July Staycation

Who needs to travel during a week off when you live in a world-class city? Not us, I decided. And so last week we made the most of Nacho's week off and stayed local.  I had such high hopes and tons of inspiration for family-friendly outings.  Then on Day #1 it rained and rained.  But we persevered and made it to Times Square for a little tour of the Toys R Us and lunch at Schnipper's.  It wasn't exactly the most relaxing visit I've ever had since we had two kids running in different directions, but it was fun for about 30 minutes. And Elisa got conned out of a toy after she enjoyed the ferris wheel so much which I consider a major coup. Two kids enter a toy store and we leave with nothing? Awesome. Lunch, however, was less than stellar as Elisa made herself such a nuisance that a waitress took pity on her (for crying so long and hard because she had to share her drink with Carolina) that she actually took her up to get another cup and fill it with root beer. Talk about negative reinforcement. But at that point, we were so tired and frazzled from just beating back the crowds to find a seat, order and get everything sorted out that I appreciated the help.  And it worked for about 10 minutes until Elisa found something else to complain about. That seems to be her problem lately. Nothing. Is. Ever. Right. I don't think I fully appreciated eating in silence before I had children. Now I dream of it. But no, Elisa was not on her best behavior that day and the return trip was a real slog as we hiked it back home in the rain. Ahhh, but we'd live to fight another day.

The following day there was more heat and humidity (plus Nacho picked up a day trip) which meant I needed something I could do on my own with the girls. A friend mentioned a local movie theater was doing $1 shows every Tues & Wed for the rest of the summer and I was sold. So off we went to see "Ice Age 4" with a few friends, making that Elisa's third movie, Carolina's first and my saving grace. Of course, they had to get a photo op with the "Monsters U" poster. Carolina loves spotting those guys. "MONSTA!!" she'll scream to make sure everyone in the immediate area is aware there are cute monsters around. Oh, this shrieking toddler...But really she did pretty good at the theater. I didn't mind too much that she bolted from her seat after about the first 30 minutes. We managed to corral her for the rest of the time with suckers and my phone and playing on the lighted steps.  Our one bathroom break was a real hit because she ran the length of the hallway outside the theaters and I just let her. The energy has to get out somehow and she wasn't bothering anybody--my only prerequisites.  On the way out, we played with the video game machines for a few minutes (minus the actual playing, mind you) and I invested a whopping $0.50 in the candy machine which brought our total investment for the day to $3.50--not bad.  We followed our movie morning with a late afternoon swim at the park and grilled flank steak tacos with friends for dinner. It was such a nice, chill evening that I was starting to think this down time on the staycation might be the real key to recharging our batteries.

But there was still more time and more need to also explore the city. I'd been wondering what the East River Ferry was like and heard a few friends recommend it for a nice trip down to Brooklyn. The idea took root and Nacho was up for navigating the waters with us on his next day off. So we found the parking lot at Hunter's Point South/LIC and made our way over to the dock. To be fair, this area is undergoing a lot of construction and so it wasn't the easiest to spot or walk through. The ticket kiosk was out of order but fortunately you can swipe your credit card to purchase tickets onboard the boat. We made it to the top deck and settled in for a peaceful journey...almost. The girls were only comfortable sitting for the first 2 minutes, then they wanted to wander around and push each other, climb the rail, and generally piss me off for the remaining 15 minutes. I tried to be zen about it all and just enjoy the views, but the screaming mixed with my intermittent yelling was ruining my mojo. Nacho was equally annoyed so we just tried to power through. It would be over soon. It had to be. 

And this is where I have to admit that all this family fun is sometimes equal amounts of pain and irritation. Someone is always screaming or crying and it's never enough to plan an entire day around parks and ice cream and fucking boats. They still want more. More what?? Why is that not good enough? Why can they not sit and behave and be forever grateful? Why do I do this to myself then? I don't know the answers, but I keep trying to figure it out. And along the way, I'm pretty sure they are growing out of some of the annoying behaviors (usually to be replaced by new ones). I've seen the proof that parents with older kids seem to be relaxed and smiling and even having normal conversations with their kids. I have hope that I will be that parent some day. But right now, much of the time we go out with the girls, I do it because it's equally frustrating to be stuck at home. So that's the deal. It ain't always fun, but that's just where we are right now. And I want to record it all, including the bad photos--the ones that show us struggling--because then I feel more honest. It's easy to look at the smiling ones and think it was all rainbows and unicorns...even though it felt more like storm clouds and pitbulls. 

I threatened her that she wouldn't get ice cream if she didn't take one nice picture with her mom. Amazing what that bribery will do...

And then, before I could hurl myself overboard, we were at our destination: Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane's Carousel. We actually tried to get ice cream first but found out the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory opens at noon. I mean, what? No one tries to have dessert before lunch like me? Oh well. So we backtracked and did the carousel which both girls loved, and then lunch at Luke's Lobster shack under the bridge. It was almost enjoyable in the shade for a few minutes. And then we made it back to get ice cream at the designated hour and Elisa flipped out once again because it was melting all over her hand. In 90 degree heat that shit happens. But nevermind explaining that because she couldn't hear me through the moaning and crying.  Carolina was much more focused and made sure to devour hers before it could melt.  Finding a tiny bit of shade on the side of the building helped improve my mood and for a brief minute, I thought maybe this day wasn't a total loss. The views of the bridge and the water are really amazing. One of my favorite spots in the city.  Then we headed over to the Main Street/DUMBO playground for as long as we could take the blazing sun and chasing Carolina all over. She's recently decided to try scaling ladders and heights previously unknown which makes me a little skittish. But somehow she does it all with ease and Nacho and I just end up shaking our heads. This kid is fearless. Elisa was tired, but she hung on the for the rest of the trip. Surprisingly, she does better when she's so physically defeated.  I guess even crying takes energy.

By the time we were done on the playground, it was a quick 5 minute walk back to the ferry and a short wait for the next one (every half hour on the weekends).  The trip back was marginally better but only because Elisa crashed out on one of the inside benches and Carolina was happy to sit next to her and drum on the table.  We sailed upriver and were home in no time.  The next day was the 4th and our impromptu picnic with friends at the park which was a lot of fun. I pulled an all-dayer in that I opened the pool at 10 a.m. and left after dinner at the park around 8:30 p.m.  Let's just say by the next morning, I was officially wiped out.  Of course, I wanted to squeeze in a zoo trip, a museum visit and maybe the beach too during our staycation week. So many great plans and so little time.  But the weather, the July 4th holiday and the fact that I finally came to my senses and used one day to relax and clean/restock food was enough to tell me that I'd done good. All that fun can really wipe you out.