Amy Mac: May 2009

The Long Shoe Line

If you are wondering if summer has truly begun, there are a few signs to help you solve this ongoing mystery.

Have you paid your respects and said thanks to the military men and women in your life in celebration of Memorial Day?

Is there a faint smell of chlorine wherever you go, but you can’t quite figure out exactly where it’s coming from (maybe it’s that towel drying on the rack? Maybe it’s in her hair?) What about the sunscreen residue that can be located anywhere from the kitchen floor to the seats in your car? Or the shaved ice machine that languishes on the countertop for frequent use?

I remember seeing an article in my husband’s Checkpoints (the U.S. Air Force Academy magazine) about the “Long Blue Line,” referencing the men and women wearing the blue Air Force uniforms. Around here, you can confirm it’s summer when you see our Long Shoe Line. May it only be broken to head to the pool.

Happy Memorial Day!

School's Out For Summer

Today is the last day of school before summer break for my girls. Boy, are we ready for some summer fun around here – sleeping in, endless days at the pool, annual visit to the beach, to Tennessee for visits to aunts and grandparents for a month (just kidding, Mim – a week at most).

The lazy days of summer require some interesting scheduling for the work-from-home mom. I’ll have a sitter come in a couple of days a week, schedule playdates when I have meetings, and I’ll be looking for some sort of water-protecting shield for my laptop so I can hit my deadlines while my kids are swimming practice laps in the pool preparing for their weekly meets.

I’m always ready for the change of scenery (and schedule) when summer vacation rolls around. I’m also ready to change back in August. In the meantime, have a safe, enjoyable, and preferably lazy Memorial Day weekend! I know that’s my plan.

Amy Mac

The Early Bird Catches - Mickey Mouse?

Last week my family and I went to Disney World for a quick two-day visit. Being excited first timers, we were there early – about 45 minutes before the opening of the park. As we were spraying on sunscreen and planning our strategy for which rides we were going to hit first, a nice lady in a Disney uniform came over and asked us if we’d like to be the “Opening Family of the Day.”

“What’s that?” I asked pleasantly (though my husband said I looked at her skeptically. Maybe that was because I was certain I was about to be asked fill out a 72 page survey. Okay, so I said “what’s that?” as I looked at her skeptically.)

Turns out “Opening Family of the Day” gets you a pre-opening tour of Magic Kingdom in a cute little Disney golf cart-type vehicle, a private meet-and-greet with all the Disney characters (for the uninitiated, those autographs are like gold), and a train ride with the characters to the opening ceremony where we threw confetti to the crowds below to officially open the park.
Wow. You can bet my kids won’t forget that day –ever.

Our extremely festive tour guide Barbara told the girls “Remember this – you had to get up really early this morning, and look at the reward! So next time you want to go back to sleep when your mom tells you to get up remember - the early bird catches the worm!”

Funny thing is, my girls both have their dad’s “up and at ‘um” attitude in the morning. I, on the other hand, have never been accused of being an early morning person. Or even a mid-morning person. If it’s happening before lunch, it’s gonna take a lot of caffeine to get me there firing on all cylinders.

So Barbara’s message was probably most effective with me. Next time I want to fling the alarm clock out the window, I’m going to remember my early-morning encounter with a special Mouse. And maybe I’ll only hit the snooze button 3 times instead of 4. Okay 9 instead of 10.