The Adventures of Mom

We decided to try out Gatorland  off of Orange Blossom Trail  in Orlando a few weeks back. I have driven by the big green gator jaws  out front many times while traveling through Orlando, Florida, but never stopped. This time, we did, and rumors of a train inside the walls raised the level of excitement for my one train track minded son. My daughter was already enthralled at the thought of seeing alligators- I fear she may pull a Bindi on us and become a future croc hunter.

For the price of a meal in a good restaurant (22.99 for adults and $14.99 for kids), we ventured through the gator jaws and into the wonderful world of Gatorland. The first are you see are the pens holding alligators. I have never seen so many huge alligators together in one place (heck, in one pen!) in my entire life. My husband gently reminded me throughout the day that this was an alligator farm- they are old gators and had been raised here. I just kept saying, “Oh my!”

For a small fee they let you feed hot dogs to the alligators (that’s why they are so huge!- mental note, stop eating hot dogs). It is against Florida Law to feed alligators in the wild, but this was a farm, so the tourists, my husband and kids were quite enjoying the experience. They have alligator wrestling shows (you too can get your photo astride a live gator!) feeding shows-see a 13 footer leap from the water to grab a chicken and other chances to interact with the animals- besides gators there are birds, goats, poisonous florida snakes (behind glass), and iguanas, but the alligators certainly steal allof the thunder.

A boardwalk takes you through a swamp ecosystem, another through the alligator nesting areas with well over 150 alligaotrs and baby egrets! For $2 extra, you can ride a train around the park (my son loved that) and learn the history of a place that has survived recessions and hurricanes since the 1940’s- that in itself is a worthy accomplishment. www.gatorland.com

We were hot and tired when we left the park (there is a kids splash zone- so bring a swimsuit to cool off!), but after an icecream, we headed for Old Town in Orlando’s fun district and had a go at the go-carts before a late summer thuderstorm chased us home.

Waiting out Tropical Storm Fay all day. No major rains or disaster and destruction as I have witnessed before. My sister phoned Monday to say, “Where are you?” We had just driven back from Ocala to Lakeland. She warned me against being there, but I laughed, saying “the storm is coming to you too!” They say on the news that Fay is crossing across Florida- we are on the very tip and have seen heavier rains in the summer storms, but Fay may bounce off the Atlantic and come back for a second round.

Walmart was full of people buying up water. My husband has a laugh about that. He says that they probably don’t drink water on a daily basis, only stock up for storms. In Corfu people used to stock up on pasta when facing an emergency- must have been a throw back to their Venetian roots! I bought water- but then again I drink it- alot! And while Fay threw us a few spurts of rain and gusty winds, we watched The Spiderwick Chronicles on the television- good movie, but very scary for young kids with goblins and ogres. I remember watching Pirates of the Caribbean Movie during Hurricane Jeanette in 2004. The power kept flickering. We sat through a lot of hurricanes that summer.

I remember Charley, though he never came through our area, but the day after Charley hit, my son broke his leg and in the ambulance ride to Orlando, the driver had to swerve around huge trees in the road. (That was a horrid time). The next hurricane took away the electricity and flooded/blocked our way into town. We ended up in the hotel, as my son in a body cast was suffering in the August heat.

So now we sit and wait through Fay, and tomorrow will bring a brighter day! (So many rhymes with Fay!)

Wrote a post the other night at about midnight that vanished. Will it ever reappear? It was so late at night that what I wrote seems but the blur of a lost dream, and so I begin again… had a day out with my son yesterday. It was the second time ever since my daughter was born. My husband took her to see his mom, leaving me and my son to visit his new school and meet his new teacher. It didn’t take long, and the dark clouds were converging onto the city of Lakeland, FL, so running over to Winter Haven to ride the roller coasters at Cypress Gardens was out of the question. We headed down to the main public library at Lake Morton. Logan played a Clifford the Big Red Dog game on the computor and I chose some bedtime story material.

The dark skies persisted and we decided to explore the Lakeland Square Mall. I told my son he needed a new winter coat anyway, as he had out grown his old one. We hit the Burlington Coat Factory- a place I have never before been. It is chock o block full off clothes and STUFF. I ask a clerk- do you sell coats here? She laughed- “That was a joke, right?” Uh, no. We found the coats at the back of the store in an eerie dark area. Luckily my son is not a picky soul and anything blue and warm would do, so we left quickly.

Lakeland Square Mall used to have a Disney Store- I know, because I was there the day it was closing- that was the only place I went, after a tour of the mall& lunch in the food court, we decided that aside from the Walden Bookstore, this mall did not have much going for it- and we left, coat in bag, headed home and curled up together on the couch to watch the superhero movie ZOOM and eat  cookie dough ice cream-

“Can we have tomorrow together too?”

I love that boy!

 I am 39 today, and I feel young and sexy! I headed out with the kids and family to Cypress Gardens yesterday, but a storm hit while we were still in the car park, as it was nearing lunch time already, I said, let’s go to the mall. I had been to Eagle Ridge Mall once before, but that was to eat. I knew there were gyro pits there too heh heh, so with everyone loaded up, we drove to the mall on HWY 27 (Lake Wales, I believe), and managed to run into JC Pennys before the storm reached us.

I do not like malls- or shopping for that matter- not since the children have been able to escape from their strollers. My last pleasant shopping expedition (girl stuff) was with my mate Mandy (I hope you read this, Mandy!). We went to West Ham in East London and hit all the stores, then ended up in a pub in the Asda Shopping Center. We always seemed to end up in pubs, didn’t we? I still have that suede mini skirt! Anyhow, since the birth of children, I have successfully avoided the mall scene, with only a mad Christmas dash  each year(one morning only) to pick up employee/family gifts.  Yesterday, the heavens opened up and it poured! So in the mall we were. I managed to get a gyro for lunch (the kids had pizza) at the Mediterranean Gourmet with a side of dolmatas (yum) and extra tzasiki . A Dutch made Carousel sits in the food court, decorated with baskets of flowers and scenes from Paris. The kids and I had to take a whirl on that. My daughter and I rode the horses while my visiting niece, Amber, took my son for a wild whirl in the spinning saucer- I think they add those seats on the carousels (the ones you can spin around until you are dizzy and sick) for the adventurous, more wild rollercoaster mind set. We had a blast.

On the other end of the mall is a playground where kids can climb through a house, on a motorboat, a canoe, a tree trunk. It’s not big, but my kids played hide and seek tag with some other kids, so they enjoyed themselves. My daughter and I investigated the Pink Store, as she called it–Victoria’s Secret. We tried on the perfumes and hand creams. I was disappointed in their clothing line. Vicky’s, as I used to call it, was my favourite store back in 1993- filled with silks, satins, chiffon- beautiful nightwear and classical music. Now it seems to cater to the bra-wearing set (which I always try to avoid when possible- the bra wearing, I mean) and the clothes are more flannel and cotton- not much in the sexy market. Where has all the silk gone? Hmmm. Anyhow, we moved on to Bath & Body and tried some more sweet smelling stuff. I picked up some Amber body lotion- it reminds me of a perfume rock my friend Lisa (La) bought for me at the market in Essoiura, Morocco- they chipped at sliver of crystal rock. I put it in a film container and have kept it ever since- it still smells like amber.

We rounded our mall excursion out at the dollar store so the kids could buy themselves “one thing” and headed on hone for a swim and a rigatoni dinner. I read six stories to Sydney- who wanted more and logged back on to the Boundless Living Challenge- check it out: boundlesslivingchallenge.com  to uplift my spirits with positive thinking and pleasant thoughts- silk and amber- to raise the vibration levels in my life - more on that later. Now with a fresh cup of PG Tips tea, I will return to the novel I am writing. Have a silk and amber sexy day!

My husband took me out the other night to Macaroni Grill  for an early birthday dinner. He had asked me what I wanted to eat and it was a toss up between margaritas and pitas. Shame they don’t serve them together! Anyhow, Jimmy Buffet’s special and dreams of island living won out, so we ended up at the Macaroni Grill (why not a Mexican? I really didn’t want Mexican- I make it so much at home!) 

Anyhow, with kids in tow we found ourselves in this spaghetti establishment that served an Italian Margarita- the first one was good, the second had too much booze in it- hah, never thought I would say that! The trainee waiter, an 18-20 year old lad, brought us bread, and setting it beside me said, “I’ll leave this with you, mom.”

Can you say HORRORIFIED? MOM? I though being Ma’am was bad enough, but mom? Having two young children calling me mom atleast 2,000 times daily, the last thing I want to hear from a stranger no less, is mom! If I wanted to be called mom, I’d stayed at home and cooked spaghetti on the stove, but going out and getting dressed up- I even wore jewelry- something beyond the usual wedding ring and watch- a necklace my brother gave me for feeding his animals while he was in Jupiter, FL one summer, a necklace of sandalwood beads (wrapped around my wrist) that my sister had bought for me on a beach in India, a glass bead bracelet I made in a class and another homemade metallic polymer bead  bracelet my daughter had just been wearing, but just bestowed on me- I was tarted up for my big dinner out, but “MOM” brought me crashing down. I quickly ordered another margarita- the one with too much booze in it, that I couldn’t even finish. The spaghetti dish- Shrimp Portofino was good, and the kids even ate a kalamari appetizer (my kids are so cool- they ate couscous last night too!) but for my actual birthdate looming up, I may sneak out for a pita and a Mythos beer and slip into that Mama Mia! movie all alone. If anyone one else calls me MOM besides my kids, I am socking it to ‘em, and if anyone asks, I am STILL 24 (forever)!

My kids got their first close encounter with wild dolphins. We took a day trip to Fort DeSoto (Florida). My husband has been dying to go fishing for ages (it’s in his blood). Me, just give me the sea- I usually end up running after the kids anyhow. My fishing license expired when my son (now six) was able to walk. There hasn’t been much point to renewing it, as my daughter came soon after and I am still squeamish about live bait, let alone taking the caught fish off the hook! So, when my husband suggested we go to the beach- where he could fish and we didn’t have to, well, I jumped at the chance.

We drove through the rain on our way towards Tampa (It has been raining everyday in Florida now), but luckily, we drove out of it as well and headed south to Fort Desoto State Park. My husband and son, loaded down with poles and tackle box, headed out on the fishing pier while my wild daughter and I hit the beach- past the NO SWIMMING: RIP TIDES signs. There were only a couple of others on the beach, and no one in the water- hmm, must have been the signs. My daughter can not resist water, so we were wading in before we knew it- only minutes later we spotted the dolphins- there must have been ten of them- some with babies! They were flipping around near pier’s end. I knew my husband was cursing them- fishermen hate dolphins because they scare away the fish. My little girl and I were loving it, and we stood in the water, squealing and squeaking the way we imagined dolphins talked- goodness knows what we said to them, because three of them split from the big group and headed closer to the beach to us!

I remember reading a story when I was young about a girl and dolphins- Island of the Blue Dolphins I think, by Scott O’Dell. It was a good book, but sad. I really wanted to swim out and touch a dolphin (kinda like wanting to connect with that snake- where is my head?) But not wishing to risk  the rip tides or put dear daughter in risk, I did not. My son had given up on the fishing by then and raced down to the beach for a closer look at the dolphins. After a while, the children’s interest waned (the dolphins even flipped out of the water- they wanted to play!!!!) and thoughts had turned to building a sand castle and finding as many shells as possible. The dolphins soon moved away, but stayed in the area for most of the day (much to dear husband’s chagrin).

The beach at the state park was beautiful and clean, the water warm, but no swimming, as the sign cautioned. I found two sharks teeth, but I’m convinced they must be dolphin teeth as I didn’t see a shark all day. Do people hunt for dolphin teeth? It doesn’t have the same awe/fear factor as saying sharks teeth, though. We toured the fort later in the day, after dear husband gave up on the fishing (the dolphins won in the end), and slowly meandered home. We might go back again. There’s a campground ($33.00 a night) and a ferry to a nearby island- ah, new adventure!

I did catch that last Dr. Who episode- it was brilliant, but I did think Rose Tyler got shortchanged after all of her efforts to rejoin her beloved Doctor and Donna would have made an excellent Timelord! Hope the BBC plan on making more episodes!

Saw the second to the last episode of Dr. Who last night on the SciFi Channel. Yes, I realise I sound like a geek admitting this, but I have heard that even the Queen of England is addicted to the British science fiction television show.  It is the longest running scifi show in history- started in the sixties. I have been watching the Timelord’s adventures since I was barely a teenager- when Tom Baker had the role. of the Doctor.  They all seemed corny back then, a time traveller engaging with strange aliens, even stranger planets, and always saving mankind from the most villainous of alien enemies. Now, after receiving pictures of other planets, galaxies and beyond in my emails - all legit, and last night one of the moon walking astronauts said there were aliens among us- (on the News!)- Doctor Who episodes do not seem so far fetched. The world, as we know it is facing it’s own doomsday, according to a Mayan Calendar (uh, Dec 21st 2012) and Nostradamas, and we all seem to be in search of the One that will save us.. (It is NOT Barack Obama, folks!) just like in that science fiction series. Dang, where is the Doctor when you need him? Getting back to last night’s show- it was a treat for any Who fan, bringing in a blast from the past-a cast of old traveling companions, Sarah Jane, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Capt, Jack Harkness (and his Torchwood spin off staff). Wow. Next week is the last episode of the series. Haven’t a clue whether they will shoot another season in Britain (Cardiff, I believe) or not. I had fallen into becoming an avid fan of  theTorchwood  spin off series right before they took it off the air- sigh. Can’t stand most shows on the television-, but am on the edge of my seat for the series finale of Dr. Who next week…hey, he’s a traveler, just like me, but with a blue box and older companions (I have youngsters in tow now). What is there not to like? I await the finale with baited breath…

The guests have since departed. We rushed back to the old house to celebrate my mother in law’s birthday and pick up our papers to sell the old house. Now I’m back- think the coffee has since seeped out of my system, and it is time to set to laundry and packing up the house once again. Are looking for a new rental (wish me luck!)

Must admit I did manage to keep my parents (and niece) busy here during their stay, and even the rainy day led us to an outing at the Children’s Museum (hey, I have a pass!) in Downtown Lakeland, a lunch at Crisper’s and a tour of the historic homes around Lake Hollingsworth. The rain let up momentarily and we made a dash up the boardwalk at Peterson Park by the YMCA, but were drenched by the next downpour on our way back to the car. Another day led us to Cypress Gardens- where we hid in the Butterfly exhibit during the day’s storm- it soon passed quickly and we managed a tour of the botanical gardens (bring mossie spray!), a swim in the water park, including a few times around the lazy river- ahhh, and roller coasters with the kids. My 6 year old dared to go on the Starliner with my niece and I- bumpy-bump, my four year old loved the Hurricane and the blue and orange  Florida gator-colored coaster by the Starliner. BBQ sandwiches for lunch and a good day was had by all. Another day we just stayed home and went swimming- did I say I would miss this pool? All the kids are fantastic swimmers/divers/and water treaders because of it.  Well, back to the packing!

Toys lay scattered across rooms, laundry waits in heaps- dirty and clean, while the washing machine works on overdrive and my parents are due to arrive here in two hours. We came back late last night after taking my step daughter back home and spending the weekend at the old house to meet with Realtors. This all after having said step daughter here for a week of swimming & play- whew- I’m sweating just writing this and am beginning to feel like a hotel- washing sheets and making beds for the next set of guests. Though, I suppose in the hotel business, the maids have it a bit easier as the rooms are devoid of toys and any belongings left behind can be discarded. I’m on double duty this morning, as my requests for “please clean your rooms” were translated into: toss everything into the closet or stuff it under the bed and throw a wet towel over it!

It will all come together in the end, n’est-ce pas? (I hope- Insh’allah, ti na kanoume, and all those other sayings made up to make us feel better and pass the worries onto God) Now new worries surface as my daughter downs the last of the milk with her bowl of Fruit Loops- what the heck am I going to feed them? My step daughter, bless her heart, would eat everything I made and enjoyed the sandwich picnics in Munn Park, downtown Lakeland, and didnot even seem to notice that I fed everyone grilled cheese before we went out just to save a bit of money. Kids are easy, adults are a bit harder, as I can’t picture my dad squatting down on a blanket for afternoon lunch- and five hours at the Kids Museum just may not be so amusing to them as a 10 year old and two young’uns.

As I down my third coffee to set myself into overdrive, plan menus, days, and finish the cleaning and laundry, I rush off with a quick Happy Bastille Day to the French and francophiles, who will undoubtedly be enjoying the fireworks tonight, as I saw them so many years ago in the South of France- Nice, from the window of Hotel D’Orsee by the railway station- my friend La and I downing tiny bottle of beers all night- celebrating our return and survival  (freedom)from 5 unexpected days in Morocco.

Happy Bastille Day!