they did it anyway

They did it anyway, start school again, that is. Every single year at this time I try to stop it but my efforts are futile and they head off anyway.

This year was different. One of my babies children headed off to middle school, middle school do you hear me? How? My other baby child became a first grader. crap. They are getting really big.

She looks so confident but will it last?

Oh yeah, Lily is ready

Good grief, thems some big feet kidlet.

Rosie is sticking to her sister like glue

I really think my days as a blogger are done.  sigh.

Laughing out loud

When I was driving home from work today I was sent a text from Rosie, "Mummy, wen are you cummings home?"
When I got stopped at a red light I replied, "be there in 5 minutes, meet me at the door".

As I was getting out of the car the front door flew open and out popped Rosie closely followed by Lily, at least I think it was Rosie and Lily. 

I took one look at them and laughed out loud.

Swimming goggles, really? 

Speechless

We had to go to register Lily for school this morning and I dared her to wear her wig...when will I learn?

Strange animals at the zoo

We went to the zoo the other day and just after we had walked in we bumped into some very very special friends of ours. WE had headed there to meet up with some other friends and the friends we bumped into were doing the same thing. Yeah aha you guessed it, we never did meet up with our original friends. It was 8000 degrees that day and apparently Groupon had been running one of its specials as the place was a mob scene. I couldn't find Kelly and although Amy did find Daniel but they went their own way but that might have been due to the gab fest Ame and I were on.

The two of us have been friends for years. Nicolas and Lily were friends when they were very tiny. It's fair to say that Nick was Lily's first friend and they have always had a great bond. Even though we don't see them often because our paths have changed, 2 boys versus 2 girls, baseball every single night, swimming every single night, when those 2 got back together time had stood still and it was classic Lily/Nick escapades.

Nicolas and Lily 2003

Nicolas. Rosie and Lily 2013 

Hmmm, this is very funny when your are 9. 11 or 12 

cooling off with ice

and then an ice fight broke out

they all stuffed ice down each others shirts

I handed over my camera again and it proved to be such a silly thing to do. I should have known when the above noted sign caused such a disturbance that the photos would also be off kilter. What can I say....youth!

only the rear

three in a row...must be a record

more

bottoms up

bloody cheek

icee time

intent on cooling off

so hot

I believe that this very innocent looking child is the one who took many of these photos...bwa ha ha.

For an accidental encounter it was the best time but I think they always are. As for the friends we tried to meet we met them the next weekend. I also need to add to this, meeting up with Amy has led to me giving up all sugar and processed foods. You all know what a chocolate junkie I am and how I love my deserts. yes well they have all gone and my diet is almost as pure as driven snow. I feel fabulous. I went 3 days before the massive headache hit, I knew it would happen and I was nervous as all can be. I t was not as bad as I thought it would. Last night we celebrated a friends birthday and I didn't even have a piece of ooey gooey covered in fudge chocolate cake, I really didn't want it. Oh my god what has hapened to me???? Any is a nutritionalist and just a casual conversation about something as we were walking inthat 8000 degree heat hit me and bam, job done. Oh and I think I am so over blogging. did I am manage to slip that sentence in without you noticing. Oh and don't you just melt at that photo of Lily all pudgey and cute. Not many photos of her on here when she was so little.

Deering Estate.

The rotten thing about vacations is that they end and then you are stuck with reality! Yesterday whilst waiting in line at Barnes and Noble Rosie pipes up, out of nowhere, "I wish I could have room service again". Don't we all deary, don't we all.

I'm so behind in blogging. We have had such a lovely week meeting up with friends and doing all sorts of fun things. Last Saturday a friend asked us to meet her at the Deering Estate. I have never been so I jumped at the chance. Both of the girls were less than lack lustre with their enthusiasm so I gave both of them a camera and told them to snap their way through the estate. They had a fabulous time, even in the mind melting temperatures. Turns out our friend couldn't join us so we went alone. Summer time brings many many storms and she has dogs so she had to stay home and keep them calm.

It is beautiful and so easy to picture yourself living their in quieter, less complicated times.

It was HOT and they weren't happy to smile

Searching for crabs until......

they saw this. Then they made lots of noise and ran away.

looking unrealistically angelic

The cement house

The cement mixer that as used. Photo cred. Rosie

I want this ceiling

The garage

I love this house.

Looking back at the house from the bay (rose)

Hah! I bet it seemed so expensive!

Photo cred, Ro. 

Photo cred, Lily

Lily

And so I learnt something. If I want the girls to go and look at something, really look at it and learn, I just hand them both a camera and then they take in everything at every conceivable angle. Genius!

I'm not sure I am the cruising type

We had a great time, honestly we did. In fact it was absolutely brilliant but I have to make a confession: I don't think I like cruises, I don't think I'm the cruising type. As I mentioned before the reason why we went with Carnival Cruise Lines was purely for the kidlets enjoyment. There is no debating that they cater to the kiddies. If it had been a cruise for me I would have chosen NCL or RCL or maybe even Princess. Carnival offers a lot and I can't find fault with anything.

The dining rooms didn't offer a very great vegetarian selection or many salads but seriously I am possibly the only person who goes on a cruise and wants to eat a salad. The ships are known for their food. I am not a foodie. The day they offered the Chocolate Extravaganza lunch I might have eaten my body weight but other than that I was pretty much take it or leave it. Just because it is there does not mean I will eat it.

I realised something about myself on this trip and that is that I am NOT a people person. There are a kazillion lot of people on a ship that size and I don't like crowds, AT ALL. Not that at any point were we all squished together in one place but I just knew they were all there. Sometimes walking past the pool I would see it so full of people it looked like some sort of cold exotic people soup just waiting to be ladled out. Blech. We had any time dining so the dining rooms were never packed and never ever felt cramped, there were so many shows going on at one time the venues never seemed over crowded but I just felt them. I also have that anti germ thing happening and well, no never mind...lets just leave that one right there. A picture might just scar you for life.

The ship was clean, really clean, you barely even saw empty glasses and cups on tables. Our room steward was like a magician. He knew what needed to be done before I did...he must be a mummy. LOL

I loved being waited on hand and foot, who doesn't. I loved going to bed in Key West and waking up in Mexico. All of that I loved, being on the ship....not so much.  But at the same time I loved being on the ship.

Yes I am fully aware that I am making no sense at all. Let me try it this way. I don't think if you asked me now if I wanted to get on another cruise next week I would say yes.

Allow me state for the record, cruising is not my first choice when it comes to holidays. (but this one was fabulous)

Oh and for the record my weirdness isn't only on cruise ships you should see how freaky I can get in a hotel room. Egads, my kids don't dare get near the carpet and forget about touching the bathroom floor. People....gag, wretch, heave! They don't stand a chance of growing up unscathed.

Everything was ship shape

Thursday we spent a whole day at sea...a whole day. I was a bit worried that I just might end up launching my own lifeboat just to be able to get away but thankfully the day was filled with entertainment and at no point did I feel the overwhelming urge to walk the plank. The girlies were back on the golf course and and the water slides and we even participated in a huge scavenger hunt that was really rather good fun. It was very very funny.

After lunch things slowed down enormously and we hung by the pool. At one point I could tell Lily was getting a little stir crazy so she just kicked back in her deck chair and admired the view while Rosie whizzed down the slides for the eleventy billionth time. Just being able to kick back with no interruptions was fabulous. No phones and no computers was so refreshing. I could have had both but chose not too. I loved not being interrupted. If I have them I have to use them, I have to respond to people it is just the way I am wired so leaving them behind was the best decision I could have made.

If there is water that is where you will find her

Fish

chlling...that big old bag went everywhere with her.

It's called a fun ship for a reason!

We went to back to back shows on Thursday evening and squeezed every last second out of the fun. We had to be up and at 'em quite early on Friday as the boat docked at 8am and we would receive our marching orders. I decided to have our bags carried off the ship allowing us a slower disembarkment. We went to breakfast and then waited for our eviction papers to be served.

waiting

I don't want to leave

enough photos Mum!

Never enough photos for this Diva.

and so we have been home for nearly a week and it isn't fair. Once you get back it is like you never left at all.

Cozumel

Wednesday morning we docked in Cozumel. I had been asked by a friend to take a laptop to to her friend who lives there so once we got off the ship we were searching the crowds for Suzanna. We found her and her hubby Alan immediately and they were rather disappointed that we didn't want to spend our time there touring with them. I felt a little guilty but this was our one day in Mexico and we wanted to do OUR thing. I politely declined their offer and we made a beeline for the taxi's. I was already to use my best Spanish and get us to a nice beach but that was a complete waste of time as every single person that we met spoke perfect English.

After looking at a map we decided the closest beach looked a little too touristy for us so we asked to leave Cozumel and head to Paradise Beach. Sometimes you just get really lucky. I had no idea where we were or where we were going but it ended up being a perfect location for the 3 of us. The girls were able to snorkel in crystal clear water amongst some fabulous fish. I joined them for a while or sat in the shade watching them. The resort offered a fabulous pool that the girls also enjoyed. The whole day was spectacular and couldn't have been any better if we had planned every detail. A storm blew in and hung out over the ocean but only offered cloud cover and cooler temps which was a blessing as that day the weather was meant to be 106 degrees and rainy. It ended up being in the 80's with cloud cover. We didn't see one drop of rain.

Once we were ready we headed back into the Puerta Maya and I told the girls I would let them spend their money. They thought this was a great idea until all the vendors pounced on them and wouldn't leave them alone. Lily bartered with the first guy and then got completely overwhelmed and a little scared so I just took over and firmly told them to all get lost, but much more politely than that and we left. I took them back to the port where they could shop safely without being hassled to much.

Once they had spent their $5 ( bargains abound in Cozumel) their tummies started to growl and we could see the ship so we headed back to the boat. Considering how little I wanted to visit Mexico I am so glad I did. It was without a shadow of a doubt my favourite day and is absolutely gorgeous. The people that we met were all so nice...with the exception of the street vendors. I highly recommend it and want to go back but for much longer.

2 steps off of the ship and Rosie spotted this fun little sign

Not as funny as he signs in China but good none the less

Paradise Beach

I loved that it wasn't crowded

Snorkelling fun....so glad we took them with us

Pool at the beach

view of the beach from the pool

it just isn't possible to get them both with their eyes open!!!!!

Back at the Port

Lily helping the Mexican economy (safely in the port)