The Home Invaders

OK, so they aren't quite what you're thinking.  The Home Invaders are what I am now calling my niece, Destiny, and nephew, Boogie.  Aren't they something else?  Boogie is 14 and Destiny is 13.

Earlier in the summer, they realized I lived close to the Ben & Jerry Factory.  So began the questions about a visit.  Them leaving CT to come to NH to visit without their parents.  They got so excited.  Every time I visited, which is a lot, they say "We're ready when you are."  Some how they discovered when my vacation started and so did their plan.  Of course I fell for it.  It started like this:

Boogie: Titi (spanish for auntie), so your vacation starts tomorrow.  When are you coming to get me and Destiny?
Me:  How did you know my vacation was starting?
Boogie:  Ummmm, you told us O_o

And he knew I would be down that weekend.  I warned their parents.  Told them to get permission. And they did.  They were hoping to get a week but I was like two to three days MAX!   Their parents then became concerned for me.  Laury tells me Destiny does not stay anywhere overnight.  The two together are something else. But I knew they would be fine and I could handle it.... right?!?!

We get in the car, Destiny and Boogie are READY!  Their moms, Jojo and Laury, sad because this is the first time they are more than 30 mins away without them.  Their dads... "HAVE FUN!!!  SIS, you got this." The youngest, Yeilani, 3, and Kaliyah, 3, say bye with kisses.  Yaznese, 8, not so happy with me for leaving her behind.  Briana, 10, says "YES! Destiny is leaving."

The drive is only about two hours and the two of them are so anxious.  We get in and I give the rules:

• Don't wake me up
• Wash your hand before going in my kitchen
• Clean up behind yourself
• You are at home
• Check in with your parents

I give them all their needs for their stay, check on them constantly.  They find the exercise ball and they are having fun.  They check in and get the usual speech.  We discuss our plans for their stay, I go to bed.  

The next morning I wake up to this:

Do you think they were hungry?  I comply with the request.

We then go to the driving range and do mini golf and hit some golf balls.  They learned a little something.

          

Then we spent the evening just hanging out.  As the also took over my patio.

The next morning they put in their breakfast request but I had to wake them up.  They slept through the FedEx man banging on the door.  SMH!

We went to Cabot Cheese, where Destiny thought it was GREAT idea to try all the spicy cheeses at once.  Oh Destiny! I treated them to chocolate which must've been good because I just heard munching.  We then went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill but they ran out of apples, so we got donuts to go. Then to watch a little glass blowing, ornaments were the demo of the day and it was pretty cool.  Finally, to the place that was the goal of the trip the BEN & JERRY's ICE CREAM FACTORY!

We took the tour, got samples, got ice cream cones, visited the flavor graveyard, and had laughs and fun.

At the end of the day, this made it all worth it.  To see these two faces with their big happy smiles.

We returned home and they called their parents and had dinner on the patio. They were scared by the UPS guy knocking on the door. We all got a good laugh out of that.


The next day, I took them home.  They had so much fun. When I returned home, it was so quiet, the Home Invaders weren't here to banish me to my room and take over the whole place.  No giggles, no rolling on the exercise ball, no random pop ins to my room to say "Hi!" with a big smile, no requests for food. But they did leave me a message.

I sure do love them too.  And we all survived!  Happy and healthy!

Dating and your parents...

I'm at that age where my dating life is an hourly question. I'm sure many of you can relate. The comments and questions.

Who are you dating?

Can I hook you up?

Boy, do I have a good one for you.

You're getting up there. 





All of these make me chuckle regardless of who says it. But what I find funniest are the ways parents deal with their children dating regardless of age. The dynamics are different based on the parent and the sex of the child. I think about my whole family and laugh because it's all there.










Let's start with the father/son combo. It's a little easier. Men expect their sons to date, and do so frequently. No sweat. The pressure comes from the father making sure his son is weighing his options so to speak.



Mother/son and relationships are not quite as easy. Mothers love their baby boys and sons love their mamas. No one can ever add up. But moms know there is dating but they are very opinionated on the woman at hand. She's thinking about how this woman will treat her special boy, so there is a bit of toughness there. And let's be honest a man doesn't want his mama to know too much. Though your woman has a lot of work to get through mom.



Mother/daughter can vary. Mothers generally pick what would be a good man for them to match their daughter.  I wonder if that's why they say so many women marry their fathers?!?!?!  Moms have high standards because not only do they want you dating, they want you looking for a husband and to become a baby making machine so they can have grandbabies to spoil. Maybe that's just my mom. That's a lot, especially when you have your own plans. And yes, they try to hook you up, and if they are like my mom they are usually completely off.


Father/daughter is what I say is the toughest. Maybe because that's how my life goes.  Fathers want to see their little girls happy and successful and forever their little girls. Then comes the realization men, who are not relatives, will be a part of this process.  Dads do not like their little girls with men not them, though at times they will say things like "maybe someone will take her off my hands???!?!" He does not mean it. Dads throw temper tantrums at the thought of their daughters dating. No man will ever be good enough.  When a daughter brings a guy home all a dad thinks about is what he did or thought at that age when it came to girls.  At the same time dads want their baby girls to be with someone who can care for her equally or better than he ever could because he can't always be around. He fears being replaced as the hero in her life. Her innocence... and if you've had a great father, your expectations are high for the man you let in your life. This is a tough business.

While none of these are easy, they are consistent cycles. One not easier than the other, just different. Hopefully with the right person, it will all happen in a funny and somewhat peaceful way.

Happy dating and meeting the parents!!