60

home sweet home after flight (Avery)60
Yesterday Avery took her 59th and 60th flights. How do I know the exact number you ask? Well, while in Mexico, I became obsessed with figuring out how many total trips to Mexico. That required I go back and document all those. I couldn't very well do that without documenting all the other travel we've done, so I did that too. Then I went and labeled all the blog posts during Mexico trips by their number. A useless exercise that only I care about, I know, but I'm still a bit obsessed with it. It's not easy being me.

We got home at 12:30 am last night (technically this morning). Despite a long layover in LAX (5 hours), it was a very easy travel day for me. The kids kept each other entertained wonderfully and when they got a little bored, Christie whipped out that iPad. iPads are god's gift to traveling parents.

Summary of our trip: pool, hot, beach, pool, hot, beach, pool, pool, beach, eat, hot. Done. Avery slept beautifully this trip. She's to the age where she always sleeps well, but her falling asleep times during this trip were unbelievable. I'd say "calm down" and she'd lie still and be asleep 15 seconds later. Amazing. It was the same tonight when we put her to bed.

iPhone stuff
So far, the thing I am most excited about for the iOS6 release for iPhone is the ability to set a Do Not Disturb time. I could always do this with my Blackberry where I had it shut itself off at 11 and wake up at 7. I like the way Blackberry did it better since it actually shut the phone off and therefore saved battery power during the night, but this will do. Plus, you can set it so that some callers can get through and can activate a feature that will let a call through when it comes from the same number two calls in a row within a few minutes of each other.

D new iPhone has shipped. We're going to get Mom set up to use D's old iPhone.

reentry day
It went pretty well today, especially because Avery had a playdate at Elise's after school. Avery made it to school on time and we didn't even rush to do that because I'd mentally decided she'd be late given our late flight. I had to run to the grocery store after drop-off to get stuff for her lunch, then take it back to her, but no biggie. I also managed to get stuff for dinner while at the grocery store. It's embarrassing how often I'll go to the grocery store in the morning to get a couple of things and talk myself out of getting something for dinner. Things I think: "maybe I'll come up with what to make for dinner later" and "another stop at the grocery store is no big deal. it'll probably even be easier" and "maybe we should just eat out?" That last thought is the one that has been winning out lately. But not today! Of course, we ate our standard meal of salmon, green beans, and (brown rice) pasta, but whatever, we still ate at home and I still cooked.

When I got home from dropping A at school and taking care of couple of minor errands, I took a nap. I slept until 2:30. I slept hard and solid. I needed that sleep. It was lovely and I'm so very, very grateful the scheduling gods (aka school and RHG) made it happen.

Mom came over to join us for dinner and to read to Avery. It was great to see her after being gone so long.

toys
Poll: how long does one have to pine after a toy before purchasing it for oneself? Like, if it's totally unnecessary, but you've wanted it for years, does that mean you're in the clear to buy it for yourself? There's a correct answer to this question and I'm fishing for it. One guess what I want the answer to be. In all seriousness, what is the threshold you use for allowing yourself to buy a somewhat expensive toy (under $500, but more than $200) for yourself that you absolutely do not NEED.

best pictures ever?
I'll let you decide. The last night in Mexico, we went exploring along the beach, then to dinner, then let the kids run the length (the FAR length) of the beach. Avery had complained earlier that her swim bottoms were hurting. We determined the cause was they are now too small for her. Since she couldn't very well walk around naked, I pulled them down slightly to make them more comfortable. She left them at this acceptable level for quite a while. When she and Henry took off running down the beach well ahead of Christie and me, I noticed a little white patch on Avery way in the distance. When we finally caught up to them (or rather got close enough to them to yell "stop!"), this is what we discovered the white patch to be.

Photo by Christie Glynn

Photo by Christie Glynn

Happiness

What Makes Mexico Megan Happy

The first few visits to Mexico, I remember feeling not comfortable. The house was finished and furnished, but it wasn't functional. Functional is way more important to me than aesthetics. D was worried about buying more (or at least SOME) art for the house; I was trying to find a good spot for our Kindles and iPods.

Thinking about what makes me enjoy each trip down here more and more, it comes down to our stay here operating smoothly. How long does it take to get in and out of the casa for a pool trip? How long does it take to get cleaned up after a pool or beach trip? Do I have a place to put stuff when I clean up? If you'd asked me how important those things were to my enjoyment of a vacation home when we bought the place, I wouldn't have rated them at all. Now I realize that, for me, it matters a lot. The little things that make the biggest difference to me, in no particular order:

courtyard stuff dump

Having a place to hang all the towels and stash all the stuff needed for pool or beach trips. It's just these wire shelves that were bought for an entirely different purpose (they weren't the right size), but with some strong magnet hooks, it's perfect for that function. It does not look good. But damn it is functional. 

Like this, but wider and with more shelves. And without the wheels. The wheels would be VERY handy from moving it to and from its storage location. Hmm. I bet I can buy some wheels!

making outings routine and easy

Having an easy way to get ready and to the pool or beach quickly. Part of the reason I never got into snowboarding on a regular basis is that I never got the point where getting ready to go was quick and routine. I always had to think about what to bring, how to get it all bundled up, etc. Having this beach cart to haul stuff to and from the pool or beach. Yeah, I look like a bag lady (D's description of me pushing it). But I have a way that I can lug all the towels we need, plus more, along with any pool toys Avery wants to bring and everything else one might need and I'm not going to complain about how Avery needs to leave whatever behind because it's too heavy or too much a pain to carry. I keep the cart next to the rack, take the towels off the hooks, fold and toss them in the cart, grab the bag with beach/pool toys (as assortment of used containers for things like playdough, things like that), grab whatever, toss it in and go. And yes, it really does roll quite well on the beach. 

great room stuff dump

We have a lot of sunblock. We always have to apply it before going on an outing. Keeping it in the bathroom did not work for me because we'd inevitably need to head back into the bathroom to get it to take with us. Sunglasses - we could never find them when we needed them. They were strewn all over. Medications and first aid supplies were scatted between bathrooms. For me, it's different in a vacation home versus a real home. In a real home, things have a spot in one bathroom cabinet. Everyone knows where they are. At a vacation home, you have lots of people using things and they get moved around. Or, you never remember where you last put them. If we stayed in the upstairs bedroom one visit, then the downstairs bedroom for another, things would have to be shifted around. Goggles, sunglasses, hats - they all need a permanent home. Meet the simple shelving I had built. True to form, I took this without neatening anything up. Why? Because I'm all about function. Yes, it would look much better if these shelves had books and decor on them. But what good what that do? Endless searching for key items be over! 

foot-cleanliness obsession dialed down

This one I credit to many things: anti-depressants which make me way less OCD; buying sand socks as a way to spend time at the beach; having a plentiful supply of socks to making walking around in the casa tolerable. Regardless, I've come a long way from the early days down here. I wash my feet maybe once or twice a day (not counting showers). That's down from about 10-20 a few years ago. I'm not constantly trying to figure out how to keep sand and dirt away. My feet are still very clean most of the time, but I've found a good balance between Crazy Foot Cleaning Megan and Normal People. It makes a difference.

storage closet in kitchen

This closet was always here, of course, but it wasn't functional. It's still not nearly as functional as I would like. However, it'll do. Having a place to cram all the stuff that doesn't fit in the kitchen is very key. I do not like having kitchen appliances we don't use daily on our counters. Coffee maker on the counter = hell no (neither D nor I drink coffee). Toaster = no (neither of us eat toast). Blender ... you get the idea. Behold the cram all the stuff in the storage closet. For this we bought shelving. I kind of which we'd sprung for built in shelves so we could better utilize the space of this awkward closet, but I'm happy enough with what we have.

It looks like a mess, but it's actually organized and functional (given the awkwardness of the space)

drying rack outside of bedroom

I've settled that the upper bedroom is the one I prefer. For a while I thought the downstairs bedroom was better for us since it has two queens vs one king. However, for several reasons, I prefer the upstairs bedroom. What to do with those pesky swimsuits? Yes, we could hang them in the bathroom. Flaws with this include not enough hooks in the bathrooms for both (bath) towels and swimsuits, longer drying time due to being in an air conditioned space, and water drops on tile floor = accident waiting to happen. The solution that works great for me is the drying rack being placed right outside the upstairs bedroom, which puts it kind of hidden beneath the stairs to the viewing tower.

stash of clothing

having a stash of clothing that I keep down here is very key in making trips mentally easier (I know, talk about a first world problem: making sure trips to our vacation home are mentally easier). Trips down now require that I bring only nice clothes if we go out to dinner at a nicer place (we rarely do) and underwear. I have all the t-shirts, shorts, swimsuits, and shoes that I need down here. It makes packing a lot easier. 

computer

I was skeptical about bringing my old iMac down here when D suggested it. I thought it was a waste of a computer that would get more use in our primary home. I was wrong. It's great having it here. Immediate access to home when we arrive and a nice place to check news in the real world. 

trash, recycling, composting system ... still a work in progress

This trip, I am trying something new with our food leftovers. Since I'm used to composting at home, it's now more second nature. This time, I've been putting food scraps into a large container in the refrigerator to be delivered to the compost can (it's a bin next to the trash and recycling bins that is emptied at the same time). This serves two purposes: 1. it keeps the food scraps out of the trash bin thereby eliminating bugs/flies around it and 2. it reduces our trash which in turn requires fewer trips to the community trash bins. In fact, I haven't had to make a single trash run yet. Recycling has a home in our closet off the kitchen, that is taken care of. 

There are still areas I'd like to work on to make things even more perfect (because things can never be perfect enough when you're a perfectionist).

• We need a dish rack drying solution. The dish rack that came with our housewares package is massive. I'm thinking that next time I'll bring down an old dish drying rack we used to use at home. I would link to a picture, but I can't find any online. 
• Dishwasher. Woe is me, the dishwasher in our second home is below par. First world self pity acknowledged. But it still sucks. Someday I imagine we'll suck it up and pay the money to put in a good dishwasher. 
• Foot washing bowl outside. I've seen other casas that have bowls for washing shoes and feet before you come into the casa. It doesn't get all the sand, but I'm sure it makes a difference. A large plastic tub would be easy enough to put out there. Next time we actually head into town (not on this trip), I need to remember to buy one. 
• Dining area. Our dining room table is very nice, as are the chairs. However, they're just too big for the space. I'd either like to switch out for a smaller table and easier to move chairs, or maybe install a bench against the wall, or do something to fix it. What we have works. We'll probably leave it as is for quite some time. However, I'd be lying if I said I was completely satisfied with functionality in this area. 
• Outdoor furniture that better suits how we use the casa. We have two sets of outdoor dining tables and chairs - one for the viewing tower and one for the roof terrace. We have eaten outside I think once or twice, and those were undoubtedly just to prove we could. We are not outdoor eaters, particularly when it requires carrying all the stuff up 1 - 2 flights of stairs. We are, however, outdoor loungers. We don't need dining tables; we need loungers. I'd like to get rid of the table and chairs in the viewing tower and put four loungers with side tables up there. I'd keep the dining table and chairs on the terrace, but add two more loungers and some side tables. 

All in good time. For now, I'm so very happy with how the house is set up. I'm so very happy that I have a way that I can say "yes!" to a pool trip request by Avery and *almost* mean the "!" part of it. I'm happy that this house we bought in D refers to as "a fit of irrational exuberance" has become a decision that I'm happy we made. I'm also hoping that it will create some fond memories for Avery, memories of a place where the family could be and just let the real world slide away for a bit. 

Retrieval

Rock fetching
One thing that Avery struggled with during her last swimming class was retrieving an object at the bottom of the (shallow) pool. She wasn't scared, but she just couldn't figure out how to get her body down there. Today we worked on that at the pool. I am proud to say that she can now go fairly deep to retrieve a rock. It was slow going with the skill until I explained that what I do is dive down, then put my bottom in the air as high as I can. That was the key she needed to get her body in the right direction. From there she could kick and move her arms to get to the rock. We're played that game a lot.

We all ate lunch at the pool. Service was slow, but the food was decent. There was a family nearby celebrating a BD. They asked if Avery and Henry would like some cake, so those two got cake with their meals. Nice. I, in turn, had to order flan since I couldn't even try the cake. The flan had a raspberry sauce topping - which I've never seen served with flan. Delicious.

After lunch, we all headed out for a swim in the sea. We saw a pretty big crab and found lots of sea snails. The water in the sea is also like a bath tub. Almost hot versus warm. Henry and Christie decided to do more exploring in the sea and on the beach. Avery wanted to go back and fetch that rock at the hotel pool.

And thus ends our activities, other than dinner, for the day. Expect the same report tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.

Mexico(12)

Disneyland(2)*
This trip started off a little rocky for me. We landed in LA on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, we hit California Adventure Land (right across from Disneyland - you get access to both parks if you buy the parkhopper pass, which we did). It was hot. I drank a lot. I was vigilant about making sure I didn't get hungry. Nonetheless, about 3:00 I started to feel the signs of a headache coming on. By 4:00 I was back at the hotel napping. I thought that would take care of things. However, I woke up at 6:00 with my headache being very bad. D left for the airport about then. I decided that I needed to get Avery and me some food right away, so we hopped over to a restaurant near the hotel and ordered food to go. As I'm waiting for it, the headache is getting worse and worse. I'm getting nauseous and starting to feel hot. I take Avery with me in the bathroom and vomit (sidenote: it does not alarm Avery to hear me vomit). It took a while for our food to be done. During that period, my head went from really bad to even worse. It felt like my brain was swelling and pushing against my skull. We get back to the hotel room where  vomit some more. I text Christie and ask her to bring water and milk (the latter being for Avery) on her way back to the room. I figured if I got a lot of water into me, that would fix things. I suspected I was "just" dehydrated. Of course, drinking water only resulted in me throwing it up. This went on ALL night. It was awful. I finally fell asleep about 3 or 4 AM. I woke up and my headache was still there and my stomach was still iffy. Thank goodness for Christie. That woman took both children to Disneyland and had them on 20 different attractions/rides before I was finally able to join them at 4:30 that afternoon. Maybe if you haven't done Disneyland, 20 doesn't seem like an impressive number, but trust me, it's unreal to me. If our situation was reversed, I have no doubt that number would not have exceeded 5 in that time. Seriously. I have no idea where Christie gets her stamina, but I want me some of that.

The afternoon/evening after I joined them was great. The park was cooler, a bit less crowded (though still very busy), and I was doing my best to relax as we walked around. We did the roller coaster in Toonland (RHG - this is the one we did with Jay and your kids last time) twice, then headed over to CA Adventureland to go on Soarin' Over California. That ride was awesome. It was one of my two favorites. My other favorite was Radiator Springs Racers. I didn't think I'd like either as much as I did.

Mexico(12) ... Avery(9) Megan(12)
Airport checkin for our Mexico flight was a bit frustrating, but after that it was smooth sailing. Easy plane ride, fastest time yet through immigration, bags came out immediately, both Christie & I got green lights at customs (you press a button and it randomly gives you a red or a green; green you go on, red they search a bag). We immediately located the shuttle people. The guy said it was the same price if they left with us immediately as if we waited to see if there were others on our flight going to Loreto Bay, so off we went. It was, by far, the easiest trip to the casa yet.

The great room of the casa had the air conditioning turned on (thanks to our property manager Jenny who turns it on prior to our arrival), but the bedrooms were roasting hot. It is HOT here in September. And humid. But I like it that way.

The swimming pool is like a bathtub it's so warm. Again, I love it. There's not even a momentary chill when getting in. In fact, at one point I had to get out of the pool to cool off. Awesome. It wouldn't be awesome if we were using the pool for exercise, but we are using it for fun.

Avery is truly swimming. She still hasn't gotten side breathing down, but she can roll to her back and do a float to get air, then start swimming again. She can hold her breath for a long time. She loves to jump in the pool. She loves to thrown in the pool. She is able to do flips into the pool (going from a ledge already within the pool since that seems safter to me).

Avery and Henry are getting along superbly. There has been very little bickering at all. Mostly they run around and play with caterpillars or look at snails when we're at the casa. The swimming pool is all fun, all the time.

Yesterday afternoon, after our nap, Avery and I wandered out to the beach to join Henry and Christie. Unfortunately  Avery cut her foot on a sharp rock in the sea, so we had to turn back. Fortunately, it wasn't a deep cut and stopped bleeding quickly. I sanitized it, applied Neosporin, put on a bandage and she's just fine.

We've decided to make due with just buying stuff from the nearby little store rather than go into town at all. We do have the number for a cab driver should we wish to head into town, but I'm quite content to just hang out here.

* The headings - Megan(12) or Avery(9) - represent the number of trips. Since this is my blog, Mexico(12) means I've made 12 trips to Mexico (well, to Loreto. I've been to one other place in Mexico, but I'm not counting that one). Avery's been here 9 times. We've been to Disneyland twice.