ImPastaBle!

Mal wanted plain pasta or ramen (NOT MAC AND CHEESE) and we don't have any, so I decided to make pasta from scratch.

It's not difficult, per se, just it has to sit a while so it takes some time. AND I don't have my pasta roller anymore (when I moved into the trailer, I had to let some stuff go), so I had to roll them out by hand and it is DIFFICULT.

My noodles ended up being thicker than ideal, but whatever. It was fine and Mal said they were "okay" (meaning he's eating them).

When I explained that maybe I'll get a pasta roller again (I can get one to fit onto my Kitchenaid mixer) so the pasta will be easier to roll out, he said, "Now you know what it's like to be an Olive Garden worker."

So I guess he thinks Olive Garden is hand-making all of their noodles??

A Surprising Dinner with Mal

Every Friday (mostly), Mal meets some friends at Urban Air for a couple of hours of trampoline jumping and playground fun. 

James and I had planned to meet for dinner afterwards last night, our first family dinner out since before the pandemic. I had told Mal we were going to do this, at a restaurant James and I had selected, and that I knew they probably wouldn't have any food he'd like, but he could just hang out and drink soda.

When I mentioned this to my friend, she offered to take Mal home with her so our kids could play together and James and I could have a date night. I asked Mal, and he preferred to go with us. First surprise.

After he'd played a couple of hours, we went to the restaurant, where James was waiting. Second surprise: Mal ordered food. Chicken tenders and fruit.

The plate came, and a very hungry Mal was extremely happy about the fruit.

He ate some strawberries and grapes, then picked up a little piece of cantaloupe. "What is this?" he asked. I said, "It's a melon, like watermelon, but it's called 'cantaloupe.'" (Yes, we've had it at home before and, no, he's never tried it.)

Mal stuck his tongue out and touched it to the cantaloupe. I guess it passed the tongue test, because Mal popped it into his mouth and rolled his eyes in ecstasy. He then ate more of the cantaloupe. MAJOR third surprise. Major. He actually ADDED a food to his palate instead of removing a food from it. I honestly could have cried (if you have one of these eaters, you get it; I didn't before... it's a lot).

THEN, Mal pulled off the tip of one of the chicken tenders. I said, "That's just coating. You should eat some chicken." But he ate the fried batter, then reacted. "It's hot!" and drank some water.

Normally, that would have been the death sentence for the chicken making further encroachment onto Malcolm's taste buds. But this time, he pulled out his knife, cut off a slice of chicken, and ate it. Water. Again. And again.

Eventually, he'd eaten everything but a few grapes! And he didn't even have ketchup until the last tender.

Sometimes in parenting, we have to really celebrate what might seem like small milestones. This was a HUGE deal to us. I'm proud of Mal for trying new food and for keeping with something that normally would have put him right off! Maybe there's hope for him to expand what he'll eat over time, after all!

"I think I'm going to start taking pictures of my clean folded laundry"

"It might seem crazy, wearing stripes and plaid. I Instagram every meal I've had." - Al Yankovic, "Tacky"

A friend of mine moved recently, and we've been keeping up via email and the occasional text. She'd offered me a one-off job, and when I responded that I really didn't have the time or energy to do it, I was kind of in a funk. Those have been happening on and off for the past year or more, and I'm thinking it might have to do with peri-menopause and hormones. Anyway, I sent her a link to our December pictures because we really did have some good times that month (we have good times every month, actually, of course).

When she responded, she said that she really enjoyed the pictures. "I especially loved seeing your food photos. They are proof that you are accomplishing things every day! I should do the same. Maybe I’ll also take photos of piles of folded laundry!"

My friend is literally the most encouraging person I know. After I'm around her, I always feel so lifted up and affirmed. So her sentiment was sweet, but I also don't think she (or maybe anyone else) understands why I take pictures of food. Maybe it IS because I'm "Tacky," although I don't IG my meals (probably only because Luke is the account-holder-of-record).

But long before social media was a thing, I've taken pictures of food. It started with when I'd eat at really nice restaurants, which wasn't often. Food is plated with care, and it's like a work of art. It's also ephemeral. So I like to capture the beauty of it before it's gone.

James spent hours working on his first bookshelf. He took pictures of each step to record the progress, he learned a lot, and the finished shelf is beautiful. We still have it. We will have it for years. Every time I make a meal, I spend time on it. I learn things when I cook. I produce something that is for my benefit, and often for the benefit of the entire family (except that ingrate, Mal, who only eats my desserts and never my actual meals). 

For me, I don't really take pictures of the food to remind myself that I accomplished a meal, though I suppose it will be a good reminder if I ever need one. It's because I delight in the aesthetics of a pretty, delicious plate (or bowl; or tumbler). I enjoy a tasty, fulfilling meal. Taking a picture of it means that once it's gone, I can still see the picture and remember that great serving of food.

I also take pictures of doughnuts, cakes, ice cream, pretty drinks, cool and weird candy I've never seen before. I mean, I take pictures of everything, actually. My family, nature, public art, weird stuff... This is primarily how I remember things. Every day, Google reminds me of thing that happened on this day last year, the year before, the year before that... And it's fun to see "Oh, yeah, we've been doing the vegetarian eMeals for almost a whole decade!" and "I'd forgotten that I made that cake for Valentine's last year!" and "Thank god Mal isn't a baby anymore!" 

I don't have as much visceral pleasure eating food as I used to, back when I was restricting. Back then, I would practically moan through a good meal or dessert. Now, I still appreciate it, but when you eat what you want, it all kind of stabilizes. Kind of like when you're generally happy, your highs aren't quite as high as they used to be, because you don't have super lows to bounce back from.

Anyway, here are some pictures of meals we've had in the past few weeks. Call me wacky, but I don't think I'd feel as happy about pictures of my balled-up socks.

Obviously, I didn't make these. Aren't they cute, though? Super tasty.

A veggie pancake I saw on TikTok.

Arepas I prepared after we watched "Encanto" a time or two.

Happy weekend and happy eating!

Hill Country Getaway

About three years ago, my extended family started planning a trip to Hawaii, to spend a week a the beautiful beachfront bungalows where my parents took us way back in 2004. This time last year, however, we found out that the bungalows were for sale. The manager couldn't say for sure what would happen under a new owner, but the sales page for it made it clear that the historic buildings could be town down to make way for building "your personal paradise." Rather than wait until the last minute and have to scramble, we went ahead and canceled the trip.

A few months later, I planned a trip to California. We were going to do things that none of us have ever done before, like go to Disneyland, Legoland, and Huntington Beach. We were going to eat at Bob's Big Boy and Roy's Donuts. And since California is much cheaper to get to than Hawaii, we had even splurged to travel first class. Then COVID. We were very fortunate, and after barely any convincing at all, all of our money was returned to us, save a 10% service charge from the third-party reseller for Disney tickets; I didn't begrudge that at all.

SO, scaling back even more, we decided to return to the State Fair of Texas. We haven't been in two years and Mal's at the age where I think he'd really enjoy Little Hands on the Farm. But, of course, the fair got canceled. They have a drive-through food thing, but it's a minimum of three hours and I definitely do not want to sit in my car, staying in one place, for that long. Also, the Perot Museum is still closed. And we'd have to wear masks inside everywhere. The Dallas Zoo even has everyone over the age of ten wearing masks all of the time, even outside. Thus we filed Dallas away for another time.

I tentatively scheduled a little circle, staying within an hour of where we live, and expecting that we'd just need to stay outside the whole trip. I didn't get too excited about it because... see above. But we got to go! It's been a nice couple of days so far. Except for the suicidal moths. 

Yesterday at about 11, we drove over to Marble Falls for lunch at Local Eats Craft Food truck. It was so good! Especially the parmesan sweet potato fries.

We'd talked about going to Sweet Berry's farm just to look at the fall pumpkin scenes, but Mal decided he would rather go to the local park. I was kind of glad. There's very little shade at the farm, and though the day was mild enough for Central Texas fall (high in the mid-80s), the full sun could definitely bake.

We had a really nice time at Johnson Park, then passed a classic/souped-up car festival on our way out of town. We stopped to admire those for a bit.

Then we drove on into Johnson City. There must have been a moth harvest recently. We killed so many of them with our windshield. It's disgusting. They look like leaves blowing in the wind until they explode in your line of view. Good grief.

Our next stop was the Exotic Zoo Resort. We've driven past before but never stopped. There were tons of very friendly animals! They said we could hand-feed anything except the zebras, which bite, and the "birds," which are evil ostriches and rheas. They didn't have to warn me about the birds. I've been pecked by jerk ostriches right in the camera lens.

At one point, James was hand-feeding a full-sized camel on his side, when a second camel stuck its head all the way into my window and across, in an attempt to get the food. When James looked over and laughed at the unexpected animal in his face, the camel on his side tried to take the entire bag. We learned to moderate our window levels to control for thievery. 

As we were finishing up the drive, my car beeped to warn me "transmission is hot; hit brakes." That was concerning, but quick enough, we pulled off of the trail and into... our parking lot. Because we had booked two nights at the on-site cabins!

Mal wasted no time making himself completely at home, and we have the best neighbors!

Of course, one of the first orders of business was swimming. The pool has to be around 70 degrees. It is SO frigid. Also, it's 4 feet deep and the ladder only has the top rung. I was there was no one around to laugh at me when I hoisted myself out over the side of the pool. Mal used the ladder to get out, and I actually did once, but realized it was a lot less dicey just to beach.

James and I got dinner from Bryan's on 290, all appetizers and sides because that place is EXPENSIVE. But it was so good. Mal had a ham and cheese on flatbread from Subway, his favorite.

After the sun set, Mal found a couple of girls running around who were staying in the cabin next door and who were kind enough to give him a glow stick. Then they all three had a dance party on our patio, then ran around playing zombies for an hour or so after. I got a really cute picture. With my cell phone. Which can't take night shots. Just trust me. 

Today, we hung out around the cabin for a while after we woke up (early, all of us).

We ordered breakfast from Hill Country Cupboard, and ate it at Johnson City Park. Mal ran around the whole time we were there, talking like crazy and just super full of energy. I asked him if he'd save some of that energy for Pedernales Falls State Park. He said he was already getting tired.

However, when we got to the park, he did the short .2-mile walk to the overlook just fine. In fact, he was super excited about the stone stairway that led down to the river. I reminded him that if we went down, he'd also have to come back up. AND then walk back to the car. But he was excited! So we walked to the river's edge and had a great time throwing rocks and looking for things that are in Minecraft that are also in the real world. He flagged a little on the pathway back to the car, but he hiked just under a mile! I had kind of wanted to do the half-mile trail to the Twin Falls Overlook, but didn't want to press our luck. We'll save it for next time. James and I did get out separately and go into the bird blind while Mal sat in the car drawing on the full-sized MagnaDoodle we got him for the trip.

We came back to the cabin and Mal and I jumped into the pool for a super-charged cool-down. I'd thought I wouldn't go all the way in today, but after getting so warm at the park, it actually felt... well, I went in over my shoulders today, and Mal said the first time I did it that I screamed too loud and it hurt his ears. But by the third or fourth time, I was basically numb. It was super relaxing then to sit in the sun and dry out after that. 

Tonight, we ordered dinner from West Henly Boil Shack. James got all of the Cajun stuff: étouffée and rice; shrimp boil with sausage, potatoes, and corn... I like boils, but James did say that the shrimp was spicy. I figured it might be, so I just got a patty melt and salad. It was all so delicious. Then I made my way down to the pond for sunset. My pictures... well, the pictures after the food somehow have a big old greasy finger-print in the corner. I mostly cropped it out, but they're not framed up right anymore. Still, I supposed having less-than-artistically-framed pictures is better than having patty-melt-prints all down one side, right?

See? I couldn't edit that smudge out without getting rid of Mal, and it's an adorable picture!

We played a few rounds of cards before shutting down (mentally) for the night. Tomorrow morning, it's on to our next adventure!

Scarcity vs. Abundance

When I was visiting my parents last week, my mom noticed I was drinking more water than I used to (read: any water at all) and asked why I was doing it. In the past, I've exclusively drunk diet soda. I wrote recently about changing over, and, honestly, I think the biggest reason was just boredom. We're all stuck at home, and you can only handle so many days of opening all the blinds, making breakfast, cleaning up, brushing teeth, making lunch, tidying up, checking the mail, making dinner, brushing teeth again, closing the blinds, going on a walk, and heading to bed before you're just itching to shake SOMETHING up.

Then yesterday morning, I had a shower thought:

The question to ask isn't why am I drinking water now, when I didn't used to at all.

The real question is: Why didn't I used to drink water?

And I know exactly why I did not.

For YEARS, I lived from a mindset of scarcity. There was never enough of the things I wanted most: acceptance, emotional stability, and, most of all, FOOD.

My mom made me a Diet Coke birthday cake when I was 16, so obviously I have a history with the beverage. But then once I started dieting in college, diet soda was one thing I enjoyed consuming that I could continue to enjoy without feeling guilty, or having anyone judge me for it.

Also, I didn't and don't and never will believe the causation argument that consuming artificially-sweetened beverages makes anyone gain weight. Yes, I've read all of the things. But none of it is very convincing. If a person does the mental gymnastics "I'm drinking zero calories, so I can eat an extra hamburger," that's nothing about the beverage itself. And it's impossible that the body somehow metabolizes a no-calorie sweetener the same way it metabolizes sugar because "the body doesn't know the difference." So no. I mean, drink it or don't, but it's not the devil, and I've always drunk diet soda, whether I was heavier or lighter.

Anyway, I was restricting. I wasn't eating things I really wanted because I was trying to maintain a weight that would be esthetically pleasing to people who wouldn't like me if I were larger. Then I also experienced a BUNCH of outside control in terms of what music I was "allowed" to like, and which movies were "appropriate" for me to watch, and how often it was "reasonable" for me to interact with various family members.

It was a lot.

But I could drink my diet soda and be quietly happy without annoying anyone.

Fortunately, I don't live in a place of scarcity anymore. I have unconditional love and acceptance from my family and my church, and no one tries to control to whom I talk or how much I love a recording artist or gives me a dirty look for throwing down a slice of pizza at 10:45 PM because I have the munchies.

At some point, I guess it occurred to me that I have enough to enjoy, food-wise, that I had the space to drink water, which wasn't my favorite. I'm also drinking other things. Like I'll have a mug of milk with cookies, whereas for years, I didn't want to "waste" the calories on the milk (which wasn't my priority) when I was calculating intentionally "spending" calories on cookies (something I wanted); it seemed too extravagant. Also, I've started drinking a can of V8 Sparkling Energy drink as my morning "coffee" and it has a whopping 50 calories; I literally used to disavow ingesting calories on liquid, unless it was a smoothie with which I was replacing a meal.

I don't have to live that way anymore. I'm allowed enough pleasure that I don't have to cling to the tiniest slice of happiness or risk fading away.

I'm living in abundance, and I can tolerate water now. Yay.

Anniversary At Home

Seven years ago today, James and I thought we were pretty clever getting surprise-married on April Fool's Day.  The way it played out in social media was predictably a blast. A lot has changed since then! First, photographic evidence.

Back then, young early 40-somethings.

Today. Middle-aged.

Ahh, yes, seven years ago... back when we could sit on the patio at Mozart's Coffee Roasters just eating a snack and drinking some beverages like people unafraid of a global pandemic. Man, how we've grown since then. Also, we were both definitely wearing pants in the first picture. The second? No one but us and the squirrels in the back yard can say for sure.

Also, social media is a thing of the past for me (and James has never been super wrapped up in it), so I'm just assuming that people are going on with their lives without ever thinking of our connubial bliss or the significance of this date.

In fact, we're barely thinking of it. On Sunday, it happened to cross my mind. I asked James in passing, "Do you know what Wednesday is?" He said, "Is it day... what? of the lockdown?" I told him he could think about it a while, and I asked again later. He screwed up his face in thought. I hinted, "Tuesday is the day you get paid." He said, "Is Wednesday the day we're broke again?" "Actually, yes, because the house payment goes out the same day. But that's not it." Then it finally clicked for him.

Last night, I told James, "Don't worry; I won't come out of the bedroom tomorrow until you tell me it's safe to emerge and see my surprise." We both got a laugh out of that one.

I did make a celebratory chocolate bobka, though. It's extremely tasty.

There's really no one else I'd rather be stuck in the house with for an undetermined period. And, if there ever were a perfect time to be remanded to the domicile, this would be it. That is, if you believe in the "Seven Year Itch." If that were to be a malady to which either of us were predisposed, attempts to scratch it would violate federal recommendations as well as state and county orders.

Here's to seven more years, and then another seven. We'll just keep going until one of us dies of stubbornness. Lucky us.

Rebel Eaters, Episode 1 Journaling Prompt

Virgie Tovar has a new podcast, Rebel Eaters Club. She has a journaling prompt at the end of each episode, and I thought the first one was interesting.

This week, she asked to think about a food that we associate with our family of origin, with growing up, and our relationship with that food over time.

Almost immediately, I thought of freshly-baked bread.

My dad likes to bake bread. I do, too. But I REALLY like to eat bread! I always have.

We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, and bread was a cheap staple we always had on hand. Sandwiches, cinnamon toast, filler for other meals. I've always enjoyed eating bread.

That's what struck me: With all of my disordered eating and exercising to "earn" food, I never stopped eating bread. This might be because, back in the '90s, carbs weren't the "enemy." Fat and calories were. So while I'd NEVER eat a fat- or calorie-dense bread like a bagel (the subject of the first podcast, and a favorite chewy way to start the day for me now) or a croissant (ditto the "fave" part), I could always do toast (with fat-free butter substitute and sugar-free fruit spread, naturally) or a warm roll.

In fact, when I was in my least healthy phase of dieting, I had Little Caesar's Crazy Bread at least two or three days a week for lunch. That meant I had to skip breakfast, but it was worth it. Man, I love that stuff; no other pizza place has anything comparable and I don't know why. 

Further, I cannot remember ever feeling guilty for eating bread. I've always been able to enjoy it without any negativity. I do remember being shocked when I learned that Texas Roadhouse's yeast rolls have more than 200 calories each, but... I don't think about that anymore and they're amazing.

An interesting note about this that I made, and that may or may not be related, was this:

First, I am fortunate in that neither of my parents was the food or body police. Neither of them ever told me that I needed to eat or to look different. My food intake was controlled only inasmuch as my mom thought we could "wait until dinner" rather than snack 45 minutes early, and if we had a rare bag of Oreos in the house, we could only have a couple at a time. I feel like this was more a resource thing than a restriction thing.

However, my mom was often, if not on a diet, "being careful." One year, I purchased from the Christmas bazaar at our school, a light-sensitive pig that you'd put in the fridge or cabinet, and it would oink when the door was open. I didn't see this as being rude, and it was in no way mean-spirited. I saw it as a funny way to help my mom remember her priorities.

But my dad... I think my dad gave me permission to LOVE food. He cooked, baked, and grilled a lot (my mom cooked almost every night, and the unfortunate reality is that all of those common meals of spaghetti, meatloaf, and hot dogs just blend into one generic memory). He loved trying new things. He really REALLY experienced food. He ate slowly. He paid attention to flavors. Food wasn't the enemy. It was a comfort. An indulgence. An adventure.

I have a vivid memory of being upper-elementary aged and kind of recognizing somewhat our financial situation. We were on a road trip and had stopped at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. Someone was attempting their challenge to eat a 72-ounce steak and all of the fixings in under an hour in order to get it for free. I was crying, because I'd seen that the cheapest menu item (this was in the early 1980s) was an $8 hamburger. It was *so* expensive!

My dad came over and hugged me and said, "It's okay. We're on vacation! We can't eat like this at home, but we have a budget for vacation, and that is fine! Order whatever you want."

Many years later, my mom told me that the cycle was that they'd have a thousand dollars or so in credit card debt that they'd pay off right as we went on another vacation, and it would start over again. 

But for my dad, those experiences (which were, still, fairly modest things like visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder's or Mark Twain's homes, or the St. Louis arch, or the Huntsville Space Center) were worth the price. They were a necessary getaway, and food was a welcomed part of it.

That might also be why, no matter what stage of eating disorder I was in, I have never "watched it" on vacation. Vacations have always been guilt- and stress-free times to enjoy whatever food I could find. 

And to this day, I'm one of those people who will happily fill up on fresh bread at a restaurant and bring my entree home. I try to find good bakeries wherever we go. I love bread, and it's a lifelong relationship.

Of... Cats and Men. And Women. And Children. Oh, and Mice, too, I Guess.

This evening, I got out to acquire Malcolm some "potato Pringles." This is just regular, original, unflavored Pringles. He calls them "potato-flavored." Because, you know, it's potato sludge. Which is why they have to be called "crisps" instead of "chips," because the chip lobby didn't like that and made sure there was a law. Whew! We're safe.

Anyhoo... I also went to Petco while I was out, because they generously sent me coupons for the very cat food we use. The coupons were: $5 off a bag of dry food at least 13 pounds, buy two/get one free cans, and $3 off of any variety pack of canned food. I got a 13-pound bag, three cans, one 12-can variety pack, a big box of litter, and 2 3-packs of pinkie mice for D's snake. $10 in coupons... and I still spent $91! Our cats have to have urinary tract food because they're old and Aish specifically has issues with getting infections. The vet said just to feed them all the same thing because they're all going to have problems eventually. What I bought... the wet food will last ONE WEEK. The dry food will last a month or more because they only eat that when they're desperate; we free-feed it and they're rarely motivated since we started feeding them the WAY-more-expensive wet food (which we started for Carol, to help her gain weight... she hasn't but Rudy definitely has).

THEN I went to Randall's for the aforementioned crisps. I got 4 cans (2 plain, 2 flavored, on sale if you bought 4); I also bought two boxes of chocolate for the kiddos for Valentine's Day (I'm not always this early, but Russell Stovers was buy one/get one free) and 3 bars of boutique Christmas soap that had been $8 a bar but was 75% off. So the stuff I got for our family was $23. I feel like we're getting fleeced here.

I also don't think the cats realize how great they have it. They start making a LOT of noise around 8 AM if no one's gotten around to portioning out their wet rations yet. Even though they have food available. It's not the *good* food, and they must complain. It's usually mostly Rudy, and sometimes I can quiet him by opening the door so he can get up on the bed and snuggle. However, lately, Carol has accompanied him in and started banging (that cat-swiping they do when they're marking their territory) on the mirrored closet door.

But I love the people who love these cats, so...

Christmas Traditions?

Whew! It's almost 6:00 PM, and I'm finally finished with my day! Merry Christmas, internets!

Do you guys have childhood holiday traditions that you remember fondly? We had a few:

1) We got pajamas (usually matching) on Christmas Eve.

2) We had one present that was open and under the tree on Christmas Day.

3) We weren't allowed to call or visit friends on Christmas at all, unless Christmas fell on a Sunday, in which case we saw people at church because back then, the church of Christ did not cancel services for any reason.

4) We made and left cookies out for Santa.

5) Many years, my dad made fudge from a specific recipe and it had to be done two weeks in advance so it could age to perfection.

My kids? They never know what they're going to get on Christmas.

I love Christmas. I wish I were the kind of person who just went all out on the decorations, inside and out, but I don't for the same reason that I've never just swiped a bunch of stuff off of the mantel and broken it or thrown a water-filled vase at a person during a fight: I think forward to the consequences. And while decking the halls for three days in November might be a lark, removing those festive accoutrements a month later is an absolute bummer. So we do it minimally.

In fact, several years, I've not been able to summon the energy to put up a tree at all. The first year I did this was when D was 1. We'd just gotten back into our house after having rented it out to some people for almost a year, and I was TIRED.

I thought that was a festive enough display, but my sister said it bummed her out. We did go see a lot of Christmas decorations that year, and it was cool. But I was too emotionally exhausted to do more than the above that year.

The next couple of times I didn't put up a tree, I made up for it with paper I could easily recycle after the holiday.

This is 2009:

And then 2014:

Sometimes we're traveling on Christmas. Like in 2008 when we were in Atlanta, or in 2011 when D and I went to Las Vegas, or 2015 when we all visited Flagstaff. We usually open presents on Christmas Day. And I typically make some kind of treat, often holiday-themed.

Yes, I built this design from scratch.

James, D, and I made these together on Christmas Day 2013. It took a village. 

But otherwise, we don't really have a "thing." No Elf on the Shelf. No consistent practices.

Except there is kind of one thing that has become a bit of a "usual." It is true right now. More often than not, I have my decorations down and put away by the end of the day on December 25.

"What?!" you ask. "Scrooge!" you accuse.

No. I just hate having outstanding items on my "to do" list. Actually, I hear a lot of people grouse about having to take their tree down. For me, I just use that Christmas energy and momentum of putting presents in their new homes to keep working until it's ALL done. When D was little, and with Mal now, they've been occupied with new toys. It's the perfect time.

Hopefully I'm teaching my kids by example to go with the flow, and not to feel pressured to perform any holiday activity that they don't want. Sounds good, right??

All Aboard!

Correction: James went and got us doughnuts. After Mal’s crying so much yesterday about wanting to go home this morning, he woke up very sad that we were leaving the RV. We just spent the last hour playing with him, eating doughnuts, and trying not to talk about our plans for the day.

Once we actually got out the door, everything was great. Mal was a little trepidatious about the “ship” thing, but never got too panicked about it. He DID note that most of the check-in procedure, looked a lot like the airport. He asked more than once if I was sure we weren’t getting onto an airplane. His motto right now is, “No more airplanes and no more doctors.” He’ll get a rude awakening in the future, but not today.

We had purchased “The Key,” which is Royal Caribbean’s… well, it’s a package of benefits, basically, including internet and priority boarding and stuff. The check-in process almost made the whole thing worth it, honestly. We never stopped moving. Security, check in, and then up to the terminal to wait. We had gotten to our parking lot around 10:05 AM and were up in the terminal waiting by 10:45, including a rather long bathroom break because there are only two commodes in the ladies’ room when you enter the port security area!

We were on board by 11:30, Mal having met a king and pirate who were traveling from a Renaissance festival. The king gave Malcolm a heavy metal coin, and Mal had fun chatting with them to kill time while we waited. Oh, and Chee-tos. He bought a snack from the vending machine.

They boarded those needing assistance, pinnacle and diamond, emerald, and platinum status cruisers first. Then The Key got to go! You have to purchase for everyone in the room over the age of 6, so I probably wouldn’t do it when Mal’s older, but it worked so well for us today!

Once on board, we dropped our carry-on bag in the theater for stateroom delivery, another benefit of The Key. Then we explored. We ended up at the pool, where Mal waded and James and I cooled our feet. Then it was time for our welcome-aboard lunch at Chop’s Grille… yup, another bennie of The Key. 

At first, I was a little sad about missing out on the first-cruise-day buffet, but when we rounded the corner and saw the line extending out of the venue and into the hall, around to the elevators, I suddenly was much less wistful.

Dang, lunch was good. James and I both got mushroom soup and filet mignon. We’d gotten macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes as family sides, but Mal decided he wasn’t super hungry and instead ate his Chee-tos and played with the Sonic toys while we ate. He was getting antsy and our room was ready, so we left James to bring our desserts up to the room, and Mal and I went to check out the kids’ club, Adventure Ocean. Mal is in Aquanauts. He liked the play area, and we got him signed up. We’ll see if he wants to hang out there later in the week.

We made our way to our room and chilled and unpacked while we waited for the muster drill. Mal decided he wanted to explore, but this was just about the time the cruise director started announcing the drill. Mal was very angry this guy was speaking so loudly over the public address system, and we came back to the room for earphones. 

Then we watched TV until the drill started. By the time we found our muster station, Mal was done. After the drill, we came back to the room and he was not wanting to take off his earphones. He was scared and ready to get off the ship!

But we went out to get some fresh air while James heated up his knees, and ended up having a great time. We found the mini-golf course, which Mal loved. It was getting very close to time to leave, and I knew the ship’s horn would freak him out, so I suggested we head inside. The arcade was having a “free play” hour and a half, and I got to enjoy a super-speed Ms. PacMan (my fave!).

By the time we’d explored there a bit, I could see out the window that we were moving. I took Mal out to show him, and he couldn’t believe it. He wanted to go back to the mini-golf, where a 7-ish-year-old girl told me that she’d been on deck when they sounded the horn and “it scared the crap out of me.” Glad we missed it!

We played for a bit, then came back to the room to get James for dinner. We spent half an hour or so on the balcony, watching the ships as we passed them. We also had a seagull flying beside us for a good five minutes. Mal thought it was hysterical.

Then it was time for dinner. We have gotten Mal a surprise for every night of the trip, in hopes that a new play thing will keep him at least somewhat occupied during supper. Tonight it was a wooden robot with lots of elastic-connected parts you can pose. Mostly, he kept wanting us to return it to the cube shape as it was in the bag.

Mal’s dinner was a fruit salad, pizza and fries, and vanilla ice cream. James got escargot, a steak (the second of the day!), and apple pie. I had a chicken Waldorf salad, baked polenta with amazing roasted vegetables, and a fruit platter. 

After dinner, James took Mal to the pool while I unpacked our checked bags, which had been delivered right as we were leaving for dinner. It was too cool for Mal, and “too deep,” because James wasn’t swimming with him. I told him I’d swim with him tomorrow. I got a shower and feel like a new person now.

I did take Mal out after that, intending to walk around the promenade deck. The darkness and the sound of the waves freaked him out, and since the helipad was closed due to winds, we went back inside. We gave a cursory glance to the art gallery, which has some really neat stuff. We also got some snacks for the room from the Promenade Cafe. Oh, my, the pistachio eclair is amazing.

Now we’re all pretty beat, and it’s looking like time for bed. 10 PM. We’re party animals. Night!

A Day in Galveston

Saturday morning (I’m writing this Sunday very early), I woke up about an hour earlier than everyone else, but because the accordion blinds in this RV let in a lot of light (which is GREAT during the day when it would be very hot to leave them open, but you don’t want to feel like you’re in a cave), Mal woke up pretty soon thereafter, about an hour earlier than he wakes up at home where he has wood blinds + a blanket tacked up over the sun-facing window. This kid takes his wake-up cues from the sunrise, definitely, if that’s an option.

James and I did have time to chat about the movie before Mal got up, then we all went to Miller’s Seawall Grill for breakfast. They had a wait time of 35-40 minutes, so we went across the street to the beach, where Mal had been very eager to take James. As I’ve said, I can’t upload pictures from my cameras yet, but here’s a shot from the nearly-deserted beach (if you can’t see it, that means I forgot to attach it after moving this post from a word processor to the internets):

When it was time to go back across the street to wait in earnest for our table, Mal declared that he was done and ready to go back to “the hotel.” We had about ten minutes of his crying and my being very frustrated that he might be a pill during the entire meal (which is bad enough when he does it at home, but I wouldn’t subject strangers — or anyone else, actually — to it).

He got distracted by some pictures of guys holding up their fishing catches in the vestibule, then I stated handing him sugar packets once we sat down, so he ended up being fine. He said he wasn’t hungry, but then by the time our meals arrived, he was ready for hash browns. Unfortunately, he’s used to McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A hash browns, so the real did did not impress him. I was appreciative that he tried, as he was initially hesitant.

Still, he was pleasant and our breakfast was great. We got shrimp and gouda grits, and lump crab Benedict, agreeing to share both. They were incredible. I tried the crab dish first and thought, “OMG, I’d better eat my portion of the shrimp grits first because there’s no way it can compete with this!” But the grits (which had a TON of mushrooms that had absorbed the shrimp-y flavor) were actually EVEN BETTER. Oh, man, what a satisfying meal.

We had things that we wanted to do, but James wisely suggested that since we’d done something we wanted to do, we then do something Mal wanted to do. So we came back to the RV. I dropped James and Mal off, then went across the way to Whataburger to get Malcolm French fries and a shake.

When I got back, he was playing happily with some Legos, and ate a giant order of potatoes. James heated up his knees and caught a bit more sleep while Mal and I played with his Leap Frog and just hung out. 

After a couple of hours’ down time, Mal was ready to go again. It probably helped that our destination was LaKing’s Confectionary. We saw the Carnival Freedom in port, and parked near the railroad museum, so got to see some trains as we walked to the candy store. We had timed it so we could see the taffy-making demonstration (it was raspberry, but tasted very much of strong vanilla, which was fabulous). I got some assorted taffy, Mal got a couple of pressed pennies and blue cotton candy, and James got rocky road ice cream.

The chocolate all looked amazing, of course, but I was still full from breakfast, and it was in the low 80s outside, so I couldn’t really eat anything at the moment, nor could I save chocolate. Oh, they were also roasting pecans in a cinnamon slurry, and though I don’t love pecans, that smelled incredible.

After that stop, we drove out to Pelican Island to visit Seawolf Park. It has the Galveston Naval Museum, plus a lot of fishing spots and a playground. It’s a very neat place; well worth the $6 to get in. James went on the tour of the destroyer and submarine, and I took Mal to play at the park. He got to burn off a lot of steam, and got very brave in the climbing area after a while. We also walked over to the fishing pier to get a better look at an old half-sunk (purposefully) concrete ship. There were about a half dozen manufactured during a steel shortage, and they were fine except when this one got damaged, no one knew how to fix it. After having tried to sell it or do something with it for several years, they just dug a trench for it and sunk it out in the bay. I’ll bet it makes for great snorkeling.

Oh, we read yesterday that Galveston Bay is only 6-12 feet deep and 30 miles across.

We came back to the RV for an hour then went to dinner at Gaido’s. We had a very warm and friendly server, Uncle Bill, who paid extra attention to Mal. Mal got some buttered noodles; I ordered the “Jazz Martini”: cocktail shrimp and crab meat tossed with avocados and hearts of palm; and James got crawfish asiago, which was a fettuccini dish. Mine was technically an appetizer, but it was plenty of fabulous food, and I wanted dessert! For that course, Mal thoroughly enjoyed a scoop of vanilla ice cream (thankfully it was plain; the kitchen had sprinkled parm on the noodles, and I had to turn them upside down before Mal would eat any). James got a “pecan roll,” which was vanilla ice cream rolled in pecans and covered with chocolate sauce. And I got Cassatta con cioccolato bianco: layers of angel food cake and sweet ricotta white chocolate cream with house-made raspberry sauce. Oh my.

Mal was ready to stay at “the hotel” the rest of the night. We played a lot. He’d bought a squishy oyster shell where a mermaid pops out when you squeeze it. We threw that around, he played the game where the shower is either a jail or his headquarters. We played hide and seek. And running games. James and I were both tired, and we realized that without internet, we’d never have any down time! So if it’s bad to use screens as babysitters, then call me the worst parent ever because my son has a TON of energy and no siblings, so it’s all us, baby.

Oh, it got really nice as the sun set, so we opened the windows and doors, and Mal had fun playing on the steps outside, hanging off of the handle grip. I figured if it can hold the weight of an entire adult, it should be fine. He wanted to play a game where he said a letter and we thought of as many words as we could think of that started with that sound. Also rhyming games. He’s pretty good at rhymes, but I realize that on some shorter words, he can’t “hear” that the middle sound is the same, but the end sound isn’t. Still, the fact that he thinks up these games and thinks they’re fun is cute to me. That’s DEFINITELY something he’d eventually encounter in curriculum if we were into that sort of thing, and it’s funny to me that it doesn’t have to be forced.

By a bit after 8:30, Mal broke down. He was weepy and saying he wanted to go home RIGHT NOW, and he loved our house and hated vacation. Cue sleep time. I laid down with him and he probably would have gone right to sleep, but the a/c kept running. I mean, like it’d blow (hard and loud; if you’ve never been in an RV, the air itself is just blown so hard into the unit that it can’t blend in with the ambient noises like a house a/c does) for three minutes, then click off. About 25 seconds later, it would click back on. Mal slept with it fine the night before, but last night wanted me to cover his ears. I’d do that for long enough that I’d (mistakenly) think he’d gone to sleep, and I’d roll over, but the next time (almost immediately) the air came back on, he’d complain.

Then I started being annoyed by how ridiculous it was. Like, just STAY ON. Why click off for under a minute? JUST RUN. In the end, we just turned it off and hoped for a mild evening. I actually opened the windows, and it was definitely cooler outside than in, though much more humid. There was a nice breeze, too, and we all fell asleep pretty quickly. 

I was awakened a couple of times by sea birds, but that’s not a bad thing. I woke up “for good” at 5. I got up to see what time it was, because there’s a lot of security lighting in the RV park and it’s hard to tell like I do at home by the light level outside. It’ll be nice to get on a ship where it will be DARK out when it’s dark out.

Mal doesn’t want to go on a ship. He will probably fight us a bit this morning, but I know once he gets on board, he’ll be SOLD. He didn’t want to come into our RV when we got here, either, and as of yesterday afternoon, he said he wanted to live here. Bless him. I need to get better at anchoring him instead of being irritated by his fluctuations into absolute despair and demands. I’m not too worried about boarding, though. I’m ready, and I’m confident that he’ll love it once he gets over the unknown.

I’m going to get dressed and go get us some doughnuts for breakfast. Later!