them and get used to them, but every attempt at bike riding ends with tears from one or both girls and Michael carrying a bike home.

So I got thinking that the problem was the bikes and not the girls. Turns out they are not girls bikes and worse yet, they are mountain bikes, so the frame is different than other bikes we see kids riding.  I called the bike store and sounded like a crazy person explaining that I had two twin girls and not boys and they aren't riding their bikes and could we get different ones. I was passed off to two different people before I was told "someone will call you." Which of course hasn't happened.

Meanwhile, I poked around Craigslist for some girls' bikes and immediately found two for sale for $15 each in Vallejo. Vallejo ain't close but for $30 I would pay the gas to get what appeared to be perfectly perfect girls bikes. They had lower seats and higher handle bars and other girlie elements. But the same size as their current bikes.  After some back and forth, I arranged to get them from the seller's place of work in Alamo near Danville which much closer than Vallejo.  I took Eli with me and picked the fantastic and fantastically cheap bikes yesterday morning before any traffic started.  When we got home we went bike riding at the school and the girls were zooming around like the pros that they are. No problems, no complaints. In fact, Miranda exclaimed many times, "I love my bike!!!!"  I was very happy.

#28

A week or so before school ended Elizabeth figured out she could really, truly read.  So she picked up the first magic treehouse book and read it. Then the second and the third. She had read 5-6 before school was out.  I then went to the school library and got 10 for her to read over the summer.  She read them all before school was out.  So I went to the main library and got 10 more. She read those too.  She was on book 27 a few days and asked me to get the the next few. Parker had 29-35 so I really just needed 28. I went to two libraries and one book store and couldn't find it. So I posted to my twins club asking if I could borrow from anyone. That's when Susan told me about the ebooks from the library. You check them out on your iPad for free and they disappear in three weeks. Not bad. Elizabeth read it immediately and moved on to book 29 and 30.  Now she and Parker are both on 31.

Mii

For many of the games on Wii you play as a person. You can create a person that is your character throughout various games.  This guy below is Parker's character or his mii.  I simply don't understand it at all.

Summer reading

Every summer, I enter the kids into the summer reading program at the Oakland library. They track what they read and get prizes of stuff they don't want.

So this year I said fuck that shit and created my own program.  I said they had to read 10 books (real books, ideally chapter books) and write up something about it. The girls have to write three sentences. Parker has to write a book report which he learned this year.  When they get to 10, they get a small prize of their choosing. When they get to 20, they can have a larger one.  30...even bigger.  They each have a journal to document their progress complete with colorful star stickers. They all chose locking diaries for their first prize and Elizabeth, one week in, has achieved the first reward plus some.  She is a reading and writing machine. Miranda, true to her nature, is steady and doing well almost at 10. Parker lost interest quickly around three books but regained it when he saw the girls doing so well.

So far, so good.

Nutcracker camp

The girls had "Nutcracker Ballet Camp" this past week. It was about as lame as it sounds, but they loved it. It was for ages 7-10 but they let in the girls.  There was a range of abilities and ages, but they were not the worst by far. It was strange watching them because Elizabeth took it all very seriously trying so hard, but not being able to do some of the moves at the bar correctly. Miranda, who was giggling through much of the "presentation", didn't appear to be trying much at all, but had fairly good form throughout.  Elizabeth knew the piece much better than Miranda though.

They got to wear tutus and do a little recital, which was a two minute piece to the sugar plum fairy music. They did learn some new steps like Pas de Chat and Grand Jete and made some new friends so all wasn't lost.

Afterwards, one of the parents who I didn't know said, "Wow, she really has the gymnast body and moves huh?" You can guess who she was referring to.

Live and learn.

Parker got a nice shiner when his buddy Brady threw an apple at his eye during an apple throwing contest.  Parker was trying to deflect with light saber, but obviously failed here.  Ouch.

Girls day out.

Jenna took the girls or a manicure and ice cream today as a thank you for taking care of Kiki a while ago.  It was all very sweet. It's especially sweet that she's been taking care of these girls since they were 8 months old. She looks the same, but they keep growing.

Library Fees

Elizabeth: Mom, when you check out books from the library, do you have to pay?

Me: No, you don't.

Elizabeth: Well...that's very nice.

Learning Breast Stroke

First Day of Summer "Vacation"

5:00 Spin class
5:30 Boot camp
7:30 Take Parker to Swim Team Practice
8:15 Pick up friends for Soccer Camp
8:30 Pick up Parker at pool. Take all to camp.
8:45 Chat with various parents at camp.
9:00 Take girls home. Do dishes and swim team treasurer stuff.
10:00 Take girls to swim lessons.
11:00 Home for lunch, cleaning, organizing, laundry, filing, and Uno playing with Elizabeth
2:45 Take girls to Ballet Camp
3:00 Pick up Parker from playdate
3:30 Take Parker to Piano Lesson
4:00 Go shopping
5:00 Pick up Parker
6:00 Pick up girls
6:30 Dinner

Morning fun

Gypsy girl

Father's Day

Girls

Calistoga

Took kids to Calistoga last night.  They had a good time, but noise from people in room next to us and whining about being "bored" got to me more than usual.  Plus we had the worst Sushi of all time. Even Elizabeth wouldn't eat the unagi.

Parker Last Day of School