Migration begins….the countdown
I’m talking about the annual migration of family coming down south to visit. Talk about stressful…when Northern uptight folks wander down south and bring the expectations with them, it gets ugly. Yup, I get tired of being called a Yankee down here(born and bred I always say–can’t change who you are), but even I am amazed at the differences between the people when you cross that Mason Dixon line. Then again, the type A parts of my personality that did exist in me were beaten out of me by raising kids. Living down here has also made me give up what little was left. I very vividly remember buying groceries our first week down here and thinking to myself–does everyone talk about everything to everybody down here and why does it take so long to do anything around here? Now, I find it refreshing.
Back to life with kids…I’ve learned that if you don’t relax the standards a little bit, you’ll never leave the house as you’ll be cleaning all the time(been there done that). Plus, what do you want the kids to say about you when it’s all said and done–”my mom, she could REALLY clean the house she could” or “my mom let us learn and explore and create and wow was it fun to be a kid in our house!”
Despite my centering, I’m frantically cleaning/washing/repairing etc and driving everyone crazy in the house in the interim. The kids are already on alert and cleaning their bedrooms too. Hubby is out buying a new countertop for the bathroom sink(isn’t that bizarre?)
The bottom line–all 7 of us live in a modest sized ranch house with limited storage. 5 of the 7 of us are children. This ain’t Martha Stewart’s house. Think more along the lines of the Brady Bunch plus a few animals, minus the den and large living room.
Arrival date is Saturday.
Our family that’s visiting will be staying on base at Camp Pendleton. It’s basic digs, but where else can you get beachside accomodations in-season for around $50 per nite? If you are military, or have military family, definitely check out this option.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:59 am
I was born in Norfolk and most of my moms family is in Va Beach. I love how close it is to visit the Caolrinas and all the historical spots in the rest of VA. I know what you mean about once you get past the Mason Dixie line. You wouldn’t believe how many years I had to explain to people in the more southern states I lived in that there isn’t an East Virginia and that Virginia is south of the Mason Dixie. My hubby went to Va Beach with me when we were engaged. He is from the pan handle of Texas where everyone tips their hats and waves at everybody. He felt the people in VA weren’t nearly a nice as the rest of the south. Could you imagine if how he would have felt if we had just gone up a state or so to visit? Glad to find you site. I’ll be checking in often to see whats going on in my home town.