We are back from a week in the woods. Yes! We tried out our new pop-up camper for the past seven days. We drove up to Gloucester, MA and spent a week with the kids dodging mosquitoes and playing in the sand. Here is a look at our vacation by the numbers:
1 sprained ankle - Alex woke up one morning and could not walk. We found a local pediatrician who would see him and determined it was a mild sprain. Thank goodness! I was convinced for a good hour that he had been bitten by some toxic mosquitoes that left him partially paralyzed.
1 naked toddler - A little accident on the beach forced me and Alex to walk to the rinse off showers. Me - screaming from the hot sand. Him - clutching his towel to cover his business. He dropped it toward the end and shouted as loud as he could, "No one look at my pee pee!!!" I've never been prouder.
2 Racoon Sightings - Those things are no joke. My husband and I were enjoying the campfire while the kids slept inside when we heard rattling under the camper. I was not totally unconvinced that one of my children had not snuck out. A flashlight proved that a racoon was poking through our trash. We named him Rocky and exchanged email addresses before he scurried away.
300+ mosquito bites. No explanation needed.
3 tubes of sunblock / 0 sunburns - Yay me!
7 sand castles crushed - Oh, it wasn't ours that were accidentally stepped on it was my little Godzilla that crushed the castles on our beach walks. I apologized and scolded him. Other mothers said not to worry as they seceretly judged the lack of control I had over my child.
12 cocktails - See above.
8 Ice Cream Cones - We have already determined that next year we will require ice cream to be eaten every single day. It only seems right.
4 Good times had - Yes! Everyone had a blast. They declared it the best time ever - until Saturday when Lillyana went to a party where Elsa and Anna from Frozen showed up. Whatever. I'm still counting it as a win.
- Vanessa
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I just read an article that sounded – to me at least – like “a canary in a coal mine” or an early warning of danger. This piece, written by Joe Pompeo, appeared in the May 2020 issue of Vanity Fair magazine with the title “The British Tabloid Invasion” and a subtitle that read, “How the Daily Mail is conquering American gossip.”
The paparazzi horde, La Dolce Vita, 1960 – photo courtesy of Vanity Fair
Apparently the good old U.S. is a nation of “not great” sleepers. Really? And I thought I was the only one! According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it was revealed that one out of three Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Yikes!
I think we’re all taken by the incredible mystique of the famous French fashion house, Hermès that has been with us for two centuries and is still owned and operated by the same family. From its beginnings in fine equestrian leather goods, they are – in the tumultuous year 2020 – best known for their handbags and many other items.
My image of Hermès has always been rarified products at equally rarified prices so imagine my surprise when I recently received a very stylish publication of theirs in the mail.
