Hubby is back to working nights, which means he leaves for work 15 mins before the kids get off the bus and he is asleep when they leave for school in the morning, so they literally don't even get to say one word to him until Friday at 3 pm! That leaves them with daddy from 3 pm Friday until he leaves for work again Sunday. Needless to say, weekend chores are becoming a thing of the past, and I am going to have to get used to doing it all during the week for their sakes.
When Loch got home on Friday afternoon, it struck me how much he looks like a miniature college kid and pretty soon we will be wishing we spent more time doing quality things with the kids and less time letting them run wild in the yard while we do chores.
Although we are very antsy to move back north someday, we are trying to remember to find the good things about our area and get out and enjoy, for time passes quickly and we won't miss living by the ocean until we don't anymore.
Yesterday, we made our favorite commute -
to our "secret spot"! This is probably my favorite place in all of Virginia Beach, it's one of the last unspoiled places here, devoid of hotels and oceanfront strip tackiness. I personally would rather stay on this walkway and enjoy the maritime forest, they are becoming rare.
Of course the kids always have a different idea...
I've never been a fan of just "sitting on the beach", my kids are so young still that I can't take my eyes off them for a second so it's not like I can read a book or knit. We compromise and walk the beach, letting the kids play in the (cold) surf while we people watch and pick up trash :)
This made me look forward to crabbing season... we love our Chesapeake Blue Crab here, and the kids love catching them, take a peek here for a past crabbing trip.
Below, this girl was lucky! It rained Friday night, poured Saturday until just a couple hours before we got to the beach! Although the winds were gusting and blowing out their tiki torches and making a mess of all the girls' dresses, at least it was sunny for her ceremony!
* (a bit of blogger personal info - hubby and I were also married on the beach, although it involved a single flower in my hair, no shoes and just 2 close friends and a cooler of champagne & beer - very low key!)
One thing I am very proud of is that we didn't find much trash until we left our "secret spot" not open to tourists and ventured to the "outside world" part of the beach. Being able to legally "trespass" is another perk we have :)
Then it was game on...
Just another day at the beach.
The day's haul: items of note today were a jug of motor oil and a syringe... blech!
We ended the day with a regular old skool meal of bbq steaks, baked potatoes, and of course... salad. We also have 2 nicely conditioned kegs of homebrew ready for consumption - one hoppy Double IPA and the lighter one is a Blonde Ale.
Lots of chores are getting put on the back burner on the weekends now, but it's pretty much just weeding and maintenance, and that never really ends, does it? I'm doing my best to shelve my Type A personality for awhile and go with the flow, since to be honest this is not really that busy, only lettuces and peas with minimal processing are coming in. Plenty of time for my obsessive freak flag to fly when the canning starts later!
Hubby has left for work now, so I actually may get a car washed today if the dark skies keep to the east, that's been on my to do list for quite some time, and the kids like to "help", so I may indeed get some stuff done with the rest of the day!
We all have a freak flag of some sort, eh? I love your secret spot! And the trash on the beach just breaks my heart. You are so good to take part in keeping in clean. Good for you's! And what a great thing to have your kids involved with it too. You are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteFly the flag HIGH!!!
I was recently reading that the Atlantic ocean is developing a plastic gyre just like the one in the Pacific ocean. It is not as large yet (the pacific one is larger than rhode Island and growing daily) but it is increasing in size as we speak. Why cant people dispose of trash in a responsible way. Or better yet quit making so much damn trash to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a fantastic beach! Looks like you all are having wonderful weekends together. My husband worked every weekend when the kids were little and when they were early school. He missed lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right to enjoy your family time while the kids are still young. It goes so fast.
We got married with only a Justice of the Peace and a couple of friends very close to the Pacific Ocean in the rose gardens outside the Parliment buildings. We even had the Premier come down and congratulate us! Ahhh lots of memories.
My husband also has a crazy schedule, he comes home from work at midnight, so we usually only see each other about 3 hours a day. It's hard to get used to. I'm glad to see that you had a wonderful time at the beach with the family. I also love blue crabs. We like to eat it Chinese style like this. http://nycgardening.blogspot.com/2011/05/plant-exchange-with-my-dad.html
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you are getting quality time with the boys. I'm beginning to think you should offer classes on parenting skills. Lord knows there are a lot of people that could use them.
ReplyDeleteOK, first off... GRAN!!!! I almost spit out my beverage! Parenting classes, indeed LOL... if I was a better mom I'd be sitting in that hot sun letting them pour buckets of wet sand on each other, I can't have that happening in my car! I have to constantly remind myself to chill out, I envy the parents who can let their kids just cut loose sometimes :)
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APG, Loch is really good about the trash, and Finn kind of follows suit once he notices there is a "hunt" on!
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Jane, it's crazy isn't it? And not just the ocean, it saddens me when I find the same things in the woods or anywhere for that matter, I think all these irresponsible people should be relieved of their careers as well and allow the considerate ones to have them in this economy! But then that would leave the majority of folks jobless, wouldn't it? Oh you got me started LOL! It's just as easy to use less and discard less, and I always wonder what goes through someone's mind when they actively decide to just toss something onto the ground...
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Sparkless, Justice of the Peace here, too! We kind of lucked out and got this old guy who did a fantastic job, he was Native American and gave us a neat Indian wedding blessing too, so we ended up getting quite a neat ceremony for the price :)
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meems, it is hard to get used to! Don't get me started on having to be quiet during the day in our little open house because he is sleeping LOL! Those crabs you made look delish! My fave is crabcake sandwiches, but I rarely have enough energy to crack and amass that amount of meat in one sitting to make enough!
Gosh that sounds like a fun day. You make the most of it-I'm glad you found a secret spot! It's getting harder and harder, isn't it? I don't know WHY it seems like all of a sudden there are people EVERYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you figure out that "chillin" thing, please let me know. And Mama Pea too.
Does this in anyway involve beer?
:D
Hey, I'll drink to that! (Huh? What are we talking about? No matter, I'll drink to anything.)
ReplyDeletePapa Pea and I were just talking the other night about how we wish we had taken more time "off" when Chicken Mama was growing up. We always could have done it better, I suppose, but let's face it. When you're raising your kids, it's usually a time in your life when you're trying to establish careers, life styles, and homes. (If it's a homestead with animals, it's even harder.) But I digress. Erin, you and hubby and doin' it right by the boys. They are what are truly important right now.
GAH!!!!!!! That plastic shit is gonna be the death of us.
ReplyDeleteI always carry a bag for trash when I walk the dogs. It's never-ending. Drives me bonkers. What a lovely place, your secret place. I am more of a beach-walker myself. If I could walk my dogs on the beach, I'd make them wear sandals - no sand in my car, either. Loch does look like a small college student!
ReplyDeleteGrrrrrr......I think my comment was lost. Hate that. And noe the phone is ringing and the oven timer is going off. More Grrrrrr.
ReplyDeleteOh Erin-I think you could teach my daughter a think or 2 about raising kids.[ she doesn't do bad [ just chooses bad men] Enjoy your time in the south, I didn't and now I regret it some.We did have fun with the kids the short time we were there tho.I bet the kids loved there outing!
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