H is for "Hair dresser"

Today I sat down to read a book, and the kids were quietly entertaining themselves upstairs in their bedrooms. They were quiet and having fun, so I didn't pay much attention to what they were doing.

Then my daughter came down to ask for new batteries in their toy hairdryer (which really blows air). DH opened it and saw the batteries had corroded. He declared it had to be thrown out.

"Wait!" I cried. "I can fix it." DH declared it wouldn't work again, but I said it would. Some rubbing alcohol and two AAs later, and it was working fine. My daughter said she was doing her little brother's hair. Aw, how cute!

A few chapters of my book later, my older son came downstairs and presented me with a coupon for 10% off a "full service" at their hair salon. He said they were running a salon and I should come up. I said when I was done reading I would.

He was half-way up the stairs when my brain, working slow on a lazy Saturday, yelled up the stairs after him "No cutting or coloring hair!" When him and my daughter yelled back down, "We know. We won't" I was able to exhale!

But, being a mom, I went up in a minute to check.

They had the youngest sitting backwards in the chair attached to a little desk which had a pillow on it, which looked like a hairdresser's shampoo station. They had sprayed his hair with water and were blow drying it. It looked adorable.

So, after a few chapters, when the youngest was done, I went up for a full-service. They had a chalkboard set up listing their services and prices. A full service was just 50 cents-quite the bargain! I got my hair sprayed, combed and clipped with Hello Kitty hair clips holding my hair together in back.

My daughter also had her CD player set up for music, and I got to listen to Elvis and Aerosmith (she took my CDs to play).

Sometimes, you just have to step aside and let the kids take over!

"B" is for the Beach

We're lucky, living in Southeastern Pennsylvania, that we're close enough that we can go "down the shore" for a day. Last year, we didn't get to the beach at all, but this year I decided it's not summer without the shore!

I got a verbal ok from my husband, then I went ahead and picked a week and booked two nights at an economy hotel near Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Staying near the beach is incredibly expensive, so I opted for just two nights at a hotel a few miles from the beach but not too far away to drive back to after a night on the boardwalk.

The kids had an incredible time! We left as early as we could on a Monday morning and were out on the beach by 11 a.m. We took a little cooler packed with snacks, towels and lots of sunblock. After about three hours (which has always been my time limit so the little ones don't get burned or bored) we headed to my favorite pizza place for lunch.

We got in three fun days of beach time followed by lunch then swimming at the hotel pool to cool off. Then we showered and went to the boardwalk to walk, ride rides, eat and buy candy.

It turned out the economy hotel was perfect. I took advantage of their late checkout so on our last day we could stay at the beach, swim in the hotel pool, shower and change and leave for home feeling clean (and sand free!)

It was an expensive trip, which is why we kept it short. The kids only souvenirs were that they each got a toy from a carnival game, a small bag of candy, a McDonald's happy meal toy and shells they collected on the beach. They protested a little, but we explained the shore trip was their present. And the reminder of digging in the sand and splashing in the waves will last longer than any toy they could have brought home.