A Day in Williamsburg, Colonial Style

I must confess to forgetting Williamsburg is there, a mere hour away.  With that off my chest, it was Daddy Mac's idea to head there for the afternoon yesterday, and it was a dang good one.  I must further confess that when I do think of Williamsburg, usually just the outlets come to mind and what I need to return there from my last trek.  

In my BS (Before Sam) days (daze?), I'd been known to go to Williamsburg and not go anywhere else BUT the outlets.  Well, with my guilty secrets exposed, yesterday was a big switcheroo.  It was like a whole new place, which I guess it was, new to me anyway. 

After a fantastic BBQ lunch at Pierce's, we started off the afternoon at a shopping area aptly called "New Town," ironically enough.  It is located off Monticello Road from the Lightfoot exit on 64.  If you haven't been there yet, by all means go, go, go!!!  It reminded me of both Georgetown and Old Town, while having its own serene Williamsburg flair.  What a masterpiece!  In case you are wondering, the website is www.newtownwilliamsburg.com

In the retail area which is gorgeous, they had lots of the familiar retail fare, but it seemed so much better in that genteel setting.  Everything seemed better somehow.  Plus some of my favorite stores were all within twenty feet of each other -- B & N, Old Navy, Chicos, Ann Taylor Loft, and Christopher & Banks to name a few.  The convenience is a dangerous proposition so it's probably a good thing for the pocketbook that New Town is an hour away.  Plus they have Maggie Moo's ice cream which is my favorite, as well as a cozy-looking bar with pool tables, and a brand-new movie theatre.  Drop me off for a week, and I'd be just fine, broke but well dressed, well read, a great pool player, and full of ice cream.  As I said, I'd be just fine.

Then we were off for the main feature.  No, it was not the outlets this time, but the real deal, Colonial Williamsburg!  As the three of us ambled along Duke of Gloucester Street, we followed the drumbeat looking for colonial soldiers, albeit unsuccessfully.  In those peaceful moments that are so few and far between with a three-year-old in tow, I thought to myself, "Wow!  I really am a parent!"  Walking along DOG Street was one of the activities I had always envisioned doing as a parent, although I suspect if we had a daughter we probably wouldn't have been so intent on tracking down the militia.

We got some delicious apple cider, and Sam got a huge kick out of the stockade, which Daddy Mac dubbed the "ultimate time-out."  As far as I know, Fisher Price doesn't make any toy stockades -- not yet anyway.  We were in awe of the cool toys at the Toymaker of Williamsburg. Even their Playmobil figures seemed superior.  

And before we knew it, we were ready to head back to reality land in Richmond.  Of course we had to stop off at the Cheese Shop and stock up on some fabulous cheeses for dinner when we got home.  Once again, they were almost too good to be true, sublime.  Ah, Williamsburg, there is far more to you than just the outlets!

LibbY

Bye Bye, Nap!

"All good things must comes to an end."  Whoever uttered those pearls of wisdom probably had a kid who had recently given up his/her nap -- for good.  Bye bye, Nap, it is so hard to see you go. 

We have bonded every day for the last three years, you and I.  Day after day you have comforted me for hours during times of despair, you have often allowed me to take my own precious nap, and you've watched as I unsuccessfully try to cram eight hours worth of chores into two.  

You've seen it all.  Perhaps you know too much and that is why you must now go off and help another new mother out there struggling somewhere.  I'll try not to grab onto your leg to prevent you from leaving, but it's going to be hard.  I may cry as you go, but in five minutes I'm sure to be distracted by some sort of mess, calamity or maybe just the telephone ringing with another telemarketer hawking his wares. 

Each day will be easier as I learn to wobble on my own two feet, I know.   Hopefully someday I won't feel like I need you anymore.  Then I can announce to the world, "I can do it by myself!"  But for now, I feel like some stranger is ripping me out of your warm embrace.   Nooooooooooo.

Goodbye, dear Nap.  And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. 

LibbY

Pirate Training -- AARGH!

Yo ho ho and a sippy cup of apple juice!

It's fall and time to get serious about studies once again.  With the Saminator's ongoing pirate business/obsession, we decided it was high time for him to get some official training in his chosen field.  We want his "AAAARGH!" to sound authentic after all, not like some suburban Richmond goody two-shoes.  

So we are sending him to Romp N Roll for an honest-to-goodness pirate class.  Sure, it's on land, of course, at a strip mall "gym" for little tykes.  Hey, with a little imagination he could be churning on the high seas, reading a treasure map with a furrowed brow and a parrot named Polly perched on your shoulder.  

Can't you just feel that pirate spirit coming on?  Yo ho ho and a sippy cup of apple juice!  No need for new school shoes.  Hope they don't forget to take off his Crocs so the rug doesn't get dirty there, right, Matey.  And pirate parents need to remember to wear socks -- and sign the release!  But the best part of it all is that it is DROP-OFF, the first we've ever done, so no socks for us!  It is only 45 minutes long, but the new Dunkin' Donuts happens to be right across the street.  That's enough to have me say, "Yo ho ho and a venti latte please!"  

LibbY

Back to Fool!

Today was Sam's first day back at "fool," better known to the modern world as preschool, a day I have dreamt of all summer long.  I packed him up with an extra outfit, supplies for the classroom, a healthy-enough snack of something carby, and accomplished the Hurculean task of finding a sippy cup with all of its parts intact that didn't leak.  Of course I was running late by the time we left the house.  As we zipped along, "Sam announced, "We are going really fast -- like a race car!"  Whoops!  And then I dropped him off, and he didn't get sad at all.  Ahhhh, sweet relief!  (To clarify, the sweet relief applies to both that he wasn't sad AND dropping him off.)

And then it hit me -- now what?   With all of the chaos, I didn't have any workout clothes with me, stuff to return, Goodwill "junque," or anything else for that matter.  Plus I was determined not to spend pre-school time this year (or at least that day anyway) out boosting the economy with my usual impulse shopping for bargains, "saving" money.  Yeah, right.  Soooo, after stopping at Starbucks with some of the other newly liberated mommies, I went off to do some shopping that is easiest to rationalize -- groceries.  It was a slice of heaven, having the time to browse through the store, trying how to figure out to concoct my own Thai food and actually being coherent enough to buy ingredients so to cook some actual meals this week.  This responsible behavior may not last all year, but at least I accomplished it on Day One.

After I came home to unload the groceries, I didn't know what the heck to do with myself.  I didn't want to do anything ordinary or routine that I could do when Sam was home.  So I paced around a little bit.  I hadn't had the luxury of picking what I wanted to do for so long that it had become daunting.  I just didn't know anymore, plain and simple.  Usually the chores are right there in front of me staring me in the face.  The laundry yells, "Fold me!"  The dirty dishes scream, "Wash me! " And those God-forsaken toys scattered like land mines in Angola bellow, "For God's sake, pick me up and create some order around here!"  For once chores were off-limits because I could technically do them when Sam's around.  (Who's kidding who here?)

Finally I plunked myself down in front of my laptop and began to record these bizarre conflicting emotions.  (Did anyone say, "Motherhood?") And lo and behold, before I knew it, it was time to go pick up my bundle o' joy.  I'll admit it, I was excited!  There is no better sight than seeing him scampering out of the building waving at me with a big ole smile on his face. All in all I consider Day One to be a huge success.  Bring on Day Two!

LibbY