This morning Caroline was doing push ups – incline push ups, with her feet on the couch and her hands on the floor – and I realized I had been sitting down for like 4 hours straight. So I had a cup of coffee, pounded this out and then went to do something productive. Nothing like an exercising 1 year old to make you feel like a lazy ass.

Sunday:

The kids built steps to reach the clementines. Evil geniuses.

“Mommy, why don’t we have ponies???” “Because your father isn’t Mitt Romney, honey.”

Painting the dining room seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Monday:

Sorry, can’t get up, it would disturb the cat.

We went to terrorize, uh, visit my friend Megan’s yarn store.

I love you, iPhone panoramic thingy.

Tuesday:

When you clean out the toy box, you discover toys you forgot about and it’s like getting NEW TOYS (p.s. My aunt made me that dress when I was a baby)

I got the box closes and we haven’t opened it since. TRUE STORY.

Pretty much how I feel every night by 8 pm.

Wednesday:

Caroline chose to sit on the bench with her blankie instead of doing gymnastics for the first half of class. Then she remembered OH YEAH I LOVE GYMNASTICS.

SUPER GOOD BRAVE BOY at the dentist

Clean teeth make you very tired.

Thursday:

Hmmm…do I look 8 years old today? Yes, I think I do.

What do you mean I can’t do pull ups on the stroller???? I hate you you’re ruining my life!

Cat nap (sorry Instagram friends, I just love this one)

Friday:

Trying to climb into the house

The only time we saw Daddy all week…and he’s leaving for work.

My Friday nights are very exciting.

Saturday:

Insisted on getting up at 6:30 am, only to climb into her brother’s bed and insist it was time to go to sleep. That face says “I DARE YOU TO DISAGREE”

3rd batch of scones in 2 days. Recipe on Tuesday.

Oops?

I can’t believe this week is Thanksgiving already – it’s so early this year! – but I love that I get to enjoy our Christmas decorations for a while longer. I’m crossing all my crossibles that E gets out of shift work in time to help us pick out a tree on Friday (FRIDAY!!!!) and I can’t wait to put up our combination Caroline’s party/holiday stuff. Winter sparkle snowflake woodland fairies FOREVA.

Did you take iPhone photos of your week? Link up with one or several below! I’ve been doing this for more than 2 years now, and I’m a little sad it seems to be dying out now that Amy handed the linky off to me. So PLEASE please consider joining, even if you haven’t done it before. I’ll be around to read everyone’s posts and comment.

1. Paleo pumpkin bars so I’ll be less tempted to eat the Oreos.
2. Our patio is prepared for the storm.
3. The last of my Halloween decorations that probably no one will see.
4. Glued to the TV for updates.
5. Giant tree less than 7 feet from my back porch. I heard from the previous owners this tree’s twin on the other side of our yard fell during a hurricane a few years ago so it’s my biggest worry.
6. Guest room ready in case local friends are evacuated.
7. Brutus is pretty worried.
8. Bathtub full of water for emergency toilet-flushing.
9. The kids just think it’s awesome that Daddy has the day off.

This is our second storm in as many years, but Irene didn’t do much more than make a mess. We’re hopeful Sandy isn’t any worse, but the updates from the new stations and weather channel are starting to sound serious and not just in the standard OMG-END-OF-THE-WORLD exaggerated way we’re used to in New England.

We aren’t in danger of flooding or being evacuated ourselves, so we’re just waiting for the winds to pick up later today and praying we don’t lose power for too long or have a tree come through the roof. Luckily E took care of his last urgent work thing this morning and none of us have to leave the house again until at least tomorrow. I’m trying to balance being reasonably concerned with not freaking out, but when the governor closes the roads – like, ALL the roads – it’s hard to keep my anxiety at bay. For now, I’m cheerfully eating Halloween candy and enjoying frivolous electricity usage while I still can. Sending safe thoughts and prayers for everyone in the path of the storm. As long as our house is still standing you’re more than welcome here if you need somewhere to go.

4 pm Update: Still good, still have power. The wind is getting sort of crazy and we’ll be “camping” on the main floor tonight instead of sleeping upstairs tonight but so far we’re OK.

10 pm Update: Power still on, just a few flickers so far. Sent the kids up to bed because we were going CRAZY with all of us in one room all day and the way the wind is blowing means our two scary trees would fall away from the house. We are still HAPPY to host anyone who needs somewhere to go tomorrow, although I’ve heard a ton of roads are blocked by downed trees. Stay safe friends!

8 pm Tuesday Update: Hello friends! I forget sometimes that I’m not real-life (or at least Facebook) friends with everyone, so I forgot to update here. We made it through the storm with no problems. E even had to go into work today although Evan’s preschool was cancelled. We’ll have our porch light on tomorrow for trick-or-treaters (after a quick stop at Target to replace all the candy we ate!) and we’re hoping the neighbors do the same for our first time out!

I know that’s a super long title, but I actually wanted to call it The 5 Best Memberships For Families In Southeastern Connecticut And How To Get The Most For Your Money (Also One Is Technically In Rhode Island But Just Ignore That). Brevity has never been my strong point.

Visiting these places is definitely worth it – they’re all fun, educational, and make a great day trip. Having a membership carries the added benefit of your day not getting ruined if it’s crowded, raining or your kid’s just not into it – you can just come back later. These spots are all approved for many repeat days of fun by me and my gingers:

Mystic Aquarium

Mystic Aquarium

1. Mystic Aquarium – I’m not sure how the aquarium got a reputation for being a must-see tourist attraction, but it’s a relatively small place and is totally packed in the summer. Luckily, once school starts (literally, the day after Labor Day) it’s deserted in the mornings and kids can have a private audience with belugas, penguins and a whole rainbow of fish. The inside building is carpeted (good for crawlers or early walkers) and very open (good for strollers). My 3-year-old and 1-year-old love the Titanic exhibit and the sea lion show too, although they’re a little young for the Sponge Bob 4-D movie. Since tickets cost $29+ a membership is definitely worth the price. Tip: If you have little kids, get a single membership with the add-a-guest option. Kids under 3 are free so you can bring your spouse OR a friend who also has small kids. I did that when Caroline was a infant and it made a great winter playdate. Another tip: They open at 9 am, which is GREAT for moms with kids who get up early.

Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport

2. Mystic Seaport – The mini boat playscape and children’s building make visiting worth it even if you never board a single vessel (although you should, since they’re really fun!). My kids love the horse carriage despite never having ridden on it. There’s also a fantastic play room hidden on the 3rd floor of the Stillman Building, so we visit even in less-than-ideal weather. It’s a big place, so unless they’re holding one of the extra-popular events (avoid antique boat weekend!!) it’s never too crowded. And the normal events – Dog Days, Chowderfest, etc – are really fun. Children under 5 are free, so a dual membership can get you in if you have pre-k or younger kids. Membership also includes coffee, hot cocoa and lemonade in the Member’s Building, discounts in the store and the chance to visit Santa in December.

Children’s Museum

Children’s Museum

3. Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut – Full disclosure: we don’t actually have a membershipto the museum yet. We’ve been twice – once for an awesome birthday party – and it is full of creative play spaces and experiences for the kids. There’s an outdoor space for good weather and plenty of space inside for bad/hot/snowy/New Englandy weather. Their little gift shop is pretty amazing too, with lots of cool educational toys perfect for birthday gifts. We’ll be joining this winter, to add another indoor play space to our rotation.

Roger Williams Park Zoo

Roger Williams Park Zoo

4. Roger Williams Park Zoo – OK, so Providence isn’t in Connecticut but it’s only 40 minutes from the border and the drive is totally worth it. During the hot summer months the water features in Hasbro’s Big Back Yard were a huge hit with the kids and the tree house is really fun. The zoo is a great size for kids to walk, the animals are all close enough to enjoy and the staff has always been super nice and helpful. Did I mention there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts IN the zoo? Membership is pretty affordable and the add-a-guest is only $10 more, so it’s a great place to bring friends. In the summer we aimed to be there at 9 when they opened and left around noon for naps and it was never crowded.

5. Your local library! – I know all these memberships can add up really fast in a tight budget. The good news is many of the local libraries offer free or discounted passes to these locations. That’s the link to my town library but the ones in other towns have similar or better options. It would be worth checking these places out for yourself to see if you like them before springing for the full cost – and if you see us while you’re there, say hi!

Am I missing anything, friends? Where should we go next?!

On Sunday we packed a picnic and headed over to Jonathan Edwards Winery for their annual Harvest Festival with some of our friends. We like it there, and not just because they never looked at you funny for wearing a baby during a wine tasting.

We’d only been there for an hour when it started drizzling. I kept saying hopeful things like “Maybe it’s just this one cloud! It could blow over any second!” but oddly that didn’t prevent the sky from opening and pouring on us a few minutes later. While all the sane people ran for the tents, we hauled our stuff up to the patio and rigged a little shelter out of sun umbrellas where we had our own party while the kids jumped in puddles.

We were all cold and wet and should have been totally miserable, but instead we stayed for almost 6 hours.

My kids love these kids. They love their parents and grandparents and friends too. We hung out with them in various configurations all weekend and Caroline STILL cried going to bed because she missed her friends.

There are not enough words to describe how nice it is to have friends, especially real life “let’s go get ice cream” friends. Real life is hard, especially when you’re talking about couples-with-kids friends since there are three or four people involved instead of just two. My husband might not like her husband and my kid might not get along with his kid, and when you add MORE friends there are more things to go wrong. It’s a complicated dynamic and I’ve seen some friendships fall apart in totally fantastic implosions worthy of an epic novel.

I really, really lucked out with these people.

They even tolerate – nah, ENCOURAGE – my crazy photo taking.

My shoes are still wet from Sunday but we’re already planning a wine night to reprise our fun. Take that, Mother Nature. You may dampen our socks but you can’t damped our friendship. Especially when they’re already soaked in wine and paint.