OK to Wake

c/o The Wonder Family 

I'm an early bird, and R has followed suit. He seemed to be getting up earlier and earlier, so I looked into this "alarm clock." It's actually the opposite, it tells you when to go back to sleep! You may remember it from our wish list here. I was given the product to review, but we were planning on purchasing it for R's birthday. A gift for him and for us!

 

If your child sleeps with a nightlight, it's got that. It's a soft yellow glow. When it is okay for them to get up, it turns green. We don't use the nightlight, so R just knows to wait for the green. If you're still doing late night diaper changes, you can tap the foot for a soft light too. It has a nap feature, which we haven't used yet but will once we transfer to a big boy bed. It also has a snooze button. Once he is older, it can be switched to a regular alarm clock. It uses a  USB cord but does have a battery backup. It also comes with changeable face plates. R loves the little faces that it makes when you push the buttons. We actually keep it on his changing table to make diaper changes easier because it distracts him. We call ours "little buddy".

My biggest concern was that the green light would wake him up if he was sleeping already, but he has slept through it with no problems. If you check Amazon you'll see the rave reviews and almost cult like following. Some people even call it magic or voodoo.

 

Norfolk Greek Festival

Neil and I have fond memories of Norfolk's annual Greek Fest. It happens to occur every year at the same time as the SOL testing in schools. When we were in high school, they didn't do a great job of checking to see who went back to class after a test, so essentially everyone left school and walked across the street to the festival. It remains with a Granby High school reunion-like atmosphere. For me, even before I was in high school, my family would attend Greek Fest after picking me up from Sunday School which was at the synagogue across the street. These Greek Fest roots are deep.

The festival takes place in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Granby Street. The lines are usually long but they move pretty quickly, and if that isn't your thing, they do offer a drive through option. You can check out the menu here. If you want Loukoumades, they are at a separate booth outside. Don't skip them. We got ours to snack on while we stood in the line.

Throughout the night there are Greek dancers, entertainment, and live music. There are lots of people dancing in traditional Greek wear. They were dancing while we were in line, but we didn't snap a good picture. There is live music all day and space for kids to dance. Ten percent of all sales are given back into the community through different charities including For Kids, the Salvation Army, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, the Union Mission, Habitat for Humanity, and more.

If you check it out, be sure to peek into the cathedral and chapel, which are open for viewing. Also check inside the social hall for the bazar. I may or may not have bought several bottles of olive oil before Neil looked at me like I was insane. 

The nice thing about Greek fest is that it is all under a tent, so you can go rain or shine. There is parking on the street, behind the church, and at Norfolk Collegiate. It's loud, so if kids fuss, people can't hear it. (But if your kid doesn't like loud, check out the tables closest to the church.) It's a Norfolk staple and we will be back next year for more! 

Life Lessons From My Mother

My mom is a rockstar. No, really. This year has been impossibly hard on us. Literally the first day of the year my father died, and the days, weeks, months after were horrible. But through it all my mom continued to watch R. She slipped a disk in her back but she kept on. She sometimes makes me dinner to pick up on my way home and she always picks us up a few things from the grocery store. See those crutches in the picture above? Neil had a broken leg when R was born. (He literally broke his leg in two places while I was 8.5 months pregnant moshing at a show. It is still a rough subject with us!) Guess who drove us to the hospital? guess who held my leg up? Guess who spent the entire first summer R was born with me? Am I spoiled? Totally. But what I most want to be when I grow up, is my mom, doing the same for R. So in honor of her, here are a few life lessons that I've picked up along the way.

01. Prep early. Days before Hanukkah or Thanksgiving dinner my mom has the dishes set out on the table with post it notes in them saying what dish goes inside. This makes hosting easier because she isn't running around getting things together as people arrive.

02.  Keep your friends close. My mom has been hanging with the same group of girls forever. These women are as close to me as family. They have been at every party, pool day, and backyard bbq. They meet as a sorority once a month come hell or high water and do both social and volunteer work. They helped with my Bat Mitzvah, wedding shower, baby shower, my dad's funeral arrangements, and worked at the yard sale for our Pancreatic Cancer Society team. Check out these two pictures.

03. Family is everything. My mom is without a doubt the planner of our family. My dad used to call her the ayatollah of tailgating, which my family does together. While she isn't totally that extreme, she is a planner. She plans our yearly family get together. By this I mean, she tells us when to go, where to go, and what to do. She even books our hotel room if we are moving to show. But she does it out of love for our family. She wants us to be together, and so we are. It's so nice to have one another around and I value them so much. 

04. Don't be a snob. Okay y'all. Here is a secret. My mom loves cheap wine. While she is one classy lady, she can also get down with fast food and cheap wine. Boxed wine? Sure. Don't stick your nose up and don't forget where you came from. 

05. Say yes. Invite everyone. Don't turn things down. I can talk my mom into doing almost anything. "Mom, let's stay up until midnight and go stand in line in the freezing cold on black Friday." "Mom, can these ten people stay the night and we all camp out in our backyard?" "Mom, can my friend's band practice in the garage?" She pretty much always said yes, welcomed everyone, and did it with a smile. It's okay to be a little crazy and experience life a little.

 

I am so thankful to my mom for all she is and all that she does. She is the best Bubbie to R and our doggies, and the best mama to me. Thanks for everything mom! 

In case you needed any more proof that she is a rockstar: 

Lake Lawson

On our recent Hike It Baby hike we went to Lake Lawson and I wanted to go back and explore some more. Since the weather has been great, we took advantage of it and headed out to do some more exploring. The area is actually called Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area and is 42 acres of preserved land with more than 12,000 feet of shoreline.

There are two parking lots. Head to the second one if you want to use the playground. There is also a boat ramp, a picnic shelter, restrooms, poop bag stations for dogs, kayak launches and several floating fishing docks. I also liked that there were several trash cans and benches. Apparently in the lake you can catch Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, and Crappie.

Leashed dogs are allowed. There were several families, people walking dogs, and groups fishing. The trails are mulch covered, but easy enough to push the stroller on. There are lots of docks and viewing areas to stop and sit at along the way. The new bridge that connects the two pieces of land was beautiful, and although there is lots of water I didn't feel like R was unsafe. We just made sure to hold his hand while he was on the strip with water on both sides.

I'll be honest; I didn't even know that this park was back here. There are lots of trails that wind and meander around, so you could go lots of different ways. We came after work and had enough time to fit in some walking and playing. The dogs really enjoyed themselves too!

p.s.- I'm loving these.

Summer Wish Lists

I know, I know. I've posted about not buying things as opposed to experiences. But window shopping is fun, and some of these things we do actually need. We are going to try using the potty this summer since I'll be home. If it works, great. If not, we will push it back a little.

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1- These are little extenders to help the water reach R's hands from the sink. We need four, two for our house, and two for my mom's.
2- These little boats would be cute in the water table, the pool, or the bathtub.
3- This set claims to make all kinds of bubbles including a gigantic bubble.
4- A floating basketball net for the pool.
5- portable potty seat
6- swimmer diapers, because I expect lots of pool days before we master the training!

Let me be clear, none of these things are things that I actually need. Just things I would order if I happened to win the lottery.

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A note about 3, a woman had these in a summer science training that Chelsea and I went to and we had such a fun time flipping them from time to time!