Tag: kids

Another Flighty Friday

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments

.:: Detours and Doughnuts
Heading to my boss’s house one morning, I was surprised to find traffic backing up just passed our subdivision, because I assumed I left late enough to miss the school traffic. Like playing a game of follow the leader, I moved forward inch by inch, as the cars ahead of me did the same. Once I was able to see the intersection, I realized a police man had blocked a lane with his car, and he was forcing cars to either turn around or turn left. Detour.

To a city person, we live in a rural area. The roads around our house are mainly two lanes that meander through horse farms, with a scattering of agricultural farms, too. Once off the main thruway, direct routes are non-existent, and because I was unable to take the main thruway, my ride to work was going to be longer and less direct. I needed to phone a friend.

I called my husband, who is excellent with directions, and I asked him for help in getting me to my boss’s house. He let me know I was on the right path, and he gave me directions to get me where I was going.  After speaking with him, I called my boss to let her know I was going to be late.

Instead of the typical “Hello?” greeting, my boss (clearly using caller ID) answered the phone, “Are you calling to say you are bringing doughnuts?”
I laughed. “No, but I’d love a doughnut, and I’d be happy to stop and get some if you’d like me to.”
“Oh. Why are you calling, then?” She asked, clearly disappointed.

Once I explained the situation, she let me know she was very sad. And, she was quick to clarify why she was sad. She wasn’t sad because I was going to be late to work due to my circuitous route; instead, she was sad because my circuitous route would mean she’d have to wait longer for the doughnut. (I love the fact that I just got to use the word circuitous. Twice. My mom needs to read this post.)

.:: Now, a word (or 100) about the doughnuts …
Dutch Monkey Doughnuts is not your typical doughnut shop. Located in Cumming, GA, this self-proclaimed ‘Mom and Pop shop” is open Tuesdays – Fridays, 5:30am until 4:00pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00am until 1:00pm. Their doughnuts are made from scratch and hand-rolled daily, and they recycle their frying oil into bio-diesel.

The Dutch Monkey offers the standard doughnuts like raised glazed, chocolate iced, Boston cream, apple fritter, etc. But, it is the daily specials and/or special ‘standards’ that make this Mom and Pop shop worth the drive (detour or no detour). If you prefer the simple iced, you may be lucky enough to find a raspberry iced for one of their daily specials. Or, perhaps you’ll find a blueberry jelly doughnut. The day of my detour, I found a buttered maple bacon doughnut. Buttered maple bacon. It was tasty, too.

My favorite is the Dutch Monkey doughnut. The first time I ordered one, I thought I was getting a Boston cream doughnut. At least, it looked like a traditional Boston cream doughnut: round, no middle hole and iced with chocolate. However, when I took a bite of the doughnut, I was surprised to taste an awesome combination of vanilla cream and banana. And, this was no ‘imitation’ banana – this was real, freshly ‘squished’ bananas. Mm mm good.

Now the second time I ordered the Dutch Monkey doughnut (and no, it was not the very same day), I was surprised to get something different. Though the doughnut was still round, hole-less and iced with chocolate, the cream center was more along the lines of a Boston cream doughnut. But wait! There’s more! Hidden under the chocolate icing, I found slices of bananas. Guys, the doughnut was divine. Divine.

The Dutch Monkey doughnut may not strike a ‘yum yum’ chord with you, but I am confident you’d find many other doughnuts within the day’s selection to color you happy. If you find yourself in or around Cumming, GA, I highly recommend a pit stop at Dutch Monkey Doughnuts. In fact, I’d recommend a detour to the doughnut shop. Thank god for detours, and thank god for Dutch Monkey Doughnuts. And while I’m at it, thank god for my boss!

.::.

My first true love was with Krispy Kreme,
A ‘Hot Doughnuts Now‘ lover’s dream.

It’s still the best glazed goodness for this doughnut junkie –
But competition rises with the entrance of Dutch Monkey.

.::.

.:: And now for something completely different . . .
Behold the power of the potty. Potty words. What is so darn attractive about using potty words? I mean, come on folks – poop stinks. Why talk about it? Yet kids seem to find it funny. Kids like our 5yr old, who is smack dab in the midst of his potty words stage. A harmless stage, perhaps, but a stage that could be a gateway to other disrespectful habits. Potty words spew out of this child’s mouth so much, it’s as if he has eaten a pile of prunes. Potty words: the gateway drug to regularity.

Happily, to date, our 5yr old has managed to make it 3 consecutive days without uttering one potty word. I suppose this means – wait for it – he is constipated.

.|.

Be kind, and take care of yourself and each other.

The Crazy Behind the Curtain

~ Lenore Diane ~ 5 Comments

Getting up and heading to church on Sundays is something we do more often than not. The morning pace is slow, but we manage to make it to the church on time. The boys go to their Sunday school classes, and Rob and I go to our Sunday school class. This past Sunday was different. We were given the task (honor, really) to light the first candle of the advent season. We were to light the candle during the 9:30 am church service.

Our morning routine was a little more rushed, wanting to look our very best for the congregation. I wanted to make sure the boys wore their pants without holes, and shirts/sweaters that actually matched their pants. On this particular Sunday – socks and sandals would not be acceptable. We were rushing around in an attempt to look like the ‘perfect’ family.

As we were heading to church, I noticed several other cars on the road. And, from what I could see, many of the cars had folks dressed in their ‘Sunday’ best. I reflected back to Thanksgiving, when my niece took a picture of me, Rob and the boys, because the holiday season typically brings with it greeting cards. Many greeting cards. And, many of the greeting cards include a picture of the family. Most pictures show a happy family, smiling beautifully in their best holiday clothes. Or perhaps, the picture was taken at the beach, and they are donning similar outfits – white tops and blue bottoms. Regardless of the pose or the clothes, taking the perfect holiday picture is a ritual for many families. And, wanting to include a picture of our perfect family in our holiday card, I made sure our family took part in the ritual.

Perhaps, if you peel back the curtain in our family you may find: the rushing around the house; the bickering and snapping over this and that, because of this and that; the pull in the pantyhose that leads to a run, because of an attempt to chase the dog off the bed and out of the bedroom, while also trying to get dressed; the grape jelly that falls off the toast and lands on a clean Sunday shirt, as a 4yr old eats while also bouncing in his chair; the glitter glue picture that had to be completed by a 5yr old and ends up in his lap – leaving globs of glue behind on his Sunday pants; etc.

Then again, you may find a perfectly composed family, clean and neat, with freshly washed and pressed clothes, brushed teeth and hair, all smiles and ready to please. Though, as I shake a Magic 8 Ball, I’m not at all surprised to find, “Looks Doubtful.”

What follows is a series of photo mishaps, in the effort of getting the ‘perfect’ shot. Starting with my boys, in a series of pictures where one realizes he is tickling the other to the point of no return. And, I am not including the perfect shots, because really, there is more fun to be had while living in the crazy.

Look. Charlie is a little ticklish.
Charlie is ticklish, Mom.
This is kind of fun!
And, we're done!
While positioning the kids, my friend (and photographer) saw a chance and took it.
How many more pictures do we have to take?!

Be kind, take care of yourself and each other, and make sure you have fun while living in the crazy!

Just another day at daycare

~ Lenore Diane ~ 1 Comment

This is the third year I have put together a calendar for our daycare provider, Ms. Suzann. I ask the Moms to send me pictures of their kids to include in the calendar, and I have one or two photo days at Suzann’s house during the school year, catching the kids in their element. Because I didn’t have any good holiday pictures of the kids, I decided to head to Suzann’s house for an impromptu photo session.

To my delight, all the kids had on festive clothing! It was as if someone had contacted the parents, asking them to put their kids in holiday clothes for daycare. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t an impromptu photo shoot. One thing is for certain, I did not tell Suzann what I was doing, yet she donned a red shirt! Honest!

The plan was for me to drop Charlie off at Suzann’s in the morning and linger a bit, while the other kids arrived. My lingering gave me a great opportunity to see the kids enjoying their time. I watched as they sat at the table, all eating cereal. I watched, as they decided to gather on the couch, and Charlie helped Riley take off her shoes. And, I watched as Ms. Suzann popped in a yoga DVD and gathered the kids for morning yoga.

Charlie and Caitlyn

After their morning yoga, I decided it was time for the photo shoot. Ms. Suzann and the kids came outside on the front porch, and did a great job following directions and posing for the pictures. Everyone had a great time. When I was done taking pictures, I went home. Shortly after returning home, Ms. Suzann called to say Lacy had just arrived. And, I assured Ms. Suzann that I would return in the afternoon to take some holiday shots of Lacy with her friends.

Going back to Ms. Suzann’s house in the afternoon gave me another chance to see the kids in their element. I soon learned their afternoon was an exciting one, because the four bunnies at Ms. Suzann’s house ‘broke free’ from their pen. Actually, the bunnies had broken out of their pen earlier in the morning, but the excitement didn’t pick up until the afternoon. The kids had successfully corralled two of the four bunnies, but the two other bunnies were still hunkered down under a nearby barn.

While I was visiting and waiting for Lacy to wake up from her nap, I watched the other kids keeping their eyes on the windows. The kids were watching for any bunny sightings. I listened, as the kids chatted, and I was amazed at how they encouraged each other with every word. And, when Lacy woke from her nap, I watched as the kids greeted her – so excited she was awake.

Lacy and Charlie

Once Lacy was dressed in her holiday attire, I gathered the kids for another photo shoot. Again, the kids did a great job of listening and posing. The kids listened so well, I was done taking pictures within five minutes. And, because it was the end of the day, I gathered Charlie’s things and was ready to take him home with me. However, Charlie wanted to stay; he wasn’t ready to go home. So, with Ms. Suzann’s permission, I sat in the corner, watching the kids have fun.

I enjoyed watching the kids play. I smiled, as Lacy reached into one of the bunnies’ crates, grabbed a carrot and started eating it. The bunny just watched, clearly willing to share. I welcomed the opportunity, when Riley and Lacy came to me and asked me to read a book. Shortly after I started reading, others joined us on the couch to listen to the story.

Today, Joe gets to spend the day with Ms. Suzann, because he does not have school. Charlie was excited to have Joe back in the classroom. And, this morning, Charlie said he was slow to wake up because, “I was dreaming about Joe loving Caitlyn and Riley.” Joe heard Charlie and he said, “Yeah, I can’t wait to play with Caitlyn and Riley.” The boys were so excited to spend the day with Ms. Suzann.

Riley and Ms. Suzann

“What do we call Ms. Suzann’s again?” Charlie asked. “Do you mean ‘daycare’?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Daycare.”

As we went to get into the car, Joe was bouncing along saying, “Today is a special day at Ms. Suzann’s house.” And Charlie said, “Joe, every day is a special day at Ms. Suzann’s house. We always do special things.”

Ms. Suzann’s house is more than daycare. Ms. Suzann’s house is special place the kids love visiting. I’ve sung Ms. Suzann’s praises several times. It seems fitting that I write this post a day before Thanksgiving, because Suzann is high on my list of things for which I am thankful.