I gave her the eyeball while she got out of the car: Hmmm…hair seems clean, there’s a small forehead scratch but nobody has said anything …so… I guess we’re good.

Or, what has become my motto lately: “Good Enough”.

She’s not clean, but she’s not dirty either. She was still in her swimsuit from the day at the beach, so I made her a deal: hose yourself off with the garden hose and we call it good enough.

So she got out her scooter and I donated a bit of dish soap to the cause and look at that - a good half hour of fun for the price of the water bill and dish soap.

Kids are weird. Warm Shower? NO WAY.

ICE COLD water from the garden hose? BRING IT.

Me, I would have opted for the warm shower.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

After being sick all day yesterday, the child was ready and raring to go to camp this morning.

And today was field trip day - this week it was the roller rink. She had to wear her special colored t-shirt (purple) so she could be easily found. I stuffed ten bucks in an envelope for her for treats while there.

She came home and told us that she is better at skating than the junior counselors. I think there might be some fibbing going on there. I then asked her if she spent her money I gave her - ten dollars.

She told me that the Cotton Candy she had was made by robots and cost five dollars.

She also told me that the Slushee she had was also five dollars.

Then she told me that she was given change and there was enough for her to give to her friend so her friend could buy a soda. This was very nice of her to do and I told her so - that what she did was nice and I was proud of her for sharing with her friends.

I’m not sure how she ended up with change for two five dollar items.. Somehow, somewhere - at the roller rink today somebody there is not doing the math right.

But, it doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day 2 little girls had a good time at the roller rink and had treats and watched a robot make cotton candy.

I’d call that a pretty good day - even if I am out the ten bucks - it’s worth the story.

Today’s Lesson: Sharing is Caring and Math is Hard.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

I woke up, let the dog out and when I turned around she was cuddled under a blanket on the couch. Mornings are hard sometimes and I did not think much of it. She came to the table, had breakfast, got clothes on and we were off to camp.

As we were leaving she talked about her throat feeling funny, but I checked her forehead and she wasn’t burning up so off we got in the car without issue.

We were talking about the I LOVE JESUS sticker on the back of the Jeep in front of us when I turned the corner, had a look back at her in the rear view mirror and she was white as a ghost.

“I think I am going to bar…”.

Barf.

She barfed all right.

She didn’t even get the word out, but all the contents of her stomach had no trouble escaping. We’re a mile and a half from home and she’s in the back seat upset and messy and stinky and I’m telling her she’s going to be okay and we will be home soon, - and we were.

She wanted a hug. I told her no hug until she got cleaned up. BW took over once inside and got her in the tub where there was another round of barfing, but she was in the tub so that’s pretty much the best venue for this event.

Hosed off, dressed - and she watched Disney on the TV all morning. I think there may have been some sleeping too but I am not sure as I didn’t want to creak down the stairs and wake her if she was.

By noon she was hoovering a ham sandwich and is fine.

Myself, on the other hand - got busy cleaning.

I have been ubering for three years now and I drive days specifically so I don’t have somebody barf in the car.

All I can say is it’s a good thing I was smart enough to put washable seat covers on.

I cleaned BW’s car while I was at it.

The tub needed cleaning, obvs. Heck, the entire bathroom needed a disinfect. I then walked around and disinfected all the door handles and hand rails and anything else my child might have touched

She lived her best life and watched so many youtube kids videos today. She may have eaten but she still wasn’t 100 percent as she usually gets bored and starts crafting or something and this didn’t happen today. She was on the couch all day.

Oh, the dog got a bath too - so in between the cleaning, I dropped the dog and picked up the dog from the groomers.

I figured I may as well mow the lawn next as it needed it and I ran out of excuses.

Dinner was uneventful, and she even went to bed easily.

Although the struggle was real today, it’s a lot better now. She is ready to go back to camp and she’s got 10 bucks in her backpack for tomorrow to use for treats when she goes roller skating as a camp day trip.

I’m going to leave you with this PSA: Car seat covers - don’t leave home without them.

Trust me on this one,

TH and Co.

Creams and …other stuff.

“More Face Cream?”, I asked.

”Don’t Go there”, she replied.

I didn’t. I know better. I also told her she was beautiful without any cream - I don’t think she bought it though. It was worth a shot.

But this got me thinking - what the heck is all this stuff? So, I asked my good friend AI:

1. ROVECTIN Lotus Water Cream

• Package Size: 60ml (2.03 fl. oz.)

• What it is: A calming, moisture-balancing cream.

• What it does: Formulated with Lotus Flower and Sweet Almond Oil, this cream is designed to soothe sensitive skin while reinforcing the skin’s moisture barrier. It provides hydration without feeling heavy, helping to balance the skin’s water-oil levels

2. Dr. Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence

• Package Size: 150ml (5.07 fl. oz.) [Note: This is a guess, as the text shows “150ml” in a different listing, but your image crop shows “250ml/8.45fl.oz.” — I will go with the visible 250ml in your text]

• (Correction based on your text:) 250ml (8.45 fl. oz.)

• What it is: A skin-softening essence/serum.

• What it does: This is a fermented tea essence that aims to calm, balance, and soften the skin. It helps improve the skin barrier and provides deep hydration, giving a “re:” (repair/restore) effect for irritated or stressed skin.

3. Skin1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-fit Sun Serum

• Package Size: 50ml (1.69 fl. oz.)

• What it is: A lightweight, chemical-style sunscreen (serum texture) with SPF50+ broad-spectrum protection.

• What it does: Provides high UV protection while also delivering hydration (via hyaluronic acid) and soothing care (via centella asiatica/cica). It is meant to feel weightless and non-greasy, balancing moisture and sun defense.

4. Torriden Balanceful Cica Cream

• Package Size: 80ml (2.70 fl. oz.) [Note: Your text shows “9ml/0.30fl.oz.” for a different item, but this is likely the 80ml size]

• (Correction: Based on typical sizing, the 9ml is likely a sample—this product usually comes in 80ml)

• What it is: A calming and balancing moisturizer.

• What it does: Formulated with cica (centella asiatica), it soothes redness and irritation while strengthening the skin barrier. It helps control excess oil and maintains a healthy moisture balance, making it good for sensitive or acne-prone skin.

5. PORE SHOOTER GOMMAGE CLEANSING BALM

• Package Size: 95ml (3.21 fl. oz.)

• What it is: A gommage-style (peeling/gel-to-oil) cleansing balm.

• What it does: This is a pore-refining cleanser that uses a “gommage” (exfoliating) action to gently remove dead skin cells, blackheads, and sebum from pores. It melts into an oil to dissolve makeup and sunscreen, then rinses off to leave skin smooth, clear, and unclogged.

6. UVshield (MINERAL SUNSCREEN) – Brand unclear (possibly Isntree or similar)

• Package Size: Not clearly listed (likely 50ml)

• What it is: A 100% mineral (physical) sunscreen with SPF50+.

• What it does: Uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to create a physical barrier that reflects UV rays away from the skin. It is designed for sensitive skin, as mineral sunscreens are less likely to cause irritation. It also provides “moisture balancing” to prevent dryness often associated with mineral filters.

7. LOTUSCREAM CALMING/SENSITIVE – Likely a toner or mist (possibly from Rovectin or a similar brand)

• Package Size: Unclear (could be a small mist or toner)

• What it is: A calming facial mist or toner.

• What it does: Infused with lotus flower, xylitol, panthenol, and allantoin, this product is meant to instantly soothe sensitive, irritated skin. It provides a burst of hydration, reduces redness, and preps the skin for the next steps in your routine.

Summary of the routine (suggested order):

1. Cleanse: PORE SHOOTER GOMMAGE CLEANSING BALM (to remove sunscreen/makeup and exfoliate).

2. Tone/Calm: LOTUSCREAM CALMING toner/mist.

3. Essence/Serum: Dr. Ceuracle Kombucha Essence (for barrier repair).

4. Moisturize: ROVECTIN Lotus Water Cream (day) OR Torriden Balanceful Cica Cream (night/if extra soothing needed).

5. Protect (AM only): UVshield MINERAL SUNSCREEN or SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Sun Serum.

   
   

Meanwhile… I use this:

I don’t have to shoot pores, spread fermented tea on me or have a hydration burst. I thought drinking water was a hydration burst. Or, you could just drink the tea before it goes bad and have more money for -you know-soap.

If I had to pick a favorite it’s definitely the pore shooter. I can just hear the sounds coming from the bathroom: pew, pew, pew! Those poor pores getting shot down in broad daylight like that.

Shoot first, ask questions later.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

We spent the day outside. It wasn’t the plan, but that’s what happened.

It started with her making herself a picnic lunch of strawberries, cucumbers and a chees sand taking it outside with a beach towel.

“Dad, do you want to come?”

Dad says YES he would love to come.

“ I will come out”, BW chimed in.

And before you know it, the entire family was outside with lawn chairs and snacks and garden hoses and sprinklers and swimsuits. Even the dog came outside and behaved herself.

Both dog and child are at the right age where the child can walk the dog does not walk the child. I call this progress.

We went to the park on the swings and then for a walk in “the forest”, which is just a small area that connects two neighborhoods with a small creek behind.

But the highlight of the day was the ice cream truck. I had gone inside to flip the laundry and then I hear “DAD DAD DAD!! THE ICE CREAM TRUCK IS HERE!!!”

And what do you know?…it was. So, we made a deal: Ice cream now, but no dessert later.

And then the three of us sat in the shade and ate ice cream under a tree on a beatiful summer Sunday.

Lastly, it’s not summer if you don’t run through a sprinkler.

Diet starts tomorrow.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

Ha.

If you know me, you know I try to avoid being occupied at all times.

I call it a skill.

But what do I put down? Uber Driver? That’s not a real occupation - it’s more a meager attempt to contribute somewhat to the household so BW doesn’t toss me out.

When filling out the form for BW’s info - that’s easy.! She’s got so many fancy letters after her name on her business cards, I lost count.

Me? I have 2 letters: DAD.

That’s all the alphabet a guy really needs.

Oh! I filled in RETIRED on the form. I figured I’m pretty much there from real jobs. I’ve still got a ways to go on the DAD job though and it’s the best job I have ever had!

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

At pickup I got out of the car and realized she was holding something. But at that distance, I couldn’t figure out what and then I got closer and realized it was…

An AWARD !!!

What was the award for you ask?
”Nature kid of the week”, it reads on the bottom

“What is a nature kid”, I asked.

“The one that comes home from camp the dirtiest”, she replied.

That sounds about right. NO WONDER she won.

Despite the rain, it was a good day here. Besides the award she had free ice cream, chips, candy etc. When we asked her if she ate any REAL food at camp she told us “a hot dog”

I managed to get her a red pepper in her before dinner so I’m calling today a nutritional win, regardless.

This is the very first trophy brought home ever. We could not be more proud of her.

She earned this. The rings on the bathtub prove it. :)

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

Also, on an August day I picked up the child who despite being just a little sunburned was also in a sunny disposition. This is a good thing.

Upon return - the child promptly hopped into the shower to wash off the day. Also good.

Out of the shower, there were no clean shorts for her - because camp is a little hard on laundry so she hopped into the yellow peach dress you see above. When I brought it out of the dresser she gasped a “yes, it’s beautiful”.

Then she saw mommy’s flowers on the table.

She grabbed them and wanted me to take her photo of her “posing” with the flowers. The photo above is the best of the bunch.

She danced and spun in the living room in the yellow sundress with the peaches.

And that’s how we spent our Thursday night.

Until next time,

TH and Co.

I think that, maybe I may have won the battle of the NO’s. Maybe.

There was some minor push back, but nothing like yesterday.

She came home from camp. MUDDY. I don’t think there’s any camp left because it all came home on her shirt, knees, face. The question I have is that from about 12:30 - 3:30 pm today she was indoors at an indoor trampoline place, so I don’t understand.

While she was grumbling up the stairs towards the bathtub I told her that after bath and dinner we can go out and go for a scoot around the block. We started with her razor scooter but the balancing is not there yet so we made it to the corner and then regrouped and restarted our walk with the stabler 3 wheeled version.

And then, I made a mistake.

We were walking along and I don’t even know how - but I started a story. A made up story: There once was a girl named curly-haired[my child’s name] and straight haired Steve.

This is where it should have stopped. It was just something I said. I was just being silly.

My pink-helmeted little scooter buddy looked up at me with wide eyes and asked:

”What happened next?”

Meanwhile, I’m like…”Oh, that was supposed to be it”

She did not want the story to end so over the course of our walk I do what I do best: I made shit up. 1

At the end of our mile walk we had the orginal 2 characters, both a policeman and sargeant, a firefighter, 2 dogs - one was named ralph, one mother-in law and then 2 parents, a sibling and of course - every story would not be complete without: donuts

In some ways I wish I could record this stuff and remember it later but then again maybe not, and I should just remember it for what it was:

A scoot and a story.

And donuts. It’s always about the donuts.

until next time,

TH and Co.

”What is the law?”

“Listen to your Dad”, I replied.

”No, not like that - like WHAT is the law?” she persisted.

I then explained how laws kind of work, and gave a few examples but the gist of laws are really a simple rule: be nice

Don’t speed because you could kill somebody.
Don’t rob a store.
Don’t cheat on a contract.

These all boil down to being…well, nice.

I get my little mud infused child home and the first thing she has to do when she gets home from camp is to go shower, because …ew.

“No.” She told me.

“I’m sorry, what? “

“No”, she told me.

Her timing was not perfect because I had a chicken on the grill at the same time and the last I checked the flames were…kind of scary. So, I tell her that she better get her little mud infested body in the shower before I get back.

Or… NO camp tomorrow.

Cue the screaming

I run downstairs on a poultry rescue mission and once I get that sorted, she is still in the bathroom fully clothed.

I told her. OKAY - no camp tomorrow. You can stay in your room and I can stay home and make sure you stay in your room.

Cue more screaming.

I go check on the chicken again.

I finally hear a shower. There’s hope.

But then when she’s out she starts complaining about wet hair. I tell her to just dry it with a towel, you did today at camp and it’s 82 degrees outside.

Cue even more screaming.

I go tend to my chicken and she’s still calming down and so I tell BW to come and eat - we don’t want her at the table anyway in that mood. She hears us sitting down and comes down with wet hair and a pink nightie on and a face that’s the the same color - some from shame and some from sunshine.

Before the NO started we had planned to shower/eat and go for a scoot around the block. The scooter went away obviously, because Dad might not be able to speak Spanish but he also has a word that’s the same as yours: NO.

Cue even more screaming.

She finally comes down and she happily eats and offers a half-hearted (and accepted) apology.

I then tell her about Dad’s new law number 4567 of journal 440 of the Dad’s law of the land:

This rule stipulates that if she tells me no 3 times, then I find a NO too.

And MY NO IS BIGGER THAN YOUR NO. For example for tonight not only be that there we be no camp but there would also be no first field trip of the summer to the trampoline place she is so looking forward to.

I think, I hope and I PRAY she got it through her head that she doesn’t get to say the word NO.

But, you never know.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

From May 15th until the came home this weekend she was experiencing winter in Argentina.

She was of course up and ready to start her day earlier than I would have liked and had her lunch bag ready to be filled with a sandwich.

Lunch box filled, we left for camp and when she arrived she was greeted as if she was royalty. We tried to get a photo of her but she had found friends and was gone.

When I arrived to pick her up it looked like the camp had swallowed her up and spit her back out as she was covered in mud. Covered.

After a long wait and a rainy greeting on the first day back she finally got her first taste of summer and by the count of the rings on the bathtub it was a pretty good day.

I stopped counting at load 8. FOUR huge suitcases came back and upon emptying them I realized we have to wash all the things. I have washed shoes, gym bags and of course - socks. Surpisingly, all but two matched.

I should get an award for this. The sock matching - not the laundry.

The laundry was actually the good part of the day. The not so good part?

The leaking roof:

So yeah, that.

This is one of those things you look at and think to yourself: “Nope, I didn’t see that” and then you walk out of the room.

But here’s where it gets weird. We pro-actively are trying to fix this roof situation and have a roofer lined up for next month to replace our old roof with a brand new roof so the timing on this sucks. We are so close, but now it looks like I have to call the insurance company to see what the next steps are - if any.

Compared to others with much bigger problems in the world, laundry and a bit of a leak are really nothing that time and a LOT of money can’t fix so I will end the day counting my blessings, and they all start with the number two.

I have TWO of my favorite people home again, I only have TWO single socks so far and lastly there’s only TWO stains on the ceiling.

I’m calling it a pretty good day after all, assuming I ever get the laundry done.

Until next time,

TH and Co.

I dressed up as a clown.

Because I’m an older parent with zero shame, and I told her I would embarrass her.

Mission Accomplished.

Upon sight, BW laughed and laughed and laughed for a good five minutes straight, and then we asked a friendly stranger for a photo of us all together.

A few things I have noticed since they are back:

1. they sure are noisy

2. the child has learned to talk a lot but now it’s in Spanish so I can’t understand her. I am not sure how I feel about this.

3. the child grew.

4. it got busy here.

I missed the busy, and I am not clowning around. :)

Until next time,

TH and Co.

Apparently if you want to get up early and make some money you have to get up to an alarm clocks. Guess who forgot the alarm?

BW thinks I did it on purpose, but it almost all worked out in the end. First, if I was not home she would not have woke to coffee delivered in bed and bacon sandwiches for breakfast (she had to come downstairs for the bacon)

The topic of discussion was that the child thought she should run away and so we offered her alternatives like living at a friend’s house or Abuela’s but she realized she’s got it pretty good here even if she is currently under house arrest.

All was going as planned, until I started to leave the house. The child did not like this at all and there were tears and screaming and clinging to my leg. I fibbed and told her I had a doctor’s appointment but in reality, the school bus was still 45 minutes out and it was prime time for uber-ing. So. I left.

When she got home from school later today we had a talk about how she’s big and this isn’t how it all goes down. I cannot be around all the time.

Because she’s still in the doghouse she found some molding clay and some watercolor paints and went to town while I made dinner.

After dinner we have a new deal: Homework happens before dessert.

I asked her if she had homework tonight and she told me that yes, she does.

“They work us hard over there”, she told me.

But after homework there was just one more thing we had to do.

We had to write an apology letter for Carson’s Mom for our behavior on Monday night and then walk over and hand deliver it.

Insert stalling and feet dragging here.

She wanted to just write “I’m sorry” and that’s it, but BW made her flesh it out a bit more and the final note read:

“Dear Carson’s Mom.

I am sorry I misbehaved at your house. “

And then she wrote her name and BW marched her the two blocks to Carson’s house.

I did not go, but there was some stalling and feet dragging and when they got there, they knocked on the door - Dad answered - and she handed him the card and ran away.

I guess that’s good enough, right? We said she had to write a letter and deliver it personally. Nobody said she had to stick around and chat.

And that ends our week of no fun. We took a day off for being brave enough for actually delivering. It’s hard to apologize.

When I was putting her to bed she asked me why it is so hard to apologize and I said because it’s admitting you were wrong and nobody wants to make mistakes and be wrong. At least her little mind is thinking about behaving and the right thing to do.

But, but! I told her that if you apologize that almost anybody will accept your apology and then you can be friends again and all is forgiven.

Unless you’re Carson: He’s still got 2 more days of his sentence to complete.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

But considering for the most part we stayed home and didn’t have a vacation proper, I think she had a great summer and here’s a small recap of just some of the activities over the summer break

I don’t know about you guys but I think she had a lot of fun this summer.

Here’s a few highlights below:

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

If I were more in tune with my lawn I would run out and pick it up but what happens is that the stick rests quietly there until I mow the lawn and pick it up weeks later.

At least that’s what happened pre-child. Now, it’s entire different ballgame.

These days it seems any rock/stick or other sharp object found in the yard is the perfect thing to play with. If it’s sharp and pointy and can be run with even better.

Bonus points if you get it near mommy’s new car.

Thus, the child has heard a lot of “Put down thes stick! You’re going to poke your eye out”. This is said while the child has somehow wrapped the stick in her shirt where the sharp end is inches away from eyeballs or ears or faces. It’s not good.

My favorite is when she’s on the scooter with the stick - should I just call the emergency room now and make a reservation so they know we are coming?

Somehow I manage to get the stick away from the child and we’re all good right? This means the lesson about sticks has been learned and I have been a good parent explaining why riding a scooter with a stick that is bigger than you is generally a bad idea.

Oh, no.

Today when I went to pick her up from camp she handed me a stick with a rubber band.

“Here Dad, Here’s your tracker”

“My What?”

“Your tracker, you know - so we can find each other”

“Ah, I see”

I can see where she sourced the sticks because she is at camp and there’s more than a few trees to source from but she then had them tied to her arms with elastic bands which I assume she got from the staff? I have no idea.

Of course we had to take the trackers home with us and show mommy our trackers - after which the novelty ran out and they lay abandoned on our kitchen table.

I really hope this is the last of the sticks, but it seems that this is the summer she’s stuck on sticks and the summer is not over yet so who knows?

But then at bedtime she tells me she wants a Nintendo Switch 2 because then she could play Super Mario Cart. 1

Maybe this playing with sticks isn’t so bad after all. It’s cheaper, that’s for sure.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

But as they say, it’s not whether you win or lose…

We haven’t played in some time as it takes a bit of time and we haven’t had much time for board games lately. Any little time I have in the evening seems to go to writing here.

Maybe I should stick to scrabble.

With our little charge in somebody else’s care BW and I managed to have a date night of sorts at home because who wants to leave the comfort of your own home? I suppose we should have taken advantage, but ubers and eating out is an expense we don’t really need.

Tonight BW told me that I hadn’t done anything today. I took the day off and scrubbed 2 bathrooms, cleaned up a child’s bedroom, stripped, washed and remade 2 beds, mopped the floor and have done too many dishes to count. I can hardly wait for my next day off.

Lastly, we’ve been on a 70’s music kick here this weekend and I’m currently listening to Bonnie Tyler. Not because I’m her biggest fan, but because of the cover:

I mean, look at that cover! I know it was the 70’s and all but I wonder who okay’d that cover? “Let’s put her face inside a diamond” they said. This has not aged well.

Here’s a link to all you need to know about this album.

That voice though - and I can listen to an entire album uninterrupted which is winning to me, even if I will never win at scrabble.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

When we go to the outlet mall, we get her some sugar. It’s assumed.

In my defense, we don’t go often but every once in a while we do go and have a look around and usually come out with more sugar in our bloodstream than when we went in.

Today we were there with Abuela as there’s a store she likes to visit while here and across the aisle is a candy store that sells nothing but weird overpriced candy so it’s an easy few minutes to kill while we leave abuela alone to shop in peace.

Once the novelty of the candy store waned, we tossed a few quarters in the gumball machine and now we’re the proud owner of a bouncy ball that will probablyy meet it’s demise after it goes through the dog and I find it in the yard.

The tradition is we go to Yogen Fruz and we get her a frozen yogurt. Healthy yes? Um..not really. Because then we top it with sugary candy so the nutritional balance skews to the unhealthy end of the chart.

Here’s a photo:

Not the best, but it is the end of summer so what’s one last treat yes?

After we got home, she went and found a friend to wear off all that sugar so in the end it worked all out..

Except, the day wasn’t done yet.

Tonight with Abuela here she made us a diner pie for dessert

Banana Cream to be exact:

Lookout bloodstream! Here comes more sugar!

And OMG did the sugar hit afterwards. She was inside singing at the top of her lungs and eventually we just sent her outside to sing and play with sticks or something, anything - get out of the house!

So…ya. The sugar count was a little higher than planned today.

Tomorrow, it’s carrot soup for her breakfast.

Me? I’ll have another slice of that pie.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

These tears mostly happen at night so we’re not sure if they’re just tired tears as we get this at home too. If you recall there’s some bedtime tears about missing her friend Diamond as well.

I’ve been told that she’s fine in the a.m and is happy to be with Abuela. Today they went over to her Aunt’s and from the photos I saw of her, she was eating very well and living her best life so who knows.

But, it’s been a week and that’s when the homesick seems to happen - the novelty wears off a bit and home starts to look real good again when you’re away, regardless of age.

I’m told she even misses the dog, and if you have met my dog there’s not much to miss. Sure, the dog is sweet and as illustrated the other day just wants to be a lap dog but this dog will not win awards for being smart, that’s for sure.

It’s not like we left her with some long lost relative we only see once every few years. We talk on the phone to Abuela every day and she’s been in the child’s life since Day 1 so it’s not like she’s around strangers.

At one point, she was going to come home tomorrow, but cooler heads have prevailed and she’s there for one more day at least - tomorrow she goes to the zoo, which is perfect because that’s the one field trip she missed from camp.

I’m a homebody too (BW would argue too much at times) so I get it. There’s something about having your own bed and being around your stuff and the familiar sights and sounds of home.

Like they say

Heck, after a while even the dog starts to look good.

Hang in there, little one. Our hearts haven’t forgotten about you.

We miss you too.

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.

“Let’s go to the beach”

“Okay, we can do that”, I replied.

She was determined to get there by 10am because her new best friend Diamond told her she was going to to the beach too. Spoiler: Diamond was not at the beach.

My days started wih her in my room at 6am.

“I’m excited for the beach”, she told me.

“Go downstairs and watch YouTube”, I replied.

A few hours later when it was a much more reasonable hour to be awake we had breakfast and then somehow all three of us managed to remember the towels and chairs and umbrellas and snacks and off we went to the beach!

We’re really lucky and we should take advantage of this more - the beach is a 15 minute drive which is great and heck, there’s even a view of the old country in the distance.

We did all the things one does at the beach:

• Fought with the umbrella.

• Heard the phrase “watch me” about a million times

• Said the phrase “be careful” about 2 millions times

• Got sunburned

• Had overpriced snacks from the “Sand Shack”.

• Wondered if we would ever get her free of sand ever again.

This summer camp has been really good for her this summer. It’s now her beach and she was happy to show me where the bathrooms were and we went to the blue playgound they have and she was right: they have a zipline. It looks like a lot of fun.

They go to the blue playground during camp but they are not allowed on the zipline because of safety, she told me. I can see that- they only have so many staff members and they can have fun on the other things like slides and swings.

She is getting less afraid of the water. Is she actually swimming yet? No.

Is she afraid of getting her face wet and going under water? No, and that’s a good thing. She’ll never be an olympic swimmer I doubt but learning to swim is a life skill she should have.

After the beach, her friend Ethel came over to play and they played outside for a bit and then wanted to come inside and watch the tablet (NO) and it was deciced they wanted to swim in our pool too.

Of course it wasn’t a summer day in August without a treat so BW said they could have a popsicle. The kids come inside and tell me they can have ice cream - so I gave them ice cream.

We show up with the ice cream and BW asks me why the ice cream? I told her because she said they could. I got bamboozled by these two and tricked into giving them ice cream instead.

Those two are dangerous together.

She somehow managed to hold it all together even though she had been up since 6am and we had a later dinner so it was 8 before she went to bed. We made it to the toothbrushing stage and she was so tired and cranky that the brushing was a half-hearted at best.

I heard a few cries of being completely exhausted after a very long day and then she was out.

As she was going to bed she asked: “Did you have fun at the beach Dad?”

“Of course, I replied”

Until Next Time,

TH and Co.