This is supposed to be a Best Shot Monday post.  It isn’t.  I have wads of photos filling up cards, yet to be transferred over to computer for editing.  We just arrived at the in-law-family-beach-house in Delaware last night after many hours on the road and tons of fun visiting family and friends.  I am happy to settle in… get newsletter done… and just relax!

While we’ve been tired, sometimes cranky and sleeping in various different beds, these past several days have been tremendous fun, as well as a little inspiring in the areas of parenting and homeschooling.

After leaving Northern Virginia we headed south to western North Carolina, where we spent an overnight with my cousin and her family.  I haven’t seen my cousin in over 15 years.  Of all of us we were the closest cousins, during childhood, meeting most summers at my grandmother’s house in Northern Ontario.  I was in her wedding.  That was the last time I saw her.  As an aside, that last time I saw her, as recorded for all of eternity in her wedding photos, I had a hideous cold sore eating up the lower right quadrant of my face.  Our reunion on Thursday… a hideous cold sore eating up the lower right quadrant of my face.  Weird.

In the span of time since last seeing her I’ve gotten married and had three kids.  In the same span of time, she has had nine.  Yes, you read correctly… NINE.  She has nine of the best behaved, interesting, beautiful kids anywhere.  In fact, I almost took one home with me.  The baby.  He would have made for a perfectly delicious, chubby, smiling, giggling, wondrous addition to our home (currently screaming out for another baby, I might add), but I was wrestled to the ground as he was pried from my arms I resisted….  something about his already having a wonderful, loving home… what-ever.

Anyways, despite my nervousness, seeing her after so much time apart and our lives so changed, sharing time with cousin and her family was a pleasure.  She is a wonderful mother.  Thanks to her sense of structure and painstaking organization, there is no chaos or mayhem.  And the woman homeschools.  Sure, there’s the possibility everyone was on their bestest of behaviour with company- freshly beaten lectured just before we arrived- but really, things just ran too smoothly for that to be true.  It was evident that these were just well-behaved, thoughtful, intelligent, happy kids… regardless when anybody shows up.

I took notes.

After leaving North Carolina, it was back to Virginia: Hampton Roads.  Hubby’s business partner and his family.  More familiar in the noise and chaos.  Perhaps less organized than our hosts the previous night… but like I said, familiar!  It’s always fun and we hit El Mariachi.  My favourite Mexican place.  Anywhere.  And we took the gang to Busch Gardens at Williamsburg.  OMG!  I had a blast.  Not being of age, or more specifically interest, for rollercoasters and other harrowing amusement park rides, they were pretty bored until they got to the bumper cars.  Watching mummy depart each ride, swaying and swerving, slightly green-faced, grinning like an idiot only has so much appeal to the young ‘uns.  But, hey… I. Had. A.  Blast!!  Apollo’s Chariot.  Alpengeist.  Lochness Monster.  Loved.  It.  I didn’t get to the Griffon.  I wasn’t quite ready to ball up for that one.  Maybe next time.  And perhaps a kid might actually go with me….

Trackback URI | Comments RSS