April, the fastest month

It's been a full couple of weeks.

Since my last post, we tried out a very cool new indoor playground, Catch Air (and, yes, their URL looks like "cat chair party"). We've been to the one in Austin on Anderson Mill, and it's neat... but for the same price, the Round Rock location is vastly better. It's larger, was much less busy the day we visited, and all but the top level of climbing areas are tall enough for an adult to traverse without having to stoop.

Love the space theme!

Really cool color-changing pad, with a neat climbing area Mal's scared to try.

I think they approve of the toddler area! (They're both GIANT "toddlers," but there were elementary kids on it earlier.)

We've been playing outside a lot, as the weather has been mostly amazing.

Mal's sleeping is getting more fragmented, and I'm going back to "newborn mom brain," after many weeks of feeling like we were getting somewhere, with him sleeping 6ish hours many nights. Today, I read in Reader's Digest that lack of sleep can lead to wrinkles, because during sleep is when one's skin repairs. Actually, the whole article (something like "four things that are giving you wrinkles that you didn't know about!") made me roll my eyes, because... who the heck cares? Not to mention that lack of sleep itself is an actual health hazard. So, yeesh.

We got our tax assessment for 2018 and are filing protests for all three lots. Our monthly property tax is as much as my ENTIRE mortgage payment in 1998. I'll have to go in front of the arbitration board. Last year, they amended the house lot price based on my online filing, but the two "vacant" lots stayed the same. This year, they doubled the assessed price on the lots, and we're definitely not going to be doing that.

More fun, James's mom came to visit for a few days.

The first thing we did after picking her up was to go to dinner at Nland Surf Park, which is just a few miles east of the airport. It was great food and a really neat facility!

I got the avocado and quinoa. James got their Impossible Burger (veggie) and his mom had a polska kielbasa.

We shared these truffle fries.

There were games for land-lubbers, including this and corn hole.

And you get to watch people surf.

You can pay $5 to walk that pier you see in the picture above, and to have access to the beach (but no surfing for that price!). We did not, because we got there at about 6 PM, and their last surfers can check in at 7 since they close at 8. But we were able to see enough this time. If we ever went back and spent the better part of the day, hanging out on the beach and watching the surfers up close would definitely be worth $5 a pop!

James's mom got to see Little Land, experience Snow Monster, see some hangdog bluebonnets, and sleep on an ancient couch. So all in all, it was a nice visit.

Mal and I met friends at the Play for All Abilities park on Friday. I'm happy to report that Mal did not pee on any play structures this time, as he did in the early days of his potty training. We actually used the park restroom, though he did gag when we walked in. That kid cannot stomach the smell (even if it's just cleaning solution) of public facilities.

Just hanging out. In his pajamas.

On the way home from there, we stopped at the Disney Outlet Store and Mal got -- guess -- MORE CARS. But they were on sale! I got mini pretzel dogs from Auntie Anne's, so we both went home pretty darn happy.

This weekend has been... a workout. We're having the play system "maintained" in a few weeks, which means tightening all the bolts, and staining the whole unit. To prepare, it was suggested that we power-wash the whole structure. James borrowed a machine from a coworker, and I got busy.

Well, first, I tested it on the front walk, and ended up cleaning all 700 square feet of porch. THEN I did the play system. We also realized that the roof, though vastly superior to the canvas covers, posed a challenge our ladder was not fit to tackle. My brilliant idea? This.

Brains AND looks?! I'm the whole package!

Suffice it to say that after two days of power washing, my arms are ready not to squeeze trigger-handles anymore. It was quite satisfying, though, watching that dirt blow away. It's tempting to tackle our entire fence, but I think we have about 500 linear feet of fence, and my gripping muscles veto that idea. Plus, it's not like I have all of this free time.

That reminds me!

Today, Mal and I went to the Episcopal church we've visited once and I thought "mehh" but Mal seemed to like. Then we met James for lunch at J&J Barbecue (to which I would link, but they auto-play audio, and that one is a deal-breaker for me), where I finally got to eat their freshly-prepared fried chicken again. But next time, I'll get their cheddar pour burger. HOLY COW, it looks amazing.

THEN James took Mal downtown to Monster Jam. James texted me 19 minutes in that they were on their way home. Even with earphones, the noise was too much for Mal to handle. There went my dreams of a quiet afternoon alone. Although I likely would have squandered it the same way I squandered the hour I'd had before they returned: Doing my Monday chores (cleaning the kitchen and both bathrooms), and then power-washing all of the playscape except for the roof.

I did the roof when the fam got home, because first I needed the SUV, but also because I did not want to fall and lie mangled for however long it took for anyone to notice (D is a day sleeper). However, when I was working on the first side, I turned around to tell James something and noticed both of my guys had wandered indoors. Fortunately, it wasn't nearly the slippery proposition I'd anticipated.

So, good times were had by all. Now, James gets to stay home and work from here tomorrow (and Wednesday!) because maybe we're quieter than the boisterous crew in his office at work? We'll see how that goes! I hope it ends up being sustainable. Will save us both on gas and on tolls.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Mal quote from the past few days: I'd tried to wipe Mal's face while he was eating, but he was ignoring me, so I just put the napkin on top of his head. "Mom, can you TRY to be nice?"