Last weekend, Mike took Mazzy to upstate New York for a father daughter weekend while I stayed home with Harlow. Did Mazzy make it home alive? Yes. Did she say she had fun? Absolutely. Was she dressed in clean clothes with her hair brushed? Not really.
I asked Mike a few questions about what went down.
What was this trip you took and why?
It was a reunion with a bunch of college buddies (six of which are also named Mike) and their families. One Mike lives in China, but grew up in Perry, NY so he goes back every summer and invites us all out. We rent two cabins on a lake and share them among six families. It’s kind of like summer camp. We went three years ago before Harlow was born and it was a blast, although Mazzy was a bit young for the trip at the time. There are a lot of water activities.
A blast?! Do you not remember that I got food poisoning and had the shits in the only bathroom in a cabin shared by twenty people???
Oh yes, that sounds familiar.
I was also pregnant and furiously googling what damage might have been done to my baby.
Harlow turned out just fine.
Speaking of harlow, Did you ever feel guilty about leaving your wife and younger daughter behind?
Not really. I thought this would be a good adventure for Mazzy and Harlow is really too young to enjoy the trip. Plus, you wanted time to write your book. You should really get on that, you know.
Were you worried about traveling with Mazzy on your own?
That’s why I opted to fly instead of drive. I don’t think I could handle a long road trip with Mazzy on my own. She was really excited to get on a plane. She’s really pretty easy to travel with as long as you have plenty of snacks and an iPad.
What did you do with her hair?
I outsourced it to the other moms on the trip. I even outsourced bath time.
YOU outsourced bath time? How did you manage that??
All the families were staying in two different cabins. I’d leave her at the other cabin to play with the kids before dinner and I’d come back to pick her up and she was fully bathed with her hair done. It was like magic!
Tell me all about the fun activities you participated in without me.
We went to the Animal Adventure farm and had a safari tour.
Mazzy went down a waterslide from a pontoon boat.
She rode in a tube pulled from the back of a motor boat.
She made lots of new friends.
We went to a rodeo.
She toured a working dairy farm. There was a calf born just 15 minutes before we arrived.
The dairy farm looks so sad!
The cows were being milked, not slaughtered. They were fine.
How late did you let her go to bed?
Pretty late. Although I let her do sleepovers two out of the three nights so who knows. I’m guessing she never went to bed before 10pm.
So let me get this straight. You outsourced bathing, hair brushing and bedtime?
Yep.
And then what time did you go to get her in the morning?
Not sure. Whenever I woke up, I guess.
SOUNDS like a real vacation! Did you pay these people?
They were happy to have her.
Did you guys have fun?
Yes! We had a great time! It’s so much easier taking care of one kid. Plus, it was really nice to spend quality time with people I have known over half my life, but now with all our families involved. We got along just as well as we did in college. Not everyone gets to do that. We are a lucky group.
Did you miss me and Harlow AT ALL???
I would say a little bit, but FaceTime cures that quickly.
Was it good to be home?
It’s always good to be home. They say it’s where the heart is.
One last question. What the hell is in her hair?
You got me.
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Mazzy’s getting so big! And so pretty, too 🙂
Laughing, he sourced out bath time, bed time, and hair (for the most part) = brilliantly planned vacation. A mom would never get away with that.
I saw the main photo on Facebook and wondered if you had been in my town! My family loves Hidden Valley Animal Adventure! What a small world… sounds like a great trip! Hope Harlow gave you some time to write 😉
Ha! This is awesome! I vote you do more Q&A’s with Mike. I miss the random stories you used to tell about him every once in a while (my all time favorite being the breakfast buffet!)
This was so funny. My husband would totally outsource the bathing, hair brushing and bedtime if he could!
Sounds like Mike is partially a genius. I don’t wanna give him fully credit because then he’d likely be unlivewithable. I don’t wanna be responsible for that kind of havoc!
Way to go Mike. Kids love Dad time.
Only someone in business would use the term outsource. Lol, too funny. I wish we (moms) can outsource some parenting duties too. Like potty training, nap/sleep time, and brushing teeth.
As someone from the nearby area, I’m sorry but no… Perry is not exactly upstate. Haha. I’m guessing silver lake? Always a fun spot.
This is too funny!!! Seriously, we need to hear more Mike stories. For those moms wanting to outsource bathtime and bedtime = use the older sibling if one is available!!! We pay our 9 yo daughter to bathe her 5 yo brother! I also pay her to clean the bathrooms. She loves to do it, who am I to take that pleasure away from her! She also reads to him (as mandated by homework) and puts him to bed. Money well spent.
hhahaha! That’s hilarious! He outsourced everything. It sounds like they both had a lot of fun. Sometimes, just letting little ones loose is the best way to parent. Thanks for the post!
“She was fully bathed with her hair done, it’s like magic!” HAHAHA Best part! lol Great time, they had. And oooh, I’m excited for your book Ilana! 😀
Its easier taking care of just one kid…forsure when you aren’t even the one taking care of that one kid. But this happens alot to me too friends come to our lake house and even if the moms are there somehow I end up being the one bathing all the kids and getting them fed and in bed maybe its because I’m the only one that doesn’t drink all day!
SMH Magic indeed! A Mom on a long weekend would never get to “outsource” bath time and bed time.
[…] out the next couple of years until last year when Mike took Mazzy while I stayed home with Harlow. They had a great time and if anybody asks Mazzy what her favorite […]