Day 3: Grand Turk & Blurry Pics

I woke up at 5am and couldn't fall back asleep. I finally crawled out of bed and hit the track. I walked until 7am and watched the sunrise. I still wasn't relaxed though and it was driving me bananas. I was still in Momma mode thinking about what I needed to do when I got back to the room. Take out the kids clothes, pack the pool bag, order food, pack food, ect. I kept trying to take deep breaths and just enjoy the moment but instead Infound myself checking my watch and making sure I wasn't late.

I got back to the room. Picked up the kids dirty clothes. Organized the counters, payed out clothes, packed the snorkels, towels, and ordered room service. 7 turkey sandwiches. I had a plan! We were only in Grand Turk from am-1pm. The only thing to do there is The gigantic pool from Margartiville and private beach for snorkeling. The food there is outrageous. $29 for a plate of nachos. If you remember from my list I brought zip lock bags from home. Room service is free & yummy. It comes with a full size sandwhich, chips, & a pickle. While the kids showered I bagged up the sandwhiches and put all chips & pickles in seperate gallon size bags. Lunch was served!

We hit up breakfast on the boat and then headed to the beach around 10. 

Lorelei hit the beach first to try out snorkeling. 

Ethan and the rest of the crew found some lounge chairs and hung out in the pool. 

The water was a tad bit cold for my liking but the kids didn't mind. All the kids and adults loves being in the water. The sun was hot so I made sure to keep reapplying sun screen to my crew. After a couple hours the kids got hungry and people started ordering food and drinks. $29 nachos and $21 frozen drinks! Screw you Jimmy Buffet! I pulled out our picnic and rewarded myself w a frozen drink. My husband was happy and our kids were happy (they love room service food) and the family was jealous of my bright idea! 

Ethan asked if he and Fisher could leave and hit some stores. I answered before Nate could. Grand Turk is a small village. The stores make a small square around the port entrance and doesn't have aggressive locals. Somehow even in all my planning and overall craziness I have become more laid back than Nate. I understand that Ethan requires a longer leash. 

We all enjoyed an hour more in the pool and Lorelei asked if she could do some shopping. While in the pool Ethan found his souvenir...a grass skirt. Unfortunately for him it didn't fit him. Fortunately for him it fit Fisher. Ethan found a local coconut and some string and designed a coconut top for his buddy. 

We were back on the boat with plenty of time to spare and bid farewell to Grand Turk by enjoying a BLT while watching the Farewell party on Fun TV. 

The night got blurry.

Dinner: 

After dinner Ethan took off to change and hit up the club. The adult club turned into a teen club from 8:30-9:30 nightly. They then played dodge ball on the 12 floor basketball court, played man hunt (teen version of hide seek) and did whatever it was they did until pizza time. 

Lorelei decided not to go to camp that night and there was a Gator game playing in the sports bar so we went to hang out with the family and watch the game. (Again kid friendly sports bar that included video games available for kids) Lorelei took over the camera and took pictures all night. She was "charging" people $1 for blurry pics and $5 for in focus pics. She would swipe their S&S cards and snap away.

Day 2: Sea Day & a birthday party

I woke up around 6am feeling closed in. I think the 6 pieces of luggage were suffocating me. I turned on the bathroom light and quietly started unpacking my family. I was quiet and made sure not to wake them. The shoe rack idea was perfection! It helped clear up counter space and keep things organized. The kids & Dad woke up around 9:30 and were hungry. 

On the Sea Days Carnival offers Brunch from 9pm to 1pm in the dining room. It's a special mix of the best of breakfast and lunch. It also serves my favorite breakfast heuvas rancheros. We ran into John on the way out and he joined us for breakfast. On the plan today was the pool and slide in the morning and then build a bear & the Dr Seuss parade in the afternoon. Followed by pictures in the evening. Ethan was pretty quiet up on the Lido deck but Lorelei hopped in and out of the pool, hot tub, & slides with Nicky. The boys walked by and stole Ethan and we decided it was Taco time! The ship not only has the Guy Burger but a taco bar. It was instantly my favorite food on the ship. 1 carnitas and 1 chicken for me & Lu. 

It was finally time for the Build a Bear workshop that Lorelei had saved her money scrubbing toilets for. She got to pick out the bear and an outfit out of a wide selection of animals and customers. She picked a girly bear with a skirt and shirt combo. We then had to stuff the bear by hand and place an angel (soul) & star inside the bear. It was a very nice family activity we did together. She named her bear Bella & couldn't wait to introduce her to Pumpkin! 

We then headed to the Degas Lounge for the Dr Seuss Parade. They gave us streamers, signs, and cowbells. A parade of parents, children, & Thing 1 & 2 marched the length of the ship chanting "Dr Seuss is on the loose!" All the way to the theater. 

From there we watched a Cat in the Hat production. The kids were welcome to sit on the stage. Well in true Lorelei fashion an adult backed into her causing her to fall head first into the floor. Thankfully she recovered quickly and didn't break, bruise, or cut herself. 

4pm showers. Showers in a small room actually worked out well. I had Ethan and Lorelei go first. Then me so I could work on my makeup and then Nate. When the kids got ready they went out in the hall to chill with their friends. Tonight was formal night and the first night of the tuxes. Oh boy dos the boys look handsome. Nate & I had to help them with cuff links & buttons. Nate had to do Ethan's hair. Over 6'. Too cool for his parents but he still needs momma & dad for somethings. 

I'm not going to lie the tux got to me. He looked so handsome and even in 3 inch heels he was taller than me. I tried to hold back my tears. 

We all ate lobster except for Lu. She had grilled chicken. As we were leaving dinner Dennise reminded us it was her birthday and she was having a party in the Piano Bar at 8:15pm. I was unsure. We changed into our evening wear and went to check it out. I hesitated and told Nate that I wasn't that mom that had her kid in a bar. (Yes, kid. 1 kid. Ethan changed and left to go clubbing with the teenagers.) Marie of course found us sitting and convinced me there were other kids in there and it was family friendly. I went in and there were other kids. The piano player was playing old songs and encourage singing with him. We all loved it!!!!

We all sang our hearts out! Camp Ocean started a night party at 10pm and Lorelei wanted to go. We dropped her off and headed to the club for the rest of the night. I had the most fun with my husband that night. We were dancing and all having a great time. I loved every moment of his smiles across the room to me. It was just a perfect evening. Yes, Nate danced. Even Kim did! So much fun. We grabbed Lu at 1am and met Ethan for our midnight pizza before crawling into bed. 

Sweet dream until Grand Turk!

Day 1: Embarkation Day!!!!

We were up early, showered and dressed. I packed breakfast bars to eat. I knew we would be eating big when we arrived to the ship and didn't want to waste money on breakfast out. The kids were satisfied and ready to head to the ship!

Nate found a Park & Go option next to the port. Instead of $15 a day it was $8 a day and would transport us to and from the port. We arrived at 10:30 and headed to the ship. No lines no waiting!!!

Again my anxiety was a bit heighten. The thought of standing in long lines with both kids and carrying bags made me nervous but thankfully we were there early enough we zipped right through. We got to the waiting room before they even allowed passengers to board! We took our seats and waiting for our family to arrive. We talk to the kids about the importance of their sail and sign cards, prepared them for what was going to happen as soon as we got on the ship (pictures, drop of bags, grab lunch, and sail away party!), and reviewed some rules with Ethan. His rules included getting along and no bullying with his cousins and friends, no entering a cabin not in our family, meet at the room by 5pm to shower for dinner, and a 1am curfew.

Right before noon our zone number was called and we were one swip and click away from being on board. We took our onboarding pictures and headed to the gangway. We had agreed the Lorelei would board first and the excitement between the 4 of us was through the roof. The stress from the week before was gone and I was ready to be on vacation.

After dropping off our carry-ons we met up with our family and sat down for lunch. The teens ate very quickly and asked if they could take off. They were ready to explore the ship and be on their own. Nate, Lu, and I headed to Camp Ocean to confirm her registration and sign up for the Dr. Seuss breakfast.  We then did some exploring on our own.  I had joined a FB group called a Roll Call of fellow cruisers that would be on the ship the week before. This group was a mix of people that had previous cruised together and were strangers. It seemed like a fun bunch and I figured if our kids ditched us we would have a new group of friends to hang out with. They had all planned to meet at Red Frog at 4pm for a Meet and Greet. We immediately hit it off with them. What a great mix of people. Young, old, sober, drinkers, kids, no kids, but super friendly. We hung out with them on the Lido deck, enjoying the music and chatting till 5pm.

At 5pm we met back at our room for dinner and to unpack...Unpack....Nope. No luggage. NO LUGGAGE. Ethan was in a bathing suit, Lorelei was in shorts, I had a sundress on, and Nate had on walking shorts. What to do????

Normal...non cruise Sabrina would have cared. I had a damn list after all. Fisher game Ethan a pair of pants 2 sizes too big. Lorelei wore a skirt from Friday night and Nate wore what he had. Cruise Sabrina had no problems with how it played out. I did laugh to myself though. All the thought, all the work I had put in and my husband was in a pair of swimming shorts in the formal dining room.

Dinner was day one of FOOD. All you can eat. Fancy food. I've never been disappointed with the cruise food and this trip wasn't any different. We were seated at a round table with the Teagues and it made for fun evenings.

After dinner we still didn't have our luggage so we went out into the ship and hung out. We went to different locations and hung out with Lorelei and our family. Yes, day 1 and Ethan had ditched up. Around 12:45pm we met up with pizza for our first of many 1am pizza nights and we ate as a family. Tomorrow was going to be a full day at sea and formal night. We got back to our state room (luggage had arrived!). Normally I would have wanted to unpack but we dragged it inside and climbed into bed!

Pre-Cruise Friday!

After finally packing up the car and hitting the road we were on vacation!!! I had purchased microwaveable lunches to eat prior to leaving to avoid long stops. I also purchased each kid snacks and Gatorade for the car ride. Less stops and in 5.5 hours and we would be in Boca Raton for the evening.

We thankfully didn't hit any traffic and made it to Boca around the same time as the Teagues were arriving in Deerfield Beach. The Teagues and Johnstons were staying about 10 minutes away at a hotel while we choose to stay at Yaritza's condo for the night. Yaritza and her family were on vacation and offered for us to use their condo for the night. We jumped on the offer saving us $160! We met the Teagues at Deerfield Beach for dinner. We wanted to go to Whale Rib which was a dinner featured on DDD but it had a 2 hour wait!  We ended up next door at Kahua Bar & Grill. Their feature menu item...TACOs!!!  The kids were so excited about heading to the ship in the morning but wanted to go back to the hotel for a swim. The Johnston's arrived about an hour later and all the kids jumped into the pool.  We sat by the pool talking about the cruise while the kids swam until security shut down the pool. We ended up back at Yaritza's around midnight and hit the sheets. Each one of us said we were too excited to sleep but they feel asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows!

Tomorrow: Day 1!!!!

Going on a cruise!!!

This past Christmas we purchased a 8 night cruise to the Southern Caribbean for our family. Paying for the trip was the easy part. Planning the trip for our family was the stressful part. I needed to plan basically 10 days of outfits, 8 nights, and all the in between for each one of us. I started as early as Christmas. Santa brought the kids and Nate new swim suits, flip flops, and some dresses. In February I went out and bought Lorelei 5 new dresses. She's the hardest to shop for so I wanted to get her dresses picked first and then plan the dinner outfits around her. I was able to score 5 previously owned dresses for under $4 a piece! Ethan needed all new clothes. With him hovering over 6' tall he grows out of his dress up clothes too quickly. By the first of March I had me and the kids figured out and waited on Nate to fill in his items. Dinner outfits done!

Daytime outfits. When on a cruise and especially with kids you need lots of clothes. Again because I have a growing teenager I needed new shorts for him and flip flops. Lorelei needed just a couple items and she was set! Nate and I had plenty of clothes so we were good to go.

During my shopping trips and time on Pinterest I started creating a packing list.

8 Dinner Outfits        3 Bathing Suits          Coverups           8 Shorts        Sleepy stuff
8 Shirts                      Makeup       Hats             Flip flops          9 Underwears       Overdoor Shoe rack
Bras including strapless and sports       Workout clothes with tennis shoes        Shoes     Tuxes
Socks         PJs         Light Jacket        Belts       Deodarant         Soap        Shampoo/Conditioner
Toothpaste      4 Toothbrushes         Hairbrush         Hair stuff-Dad        Razors       Shaving Cream
Book           Power Strip         Sunglasses        Body Spray       Vitamins           Cologne        Jewlery
Glasses/Contacts         Downey Wrinkle Release        4 Packs of Soda      Q tips
Camera w/ chargers      Snorkel Sets    Life vest       4 Lanyards        Beach Bag       Sunscreens
Zip lock bags                First aid stuff           Water Bottle Holder        Tape       Door Décor
Playing cards         Crystal Light Mix         Coffee Creamer          Post It Notes        Highlighters
Beer   2 bottles of wine  SD card

A week prior to the cruise I pulled out the suitcases and slowly started putting items on the table. Once they were on the table and checked off the list nobody was allowed to remove them.  I sat down with each kid and helped them back outfits according to their checklist and created any "Need Items" for the 3 of us. (Nate does all his own packing)

The cruise left on Saturday but we were leaving for Boca Raton on Friday. I had to pack daytime clothes for Friday, pjs, bathing suits, and carry on luggage for Saturday morning.

I then organized dinner by the ships Itinerary and our daytime excursions on the islands which outfits we would be wearing at night. For example; in the DR we had a long trip planned. I knew Ethan and Lorelei would be tied and grumpy before dinner so I kept dinner outfits simple. Polos and shorts for the guys and sun dresses for the girls. However after Grand Turk we could dress up more since we arrived back on the boat by 1pm. I packed that list with me so I remember and set out clothes each evening for the family.

Planning for anything we do I always get stressed out. I had to work until 11am Friday and Nate & the kids sat on their butts instead of finishing up the last minute house items or packing the cars. When we finally set off around 1:30pm I was barely speaking to any of them.

But off we went!!!!

Our first fall weekend

10pm on a Sunday night. Except for the sound of Bravo TV the entire house is quiet. Two kids in bed and a husband out of the house. I wanted to take this opportunity to do a weekend recap. This was on of our best weekends in a long time.

Friday Ethan stayed after school to volunteer with ROTC to work and attend the Varisty football game. After I said yes I was freaking out a bit. I imagined his first school games I would be attending not him and "some friends". I knew it would embarrass him if I dragged Lorelei to the game so I said yes. Made him watch an anti-bullying episode on SVU and said a prayer. He's such a good boy. I know in my heart I can trust him but I have a hard time trusting others with my baby. He had a great time and was unharmed. Lol He also signed up for the PSAT's this week. Can you believe it? College bound. My baby boy.  3 more summers. That's all I have left with this boy. Cherishing every moment. 

While Ethan attending the game Nate & I wanted to spend some fun time with Lorelei. We decided on a ice cream for dinner and pizza for desert and the movie Cinderella on the couch. We headed off to Cold Stone where little miss enjoyed a sweet cream with marshmallows and Daddy enjoyed strawberry with strawberry, of course. Momma had a sugar free iced latte. Then we hit up Blaze. A new pizza joint near our house. They have personalized fire grilled build your own pizzas for $8.00. Lorelei built one on her own and got to pick up her own food. She felt so big. We had a no cellphone rule and it was nice to chat amongst ourselves. From there we went home, got on our pjs, and watched the new Cinderella. It was a great evening for both of our kids and us.

Saturday: Oh my Saturday was a full day!!!  In summary:

-7am Jacksonville Marine Corp 5K. I had a PR. I beat the marines. I felt good. I had no noise in my head. It felt amazing.

-8am made breakfast for my family that were awake. (Teens sleep in)

-9am cleaned Lorelei's room while Nate started mowing the grass. (Teens sleep in) She and Indid a great job. She had a positi attitude and we had no yelling. I talk to her about the importance of cleaning up before moving on and she's done a good job on maintaining so far. 

-10am Teen wakes up and he & I kill the green monster. Lorelei plays with neighbor kids. Nate finishes the yard. 

We did yard work until 1pmish. Knocked out the monster and trimmed the other trees and bushes in the front. We basically completed all the work we plan to do on Sunday.

-1pm..ish-I made turkey and spicy cheese sandwiches for my family. One of my favorite weekend meals. I cut the sandwiches in half just like my stepmom did. It seems like the only appropriate lunch to have after yard work on the weekend.

The rest of the afternoon I sat on the back porch, listen to music and read a book watch the dog play in the yard. Nate had some errands to run. Ethan & Lorelei played with DJ and Gabriel until dusk. One of my favorite sound is the sound of neighborhood kids playing in our yard. Nate threw a couple of pizzas into the oven and we offered dinner to some of our neighborhood kids.

After kids were fed and in for the night Nate night I went out to dinner. We had a nice dinner at PF Chang's and then met some friends at Suites for a promotional cocktail hour. It was the first official time I ever wore a booby shirt and boy were they out. Thank you gorilla tape!

Sunday: Three goals today. One: Football Two: Lorelei's play date Three: Cook ribs

One- completed. Thanks to European football we were able to enjoy football from the early-morning all the way until 9 o'clock at night. Actually it's still on right now but again I'm the only one awake and I choose not to watch it now. Jags lost. Nobody is surprised. Oh well.

Two: Play date. Lorelei how to set of twins from school come over and had a lovely play date for four hours. The girls were great and they all got along wonderfully. She really enjoyed having friends her own age over to play and them not be boys. This really helps me feel good about the decision we made to move her to a public school. Her social life was just as important to us as which school she attended.

Three: Ribs. Nailed it! All on my own. Also whipped up a dish of Cuban black beans and rice for my hunny. 

We decided to have dinner on the back porch and light a bonfire. This was probably the best part of the day. After a yummy dinner we played a game of family football in the backyard. It started off with Ethan and Nate just playing catch and that led to me trying to tackle Ethan. we decided to recruit Nate at the all-time QB while Ethan and I played a little tackle football. When I got tired Nate switched out and Ethan played versus Nate. I don't think any of us have laughed that hard in a long time. We were throwing each other around the yard. Tackling each other. Laughing with each other. All while Lorelei cheered us on with her pom-poms. To end the night Ethan played QB while Lorelei and I played against each other. The boys loved that. And helped a get her victory. 

This was an amazing first full weekend. It's everything that I've invested in this house to raise my family in. From the fire pits to the grill to the patio table to the patio to the sod in the dirt after all the thousands dollars this evening showed me that it was all worth it. And we are truly truly blessed to have the family that we do

Another one bites the dust

Another 2015 goal complete. 

The Green Monster

This green bush is ridiculous and getting bigger. I would have love to see what it looked like before it became one giant bush. After the Marine Corp 5K I came home pumped up and full of energy. This project was scheduled for Sunday but it was 8:30am and I was ready to go. Nate started on the grass so Ethan and I grabbed some clippers and got to work. Two clips into the project and Ethan got stung by 4 wasp. Bad start and freaked me out. Ethan was a champ and took the clippers and went to work. It took us about two hours to clip, cut, and remove the root balls. 

I think it looks so much better.  Now it's time to figure out what to fill it with.  The Sylvester palm tree perhaps? I'm going to lay some weed cloth before I plant anything because that stuff has worked like a champ in our fire pit area. I hate pulling weeds and have to do it constantly in the front yard.

Any ideas what to plan here?