The Retreat

Would you like to hear about how we were all pretty worn down by now from the drives, living out of the clothing tub, and managing the pig-sty level in the van? No? How about how, by the time we were headed to our resort on the 1st Sunday of our trip, I was about to throw up if I had to bend down one more time and scour my bag (or under the van seats) for the right map or more gum or a pencil, and Eric was probably ready to throw me and the GPS out the window? Yes?

Well, too bad, because we're going to do positive highlights and happy pictures.

This Williamsburg retreat has been going on for about 10 years through an email group of which I am a member: MOMYS - Mothers of Many Young Siblings. You have to have at least 4 children within 8 years to be a member; we are one of the smaller families, and in fact, had one of the few minivans in the parking lots. Most were 12- or 15-passenger. My mom and dad joined us on the road when we were heading to Williamsburg, and the kids happily separated into 2 vans. : )

We checked in that evening at the Historic Powhatan Resort between Williamsburg and Jamestown, and we have to say that the accomodations were great. Spring was springing, and we all spread out into the 4-bedroom, 4-bath townhome, and then explored the grounds a bit. It had indoor pools, game rooms, tennis, a historic manor, a general store and many ponds in which to fish (I think Levi caught a stick). Some of the week's planned activities (militia drill, tea party, dad's breakfast, etc.) were on site, and others (tours, mom's dessert, etc.) were in historic Williamsburg or surrounding areas. One of the great parts of the week was meeting the families in the buildings beside us (all MOMYS families had their names on their doors) and watching as the kids took over the parking lots/grassy areas through the week and played together.

We didn't remember to take a lot of pics at the resort, but you can get some idea of what it looked like.

While waiting for check-in time, we took the Colonial Parkway and hit the "beach" on the James River. Similarly, we found no gold.

We did find rocks.

On our "street" at the resort, our first day there.

A Packing Haiku

Take this, don't take that
Frustrating. Scream-inducing.
Honda minivan

Mice Tales, continued

A few of you may remember the story of a continuing thread of my marriage, the story of How Mice Are Taken Care Of. You may remember how very grateful I am that my husband is perfectly willing to very promptly remove any mice from our dwelling, usually at the expense of the mouse's life, but how I also wish he might use more conventional means, like, say, a mousetrap. Instead, Whatever Is Handy is grabbed when the mouse is cornered, and that then-bloody appliance/utensil/storage container gets thrown out because I can't stand the thought of using it again.

Well, he's acheived a personal best, and I don't even get a new appliance out of it. This week, work was finally set in motion on the November-kitchen-flood-fix, beginning with a section of new cabinet bases. When the installer pulled out my oven from the wall first thing in the morning, I quickly inspected to see how much of a cleaning disaster it was. I saw something on the wall and my morning-brain just couldn't quite process it. I called Levi over. "Levi," I said. "Is that a dead mouse flattened against the kitchen wall?"

"Whoa," Levi said. "It is."

A near-petrified, perfectly flat mouse, long tail and all, stuck to the wall behind my stove. And then I remembered, sometime last year (I think?) when Eric has chased a mouse around the kitchen and when it had run on the countertop and -- you guessed it -- behind the stove he -BAM- slammed my oven back against the wall.

Well, now we know, he got it.

How not to write a big, long, venting blog post

1. Go to Walmart at the end of a very long errand afternoon with all five children.

2. Go when Walmart is packed (i.e., anytime)

3. Fill your cart with everything you'll need for the rest of May. Seriously.

4. Go through the most frustrating checkout experience of your existence.

5. Determine to go home and rant about it on your blog.

6. Instead, get home and live your responsibilities.

7. Sit down three days later at the computer and realize Walmart isn't worth it.

The End of an Era

Does that sound overly dramatic? That's because today feels kind of dramatic around here. Today, instead of heading through the kitchen door to his office, Eric headed to Cincinnati to his new job (if you want details on the job, email him!). While we are sad to let go of Eric's business -- what a treasure of memories we have from these past 4 years! -- it's been great to see how God has brought this new opportunity about, and we're thankful for it.

Telling the kids has been interesting. We introduced the idea slowly, over Christmas, then again this weekend, asking if they had questions. They were really getting the idea last night when they knew Daddy would already be gone in the morning when they got up. I guess I have been really trying to explain what was going to happen to them; I think I wanted them to grasp how good they have had it the past few years -- the freedom that comes with self-employment. So, I may have overdone it a little. Jesse, throughout the day, would say something like, "How many days until Dad comes home?" Or, "We won't see Dad soon!"

Eric did get home later than we expected*, and as he joined us at the supper table, the kids were in full-blown drama. "Dad! Dad! It's so good to see you!" Sara had the winner: "I didn't even remember what you looked like, dad."

---------------------------
*On the way home, he missed a turn in one of the towns he is cutting through in an attempt to shave some minutes off his commute. On an unfamiliar side street, in the dark, the street suddenly turned into a one-way, and he was going the wrong way. He said he went about 50 yards, realized it, then turned around in a parking lot and went back. A city cop pulled him over immediately, and had only this to say to Eric's apology and explanation: "It's very dangerous what you did!" OK, fine -- something to remember his first day of commuting by. But do you know what the ticket fine is in this apparently-starving-for-cash-municipality? $331!! For going the wrong way on a one-way. Are you kidding me??

Hmmm...what day is it?

I'm definitely in that zone where we've been gone so long and I don't know quite where I am or what day it is. Monday? Really? It doesn't feel remotely like a Monday. I feel a strange pull to stand at my own kitchen sink and do dishes. Then I would feel centered. Ha!

It did start to feel kind of Monday-ish, however, last night when after the Norton Christmas celebration was over, Delaney started to feel bad and threw up a few times through the night. Then it hit Jesse today so I spent most of the day reading my book while keeping an eye on him. It was the "over-quick" variety, so it hasn't actually been too horrible (except, I'm sure, for our hosts who have to put up with our children who seem to throw up every single Christmas while they're here). Just a reminder that we are back in reality. It really did seem like all illnesses and colds and troubles were suspended while we were in Florida. Do families who live in Florida get stomach viruses in December?

Anyway, we and our germs will be heading home tomorrow. Only one more packing and unpacking to go!

Have I mentioned this?

A few Sundays ago, at a morning Church meeting, the choir sang a unique and rousing song praising God for Jesus as our friend and Savior. After the "amen's" and applause died out, my dear, lover-of-a-well-done-song son Levi YELLED out, in the silent pause before the next part of the service...

..."10!"


I'm not kidding.

Just keeping you informed...

Since the corn is down around our house, the mice have come a'runnin. Into our home. To be warm, presumably, although then why aren't they camping out in Eric's office where it's warm and toasty from the corn boiler instead of in my pantry and kitchen? Oh, yeah -- the food.

Tally so far: they've eaten on two bags of chocolate chips, one loaf of bread, and a bag of quick oats. I haven't lost any more household items to their destruction because we haven't been able to destroy any (yet!). Eric devised a brand-new capture-and-kill system (built a better mousetrap : ), which the mice are apparently discussing (in my pantry), and then sharing the news with their friends. I'm sure they'll be lured in soon. In the meantime, we just went and bought 8 new old-fashioned mousetraps, set one, and watched the kitchen mouse run past it in a nice arc.

I promise to move on to fun kid posts with cute pictures in the near future. Maybe. : )

An Extra Hotel Guest

No roll-a-way bed needed...