Stroller Troubles

Charming's best efforts at getting Scarlett to like Minnie

(whom she loves from afar!!) Scarlett at 18 months.

Kincaid never meets a stranger. Kincaid at 4 1/2.

A friend requested that I post the following eBay ad I placed earlier this year.....

Listed for sale – a great little Chicco stroller with only 6 days of use!!

So, why am I selling a great little stroller that I only used for 6 days, you ask? Well, because I have 5 other strollers. Ah, you say, you must have several children! Yes, well, it would seem so when one has 6 strollers, but actually I have just two children. So why so many strollers? Well, if you are a parent you know that there are specific strollers for every possible “stroll”. A jogger, a double jogger when the second came along, an “umbrella” for the 4 ½ year old, and small stroller that reclines for the infant – who is now 18 months old, and recently an umbrella stroller that doesn’t recline for the same.

So this one – this great little stroller with only 6 days of use - where does it fit in? Well, as much as I try to be an organized, got-it-all together, make my list & always have what I need mom, the truth is, I’m not. In fact, I’m a mess, mostly – a typical, love my kids more than life, but do-not-got-it-all together mom!! So this stroller came about on a recent vacation to DisneyWorld. Of all the places that you need to bring one of your five strollers, DisneyWorld would, it would seem, top that list!

As we were driving through Atlanta on our way to Orlando and the happiest place in the world (already 4 hours from home), I was talking to my college roommate about our trip & she wisely asked me, “Did you remember your stroller?”

Uh, oh, sinking feeling coming --- ugh!!!!! I didn’t see any strollers on the top of that pile in the back. I remember being proud of how I had not overpacked – no lecture from MY honey about bringing too much – yes, I was getting good at this vacation thing! We could even see out the back window! (Yes, yes, pride cometh before the fall...) Well, looking out the corner of my eye at my sweet honey, who was happily whistling his way to DisneyWorld (okay, a stretch), amazed as he must have been at my best packing job ever – I was dreading telling him that actually, I don’t quite have this trip thing down as well as I thought – I now realized why we could see cars out the back window on this trip & normally we could not….

No, I didn’t remember my stroller. ARRGGGHHH!!! How could I have forgotten the stroller???? What kind of mom expects her 18-month-old to walk through DisneyWorld without a stroller? Pitiful me, my list - yes I actually made one – my list had failed me!! Yes, I had tried to be organized – but nowhere on my list was the word “stroller”. Cameras, yes. Clothes, yes. Diapers, yes. Autograph book for Mickey, yes. Crocs, yep. Stroller, nope. Not even a mention, not even a thought, until my sweet friend innocently ripped any possible feelings of “I got it all together for this trip!” out from under me.

Okay, so I know if you’ve been to DisneyWorld, your next logical question would be, “Why didn’t you just rent one?” Well, a couple of reasons. First, the reviews of the Disney strollers in my guidebook (which, amazingly, I did get read before the trip) were mediocre. Too big for small kids – no storage space, easily confused (& often swiped) with the other 8654 Disney strollers in use on any given day, etc. Also, it costs almost as much to rent as to buy one. Second, I am kind of picky about strollers. I want them to be very easy to steer, very light to carry, simple to fold & be able to carry a bunch of stuff. And, I needed it to recline a bit, so hopefully my sweet babe could take a nap in it. (FYI – this one fits all those criteria very nicely). For some reason, some manufacturers of strollers just don’t get that a stroller should steer easily & that you shouldn’t look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa when trying to transport it?? And, some don’t even come with a basket/net underneath – WHAT is THAT about???

At any rate, I was out at Toys R Us at 9:30 p.m. the night before our first big day at Disney – trying to pick a stroller that I would enjoy pushing for the 13 miles a day or whatever insane amount of distance we covered each day! In other words, I wanted to enjoy Disney – not spend the trip with a dud of a stroller that I wanted to “forget” on some floor in the Tower of Terror! So, I looked at all the strollers that cost a reasonable amount of money for a six day tour & finally found this one. Light – check. Easy to fold – check. Easy to steer – check. Basket for Mickey ears, sunblock & diapers – check, check, check.

So as stated, this stroller is light, folds easily, steers perfectly with one hand & is easy to transport with carrying strap attached to the stroller. It comes with owner’s manual & carrying case (never used). It has a canopy & reclines a bit for a comfy nap.

Happy bidding!!

And, in case you are wondering, DisneyWorld was, for that week, indeed, the happiest place on earth!!

Trying to stay out of jail

Attempted murder, perjury, theft – all in a days work (actually 4 hours work) for Kincaid.

In five-year-old terms it actually comes down to throwing a cup at your sister’s head because she wouldn’t bring something to you, lying about it, and “innocently” taking a cheese quesadilla for “Josh” off the server’s hands because, of course, they had the name wrong. Or to quote exactly, “Mom, they were trying to give my cheese quesadilla to somebody named Josh! Can you believe that??? I mean, I didn’t have mine yet & they always bring it out, so they obviously had the wrong name.” All this while I’m setting down our tray with what? A cheese quesadilla, of course.

On some days, these crimes may have been overlooked as mere sibling rivalry, imaginative thinking and rainmaking. But, today, I’m just hoping to keep him out of jail.

Starting Out

I spent four & a half hours starting up a FaceBook page last night - and had such a fun time! I've already found almost 50 long lost friends! (Okay, so perhaps I need to brush up on my "stay connected" skills. I can't be the only one!) It must be what heaven will be like, finding all those friends you loved at one point or another in your life. I "goofy-smiled" the entire evening at the computer screen & missed the Titans going 7-0. It was so fun to catch up with friends -- to see their lives & families and feel connected to parts of life that I often miss -- definitely worth missing a little football!

My sweet friend Jen has been encouraging me to start a blog. I keep putting it off wondering who would really want to read about a pretty normal girl with a cutie for a husband & two kids that hung the moon? Well? My thoughts exactly. Lots of people have that story - but I think I'll give it a try even though it is a bit intimidating to think of even trying after reading my friend's blog. A very compelling and beautifully written story of a precious family! Take a look: http://louieandace.blogspot.com/. Of course, she was an English major - so that's a bit of pressure off! (Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a gift and she would write beautifully even if she hadn't been an English major, nevertheless, it does make me feel better for some reason.) So, without further adieu, here I go!

I was advised to change the names of my family for safety purposes. Maybe that's why I've been putting it off. I mean, how can you really? Isn't that changing THEM? But, safety first! So, after much trepidation, (What if someday they really HATE these names? Ah, then they can thank their dad for his contribution to the name debate!), I decided for my children, I'll call them what I would have named them had I been a single parent with no need to compromise with my husband. Of course, now I can't imagine either of them with any name other than the one they have, so I guess it's a good thing I was not a single parent. For my purposes here they are Kincaid (5 1/2) and Scarlett (2 1/2). And for my hubby, well, Charming, of course.