Memorial Day Parade

Under my windshield wiper I found a flyer from the RV Park we're staying in.  The flyer informed me of a Memorial Day celebration.  Festivities included a parade, cookout and karaoke.  People were invited to dress up and walk, ride their bikes, or whatever else in the parade.  


Shortly before the parade was to start Ava and I walked up to the main hall where the parade was to begin.  We were directed inside the hall where Ava and I were adorned with red tissue paper flowers to tie onto our wrists or in our hair.  They then asked us to ride in the parade with them. 


After agreeing we stepped outside where there were six golf carts and two bicyclists decorated in red, white and blue.  As the route wove its way up and down the rows of the RV park, I realized Ava and I were by far the youngest people in the parade by at least a factor of 3.  The gentleman driving the golf cart Ava and I were on kept yelling, "SLOW DOWN!" to the front-running golf cart.  The lead kept having to stop, get out of their golf cart and ask, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"  They'd resume the route and repeat again and again.


Apparently, the geriatric parade had an effect on Ava because she just dozed off in the middle of it all.

The Fork:

I'd like to start out by saying, "Don't blame the messenger."  The Easter Bunny no longer exists.  Again, don't blame me.  Blame Ava.  "Ava, my innocent 3 year old daughter?" you ask.  Yes, Ava.


Yesterday, on our way to Dallas, TX, Ava broke the silence in the truck by beginning the following conversation:

AVA: I'm eating.MARIJO: (I look back & see she's not eating anything)  Oh yeah?  What are you eating?AVA: The Easter Bunny.BEN: The Easter Bunny?  How?AVA: With a fork.

Umm...Happy Easter, everyone?!

The Middle Way:

We've moved from Georgetown (North Austin) to San Antonio.  So far we have:
1.  Visited Our Lady of the Lake where my mom first *ahem* taught.
2.  Went to Sea World (twice).
3.  Went to the Parade of Flowers on the Riverwalk as part of Fiesta San Antonio festivities.
4.  Visited the Moye Retreat Center where mom went to high school.
5.  Went to the San Antonio Zoo.
6.  Spent a LOT of time around the pool at our RV resort.


We were initially going to stay in San Antonio for a week.  However, we've decided there's more we want to see here and have extended our stay for a month.  That's part of the beauty of not having a plan.  If we find somewhere we like, we can stay longer, if we're ready to move on, we can.  


Recently, I've had a discussion with a relative of mine who asked what my plans were for the weekend.  I answered, "I don't have a plan yet.  I figured we'd wander around, see who was available, and go from there."  I was greeted with the following response, "I have to have everything planned out.  I don't know how you don't know."  After further thought I've realized my relative's thought works well for him.  He has to balance work, family, extended family, church and community.  Having a set plan doesn't work for our lifestyle.  If the weather is particularly windy or rainy, why drive?  The only commitments we have are to each other.  We don't have family, work, church or communities around who are counting on us.




As Buddha said, "The middle way is the right way."  We don't just wander aimlessly, nor do we bound ourself by details.  We have a general idea of where we'd like to travel and approximate time frames, but why rush?  Instead, we're just going to bask in the sun by the pool a little longer...it's not like we have a yard that needs mowing.

On the move in 45 minutes:

We arrived at the camper repair shop within 1 hour of waking up.  

Okay, this doesn't sound  like a very impressive feat until you consider the following:

-We woke up, got dressed, brushed teeth, etc-Repeat the above with  a 3 year old-Packed up everything in our house so it would avoid shifting while driving.  Everything has to be in a closed compartment, wall mounted TVs have to be removed for extra caution, belongings have to be off the floor because slide outs come in.  (I encourage you to look around your house and think about what all could fall with movement...shampoo bottles, toothbrush holders, appliances on counters, soap dispenses on counters, trash cans, books, remote controls, movies, toys, tables, chairs, makeup on counters, dishes, the list goes on.  Now, you have a better idea about what I'm talking about.)

Sound impressive yet?  How about also:

-Drain and clean our tanks of waste and gray water-Remove/put away hoses-Moved vehicles so we could hitch up-Crank up anchors-Lower our antenna-Move slide outs in-Close awning-Fold up stairs-Lock doors-Close windows and vents-Hook up batteries-Pick up any belongings outside (lawnchairs, bicycles, toys, grills, etc).

I want to encourage caution before dreaming of being able to pack up and move wherever the road will take them...it doesn't just happen on a whim.

"I had to use my dog as bait"

I'm learning all about required annual car inspections for Texas residents.  Yesterday Ava and I went to get my car inspected so we could register it in state of Texas.  When we arrived home I noticed the dogs were tied up outside.  I thought to myself, "Why did Ben tie the dogs up if he wasn't at the camper?  He knows if one's dogs are outside, the owners have to be present."  


Then I saw a note on the door that read:

"Your dogs came through your screen.  I got your neighbor across the street from you.  I came from behind and used Patches (my dog) as bait.  Your dogs are tied up and watered."  -C.L.

As I opened the storm door, I could reach my entire torso through the screen door.  Part of me thought, "Great.  Now, we have to pack/tie down our belongings in our home, hook it up to a truck and take our home into town to get the door repaired."  Part of me thought, "How scary would it be to be walking by with your dog and have two dogs (60lbs and 75lbs) lunge through a screen toward you?"  And part of me was just embarrassed by thought of our dogs running around the RV park while our neighbors chased them down and used their dog as bait to catch our dogs.  THEN they were kind enough to make sure the dogs had water.  How do you thank someone for doing that?!


We've had our camper for just under 3 weeks and so far all of the "oopses" that have occurred are: 

1. A partially drank bottle of wine came uncorked in the fridge, spilled all over, leaked through the fridge seal and dripped onto the floor.  By day two, our home smelled like we were alcoholics.
2. I'm surprised it was day three before Ava spilled milk on the dining room bench.
3. I'm struggling to learn how to cook with a gas stove/oven so at least once a day the smoke alarm notifies the neighbors dinner is almost ready...or maybe TOO ready!
4. The dogs make their own doggie door through the screen on day 17.

Oye!

Shaken Baby Syndrome

I've heard a couple of radio commercials recently about Texas that led me to do a little research. The first commercial included the fact that Texas ranks fourth highest in the nation for teen pregnancy.  I found the following statics at the Texas Department of State Health Services (http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/famplan/tpp.shtm) site rather interesting:

How Often Does a Teenager in Texas Get Pregnant?Every 10 minutes, a teen in Texas gets pregnant. 

Every 10 hours, a 14-year-old teen gets pregnant. 

Every 3 hours, a 15-year-old teen gets pregnant. 

Every 1.5 hours, a 16-year-old teen gets pregnant.  

Every 52 minutes, a 17-year-old-teen gets pregnant.  

Every 35 minutes, an 18-year-old teen gets pregnant. 

Every 28 minutes, a 19-year-old teen gets pregnant. 
What are the Outcomes? 

Every 48 minutes a teen has an abortion.

The other radio fact I heard regarded Shaken Baby Syndrome.  Texas has the highest mortality rate of infants as a result of shaking.  According to the National Shaken Baby Coalition a baby can fall 3 stories and not get as seriously injured as a shaken baby!!

Ben and I were hypothesizing correlations between the two facts (Teen Pregnancy and Shaken Baby Syndrome) then started talking about our own daughter.  We started discussing how many times Ava has tripped or ran into something or fell off of something.  

Just as Ben started to say, "...and Ava's still okay'" we looked down the hall of our camper towards Ava.  Ava was playing independently, sitting on the floor in her bedroom, putting a puzzle together...wearing her bicycle helmet.  

...Maybe I SHOULD get her checked out.

Ava's Transformation--Imaginative Play

Several people have asked "Where is all of your stuff?" To that I reply, "We have a REALLY big storage garage. We had a LOT of stuff." My last several post have been about events I found rather humorous. But I would like to start addressing the transformation we've had to make.

Ava never had a lot of toys...somewhere in the realm of the volume of two storage ottomans, plus a big wheels, a scooter, a grocery cart full of fruits and vegetables, a bicycle, a drawing table and a shelf of books.   With living quarters being so limited in our camper, real estate is priceless and modern toddler toys are fairly non-existent.  Ava is limited to one backpack of toys and a bicycle.  It’s really made Ben and I think about how families with children live.   

I  know I’ve walked into houses where narrow walking paths are made through drifts of toys. Some families dedicate entire basements to playrooms. Some children have enough toys on their bedroom floor to cover every surface of our camper...multiple layers deep! According to a book by Adproofing Your Kids “The average number of new toys a child in the USA receives in a year is 70.”  In a U.K. News article, the average 10-year-old has 238 toys worth £7,000 ($11,000 USD)!

Today, Ava spent nearly an hour alone filling her shoes with rocks from our camper spot, moving buckets of leaves from one area to another and climbing in and out of the back of our pickup like it was the best jungle gym ever!  She’s toted around 4 sticks for the last 3 days everywhere we went.  I’ll give you that they’re not the most sanitary, but I don’t have to worry about it having lead paint (if you remember the 2007 China toy recall).  Nor do I have to worry about its cost to replace if its forgotten, lost, broken or taken by some other kid at the playground.  

I've research the importance of imaginative play. However, several examples I found were not what I call "imaginative".  Here are some of the examples I found:

1. Get your child a kitchen set and have them pretend to cook.2. Find clothing kits and accessories for dress up play.3. Children can play with toy cash registers or pretend ATMs to learn and understanding of how to use money.

These options do not sound very imaginative or cheap. Ava is 3 and today she arranged coins to make a flower (complete with pistil, petals, stems and leaves), used shape and color flashcards as a memory game, and played the part of a dancing princess with a bath towel.  Piles of rocks become snow piles. Big rocks are bunny eggs. Leaves are money. Depending on the game, sticks are magic wands or guns or fishing poles. Part of me worried about Ava getting bored without many toys, but without branded toys we’ve seen her imagination take off.