Is it me or did everyone just go a little bit crazy?  Good, safe, cautious, prepared crazy, but WOW did we all take a little trip to Crazy Town or what?  As I reported last week, HUSBAND, LITTLE GUY, YOUNG LADY and I were all on vacation, enjoying the beach and preparing (mentally) for the start of school.  I was so centered back then.  So sane.  So utterly oblivious to the hurricane of lunacy that was about to overtake my family and my city.

When word of the impending storm broke, I went into a small panic.  Like everyone, I worried about my apartment, the stuff I had stored in the basement of my building and my parents who live in a “low lying area” (a term I had never before used but is now part of my vernacular).  I started to take an accounting of all the flashlights and batteries in the vacation house where we were staying and I began the three-day-long debate with HUSBAND about whether we should stay on vacation and risk flooding or loss of power or return home where a direct hit was expected.

In the end we did go back home, a decision HUSBAND will probably never let me live down.  He wanted to stay on vacation, I wanted to go home, and I was able to swiftly and elegantly disarm his argument by saying, “If something happened I would never forgive myself”.  The truth?  I was scared of being trapped indoors without TV with LITTLE GUY.  Commence judging.

So we packed up (is it me or do you always seem to have more room in the suitcase on the way back….are vacation elves steeling my clothing overnight?) and drove back.  When we entered the frenzy of pre-Irene NYC, we were overtaken by insanity.  Suddenly, I felt compelled to buy one of absolutely everything my family needed to eat from now until YOUNG LADY graduates college.  I purchased more batteries than I will ever use in this lifetime, at full price, from a regular store (Normally I’m a Costco Mom when it comes to things like batteries).  And the water, oh the water.  If I ever lose my job, I will set up a bridge table on the street outside my apartment and sell off the ocean’s worth of bottled water I purchased “just in case” we were to lose power and the pumps wouldn’t be able to get water through to my plumbing.  Did I mention we live on the ground floor?  And how ironic is it that we all freaked out and bought tons of water in preparation for a day of heavy rain?  Couldn’t we just have gone outside with a cup?

You all know how the story ends.  My apartment, I am happy to say, was fine as were my loved ones both in and out of the city.  My parents had a few days without power and I am so thankful for our good fortune when I see families on the news who have been completely displaced by the flooding.  We returned to the beach and finished our vacation with a sigh of relief and a little bit more appreciation for the people in our lives.

I think I made the right decision going back home.  Not just because two days with LITTLE GUY and no Backyardigans is a special kind of hell, but because we didn’t know what was going to happen and we made the best decision we could given our lack of a crystal ball.  HUSBAND still thinks I made a rash decision, but both of us agree that what doesn’t flood us makes us stronger.

I hope we never have a storm like that again…..either the storm that was or the storm that was expected.  But I am proud of our city and of our family for behaving like true New Yorkers.  Strong, united, brave, protective of each other, and just a little bit crazy.

What do YOU think?

I’m excited for Labor Day Weekend.  HUSBAND, YOUNG LADY, LITTLE GUY and I are all headed out of town to visit friends who live near this large, salty body of water.  It’s right next to this huge sandbox.  It doesn’t have a doorman.  I think it’s called a house and a beach, but what do I know?  I’m a city girl.

But there’s something I’m even more excited about.  Something that I’ve been waiting three long years for: LITTLE GUY is starting school.  In a few short days, I will be the mother of two school-aged children.  At least by New York standards.  I hear the rest of the country tends to keep their kids home a bit longer but hey, those people often have a second bathroom in their home.

I’m excited to get some time off, and to devote myself more to work.  I’ll still be shuttling the kids around to school and playdates, and they will both continue to take class at NY Kids Club (Gymnastics for YOUNG LADY and Gym Jrs for LITTLE GUY), but for a few hours each day, I will be footloose and child-free.

But then I start to get sad about it.  My baby is growing up.  He’s not going to be at my side, tugging at my pants legs all day.  He’s out of diapers (thankfully, we have a washing machine and a dryer) and he’s sleeping in a big-boy bed.  I miss having a baby around…..

Wait, am I crazy?  I was EXHAUSTED when my kids were babies!  Diaper changing, never getting enough sleep, chronic back problems from holding a child on my hip or pushing the over-loaded stroller with poor posture.  This is going to be GREAT.  I’m going to start getting my old life back.  The life I had before kids, when I only had to take care of myself….

But then again, I’ll never have that feeling of a little tiny baby in my arms who belongs to me and only me.  (OK half belongs to HUSBAND).  Sure, LITTLE GUY is one heck of a cuddler, and YOUNG LADY loves nothing more than to sit on my lap while I try to pretend she isn’t crushing me with her almost eight-year-old weight.  But to have an infant is something so special and you only get it for a short time.  Did I really appreciate it while I had it?  Did I waste those years by constantly looking forward to a time when my kids would be more independent?

I’m sure someone out there is wondering if maybe I should consider having another baby, but that’s not going to happen.  The baby store is closed.  Besides, we don’t have room for another bed in this apartment.

It’s really a mixed bag, this motherhood thing.  As much as I look forward to what lies ahead, a part of me yearns for yesterday.  I’m excited for LITTLE GUY to have the preschool experience and for YOUNG LADY to take on the challenges of second grade, but I’ll miss so many parts of their babyhood: Mommy and Me classes (Did you know that Gym Jrs is DROP OFF?!!), tiny shoes, and that amazing baby smell.  I would love to stop time, yet I can’t wait to get some “me” back.  Do other mothers feel the same way?

What do YOU think?

I’m about to take a short vacation.  I won’t say where, but it involves an airplane, both my kids (not bringing HUSBAND) and what’s left of my sanity.  We’ll be visiting my parents, which is fortunate because I have a feeling that after the flight there I will need a responsible party to stand between me and my children so as to prevent damage to either party.

To her credit, YOUNG LADY is quite a well behaved seven year old and I’m counting on her to help me with LITTLE GUY in the airport and during our flight. I’ve packed a carry-on full of digital gadgets galore: iPod Touch and Macbook with DVDs for YOUNG LADY, iPad with preschool games and TV shows for LITTLE GUY.  I’ll also bring a nice supply of non-gelatinous, non-liquid snacks for LITTLE GUY to spill all over the cabin.

Do I like the idea of my kids zoning out to TV and video games for three hours?  No, I don’t.  I can practically feel their brain cells swelling and popping inside their skulls.  But what gives me even more angst is the thought of LITTLE GUY throwing a fit or running around the airplane.  I’ll take bursting brain cells over judgmental looks from disapproving passengers any day.

I feel like tension is in the air these days when it comes to kids and travel.  It’s all over the press…stories about screaming toddlers getting booted off of planes and “brat bans” in restaurants that will only serve adult diners.  I know I shouldn’t care what others think as long as I’m doing my best to be considerate, but I must admit, I’m dreading the humiliating thought of being “that mom” with “that screaming kid” and I’ll do anything short of resorting to Benadryl to avoid it.

But there’s something else I’m worried about.  It’s deep and it’s dark and I’ll only admit it here: I’m going to use one of those backpack leash things on LITTLE GUY.  I used to think they were horrible because it looks like you’re treating your child like a dog, but then I had a boy.  A boy who takes off.  And a boy I’d prefer not to lose in the middle of JFK airport.

So for LITTLE GUY’s third birthday, an understanding friend bought us a great little Monkey backpack with a leash on it so I can hold onto LITTLE GUY in the airport and use the stroller for it’s intended purpose: As a luggage cart.

I go back and forth….am I a lazy mom for letting the gadgets entertain my kids instead of spending three hours doing inventive coloring projects with them?  Would that even work?  And am I treating my preschooler like a puppy by putting him on a leash?  Or am I just taking necessary precautions to assure that LITTLE GUY actually returns home with me?

What do YOU think?