We're camping

This past weekend was our District Youth Retreat at the beach. We had a great time camping, and had the perfect weather for it (quite sunny and warm, perhaps a little chillier at night than we would like). Simon thoroughly enjoyed all the attention he received, and it was helpful to me to have many willing entertainers for him :)

I had my first experience with meal planning and execution for over 30 people!! Jesse and I planned the food together, I made a shopping list on Coles Online, and we took said shopping list to Aldi. This accomplished a couple of things; we knew what amounts we wanted of everything, and we also knew how much we were saving by shopping at Aldi (for the record, $330 worth of groceries at Coles cost us $200 at Aldi!). We underestimated the amount of milk necessary (well, I think I technically underestimated the ability of teenage boys to drown their cereal in milk) and overestimated the amount of greens/salad necessary (yeah, should have thought that through). Also overestimated was the ratio of chips/cookies to sandwiches people wanted to eat; we had to ration the seconds. In the end, we had to buy more sausages and milk, and a few more drinks on the Saturday, but I don't think anyone went hungry.

Growing up, we always went to our District Family Camp at Chambers Camp near Corning, NY. We had a campsite right next to our good friends, and whether it was trailer-camping or tent-camping, had a great time. We have photos of my birthday at family camp, all 6 of us kids "napping" on a blanket in the shade, and siblings receiving "baths" in plastic buckets of some variety. Whenever someone would complain, or realize something had been left at home, our moms would sing a little song that went something like this, "We're camping, we're camping, we're ca-amping."

In the midst of all the various food situations this last weekend, I only wished I'd remembered that little song. The teens probably would have thought I was crazy (they'd be right), but having a little song to sing when things aren't going just right can provide a fresh dose of perspective, or at least lighten the situation a bit.

tag-teaming and teeth

Today was Thursday, the day I go in to work. Jesse and Simon picked me up from the train a little after 6, and he had to be to church by 7 for a meeting. I got home and took care of putting Simon down for an overdue nap while Jesse made dinner. We traded quick stories, wolfed down the fried rice, and Jesse headed off to work. Talk about tag-teaming the parenting!

Simon woke up after a short nap, ate, played a little, smiled a lot, then got tired. He took awhile to get to sleep, mostly because of the two little bottom teeth that are trying to make their way up through his gums. As I sat and rocked him, his little hand reached up and rubbed my neck. Those little teeth might be making life tough for all of us, but that doesn't mean there aren't great moments along the way too.

The latest adventures

Whew! Where have the past few months gone? Into a growing little boy, I think.

I've started back at work! I'm really enjoying the opportunity to get back into things. I have taken over the kitchen table with my laptop, laptop stand, wireless mouse and keyboard (a birthday gift from Jesse) and love my new "home office." I'm doing slightly different things than I was before (as my old role was filled with another full-time employee, who I trained before I left), and I've found the new position to be challenging and rewarding. Jesse and Simon had a great time while I was gone last week, so here's hoping tomorrow and the other Thursdays will be the same :)

Simon is growing by leaps and bounds. He plays peek-a-boo, and has started to do it himself sometimes (pulling a towel/curtain/whatever over his face, then removing it and expecting a reaction). It's clear that he wants to be more mobile than he is, but he breaks into a triumphant grin after rolling/wiggling off my lap after he eats. At my mothers' group today, he and one of the little girls carried on a "conversation" with each other; it was so cute. He's started wanting to gnaw on things, although he's generally disinterested in teething toys (Mom and Dad's knuckles are far more satisfying). We're hoping to get him into swimming lessons soon for Thursdays while I'm at work.

It seems we have one thing or another going on from now until Christmas! In some ways, the lack of Thanksgiving here means that the holiday season sneaks up on me. In others, though, it's surprising because with no Halloween (or very little Halloween) or Thanksgiving, the Christmas stuff is already dominating some of the stores. I've been making use of Amazon.com's Universal Gift List, but I've found that many things on that list are baby-related (Ergo baby carrier, food processor/steamer for baby food, etc.). Guess I'm a real mom now ;)

With that, I'm going to go make a mug cake (go ahead, google it! They're quick and tasty) and have some ice cream. There is a fantastic rain storm, Simon's napping, and Jesse's out. Might as well make use of the ability to eat lots of food before Simon starts solids :)