MLK Day 2014

Our schedule is so frenzied and out of control.  I have people tell me I should limit my kids activities but what they don’t realize is with the kids doing just one extra curricular, that’s five extra things a week to manage.  I don’t ever want pity because Dan & I did this to ourselves.  I know with God’s help, friends & family, they will all get raised even though they may miss some things every now and then because I space out.

We had one of the most memorable & enjoyable days as a family that I remember in a long time.  Typically, we only have family togetherness when we go to our family River house.  We rarely have a day all together to just play.  Play we did….We all went to the Tides View Preserve that is such a cool place.  The best part is that I only have to ride with all five kids in the car for just 5 minutes!!  Car rides together are possibly the worst.  It’s like a bunch of caged animals at times, which usually comes with vomit too.  

The Tides View Preserve is on the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Mayport on the Intracoastal Waterway.   The kids love it so much and on a blue, sunny day, it’s breathtaking!  We usually go there a couple times a year.

 

One trip was especially memorable….in a bad way!  It was our favorite day of the year, the day you get FREE Chickfila food if you dress like a cow.  I know people scoff and mock me for parading all my little cows in for some free food (Dan doesn't particpate…) but I bet they aren’t dropping $50 every time they take the fam to eat there either.  You get really humble when you have a large family and really change your high standards of many things like a clean car, a clean house, clean laundry, glass plates & cups and yes, dressing up and looking ridiculous for some waffle fries!

On the way home from our Chick Extravaganza, the kids suggested we go to the preserve to cap off a perfect day of food!  I really gave them a thrill by taking them over that scary overpass off of Mayport! They squealed with delight!  We were happily frolicking in the woods, dressed as cows, finishing off our milkshakes when we rounded the corner and rudely woke up a homeless man sleeping on a bench.  He greeted our cowselves happily and we hurried by, out to the dock.  The panic ensued and a question arose….will or will not the homeless man be waiting to jump us, to kill/rob us when we enter the woods to get back to our vehicle.  If this conversation was videotaped and put on TV, I have no doubt it would have gotten a  #1 rating and we would be bigger and richer than Duck Dynasty!  We actually could have really used their camouflage clothing and guns.  I don’t think the cow costumes were doing the trick. 

We came up with a detailed exit strategy.  I, as the brave mother, would go first.  If I got shot, the kids would separate & run towards Mayport road and call someone to come pick them up!  Then we argued if a homeless person would have a gun and some Cow Wog said they could have jumped some other preserve-goer and stole their gun.  Annie shows us what she is going to do if the man jumps us and kicks her double-jointed leg freakishly high into the air, kicking a milkshake out of her siblings hand splattering it all over the decking.  Usually a fistfight would break out over a spilt Chick milkshake but we were dealing with bigger, life-threatening issues.  We took a different path out and walked as silently as 6 Wogs could possibly be.  We saw a cleared area that was not a designated path but we decided to loop around and try to sneak to our truck.  At one point we were all running like cow-banshees and jumped a metal gate and finally made it safely to the truck.  I gunned it and 6 Wog–cows lived to tell about it!

 

The funny thing about this is the poor homeless man was probably more scared when he opened his eyes to 6 big-eyed cows staring at him.  He probably snuck away from us!

Well, today’s visit had low drama & little excitement, thank God!  The scariest moment was when two kayakers rode by.  Annie assured us VERY loudly that she didn’t think they would kill us.  It was the most beautiful, sunny day I have seen in a very long time and I was grateful to have all my Wogs together just having fun!