Enjoying the Small Things

Enjoying the Small Things

The Best of Key West

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If there’s one thing our family is good at, it’s spontaneity. In fact, we are much more likely to do something when asked last minute than to put it on our schedule months in advance because long term commitments scare us. When my dad asked me a few weeks ago if the kids and I wanted to come to Key West with him, I said it probably wouldn’t work out. But then he asked me again two days before he left, sweetening the deal with “I asked your sister, and she just got a ticket–she’s flying down tomorrow morning,” and the spontaneity thrilled me. So I made a few calls, arranged to bring some school work with us and then I pulled the kids out of school for three days to give the Internet Debbies something to talk about over coffee. I’m nice like that.

Key West is a five hour drive, and once the I-75 part is complete, it’s actually quite pleasant–a simple highway connected by numerous bridges and little beach towns sprinkled with old school motels, charming restaurants and tourist signs that lure passersby into shell shops and scuba dive bookings and dolphin excursions. The road ends at Mile 0…Key West.

We haven’t been to Key West in years–since Nella was a baby–so it was fun to come back and see how it’s changed. Really, when we return to these kind of places, we’re seeing how we’ve changed though.

Bikes have replaced strollers.

My dad loaded up six bikes and a bike trailer in his minivan, and I wouldn’t do Key West again without a bike. We biked along the ocean, through town, four miles to breakfast, four miles back, to the playground…and this one did it all, without complaint, on this itty bitty bike with training wheels.

Key West Favorites include…

Blue Heaven. Always Blue Heaven. We spent an entire morning there, playing ping pong, drinking mimosas, searching for cats and chickens…

This cat was a meanie. It’s all cute and fun until the cat scratches your eyes out.

Nella stayed glued to my sister to the point I had to ask my sister if she needed a break (she didn’t). I love how kids know their family–even if they don’t see them a lot.

And why yes, that is a small dog in a baby sling.

In other news, I finally found a donut to rival the best one I’ve ever eaten at Dough in Tampa…Glazed Donuts on Eaton Street, sweet Lord in heaven.

We balanced our few Go, Do, See! adventures with a lot downtime which was just what we needed.

…and managed to squeeze in one sunset at Mallory Square.

A people-watching dinner at Amigo’s…

I’ll never forget these decisions to pick up and go, to make the memories, to swap classroom math for life math.

And for anyone who doesn’t want to drive as far as Key West, Islamorada is closer and so full of charm. We stopped on our way home, and I tucked it away as the next place we want to explore. Until next time…

A Mad Science Party: Nella Turns 9

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In a total Rip Van Winkle moment, I woke up yesterday to the stunning realization that nine years have passed while I’ve been sleeping. I mean, maybe hustling through the never ending work of raising a family instead of sleeping, but it numbs your awareness of time much like sleeping, until you wake up at the exact moment a crowd of friends is huddled around your child singing “Happy Birthday Dear Nella….”, and this grown child is smiling, blowing out a candle; and the number “9” catches your attention, and…”Wait—what?!”

Nine years, folks. The first day of her life felt like an entire year of painfully holding my breath; and then the following nine years rushed by, sweeping me away in delight that has felt like one steady satisfying exhale. Tomorrow is her actual birthday which means tonight I will travel back into the abyss of computer folders and journal entries–the portal to that room, that day, those moments. And the moral to the never ending story is…celebration and gratitude for the incredible ways our children surprise us, delight us and teach us with another year.

Yesterday we celebrated with friends with a Mad Science themed birthday party. We’ve checked off so many themes within our family now, finding ways to incorporate our children’s most beloved things (Barbies! Spaghetti! Wands!). Now, I just throw out a bunch of ideas and see what hooks them. Nella loved the idea of making slime and doing experiments, so a Mad Science party it was. The bonus was that I had some party things stashed away from our Halloween parties that I knew would double for Mad Science decor. And since so many things qualify as science (bugs! rocks! chemistry! crystals!), it made it easy to decorate.

The hanging molecules are ball pit balls with dowel rods poked into them (poked a little hole first with the end of scissors–didn’t need glue though, they held on their own) and hung with fishing line (thanks, Pinterest).

Large Test tubes: Amazon. Plastic bugs: Amazon. 

The Dissect-a-Frog kits were just chocolate frogs made with green candy melts and this frog mold (I added sugar eye balls) served in a grill drip pan with a plastic knife, ruler and frog anatomy diagram I printed from the Internet.

The “Bacteria Jello” is lime jello set in petri dishes with some cake sprinkles added just before serving (should have sprinkled less–the dye taste was a little strong with so many).

The Periodic Table is a sheet of wrapping paper from Paper Source.

Erlenmeyer Flask Cookie Cutter and my favorite cookie recipe

And rock candy made the perfect “rock crystals” favor.

This party was such a fun one to host because my inner teacher had the chance to reemerge for all the experiments.

We watched balloons blow up on their own from the carbon dioxide created in the chemical reaction of mixing baking soda (spooned in to a balloon) with vinegar (at the bottom of the water bottle).

The kids each took turns breaking open their own geodes to find crystals inside (we used this set).

We tested the density of different liquids by layering them in test tubes (we used honey, colored corn syrup, dish detergent, oil and colored water).

My dad attempted to make a hard boiled egg pass through the opening of a glass bottle with a lit match inside, but it wouldn’t work. He tried to fudge the results by shoving the egg in with his hand, but the egg broke apart into a mess of shredded eggs, and the kids were all laughing and yelling, “It’s a fail!” Science is tricky.

By far, the favorite “experiment” was creating slime, the phase that seems to never die. We are going on nearly three years, and they’re still completely enthralled.

Lainey led this session because she has, like, 600 hours of YouTube D.I.Y.s under her belt.

She swears by the simple ingredient list of Elmer’s glue, Tide detergent (just a little at a time added), optional shaving cream (to make it fluffy) and a few drops of food coloring.

A little pepper sprinkled on a plate of water with a toothpick dipped in dish soap created another impressive experiment for the kids (see it done here).

But all the oohs and ahhs came from the magical flying wish paper. Each of Nella’s friends was asked to write down a wish for Nella, and they all took turns watching their wish be magically transformed when I rolled up the paper and lit it on fire.

I told them the wish would come true if it lifted into the sky. And one by one, each wish lifted and floated away.

A little drop of dry ice adds the science to any party.

Nella didn’t know if she was supposed to blow the candle out or the fog.

As for Nella’s participation in her party this year and her interaction with friends, it was a really good year for that. Special needs can present challenges when it comes to socialization which sometimes makes things like birthday parties tricky. We’ve invited friends over before and have been disappointed when Nella runs off to her room and wants nothing to do with anyone, and we’ve had to figure out what works best over the years. But we haven’t given up, and I feel like we’ve discovered–at least for now–what works well in keeping everyone connected and happy at parties (perhaps I should dedicate a post to socializing and friendships with special needs?). One thing that helps a lot is hiring a baby sitter Nella really loves to help out at parties. That way, if Nella needs a break from people, her babysitter can orchestrate a small group game  in Nella’s bedroom. She didn’t need any breaks this year though, and our babysitter was so helpful at keeping the kids connected. I also have to give a lot of credit to Nella’s friends and their families. They know Nella so well–they coax her into things she’s hesitant to do, they love and embrace her precious quirks, and they continually astound me with their compassion and ability to speak Nella’s own special language. Their parents do a good job of teaching their children how to be good friends and it shows.

And on this ninth year, that is what I am most grateful for. I could hardly imagine in my cloud of fear, holding that baby nine years ago, that this is what life would look like–this huddle of love that has followed her all these years.

Our little scientist continues to bring so much joy.

…and we can’t wait to celebrate her real birthday all over again tomorrow.

The Little Tool That’s Changing My Productivity Game

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One of my resolutions this year is to be more productive with my time, but that broad resolution deserves some breakdown into more specific manageable goals. Because I know my tendencies and am aware of how my productivity has changed over time, I recognize one particular mindset that continually sets me back–waiting for one big dedicated block of time to tackle a project or “get things done” and squandering all the perfectly good smaller chunks of time available in the meantime. Here’s the thing–those dedicated stretches of quiet appointment-free days labeled “clean the garage” or “work on book”? They are most often mirages–dreamy fictional destinations I will always be seeing in the distance but never arrive to. Then there’s also the issue of my attention to a project which–since I love analogies–I will liken to a very excited puppy who is running back and forth between the new toy and the food bowl and then the other toy and the bone; and his tail is wagging, and he’s panting, and he can’t decide which cool thing to do so he gets all worked up and runs around in circles chasing his tail until he finally collapses on the rug and falls asleep because all the possibilities for fun things to do are overwhelming and exhausting and–goodnight, I’m just going to lie down for a bit to calm my brain. I’m sorry, was that a run-on sentence? So is my brain all of the time. I have the energy, the will, the ideas, the passion–I often just need more focus and attention to the tedious work of getting a job done.

My sister and I converse a lot about the way our brain works because we are similarly wired when it comes to getting things done and attempting creative projects, and recently we came back to a strategy that works for us in cleaning our houses–setting a timer for 15 minutes for each room and cleaning as fast as we can in that short amount of time before moving on to a different room. I’m always surprised when I apply this strategy that I’m usually able to completely clean a room in 15 minutes when I was avoiding it because I thought it would take 45. My sister upped the ante recently though when she suggested I get a Time Timer. “You engage more visually,” she pointed out, “I bet seeing the block of time you have left would motivate you even more.”

So I bought the timer, and the verdict is…I’m obsessed. It’s immediately become the manager I’ve been needing, the puppy tamer that calls the shots– SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOUR BONE. 15 MINUTES. READY, GO. I keep it on my counter in the kitchen and set it for 15 minutes when I have a short block of time where I can knock out some dishes. I bring it with me into my bedroom when I’ve committed to cleaning it because I’m less likely to get sidetracked looking at old diaries I found under my bed when there’s a bomb-looking clock with a red line slowly ticking toward “detonation.” And I bring it into my office and place it on my desk to help me stay focused on one thing at a time. One hour with my butt in my seat–no click bait. The visual representation of a slowly disappearing red circle on an analog clock works really well for motivating me and keeping me engaged, and learning how to efficiently use the many 20-minute pockets of time that are sprinkled throughout the day is helping me accomplish more…plus, it’s fun! I’ve even convinced the kids to jump in and help frantically clean with the fun challenge of trying to finish the job before the red disappears and the timer dings.

Do you have a brain that’s wired like mine? A list of projects you’re not getting to? What productivity tips and tools have worked for you to help you accomplish more?