Author Archives: Heather

About Heather

I adore my family, writing, books, cats, lazy mornings in bed, and chocolate. I'll never say no to breakfast for dinner, long talks with friends and lazy summer days at the pool with family. My life is often crazy, always awesome and one I'm so happy to be living! My side hustle is editing and proofing work. Find out more at https://heathercaryn.com/

Aug14

Horsing Around

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Heather

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We only have a little over 3 weeks until school starts, which means the Hubs and I have hit that “Holy Crap!” stage where we’re starting to feel the pressure of fitting in everything we wanted to do in a really short period of time. That’s why I spent over an hour last night googling various hotels at the ocean to see what I could find. A tip: don’t wait until 2 weeks before you want to go to the beach to look for lodging. It becomes either an exercise in futility OR an exercise that reminds you how you really wish you were independently wealthy.

In the spirit of seizing the day, we spent a very fun evening out and about tonight. First, we went to a friend’s house to visit with the polo ponies that live in their backyard.

Yes, the Bean is wearing my shoes. Some battles I don’t pick.

This was the kid’s first time being that close to horses and they were enamored- it was awesome! I have been debating getting them signed up for horse back riding lessons and this sealed the deal for me.

After we got done playing with the horses, we headed to a local nature center to see the Reptile Man. This guy is a semi-celebrity locally- we’ve seen him at parties, nature places, at the kid’s school, etc- with all his many reptiles. Snakes, alligators, lizards and tortoises. It’s not my cup of tea, but Scorch thought having a 6 foot long boa draped over his shoulders was the coolest thing ever so I’m calling the whole evening a success!

Aug12

A Summer’s Day

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Heather

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I hate coming to my blog just to complain, which is why things have been quiet. Life over the past week has been… challenging. You know, sick husband, acts of nature destroying some of our property, summer colds, crazy schedules. The usual.

*sigh*

At one point last week, I just sat there and literally started counting my (many) blessing out loud because for the past few weeks it seems like if we didn’t have bad luck, we didn’t have any luck at all. Thankfully life goes on and what seemed overwhelming and nausea-inducing last week seems manageable and under control this week. Perhaps the day-long wine tour on Saturday with some of my favorite relatives to celebrate my brother’s upcoming wedding helped!

It certainly didn’t hurt!

Now life’s getting back to normal. The Hubs is hanging in there and I’m bound and determined to suck out every ounce of fun from our last 3 weeks of summer because this time is going by way too fast for me! I checked out library books today and they are due back in September- I almost choked. The Heat’s aren’t going down without a fight- just as soon as we all stop blowing our noses/coughing up a lung.

Aug7

The Pill Pusher

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Heather

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Guess who has two thumbs and a husband with the flu AND mono?

This girl!

Yeah- it’s been a fun week here at the Heat Household. Monday morning both Scorch and I woke up with a cold. The doctor had told the Hubs when he was diagnosed with the flu last week that if anyone developed flu or cold symptoms, to call the doctor immediately. So I did what any (lazy, procrastinating) parent would do and waited 24 hours to see if the symptoms would go away or turn out to be allergies. Tuesday came around and I was 1000x worse, Scorch was the same and Beaner was saying her throat hurt. I called both my doctor and the kid’s pediatrician and both said they wanted all of us on Tamiflu immediately.

Hmm…ok. No blood test? Nothing? Nope- just straight to medication. I was a little leery of this, but honestly after seeing how sick the Hubs was/is, I felt it was better to be safe than sorry and risk ruining the rest of our summer.

So now guess who has two thumbs and insurance that has a $250 deductible per person for name brand prescription medication? Yup..this girl! And now guess which $100+ medication doesn’t have a generic counterpart? Yup… Tamiflu! And guess which medication, in liquid form, is said to be so disgusting that it’s made many friend’s kids puke upon taking it? Yup…Tamiflu again! So after some discussions with our pediatrician, I got the medication in pill form for both kids.

Now, my fights with the Bean over taking medication is legendary in my family. Or, maybe just in my own head- but either way, getting her to take meds in the past has been a nightmare. So now not only do I have to get her to take meds, I have to teach her how to swallow a pill. Scorch, bless his heart, already knows how, so last night he and I were talking up how easy it was to swallow pills, how it doesn’t taste like anything, how quick it was and on and on and on. When the magic hour arrived, Scorch showed Bean how to do it, narrating every single step. Then it was time for Bean to give it a shot. And she DID IT!

We all danced around the kitchen like freaking loons celebrating because you guys, my five year old can swallow pills!!!! Do you know how much easier and neater my life just became?!?! I have never once felt so successful as a parent! The only downside is the Bean wants to take pills all the time now- so trying to convince her she can only take her medication once a day has become my new full time job.

Aug5

This.

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Heather

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Every year around Feb & March, I question why we moved back to NY. Winter has been going on for 4 to 5 months already and during those short Feb days, it seems like it’s going to end. The snow is all slushy and brown, there isn’t even a hint of new buds on the trees and you feel like summer is eons away. The weather in Maryland was so much more temperate in the winter- we would wear short sleeves the majority of the time in March and things were turning green everywhere! Why in the world did we ever move?

But then we have nights like tonight. Nights that we spend at my parents house with extended and immediate family, watching my kids play with their cousin, talking about my brother’s upcoming wedding and laughing over what terrors we were as kids as my parents and aunts share stories from our past. From 70 years old all way down to 2 years old, we enjoy a delicious meal, wonderful company and hysterical tales and I think “This. This is why we moved back home.”

And I’m so thankful that we did.

Aug1

I’ve Had Better

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Heather

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We just returned from our annual camping trip. I really wish I could tell you it was as relaxing as years past, but frankly, this was the worst trip we’ve had in as long as I can remember.

First, there was the weather. Hello rain and cold temperatures- you’re not welcome this week. We arrived on Saturday to the camp ground and within an hour, it started to rain. And it didn’t stop until 4 pm on Sunday. While we do have a pop-up camper, you still have to get out in the rain to walk to the bathrooms, get food, talk to others, etc. So we spent Sunday at a local (30 minutes away) mall seeing a movie and wandering around. Thankfully that night was gorgeous, so we were able to go back, have dinner and a much needed campfire. Monday was lovely, but cold so we drove an hour to this cute touristy town full of great bars and adorable shops. You know- just the things a 5 and 7 year old want to spend their days doing. Thankfully there was also a 2 hour boat ride to help pass the day along.

Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday were picture perfect beach days so we did get to soak up some sun and relax. But the weather was supposed to take another nasty turn Wednesday night, so we packed it in after a day at the beach and headed home 2 days early. That about broke my heart, but there is a very limited number of things to do when the weather is bad and we did ’em all.

The second strike against our trip was the Bean. Or more specifically the Bean and her mighty attitude. Her sass turned to down right rudeness and for the first 2 days of our trip I really wondered if I gave birth to the spawn of Satan. She was rude, she was demanding and she made me feel like the biggest parental failure on the earth. Thankfully after Day 2 (and countless time outs, loss of privileges and discussions), she came back around to her normal self.

And lastly, my husband. Last week before we left on vacation, he went to the doctors because he thought he had strep throat. That was negative, but he didn’t feel much better before we left. He was a *trooper* on vacation- taking turns getting up with the kids, taking them fishing, playing kickball/baseball/lacrosse- but he clearly didn’t feel good. We got home around 8:30 last night and he was back at the walk-in at 9:15. Turns out the poor guy has Influenza-B. In July. While we’re on vacation. Only him! Here’s hoping the meds kick in soon.

All that said, the trip was not a complete bust. The kids had a awesome time, despite the weather. We had a great time with the kids making fun memories on the boat ride and on our first fishing expeditions. We laughed until I cried around the camp fire at night telling stories and reconnecting with the family and old friends camping with us. The days at the beach that we did have were gorgeous- pure sun shine, clean water, gentle waves. We ate like kings and I had a blast watching my kids get more self-confident and self-assured navigating their way through camp site life. We started to teach Scorch how to ride his bike without his training wheels and I taught both kids how to play a mean hand of Uno. The bad never outweighs the good- I mean, we were on vacation and that can’t suck no matter how hard it tries- but I can’t wait for our do-over next year!

Jul23

Things I Wonder About

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Heather

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Today, thankfully, nothing has broken, been peed/puked/pooped upon and/or ruined. I’m calling that a success! The good thing about horrible days is that they set the bar so low that anything seems great in comparison.

I have a lot on my brain, but none of it substantial enough to make up a blog post (I know, right? When has that every stopped me?!) so today you get snippets:

> Is This My Life: A few weeks back, Scorch was taking part in two different sports during the same week. That meant that I washed that boy’s sport-specific socks and jock strap every. single. night. I kept telling myself as annoying as it was, it was just a week. But then in dawned on me- it may be a week now, but in a few years, that’ll basically be my life when Scorch starts playing school sports. *sob*

> Is This My Life, Part II: Scorch got an MP3 player this past week as a belated birthday gift from some awesome family friends. He loves it- we downloaded about 20 songs on it and 3 approved Harry Potter videos and he’s in heaven. The downside? He’s got those stinking headphones plugged into his ears all the time- so I’m talking to him or trying to get his attention and he cannot hear me. It’s maddening, so we’ve had to set limits on the thing. This is a fight we’ll be fighting from now until Scorch moves out. When did my 7 year old morph into a teenager?

> Puppy Love: We celebrated the Bean’s birthday this past weekend and one of her oldest friends brought her a bouquet of flowers he picked for her out of his garden. He showed up with his hair combed just so, holding those flowers out and in search of my little girl to give them to. You want to see a bunch of adults melt into big piles of goo? Just watch them watch true puppy love in action- it’s adorable.

> Nosy Neighbors: As I bellowed at my kids while standing in front of an open window, telling them to go to bed for the 1 millionth time tonight, I wondered if my neighbors can hear me. And I wonder if they judge me. I really hope not because they don’t see them 10 minute ramp up to me losing my cool or the 20 minute bedtime routine before that. One of our neighbors have kids of their own, so I’m sure they at least can sympathize (unless they, or their children, are saints) but the other couple is a childless older couple. I have no idea if they like kids, if they come from big families or if they get the craziness that is bedtime- but I sure hope their only impress of me isn’t as the crazy, screaming mom. Because that would stink.

> The Full Monty: To celebrate my birthday, the Hubs took me to see The Full Monty at a local theater. For the record, this isn’t something the Hubs would ever agree to had I not pulled The Birthday Trump Card on him. He’s not a fan of theater in general, but especially not of musicals about men learning to strip in particular. But the Birthday Wish wins, so we went. And we loved it. It was so well done, so funny and so enjoyable that I’m flat out disappointed it took us 12 years of living in our town to discover this gem of a theater. So here’s to getting older and expanding horizons!

Jul22

Seriously? Today Stunk.

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Heather

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I had a big blog post planned out in my head about my recent birthday. It was a good one- I promise. But then, today happened.

Freaking Mondays.

First, we had to take our car into the shop for the state inspection and an oil change. The mechanic’s have wi-fi so I figured I’d sit there for an hour, work and come out only about $50 poorer for my troubles. Yeah- not quite. On the way to the mechanic’s I rolled down all 4 windows and when I tried to roll them back up, only three made it- the 4th was stuck. So my quick and cheap visit to the mechanic ended up taking 2.5 hours and costing me almost $300.

But, you know what? Things happen- what can you do? We didn’t have a choice but to fix the window and better it happen today when the garage had the parts. We were supposed to get rain tonight and I didn’t want to have to jury-rig some redneck window cover to tide us over, so fine- we can deal.

Sure enough, this afternoon it started to rain on my way to get the kids from school. Then, very quickly, the rain turned into a wicked storm with huge thunder boomers, lightening, winds and torrential rains. I had drugged our dog, Crazy, before I left (she’s storm-phobic) and let her out to pee. I was going to be gone 30 minutes tops, so I figured she couldn’t get into too much trouble.

I’m an idiot.

This is what we came home to (along with a lake of dog pee & a huge pile of vomit that went down our heating vent- didn’t take a picture of that. You’re welcome):

Those are scratch marks in my door jam and wall taken by light of the flashlight because we lost power.

The poor dog had gotten herself stuck in the bathroom and completely lost her damn mind. It was something out of a horror flix. I had to close the door of our bathroom and clean up the entire mess in the hot, damp room by the light of the flashlight. Seriously people, I didn’t sign up for this when we got this mutt.

But damn it, I’m an optimist. It could have been worst- all the damage is repairable. The vent and floors can be easily cleaned and at least it was limited to this one area of the house. Yes, I wanted to vomit now myself (but couldn’t because no power = no running water, so I couldn’t flush the toilet). Yes, I needed a full shower after stepping in unmentionable things (but couldn’t take one because of the no running water situation). Yes, it was hotter then hell inside our tiny, windowless bathroom and I was sweating like a pig while breathing through my mouth. But things could have been worse.

They got worse.

This is what I saw when I went to let the dog out after cleaning the mess from hell:

Yes, that is my patio table smashed to a million pieces.

I freaking, fracking give up. I’m DONE with this day. D-O-N-E. Done. The wind picked the table up, literally flipped it over and this is what’s on my back porch now. So after I got done cleaning up the dog pee and puke, I got to deal with this. At this point at least the Hubs was home to help out. I wish I could say that we handled all this with grace, as a unified couple- us against the world style. But, let’s be real here. All we did was bitch at each other, biting each others head’s off, sniping over the whole freaking mess all the while yelling at the kids to STAY OFF THE DECK so they didn’t step on any glass. All of which caused Scorch to have a mini-panic attacked worried that he was either going to catch his sisters cold, get sick from the smell of the dog puke or end up with glass in his foot. Which, at least that didn’t happen. No child, parent or dog ended up in the ER today, although one of us may have threatened to tie the dog deep in the woods tonight and leave her.**

So- how was your Monday?

**And no- we would never hurt our dog. We may fantasize about it on days like today, but if we haven’t sent her over the Rainbow Bridge yet, I think she’s safe from us.

Jul12

The 5 Year Old Bean

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Heather

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My dearest Bean-

5. Five. The big 0-5. You’re 5! You’ve heard over and over again about how when you were born, you came into the world screaming and you didn’t stop for 3 hours no matter what we did. And you’ll probably continue to hear the story until the day we die because that, kid, is how we knew we were in for one heck of a ride with you. Some kids are mellow and some kids go with the flow. You’re not one of them. You were born knowing your own mind and heaven help the person who doesn’t agree. But you know what, Beaner? That’s a gift. Yes, it’s a trait that will give me grey hair and sleepless nights- but it will be one of your biggest assets and I hope you never lose your sense of self. Because your self is awesome.

My gorgeous beach baby

This year, you’ve just exploded. I mean, we knew you were a smart kid but this year it’s become apparent more then ever as you embraced school. I don’t need to buy you toys, I just need to buy you puzzles, paper and markers. You write your letters whenever and where ever and you’re constantly asking how to spell this or that. You don’t seem to care much about reading yet- but I have no doubt one the pieces fall into place for you, you will. You love to be read to and you’re interested in everything from Diego to Harry Potter.

So far you haven’t been a sport nut like your brother, and that’s fine. I wasn’t into sports either. But you’re a good spectator as long as we have food. You eat like a bird at most meals- but that’s most likely because you’re snacking (whether you’re allowed to or not) during the day. Go-Gurts, cherry tomatoes and strawberries are your favorite. As a result, the Stain Stick is my best friend as I try to keep your clothes clean. You don’t like ice cream or cake- something that makes me question whether your my kid or not almost daily.

You are crazy fun, kid- with a quick wit that astounds us. You have the attitude of a 15 year old and can throw a “duh” at me like a pro. You get in trouble every time you do, but you don’t seem to care as long as you had your say. (See above about the grey hair). You’ve been “in love” with two 9 year olds for the past year and to their credit, they think you’re awesome and put up with your crush. That said, if you could hurry up and move on to your “boys are icky” stage for your father’s sake, that would be great.

I’ll remember 4 as the year you learned to be friends with girls. Before this school year, all your friends were boys thanks to your brother and the only girl in your immediate orbit wasn’t someone you clicked with. So it was a relief to see you make friends- good and proper friends- with other girls this year. We talk a lot about what being a good friend means and how friends treat each other- I really hope that sinks in and that you pay attention to me and my girlfriends. You’ll never, ever go wrong with kindness, kiddo.

You, Bean, are the fire in our life. Your brother- he’s my mini-me. He and I are on the same wavelength and we’ll always get each other. But you? You are your own person through and through. Scorch made me a mother, but you, sweet girl, will help me grow in this role. I love you more than macaroni and I thank God every day for you.

Love,
Mommy

Jul8

Beach Lovin’

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Heather

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Last week, the Heat’s went to the beach. And it was wonderful. And now we’re home. And that’s not wonderful.

The end.

Honestly, that’s all I really feel like writing as it sums up life today perfectly. But that’s not the whole story. We drove to the Outer Banks of North Carolina last week by way of Jamestown, VA so my history nut husband could impress us with his smarts. Breaking the 12 hour drive up to 3 days felt so luxurious- we never once sat in traffic longer then 5 minutes and we had all the time in the world to explore.

The kids and I exploring a replica of one of the ships that sailed from England to Jamestown, VA.

Jamestown was really neat- they had a Native American village, a replica of the settlement set up by the English and replica’s of the 3 ships used by the English to sail to America (ships that I couldn’t imagine spending 1 day on, let alone 4.5 months). The kids enjoyed it and it was a perfect pitstop for a few hours during our travels.

But the main attraction for the week was our time in Nags Head, NC. We rented a house with my mother-in-law, her husband, and my husband’s brothers and their families. In all, we had 14 people in one house- 8 adults and 6 kids ranging from 4 to 13 years old. It was an awesome week. We don’t see my brother in laws often as they live all over the country, so it’s always a treat to hang out with them and my nephews. The kids get along like long-lost best friends and keep themselves entertained well, so there is plenty of time for the adults to catch up.

Wiffle ball on the beach- can’t beat it!

We did some sightseeing- first, at the Wright Brothers National Monument. The Hubs and I thought this was awesome, but it was wasted on the kiddos. Maybe in a few years they’ll appreciate it.

We also went to my favorite place in the whole OBX- Jockey Ridge State Park.

Jockey Ridge consists of the largest natural sand dunes on the East Coast. The sand is powder fine, the views are breath taking and everyone has a blast- as long as you don’t mind getting sand everywhere. See that huge hill behind the Hubs and Bean? People run down it, boogie board down it or roll down it. There is also a hang gliding school located there where people throw themselves off the dunes. It’s amazing.

But mainly, we hopped between the beach, the pool, the hot tub and the kitchen. We got too much sun, went to bed too late, slept too long, ate too much, jump a lot of waves, read a lot, reconnected and basically loved life.

Scorch and his cousin dodging waves.

And now we’re back to the land of alarm clocks and schedules and laundry and real life. And while our real life is pretty great, it’s no day at the beach.

Jun25

Awards, Summer Fun & Honey Boo Boo

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Heather

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School got out last Thursday and we had one busy, busy week leading up to it. Field Days for the Bean, a field trip for Scorch, and a ceremony where Scorch was awarded the Citizenship Award for his class for his manners, kindness and ability to follow the rules. I always knew my kid was awesome but it was so very nice for other people to recognize that. The kids don’t know they are getting an award so the look on Scorch’s face was priceless when his name was called. But what got me all teary-eyed during the ceremony was how excited the other kids got when someone was called up. High-fives, cheering and lots of clapping- it did my heart good!

Now summer is officially here and it’s awesome. The kids are going to the same camp they went to last year at their school and they were beside themselves yesterday when we arrived. The kids basically kicked me out the door and ran off without a backwards glance when I dropped them of- you can’t ask for much more than that. Both kids have come home each day smelling like sunshine and sweat with matching skinned knees, exhausted and happy. Camp starts an hour later then school did, so it feels like we have all the time in the world in the morning now, which sets us all off on the right foot. I do love this schedule!

~*~*~

For the past 6 months, Beaner’s been asking to put pink, purple, red, blue and green streaks in her hair. I’ve put her off, telling her it’s against the rules at school (which it may or may not be- but the excuse worked on her so I stuck with it) but now that summer is here, we went for it! However, when talking to our hairdresser about this eons ago, I clearly misunderstood her. She has these tubes (they look like mascara tubes) in her salon that come in all sorts of colors. For whatever reason, I thought she had told me that she could put that on the Bean’s hair and it would last 2 weeks or so. Perfect- it wouldn’t damage her hair and it would wash out rather quickly- I was sold. That is, until I realized that was I wrong and that the color in the tube only lasted until you washed your hair the first time. That’s not what we were looking for.

So that’s how the Bean ended up in foils, sitting under the dryer at the salon last Friday. Honestly, I was ready to die- I felt like Honey Boo Boo’s mom. I mean- who DYES their 4 year old’s hair?! But I had already committed to it with Beaner, so I was stuck. Thankfully, my hairdresser reassured me- telling me that the color wasn’t permanent (2-3 months max) and that it wouldn’t damage her hair in anyway. So I bit the bullet and we went for it.

It’s actually really subtle, and you really don’t notice her hair unless she’s standing in the sun. She’s absolutely thrilled and I’m hoping I can ride this wave of thankfulness for a while yet to come!